From TB medications to treating schizophrenia, the history of antidepressants use shows its evolution.

The history of medicine is littered with examples of products that were manufactured and designed for one purpose only to be used for another. Recent studies have shown that anti-depressants may have more than one use. Most anti-depressants are used to change the chemical balance in the brain so that depression and other conditions aren’t given the chance to occur. Now, new research has shown that even if you are on a completely even keel, antidepressant medication that is already approved by the FDA can be used for a wide range of new uses.

From TB Medication to Anti-Depressant

It became quite apparent that some of the first drugs to treat tuberculosis ever formulated could be used as anti-depressants as well. The first set of anti-depressants was known as MAOI’s, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These products were good at helping with depression, but they came with a lot of side effects if the patient deviated from a prescribed diet.

Anti-Depressants From Schizophrenia Medications

The next generation of anti-depressant drugs weren’t formulated to treat depression at all. They were manufactured to treat other mental conditions such as schizophrenia. As it turned out, these drugs were a lot more effective at treating depression. As doctors continued to use them, other uses became apparent quite quickly. Some were used as a sleep aid, especially for people who were in a great deal of pain. Some were used to help treat mental conditions such as obsessive compulsive disorder and others were used to treat anxiety.

Anti-Depressant Abilities of Prozac

The late 1980s saw the approval of SSRIs or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor drugs. Prozac is the best known of these drugs and it didn’t take doctors long to realize that this new style of treatment had other uses as well. Some doctors prescribed them to women who have especially bad menstrual cramps and pre-menstrual syndrome. Some drugs were even christened with two names by the same company so they could be prescribed for different things. For instance, one drug was prescribed as an anti-depressant and the same drug was marketed and sold by the same company as a smoking cessation aide.

Without a doubt, the best known substitute for anti-depressant drugs is to treat anxiety. Even more people suffer from anxiety than suffer from depression, so this double treatment has proven to be quite lucrative for many drug companies. Be sure to check with a doctor or pharmacist before using any drug for any reason other than the one stated on the label.

There are a number of dangers related to taking prescription antidepressants, particularly for teenagers.

Though these drugs can provide tremendous relief to the sufferers of these various problems, there are a number of dangers of taking prescription antidepressants that patients should be made aware of. In particular, these medications can cause very unpleasant side effects including varying intensities of weight gain, nausea, decrease in libido, insomnia, and headaches. Among the various types of prescription antidepressants, it is the SSRIs that can have more extreme and dangerous side effects as they can cause or worsen anxiety, as well as potentially causing serious mental and physical agitation, mania, and even violent outbursts in rare cases. Though they are typically well tolerated (or they never would have received their FDA approval) there remains a serious risk of significant undesirable side effects.

For this reason, many people are opting to move away from prescription antidepressants and are leaning more toward natural therapies as well as over-the-counter anti-depressants such as Zanaprin.

This being said, if you are already taking a prescription medication for depression or anxiety, it is not recommended that you stop taking it until you speak with your doctor. This is because many have very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and it takes a special schedule of dosages to slowly wean the body off the drugs in order to keep the withdrawal at a minimum. Withdrawal symptoms that are not uncommon include muscle pain, fatigue, headaches, trembling, sweating, loss of equilibrium, and electric shock sensations in various parts of the body such as fingers and the face. The risk of addiction and withdrawal are also important reasons that many people choose to use over-the counter medications instead of those requiring a prescription.

Among teens it is very important to be careful around antidepressants of prescription strength. In fact, most types of antidepressants are not at all recommended for people under the age of 18. Studies have shown that some prescription antidepressants can cause teens to experience violent behaviors, nightmares, self-mutilation, or even suicidal thoughts.

If an alternative to prescription antidepressants is desired, it is important for patients to speak with their doctors about whether or not Zanaprin and other over-the-counter drugs may be a better option.