3 ms·

I recently read that the theory behind serotonin reuptake inhibitors might actually be wrong and possibly cause more harm than good. The actual neurotransmitter

• jacques_chester 11y ago
  It varies from patient to patient, the causes are varied, the drugs have powerful effects and conditions can overlap. This is why it's important to trust your care to a psychiatrist or allied mental health professional.
• meowface 11y ago
  There is no consensus on what the root causes of major depression are; there are probably many causes. Dopamine can definitely affect happiness, but giving a chronically depressed patient L-DOPA once per day generally won't treat their depression for very long. On that same note, people with ADHD are often missing dopamine in many parts of the brain, but ADHD isn't necessarily correlated strongly with depression. And quick dopamine-releasing drugs like amphetamine (Adderall/Dexedrine/Vyvanse), or dopamine reuptake inhibitors like methylphenidate (Ritalin/Concerta), tend not to be great treatments for depression, either. They can be a short term treatment by giving you a euphoric high the first few times you take them, or if you take big doses, but that's not a good long term treatment strategy.
  • MrBra 11y ago
    And then are better results achievable with SSRIs instead?
    • meowface 11y ago
      Compared to taking amphetamine? On average, yes, of course. SSRIs don't work very well for many people, but they do work well for many other people.