Finding the Best Depression Medication
For individuals suffering from depression, other than a select few, finding relief is a dream. Depression is much more than sadness-it is a complete loss of pleasure for everyday activities, and it severely interferes with functioning at school, work and within relationships. Depressed people want to be happy again, but more importantly, they want to ensure that their depression does not come back, or if it does, they know how to handle it. While therapy and counseling can help some sufferers overcome their oppressing feelings, for others, medication is necessary. But the best depression medication for one individual may not be the best depression medication for the next depression, so the overall process can quickly become a game of trial and error.
Many Factors to Consider
Determining the best depression medication can be a long, complicated process, as there are many factors to consider. Firstly, the individual needs to decide the source of his or her depression. Depression caused primarily by a chemical imbalance will require a different medication than depression caused mostly by traumas or stress. Even the nature of the chemical imbalance can influence the best depression medication for that victim. Also, sometimes depression is a byproduct of a more serious mental illness. Giving a person suffering from bipolar disorder a normal anti-depressant can do more harm than good, so in his or her case, the best depression medication may not be a depression medication at all, but a mood stabilizer instead.
Another factor that must be kept in mind is depression medication effects. All medicines come with various side-effects, and while usually these side-effects are less hurtful than the original disease, sometimes the opposite is true. The best depression medication for a victim may be the medication with the least effects-the same medication may be unbearable for another person with similar symptoms. Some medications cannot be used by individuals who suffer from other, non-related diseases, so the best depression medication for them will be one that does not interfere with their sicknesses or other medications they may already be on. With the advancements in science and medicine, however, sometimes finding the best depression medication does not come down to trial and error. Various imaging systems can view the brain in such detail that the specific nature of chemical imbalances can be discovered before a medication is prescribed. Also, the risks of depression medication effects can be assessed before pills are given through different blood tests and stress tests.
