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Another category of medication that is very similar to the SSRI is what’s called the SNRI, which is Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors. These include medicines like Ephexor (also known as Venlafaxine) or Cymbalta (also known as Duloxetine.) These work in a manner very similar to the SSRI’s, but there may be some subtle differences as well, both in terms of the effect that they have as well as some of the side effects that they have. Another antidepressant medicine of a different class (a different mechanism) that is sometimes prescribed for depression is called Welbutrin (otherwise known as Bupropion.) This is a medicine that doesn’t really work as much with Serotonin as much as some of the other neurotransmitters in the brain. It usually works by giving people a boost of energy that people, for example, who were telling me that they can’t get out of bed in the morning, that they have no energy to get through the day, that their depression is really sucking the life out of them – taking Welbutrin may sometimes endorse a little bit more pep during the day. Remeron (also known as Mirtazapine) may be helpful for depression as well. It works through a different mechanism relative to the other antidepressants and seems to help people not only with their depression, but also with sleeping and with appetite, in that it boosts appetite (makes people eat more). If that’s a symptom of their depression, they benefit from that effect of the Mirtazepine.
