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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1998)
Health News New generation of drugs helps reduce depression The drugs help hold serotonin in neural synapses, increasing the force of emotions By Ben Romano Higher Education Reporter One in four women and one in eight men experience depression, according to the National Institute for Mental Illness. Symptoms of depression range from fluctuations in weight to feelings of hopeless ness and sadness. There are effective treatments for depression available in the form of Selective Serotonin Reuptake In hibitors (SSRIs). Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Luvox are four SSRIs commonly used to treat depres sion, said Dr. William Disher, a practitioner at the Student Health Center. These four are part of a new generation of SSRIs that are toler ated better by many patients. They can be used more effectively with out many side effects, he added. Serotonin is a chemical that passes information about emotion across neural synapses, which are the gaps between nerve cells in the brain. SSRIs treat depression by keeping serotonin in the synapses for a longer time and thus enhanc ing the strength of the emotion. “SSRIs are the first line of treat ment for physicians prescribing antidepressants," said Judy Son nenberg, a psychologist at the Uni versity Counseling Center. They are as effective as other antidepres sants and are relatively safe in overdose situations, she added. “Most practitioners are comfort able starting a patient on SSRIs if they are clinically depressed,” said Dr. Regina McGlothlin, a staff psy chiatrist at the Student Health Cen ter. SSRIs can also be used to treat some forms of eating disorders, mi grains headaches, anxiety disor ders and other mental disorders caused by biochemical imbal ances, McGlothlin said. Some common side effects asso ciated with SSRIs are nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms, a “revved” or “wired” sensation and insomnia. There are also some sex ual side effects such as a reduction in libido, Disher said. "All problems are 100 percent reversible by stopping taking the medications,” he said. Patients who take SSRIs can be on them for as long as six months to a year for major depression. For more severe cases, patients may take SSRIs indefinitely. Not all depression is treated with SSRIs, but the drugs are prescribed quite frequently. “Of those patients who come to the health center for depression, I would guess 50 to 75 percent end up on antidepressants,” Disher said. “Many people who suffer from mental illness lead normal lives because of medications,” Sonnen berg said. “Typically the combina tion of medication and psy chotherapy is the best treatment available for mental illness." Alpha Chi Omega wants to remind you that Spring Rush is April 13-16. Call the office of Greek Life for details 346-] 146 Or stop by the EMU, Suite 7 Cash for books Everyday. Always buying all kinds of books, including texts, paperbacks. Cliffs Notes, current magazines... 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