Chances are you recognize of at least one : Effexor, Cymbalta, and Wellbutrin. Are these drugs recognizable ? Part of the top 100 selling drugs in the world, they are compounds for treating anxiety. For drug corporations, compounds for anxiety is a massive stream of income. That these drugs alleviate the disabling effects of anxiety conditions, as well as those of depression in others, has been realized by millions of people. A high number of these pharmaceuticals are found in a group of molecules referred to "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs), which work by inhibiting the reuptake of the neurochemical serotonin. When floating between synaptic junctions, the molecule serotonin seems to mediate reactions that lead to anxiety and depression. Learning about how SSRIs function, their off-label uses and the kind of unintended effects they generate is vital, as these chemcials make up the most popular class of pharmaceutical products ever prescribed.

A large number of SSRIs are used not just for treating anxiety, but rather came from from medications for severe depression. In depression, peple exhibit reduction in amounts of interneural serotonin. Low levels reduces the effects of depression by increasing serotonin. Tiredness during the course of treatment, blurry vision, or a strange quality known as "depersonalization" are some less usual side effects. The side effect that has attracted much scrutiny recently is the increased risk for suicide. A retrospective investigation by the FDA (done by aggregating data from many studies ) led it to raise the possibility that in youths 25 or under, the drug can increase the risk of suicide. Nonetheless, the benefits of SSRIs in alleviating otherwise debilitating symptoms of anxiety and depression is what leads most to use them anyway.
More common is the bizarre side effect known as "depersonalization". In depersonalization, the subject appears to become removed from everyday life and people. Events become dream-like and hazy. The observation that is the origin for the name of the condition is how patients taking this drug misplace their sense of self. At the cost of rapidly reacquisition of anxiety, people can end medication to reduces depersonalization.

Finally, mixing of SSRIs with other drugs has also been well documented because SSRIs are widely used. The natural supplement St John's wort is a prominent example. Ironically, the supplement has frequently been claimed as a non-artificial treatment for depression or anxiety. But unluckily, it seems that intake of St John's wort inactivates a role of the liver, responsible for catabolizing SSRIs in the blood and dispensing them from the body. Because St John's wort compromises liver function, the SSRIs persist in the body for longer and at higher dosage, leading to worsened side effects.  David Cambria