Depression - Question 3
Q: My wife has been very depressed after her stroke. Is there any treatment available for her?
A: If you think depression is a possibility, seek help from her doctors. The answer might be for her to discuss her problem with an expert who can provide guidance and support. Alternatively, medicines may be considered. Antidepressants can be very effective, with no (or only minor) side effects.
There are many different drugs that can be used and your doctor will try to choose one most appropriate for your wife. The older drugs mainly belong to the group called the tricyclic antidepressants. Examples are amitriptyline, imipramine, lofepramine, nortriptyline and maprotiline. The possible unwanted effects are drowsiness, confusion, dry mouth and, in men, difficulty passing urine (water).
A newer group of drugs are the 'selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors' (SSRIs). Among these are fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine and sertraline. These have fewer side effects so it is common to start with one of these. They can, unfortunately, sometimes damp down the person's appetite so this needs to be looked out for. Any drug might cause side effects, but it is impossible to predict what or in whom. If a problem does develop, it can usually be resolved within a day or two of stopping the drug.
Nevertheless, all these drugs are powerful and should be used only under a doctor's supervision. All the antidepressants take at least two weeks, and sometimes as much as four or even six weeks, before they begin to start working. So try not to give up on them until they have had a chance to produce an effect.
