Which antidepressant for which patient? Practical guide for clinicians Review article
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Abstract
Modern psychopharmacotherapy of depressive disorders has been developed since the 1950s. It is assumed that the effectiveness of all antidepressants is similar, with different profiles of side effects and different safety. As a result, the final effectiveness (efficacy minus side effects) varies between groups and between agents. Antidepressants are used in all severity of depressive disorders, in mild, moderate and severe episodes, as an independent method of treatment or in combination with other methods, e.g. psychotherapy. The selection of antidepressants is based on patient-specific and drug-specific factors. Virtually every antidepressant has a different action profile. Moreover, combinations of antidepressants are not the sum of their clinical effects, but bring different quality to the therapy. The oldest – MAOI and TLPD – drugs are used now only sporadically. They were replaced by SSRI, SNRI, NaSSA, and other drugs.
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