Antidepressants and the teenage brain

Antidepressants Impact the Brain. Furthermore, antidepressants create dramatic changes in the brain immediately. Specifically, changes in the functional structure of the brain have been observed after a single dose of SSRI medication. Therefore, this is significant because the teenage brain is still developing.

When it comes to antidepressants and the teenage brain, we are talking about dramatic cerebral changes.

These changes can take place very quickly after a teen begins using an SSRI. Learn why antidepressants have warnings about suicidal thinking in children and teens, what to do before your child starts taking an antidepressant, and the warning signs of a potential problem. Might exposure to antidepressants in adolescents have persisting negative effects? This article reviews the neural effects of antidepressant treatment during late childhood and early adolescence.

The study looked at the effectiveness and safety of two antidepressants in teenagers. One of the drugs was paroxetine (Paxil), which may sound familiar to you. The impact of SSRIs on the developing adolescent brain , however, remains unclear.

In this review we first consider what is currently known about the developing brain during adolescence and how these development processes may be affected by a depressive illness.

Bearden and her colleagues have used a neuroimaging technology known as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), to look at the activity in different areas of the teenage brain. Bearden and others have found that the teenage brain undergoes a major restructuring in regions responsible for motivation, self-control, and planning. EDIT: This was written before the question description was added. It may not be an appropriate introduction to the risks and potential benefits of antidepressants. Currently, the most standard kind of antidepressants is Selective Serotonin Re-uptake inhibitors or SSRIs.

Prozac and Lexapro are drugs that belong to a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. These drugs work selectively on the neurotransmitter serotonin and are believed to increase it in the brain , thereby reducing depression (Ref and 3). Could antidepressants really cause brain damage? Millions are today being prescribed drugs that are.

Atypical antidepressants : These antidepressants (including Wellbutrin, Cymbalta, and Effexor) have fewer side effects and are generally better tolerated by younger patients. For many teens, antidepressants combined with psychotherapy are an effective way to treat depression. As some of you may know, I am. There are concerns whether antidepressant medication interferes with normal brain development, especially in regards to how the brain manages stress and regulates emotion. There’s speculation that many medications increase brain inflammation and impair hormone function.

Both traits have been linked to the brain ’s serotonin system,. Keller and his co-authors responded at the time that the testing of antidepressants in young people was a new area, that.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. WebMD explains how they work, their potential side effects, and how they may be able to help treat. Different types of antidepressants consist of various chemical structures but they all affect the way the brain processes neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that affect moods and emotions). The chemicals in the brain that regulate our emotions and even our energy levels include serotonin, dopamine, and.

It affects all of us, but in very personal, unique ways, said Burdette.