There are times in your life where you feel sorrow and pain, perhaps the death of a loved one or the breaking up of a relationship. There could also be times when you feel that life is just a little too demanding from you, or your career is causing too much stress for you. Whilst all this is normal, prolonged sorrow or a stressed life can begin to interfere with normal patterns of living and may even ultimately lead to symptoms of depression. If you feel this describes you there's no need to worry as there are many antidepressant medications available today.

Over 17 million American adults experience some form of depression so there's no need to feel as if you're alone in suffering. As serious depression can interfere with a person's normal lifestyle and causes problems with work, social and family living, it should be treated as soon as possible. There are many types of antidepressant medications that are available. However consulting with a trained mental disorders practitioner will reveal the best course of treatment for the sufferer.

While there are different types of antidepressant medications available, some are more suited for various individuals than others. The side effects of each drug and the level of performance effectiveness can vary with each individual. The traditional medication for depression used to be tricyclic antidepressant medications which were named for their chemical structure. The side effects may include blurred vision, dry mouth, and weight gain, fatigue and weakness amongst others. Sometimes you may even experience symptoms that are similar to depression (examples being, fatigue and constipation).

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs were often prescribed for "atypical" depression. "Atypical" depression may have symptoms like oversleeping, anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias. The side effects for MAOIs are very similar to that of other antidepressant medications. The most common side effects are dizziness and rapid heartbeat. If you're taking MAOIs there are certain foods and drinks that you must avoid along with certain over-the-counter drugs and other prescription medications. Adverse side effects may occur as a result of incorrectly following medical directions if you're taking the MAOI antidepressant medications.

Newer antidepressants medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs are now available for use. Some examples of SSRIs are Prozac, Luvox, Paxil and Zoloft. Though each of these antidepressant medications are chemically different all of these SSRI's effectiveness is due to their reaction on serotonin in the brain.

As with all antidepressant medication it takes time before you will see an improvement in your outlook on life. Therefore instead of giving up on the medication you should give it sometime to work. After all it took some time for you to become depressed, therefore it will take time for you to become happy with your life again.