Eli5 : What’s actually happening when you take an anti-depressant?

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Eli5 : What’s actually happening when you take an anti-depressant?

In: Biology

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

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.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Depends. The most common ones plug up the drain so good chemicals are affecting your brain longer. Others imitate those good chemicals, and some cause your brain to release more good chemicals.

Anonymous 0 Comments

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.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Mom took us to the park to play, but forgot the house keys so we’re stuck outside and get to play more!
The drug stops your happyexcited brain chemicals from going back into storage.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Tiny angry baby mouths in your brain get pacifiers put in them so they stop gobbling up all the good boy chemicals so other slower mouths can have a chance to have some.