ress, personal loss, unpleasant experiences, endocrine disorders, or hormone imbalances. Even over-the-counter or prescription drugs, such as Valium and Halcion, can cause depression.
Antidepressant drugs work by correcting an apparent chemical imbalance in the brain that causes depression. Depression involves a malfunction of one of the brain's neurotransmitter systems and receptor sites. Antidepressants boost the level of neurotransmitters needed to fight depression. Whereas older antidepressant drugs, such as tricyclics, heterocyclics, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, took a shotgun approach and interfered with neurotransmitters and receptors sites all over the brain, SSRIs work by keeping high levels of one specific natural chemical, serontonin, in circulation. Serontonin is used by the brain to regulate mood.
Not only is Prozac more effective than the older antidepressant drugs, it is easier to administer. Tricyclics and monomine oxidase inhibitors can require weeks of experimentation to determine the correct dosage because more than one
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