This paper is to summarize the specific form of pharmacological treatments that have been developed to deal with depressive disorder. Specific antidepressants including monoamine oxidase inhibitors(MAOIs), tricyclic antidepressants(TCAs),
selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs), norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake blockers(NDRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), serotonin-2 antagonist/reuptake inhibitors (SARI), noradrenergic and specific serotonergic
antidepressant
(NaSSA) and selective serotonin reuptake enhancer (SSRE) are reviewed. There are several side effects of antidepressants that should be considered, such as dizziness, sedation, anticholinergic effect, weight gain, sexual dysfunction,
cardiovascular
effect, insomnia, anxiety, etc. Treatment courses of depressive disorder can be divided into remission in acute phase, continuation phase, and maintenance period, so that medication of antidepressants should be optimized for each phases.
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