Why isnt zoloft working

If you and your doctor have ruled out factors that could interfere with your current medication, your doctor may increase the dosage, switch you to another antidepressant or recommend you take an additional medication. Drug therapies that treat depression include:.

SSRI drugs are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants and are often considered the first line of defense against depression. They increase your brain's level of a neurotransmitter a chemical that transfers messages from brain cell to brain cell called serotonin.

This neurotransmitter is associated with feeling happy and content. This type of medication is helpful for those who have extreme fatigue associated with depression, or who have had side effects or poor response to SSRI drugs. TCA drugs increase serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain, but unlike other antidepressant types, they also block acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter associated with increased stress, anxiety and depression.

MAOI drugs inhibit the breakdown of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, which increases their concentration in the brain. Low levels of these neurotransmitters are associated with depression and anxiety. MAOI drugs have a greater number of serious side effects. People taking them have to be mindful of the medication's interactions with certain foods and other drugs. Bupropion acts on dopamine and norepinephrine.

Its main advantage is that it doesn't cause troublesome side effects such as decreased libido and weight gain like other types of antidepressants do.

However, it may be less helpful for depression with anxiety features. This newer drug provides relief from depression symptoms within hours by increasing levels of glutamate, the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain. Esketamine comes in a nasal spray that must be administered in a clinic because it can cause hallucinations and other sensory side effects for up to two hours after treatment.

It's an effective drug for those who haven't responded to other antidepressants. Some people need medication indefinitely, but many do not. This has two purposes, Dr.

Cox says: One, it reduces the chance of withdrawal symptoms. Two, if you start to decrease your dose and your anxiety or depression worsens, you can increase back to your previous dose easily. Think you might be dealing with depression or anxiety? Talk to your doctor or find one near you.

Antidepressants are not just for depression. Antidepressants should make you more—not less—like yourself. Antidepressants take four to six weeks to reach full effectiveness.

It might require trial and error to find the right antidepressant for you. At that point, if you find out they are not giving 90 day supplies and you always get 90 days, that might feel scary to you. But, you should know, that decision is often only for a limited time, while pharmacies try to keep up with demand.

Fox explains they should help you find one that will. Fox thinks you are likely fine to wait and check in with your pharmacy when you are closer to needing a refill. Lusvardi adds that if you are really worried or nervous you can always reach out to your prescriber and come up with a plan for what to do if the shortage worsens. It also saves you from having to figure out what to do when you may be in a crisis.

He himself has a cat that he got during a difficult time in his own life. A fun fact, that cat helped him improve his own mood so much that he named the cat Zoloft. Even though it feels scary to think about things like drug shortages, especially when you are anxious or depressed and relying on those medications for that anxiety or depression, right now is not the time to panic. From the information we have, patients really should be able to fill their prescriptions.

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