Antidepressants remain some of the most widely prescribed drugs, but most popular antidepressants are now available as generics. While selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) remain the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, various new types of drugs may be available in the future. For example, drug companies are working on…
The pandemic is fueling the demand for natural alternatives to antidepressants
The pandemic, climate change, rapid inflation and a surge in violence are contributing to a mental health crisis. Against that backdrop, demand for antidepressants, anti-anxiety and anti-insomnia drugs is booming. In 2021, there were more than 337 million antidepressant prescriptions in the U.S., according to data from IQVIA. In the first four months of 2022,…
4 questions fueling anti-antidepressant sentiment
Antidepressants have made headlines recently, with far-right-leaning figures such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggesting that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have played a role in fueling mass shootings. “Among many other side effects, they can cause suicidal and homicidal thoughts,” Greene wrote on Twitter in May. In early July, Fox News television host…
Psilocybin lit up the brains of people with severe depression in small study
A British study enrolling 43 people with severe depression found that the magic mushroom compound psilocybin bested the antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram). The blinded study published in Nature tracked patients’ symptoms and used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the brain’s metabolic function. Those who received psilocybin showed significant and sustained reductions in depressive symptoms, while fMRI…