Application in the nursing period
All drugs for depression can also be detected in breast milk. However, there is no contraindication during breastfeeding for any of these drugs. As there is insufficient data on the use of some medications during pregnancy and lactation, the use of some medications is not recommended. The treating physician can assess whether the drugs used are harmless or whether a change of medication should be made if necessary.
Application for children
In addition to adults, children also suffer from depression, which must be treated with medication. Some medications for depression are not approved for use in persons under 18 years of age and therefore cannot be used in children. The effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the group of drugs most commonly prescribed for adults, has long been discussed in children.
Some preparations of this substance group are now approved for children from the age of 8 years. MAO inhibitors are only approved for persons over 18 years of age. According to the data available in some studies, tricyclic drugs for depression have significantly more side effects in children than in adults. Likewise, poisoning with drugs in this drug group is more common in children than in adults.
Herbal medicines for depression
In addition to the classic drugs used to treat depression, there are also herbal preparations that are said to have a positive effect. The most frequently used remedy of this kind in Germany is St. John’s wort. The remedies contain up to nine potentially effective substances in different compositions. Large-scale studies have not yet been able to show that St. John’s wort has a significantly demonstrable effect on depression.However, since sometimes drastic interactions can occur when taking these preparations, a doctor should always be consulted before taking them. It should be noted that St. John’s wort preparations are not approved for children under 12 years of age.
Can depression be treated without medication?
Whether a depression can be treated without medication depends largely on the severity of the depression. While mild depressions can in many cases manage without antidepressive therapy, moderate and severe depressions must in most cases be treated with medication. In most cases, psychotherapeutic treatment should accompany the depression.
In theory, depression does not last forever, even without drug therapy. The normal duration of an episode is several months if untreated. With adequate drug therapy, the duration of an episode can be significantly reduced. In view of the high level of suffering that most depressive patients experience, the use of drug therapy is recommended for moderate and severe depressive episodes. In principle, however, a specialized physician (psychiatrist) or psychologist should always be contacted in the presence of a depression in order to develop a common strategy for the possible treatment of the disease.
