It depends which antidepressant you’re taking. The most common antidepressants work by stopping your brain cells from destroying a reward/satisfaction signal. This signal is passed between brain cells and, in healthy brains it exists at normal levels that are maintained by production/release on one end and destruction/recycling on the other. In depressed brains there’s not enough of this signal to go around, so these drugs help increase how much there is.
SSRI selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor being the common type: serotonin makers you feel happy. Normally you release some, then clean it up (reuptake). The drug prevents that cleanup. This is why they take a while to start working: you’re not adding any extra serotonin, just preventing it from going away.
Latest Answers