Depression is a recurring illness. The risk of recurrent depression after suffering the first depressive attack is 50-70%. Therefore, an important condition for effective treatment of depression is the prevention of recurrent attacks. One of the most effective methods of preventing depression is the long-term prescription of antidepressants. Antidepressants are drugs designed specifically to treat depression. The effectiveness of antidepressants in depression is associated with the normalization of metabolism in the brain of two biologically active substances – serotonin and norepinephrine. These substances are mood regulators and their metabolism is disrupted in depression.      

The first antidepressants were developed back in the 50-60s of the twentieth century. This group of antidepressants includes such well-known drugs as amitriptyline, melipramine , anafranil , and is designated by the term “tricyclic antidepressants”. These drugs have proven to be highly effective in eliminating depressive symptoms. However, their long-term use is limited by the high risk of side effects, which include drowsiness during the day, dizziness, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, dry mouth, constipation, memory and attention impairment, etc. In addition, with prolonged use, these antidepressants can impair heart function, which is especially dangerous in people with cardiovascular disease and the elderly.

New antidepressants, developed and introduced into practice over the past 20 years, have a number of advantages over tricyclic drugs. The number of new antidepressants is constantly growing and currently number in several dozen. Are more likely to apply Paxil , Zoloft , Luvox , tsipraleks , Remeron , lerivon , auroriks , koaksil , Ixel , Cymbalta . Better portability is an important advantage. The newer antidepressants do not cause daytime sleepiness or affect blood pressure or heart function. Therefore, they are safe for long-term use. Choosing the most effective and safest antidepressant for each individual patient is not an easy task and can only be done by a doctor. Long-term use of these drugs should be carried out under constant medical supervision. The most important conditions for the effectiveness of preventive therapy are the correct selection of the dosage, careful adherence to the regimen of taking the drug for a sufficiently long time, the compatibility of the antidepressant with other drugs used by the patient. Cancellation of antidepressant therapy with a steady improvement in the condition is carried out gradually. The duration of preventive therapy is at least 1-5 years, depending on the characteristics of the affective disease.