About SSRIs

Why Are SSRIs Used?

SSRIs are among the most frequently prescribed medications for clients suffering from depression, but they have also been used to treat the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, anxiety (usually at lower doses), social phobia and social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic, pre-menstrual syndrome and agoraphobia. Some SSRI drugs are specifically "licensed" only for a subset of these conditions.

How Do SSRIs Work?

SSRIs increase the available amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin (also called 5-HT) in the brain by blocking its uptake into platelets and/or neurons (depending on the specific drug). In the brain, serotonin is thought to influence mood, emotions, the sleep/wake cycle and temperature regulation. (It also influences blood pressure and the digestive tract, and in fact the majority of the body's serotonin is to be found in the 'enteric brain', the neural system of the digestive system.) Because low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and drowsiness, it is thought that by increasing the available amount of the neurotransmitter, SSRIs can help clients suffering from depression. However, the full mechanisms of the medication's action are not entirely understood.

Also see the page on the structurally novel Venlafaxine (Effexor XR).