Best Antidepressants for Anxiety

Depression and anxiety, to a certain extent and in specific situations, is quite common. Normally, people get out of that depression mode and are back to their own self. They do not experience anxiety attacks and severe bouts of depression. But there are people amongst us, who in psychological terms are said to be suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). These people experience more than normal level of anxiety. According to studies, GAD in many cases has other psychiatric problems like major depression along with it. To deal with this anxiety and depression, a common and initial treatment which is given by doctors is dosage of antidepressants and a few other classes of depression medications. Many people want to know which is the best antidepressant for anxiety. It is difficult to explain one single depression medication for anxiety. However, those medications which have been to be the best in the business can surely be elaborated upon!

Best Antidepressants for Depression and Anxiety

There are 3 types of antidepressants for anxiety and depression and they all are mostly effective along with a few other categories of antidepressants. Take a look.

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, (MAOI's) are amongst the first generation of antidepressants. These were used initially for treatment of anxiety and depression as well. There is an enzyme called monoamine oxidase, after which this antidepressant has been named after. What this monoamine oxidase does is it breaks the neurotransmitters which include serotonin and norepinephrine. These antidepressants too make this reaction happen, leading to an increase in the level of these neurotransmitters. These are used to treat anxiety, atypical and severe depression specially when other medicines have not yielded desirable results. In short this is the last resort, as there are serious side effects of MAOI's.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
Abbreviated as SSRIs, these antidepressants too work on increasing the level of serotonin in the brain. The process though is different from MAOIs. The level of serotonin is increased by the way of blocking the process (reuptake) which eliminates serotonin. In fact, talk of antidepressants for anxiety and SSRI antidepressant is one of the most effective medications. It is also useful in treating other related conditions. It is the most favored depression medication for dealing with anxiety symptoms because of lesser side effects.

Tricyclic Antidepressants
Amongst antidepressants for anxiety, panic and related psychological disorders, tricyclic antidepressants (TCA's) cannot be ignored. These have an impact on norepinephrine, dopamine and to some extent on acetylcholine and histamine. Initially these were considered as the best antidepressants for anxiety, till SSRIs and other medications were introduced. Now these are prescribed in a frequency less than the others owing to the antidepressant side effects. When someone is not responding to SSRI's these are prescribed.

These are some of the best antidepressants for anxiety. All three work well in varying amounts and in different situations. Some other classes of depression medications which have been developed recently are buproprion, nefazodone, trazodone, venlafaxine and mirtazapine. These medications are comparatively new additions to the depression medication list. Further, panic attacks which sometimes accompany severe and chronic anxiety and depression are dealt with benzodiazepines. Add to that there are natural cures for depression and anxiety.

Now the best antidepressant for anxiety depends on individual cases. What the patient feels before and after he or she takes the medicine is very important. In other cases, aspects like the side effects of the drug as well as what is the patient responding to well also determine which is the best antidepressant. This is all I have for now! Take care!