Psychiatrist Questions Psychiatrist

ā€œHow do antidepressants affect the brain?ā€

I am a 38 year old male who is taking antidepressants. How do antidepressants affect the brain?

5 Answers

Yes , they work on brain chemistry
Antidepressants affect the brain in a positive way. A simple way to understand this is to consider that antidepressants provide fertilizers to brain cells for growing more branches and to better communicate with each other.

Laeeq Tahir, MBBS., MD., FRCPC
Antidepressant medications affect the brain by interacting with specific neurochemical receptors on nerve cells and inducing changes in the chemical signaling of those cells with specific regions in the brain. The principal three neurochemicals that are targeted in the brain by medication are serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. These are the three neurochemicals that seem to be mainly involved in regulating mood, anxiety, motivation and pleasure, among other effects. These changes and modification of nerve cell functioning are temporary, thus it is necessary to continue to take antidepressant medication daily for lengthy periods of time (at least one year) to achieve and sustain the antidepressant effect.
Check this comprehensive link out.
https://www.rxlist.com/antidepressants/drugs-condition.htm

Also,
https://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/09/19/one-dose-of-ssri-antidepressant-changes-brain-connectivity-in-3-hours/
They produce chemicals that our brain usually does naturally. Yet they produce more than our natural body does. It is good to ween off of medication if possible