The so-called second-generation drugs currently on the market to control depression work by affecting the chemistry of the neurotransmitters in the brain. This process relays, amplifies and modulates signals between a neuron and another cell. Research has confirmed that the most important chemical interactions affecting mood involve serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Zoloft is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) which affects the level of serotonin active in the brain. The cumulative evidence is that increasing the amount of serotonin helps you to maintain mental balance. The other antidepressants work by adjusting the levels of one or more of the neurotransmitters.
Serotonin occurs naturally in the body and in fruit, vegetables and other foods. The current belief is that, within the central nervous system, serotonin regulates not only mood (in particular anger and aggression), but also a range of other bodily functions including the body’s temperature, sleep cycle and appetite. It also affects the release of some of the hormones the body uses, and can affect the degree to which you experience pain.
From a scientific point of view, the range of this neurotransmitter is both good news and bad news. The good news is that serotonin probably does have an important role to play in affecting your mood. For example, if your appetite is affected not only for food but also for sexual activity, its capacity to make you depressed would seem clear.
Indeed, there are now seventeen years (and counting) of clinical experience to demonstrate the effectiveness of Zoloft as an antidepressant. The scientific hypothesis is that depression is caused when a critical mass of neurons cannot communicate with their associated cells. Thus, when the level of serotonin is increased and allows more of the neurons to communicate with their associated cells, depression is reduced or eliminated. But the bad news is that there is no actual scientific evidence to prove why Zoloft is effective. In several countries, some of the advertising copy that claims Zoloft works by correcting the chemical balance of the brain has been ruled misleading. Until the evidence does become available, you will simply have to rely on seventeen years of good outcomes from patients taking Zoloft.
Sometimes, people find that one antidepressant does not work but switching to another does produce good results. You should understand that brain chemistry does not work according to a fixed formula. The variations are completely individual. Your physical appearance and personality are unique to you. In the same way, your body’s reaction to different drugs cannot be predicted with complete confidence. Thus, if you find that current medication is not working as well as you expected, you may find that Zoloft does work for you. Ask your doctor about making the change.
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