Treatment For Depression

What is depression?

Are you suffering worry, fear, sadness, sleeplessness, tiredness, weakness, loss of interest or concentration or sex drive? It may be depression. Most of our patients start improving the first day with medication targeting anxiety and/or insomnia. If you get side effects from your medicine, we have 10 modern anti-depressants from which to chose. If your medicine is helping so much that you don’t want to change, we may be able to control the side effect. Sexual side-effects can often be overcome with Viagra or Cialis. Weight gain may be reversed with non-addictive medications as Topomax, amantadine, or Zonegran.

What if medication doesn’t seem to be helping my depression?

If you are not responding to anti-depressants, you may need a re-evaluation by a specialist for another diagnosis or a co-existing condition. Consultations often reveal a mild form of bipolar symptoms, an anxiety disorder, or other variant types of depression. These conditions often don’t respond to conventional anti-depressants and may even be worsened by them. These conditions often respond promptly to other medications. Often a combination of two anti-depressants, such as Zoloft and Wellbutrin, helps treatment-resistant depressions by stimulating different depression center receptors.

Read About The Signs And Symptoms Of Depression

Does alcohol use impact my symptoms of depression?

Drinking as little as two drinks per day may reduce or cancel an anti-depressant’s benefits. Stimulant abuse with cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, or diet pills use may cause depression or mood swings. Using pain medications and abusing narcotics commonly cause some depression, and withdrawal from them causes even more depression. We have medications to help reduce, stop, and/or withdraw from, alcohol, narcotics, and sedatives.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Major Depression?

What medications are prescribed for depression and related disorders?

• Anti-depressants: Lexapro, Celexa, Luvox, Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Cymbalta, mirtazepine.
• Anti-anxiety (Immediate action but abusable) :Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, Valium; (Delayed action) Lexapro, Celexa, Luvox, Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Effexor, Cymbalta, mirtazepine.
• Insomnia aids: mirtazepine, trazadone, phenergan, Ambien, Lunesta, Rozerem, gabapentin,Keppra.
• Bipolar anti-depressants: Lithium, Lamictal, Mirapex, Seroquel, Zyprexa with Prozac, Depakote.
• Bipolar mood stabilizers: Depakote, Tegretol, Lithium, Trileptal, Abilify, Geodon, Seroquel, Risperdal, Zyprexa.
• Anti-depressant augmentors: Lithium, thyroxine.
• Alcohol reduction/cessation: Campral, naltrexone, Antabuse, Topomax.
• Narcotic detox/substitution/reduction: Suboxone, clonidine, naltrexone.
• Cocaine/maybe methamphetamine: disulfuram, N-acetyl-cysteine, baclofen, topomax, naltrexone.
• ADHD- Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Strattera,Wellbutrin, Provigil, Aricept.

This is only a partial list of the tools available for relief of your symptoms. Dr. Darvin Hege welcomes the opportunity to help you from his psychiatry office near Buckhead. Every day, Dr. Hege looks forward to seeing who comes back getting better and who will stretch his knowledge and experience because they aren’t getting better yet. Hopelessness and pessimism are common symptoms of depression. So many difficult cases get better over the years that Dr. Hege never gives up. And when these patients do get better, they are the most gratifying cases of all.

If you or someone you love requires treatment for depression, call Dr. Hege today for the expertise and relief you need.