Antidepressant

Antidepressants are a class of <a href="/facts/Medication/h9mhwWP2">medications</a> used to treat <a href="/facts/Major_depressive_disorder/l2lQeWqr">major depressive disorder</a>, <a href="/facts/Anxiety_disorder/wh9zFH1V">anxiety disorders</a>, <a href="/facts/Chronic_pain/o4rGTd95">chronic pain</a>, and <a href="/facts/Addiction/76UrWQuT">addiction</a>.
Common <a href="/facts/Side_effect/PhuX2haY">side effects</a> of antidepressants include <a href="/facts/Xerostomia/aKMwe59z">dry mouth</a>, <a href="/facts/Weight_gain/jVbY8Eao">weight gain</a>, <a href="/facts/Dizziness/eI8UvmS5">dizziness</a>, <a href="/facts/Headache/mdmmC9DP">headaches</a>, <a href="/facts/Akathisia/hFUb0Uqr">akathisia</a>, <a href="/facts/Sexual_dysfunction/cnrj9YDF">sexual dysfunction</a>, and <a href="/facts/Emotional_blunting/6zUQyoh1">emotional blunting</a>. There is an increased risk of <a href="/facts/Suicidal_ideation/fRd8YNjj">suicidal thinking</a> and <a href="/facts/Suicide/j92cWcay">behavior</a> when taken by children, adolescents, and young adults. <a href="/facts/Antidepressant_discontinuation_syndrome/XlkjJFYA">Discontinuation syndrome</a>, which resembles recurrent <a href="/facts/Depression_(mood)/GDNFWm1L">depression</a> in the case of the <a href="/facts/Selective_serotonin_reuptake_inhibitor/L6jjcmEH">SSRI</a> class, may occur after stopping the intake of any antidepressant.
Research regarding the effectiveness of antidepressants for depression in adults is controversial and has found both benefits and drawbacks. Meanwhile, evidence of benefit in children and adolescents is unclear, even though antidepressant use has considerably increased in children and adolescents in the 2000s. While a 2018 study found that the 21 most commonly prescribed antidepressant medications were slightly more effective than <a href="/facts/Placebo/3fw50t53">placebos</a> for the short-term (acute) treatments of adults with <a href="/facts/Major_depressive_disorder/l2lQeWqr">major depressive disorder</a>, other research has found that the placebo effect may account for most or all of the drugs' observed efficacy.
Research on the effectiveness of antidepressants is generally done on people who have severe symptoms, a population that exhibits much weaker placebo responses, meaning that the results may not be extrapolated to the general population that has not (or has not yet) been diagnosed with anxiety or depression.

Antidepressant open-in-new

Antidepressant