Medications
Medications come up constantly, by brand name, by class, by reputation. This category explains what a drug class does, what it treats, and what to expect, in plain English. It covers how a medication works in the body, the common questions people bring to a prescriber, and the cautions worth knowing, without ever telling you what to take. Nothing here is a dosing recommendation or a substitute for your prescriber. The decision to start, change, or stop a medication is a clinical one, made with someone who knows your history.
72 terms
Download the Medications cheat sheet (PDF)Every drug, by class
If you've been handed a prescription and you don't recognize the word on it, start here. This table tells you what class the drug belongs to and what it's generally used for. It deliberately doesn't cover doses, side effects, or which drug is better than which, because that's a different job, and PsychiatryRx does it properly. Every row links straight to the full guide there.
36 medications across 10 classes
The most commonly prescribed antidepressants. Used for depression and for most anxiety conditions. They take weeks, not days, and they aren't habit-forming.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sertraline | Zoloft | Depression, anxiety, panic, OCD, PTSD, PMDD | PsychiatryRx → |
| Escitalopram | Lexapro | Depression, generalized anxiety | PsychiatryRx → |
| Fluoxetine | Prozac | Depression, OCD, panic, bulimia | PsychiatryRx → |
| Citalopram | Celexa | Depression | PsychiatryRx → |
| Paroxetine | Paxil | Depression, and a wide range of anxiety disorders | PsychiatryRx → |
Act on serotonin and norepinephrine. Used for depression and anxiety, and some are used for chronic pain.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venlafaxine | Effexor XR | Depression, several anxiety disorders | PsychiatryRx → |
| Duloxetine | Cymbalta | Depression, anxiety, chronic pain | PsychiatryRx → |
| Desvenlafaxine | Pristiq | Depression | PsychiatryRx → |
Antidepressants that don't fit the SSRI or SNRI mold. Usually chosen for what they avoid, like sexual side effects or weight gain, or for a second effect like sleep.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bupropion | Wellbutrin | Depression, seasonal depression, quitting smoking | PsychiatryRx → |
| Mirtazapine | Remeron | Depression, especially with poor sleep and appetite loss | PsychiatryRx → |
| Trazodone | Desyrel | Sleep, at low doses. Depression, at higher ones | PsychiatryRx → |
| Vortioxetine | Trintellix | Depression | PsychiatryRx → |
An older generation. They work, but their side effects are heavier, so they're now used mostly at low doses for sleep and pain.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amitriptyline | Elavil | Sleep, migraine prevention, nerve pain, depression | PsychiatryRx → |
| Doxepin | Silenor | Staying asleep, at very low doses | PsychiatryRx → |
Fast-acting, and that's both the appeal and the problem. Regular use brings tolerance and physical dependence, so they're generally meant for short or occasional use.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alprazolam | Xanax | Anxiety, panic. Fast on, fast off | PsychiatryRx → |
| Lorazepam | Ativan | Anxiety. Also used in hospital settings | PsychiatryRx → |
| Clonazepam | Klonopin | Panic disorder. Longer-acting | PsychiatryRx → |
| Diazepam | Valium | Anxiety, muscle spasm, alcohol withdrawal | PsychiatryRx → |
| Temazepam | Restoril | Insomnia, short-term | PsychiatryRx → |
Not benzodiazepines, and not habit-forming. This is the group people are often surprised exists.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buspirone | BuSpar | Generalized anxiety. Daily, takes weeks | PsychiatryRx → |
| Hydroxyzine | Vistaril | Anxiety, as needed. An antihistamine | PsychiatryRx → |
| Propranolol | Inderal | The physical side of situational anxiety, off-label | PsychiatryRx → |
Two stimulant families and two non-stimulants. Responding well to one and poorly to another is normal, not a failure.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amphetamine | Adderall | ADHD. Stimulant | PsychiatryRx → |
| Methylphenidate | Ritalin, Concerta | ADHD. Stimulant, the other family | PsychiatryRx → |
| Lisdexamfetamine | Vyvanse | ADHD, binge eating disorder. Long-acting stimulant | PsychiatryRx → |
| Atomoxetine | Strattera | ADHD. Non-stimulant, daily, takes weeks | PsychiatryRx → |
| Guanfacine | Intuniv | ADHD, including the irritability. Non-stimulant | PsychiatryRx → |
Used mainly in bipolar disorder, to even out mood and prevent future episodes.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium | Lithium | Bipolar disorder. Needs blood monitoring | PsychiatryRx → |
| Lamotrigine | Lamictal | Bipolar depression. Must be started slowly | PsychiatryRx → |
Used well beyond psychosis, including in bipolar disorder and as an add-on for depression. The name causes more alarm than the drugs warrant.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aripiprazole | Abilify | Bipolar, schizophrenia, add-on for depression | PsychiatryRx → |
| Quetiapine | Seroquel | Bipolar, schizophrenia, add-on for depression. Sedating | PsychiatryRx → |
Mostly meant for short-term use. For insomnia that has lasted months, CBT for insomnia comes first in the guidelines, ahead of any pill.
| Generic | Brand | Generally used for | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zolpidem | Ambien | Falling asleep. Z-drug | PsychiatryRx → |
| Eszopiclone | Lunesta | Falling and staying asleep. Z-drug | PsychiatryRx → |
| Zaleplon | Sonata | Falling asleep. Shortest-acting Z-drug | PsychiatryRx → |
| Suvorexant | Belsomra | Falling and staying asleep. Blocks the wake signal | PsychiatryRx → |
| Ramelteon | Rozerem | Falling asleep. Works on the body clock, not habit-forming | PsychiatryRx → |
Nothing in this table is a recommendation to start, stop, or change a medication. It's a map of the words. The decisions belong with a prescriber who knows your history.
All medications terms
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Akathisia
Akathisia is a distressing sense of inner restlessness, often with a strong urge to keep moving. It's a side effect that can come from certain psychiatric medications and warrants prompt attention.
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Alprazolam (Xanax)
Alprazolam is a fast-acting benzodiazepine, sold as Xanax, used for anxiety and panic. It works within minutes, which is both why people rely on it and why it's meant for short-term use.
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Amitriptyline (Elavil)
Amitriptyline is an older tricyclic antidepressant, sold as Elavil. It's now used mostly off-label at low doses for sleep and for chronic pain, because its side effects are heavy.
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Amphetamine (Adderall)
Amphetamine is a stimulant medication for ADHD, sold as Adderall. It's one of the two main stimulant families, and it's a controlled substance.
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Anticholinergic
Anticholinergic describes a medication effect that blocks acetylcholine, a chemical messenger. It's the reason a drug can cause dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision, and foggy thinking.
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Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a medication used to treat depression and many anxiety conditions. It's an umbrella term that covers several drug classes, including SSRIs and SNRIs.
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Antipsychotic
An antipsychotic is a medication used to treat psychosis and to help manage bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Some are also added to other treatments to boost their effect.
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Anxiolytic
An anxiolytic is a medication used to reduce anxiety. The word covers several very different drugs, from fast-acting benzodiazepines to daily medications that take weeks to work.
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Aripiprazole (Abilify)
Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic, sold as Abilify, used for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and as an add-on for depression that hasn't responded to an antidepressant alone.
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Atomoxetine (Strattera)
Atomoxetine is a non-stimulant medication for ADHD, sold as Strattera. It's taken daily, it takes weeks to work, and it isn't a controlled substance.
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Atypical Antidepressant
An atypical antidepressant is a medication that treats depression but doesn't fit neatly into the older drug classes like SSRIs or tricyclics. These medications work through different chemical pathways in the brain.
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Augmentation
Augmentation is the practice of adding a second medication to boost the effect of one that's only partly working. It's a way to improve a treatment without abandoning a drug that's helping a little.
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Benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepines are a class of fast-acting medications that calm the nervous system. They can quickly ease anxiety, panic, and insomnia, but carry a risk of dependence and are usually meant for short-term use.
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Beta-Blocker
Beta-blockers are medications first developed for heart and blood pressure problems. In mental health they're sometimes used off-label to calm physical anxiety symptoms like a racing heart or shaky hands.
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Black Box Warning
A black box warning is the strongest safety warning the FDA can put on a medication. It flags a serious possible risk, but it doesn't mean the drug is banned or that the risk happens to everyone.
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Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
Bupropion is an atypical antidepressant, sold as Wellbutrin, that works on norepinephrine and dopamine instead of serotonin. It's also used to help people stop smoking.
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Buspirone (BuSpar)
Buspirone is a daily anti-anxiety medication, sold as BuSpar, used for generalized anxiety. It isn't sedating and isn't habit-forming, but it takes weeks to work.
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Citalopram (Celexa)
Citalopram is an SSRI antidepressant, sold as Celexa, used mainly for depression. It's closely related to escitalopram, which is a frequent source of mix-ups.
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Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Clonazepam is a long-acting benzodiazepine, sold as Klonopin, used for panic disorder and some seizure conditions. It lasts longer than most others in its class.
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Controlled substance
A controlled substance is a medication the government regulates more tightly because it carries a risk of misuse or dependence. It affects how it's prescribed and refilled, not whether it's legitimate.
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Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
Desvenlafaxine is an SNRI antidepressant, sold as Pristiq. It's the active form your body converts venlafaxine into, which is why the two are so closely related.
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Diazepam (Valium)
Diazepam is a long-acting benzodiazepine, sold as Valium, used for anxiety, muscle spasm, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal. It's the oldest name most people recognize in the class.
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Discontinuation syndrome
Discontinuation syndrome is the set of temporary symptoms that can appear when an antidepressant is stopped too quickly. It isn't addiction, and it's usually prevented by tapering the dose gradually with a prescriber.
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Doxepin (Silenor)
Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant that, at very low doses, is used as a non-habit-forming sleep medication for staying asleep. The dose is what changes what it does.
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Drug interaction
A drug interaction is when one substance changes how another one works in the body. It can make a medication stronger, weaker, or riskier, and it isn't always intuitive.
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Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
Duloxetine is an SNRI antidepressant, sold as Cymbalta. It's used for depression and anxiety, and also for several chronic pain conditions, which is unusual for an antidepressant.
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Escitalopram (Lexapro)
Escitalopram is an SSRI antidepressant, sold as Lexapro, used for depression and generalized anxiety disorder. It's often chosen as a starting point because it tends to be well tolerated.
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Eszopiclone (Lunesta)
Eszopiclone is a Z-drug, sold as Lunesta, that helps with both falling asleep and staying asleep. It's known for leaving a distinctive bitter taste in the mouth.
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First-line treatment
A first-line treatment is the one usually tried first for a condition, because the balance of evidence, effectiveness, and safety puts it there. It isn't the same as the best treatment for you.
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Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Fluoxetine is an SSRI antidepressant, sold as Prozac, used for depression, OCD, panic, and bulimia. It's known for an unusually long half-life, which means it leaves the body slowly.
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Generic drug
A generic drug is a medication sold under its chemical name rather than a brand name. It contains the same active ingredient as the brand and has to meet the same FDA standards, usually at a much lower price.
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Guanfacine (Intuniv)
Guanfacine is a non-stimulant ADHD medication, sold as Intuniv. It's often used on its own or added to a stimulant, and it can help with the irritability and emotional flare-ups that come with ADHD.
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Half-Life
Half-life is the time it takes for the amount of a drug in your body to drop by half. It helps explain how often a medication is taken and how long it lingers after the last dose.
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Hydroxyzine (Vistaril)
Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine, sold as Vistaril or Atarax, used for anxiety. It works fairly quickly and carries no dependence risk, which is why it's used as a benzodiazepine alternative.
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Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Lamotrigine is a mood stabilizer, sold as Lamictal, used mainly to prevent the depressive episodes of bipolar disorder. It has to be started slowly because of a rare but serious rash.
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Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse)
Lisdexamfetamine is a long-acting stimulant for ADHD, sold as Vyvanse. It's inactive until the body converts it, which gives it a smoother, longer effect. It's also approved for binge eating disorder.
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Lithium
Lithium is a foundational mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder. It needs regular blood monitoring, and the dose should never be adjusted on your own.
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Lorazepam (Ativan)
Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine, sold as Ativan, used for anxiety. Like others in its class, it's meant mainly for short-term or occasional use.
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Maintenance treatment
Maintenance treatment is staying on a treatment after you've gotten better, to keep the illness from coming back. It's the phase people are most tempted to quit.
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MAOI
MAOI stands for monoamine oxidase inhibitor, one of the oldest classes of antidepressant. They can work well, but they require careful attention to diet and drug interactions, so they're usually reserved for when other treatments fail.
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Medication adherence
Medication adherence is how closely someone actually takes a medication the way it was prescribed. Most people are imperfect at it, and the reasons are usually practical rather than stubborn.
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Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta)
Methylphenidate is a stimulant medication for ADHD, sold as Ritalin and Concerta. It's the other main stimulant family alongside amphetamine.
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Mirtazapine (Remeron)
Mirtazapine is an atypical antidepressant, sold as Remeron, often chosen when depression comes with poor sleep and lost appetite. It tends to be sedating and to increase appetite.
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Mood Stabilizer
A mood stabilizer is a medication used mainly in bipolar disorder to even out the highs and lows. Lithium is one of the best-known examples.
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NDRI
NDRI stands for norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It's a small antidepressant class, best known for bupropion, that works on norepinephrine and dopamine instead of serotonin.
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Off-Label
Off-label means a doctor prescribes an approved medication for a use the FDA hasn't formally approved. It's common, legal, and often backed by real evidence and clinical experience.
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Paroxetine (Paxil)
Paroxetine is an SSRI antidepressant, sold as Paxil, used for depression and a wide range of anxiety disorders. It's the SSRI most associated with difficult discontinuation.
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Physical dependence
Physical dependence is when the body has adapted to a medication so that stopping it suddenly causes withdrawal symptoms. It can happen with medication taken exactly as prescribed, and it isn't the same as addiction.
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Polypharmacy
Polypharmacy means taking several medications at the same time. In mental health it usually refers to using more than one psychiatric drug together, which can help but also needs careful oversight.
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Propranolol (Inderal)
Propranolol is a beta blocker, a heart medication used off-label for the physical symptoms of situational anxiety, like a pounding heart and shaking hands before a performance.
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Psychotropic
Psychotropic is the umbrella word for any medication that acts on the brain to affect mood, thinking, or behavior. It's a category, not a specific drug.
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Quetiapine (Seroquel)
Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic, sold as Seroquel, used for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and as an add-on for depression. At low doses it's often prescribed off-label for sleep.
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Ramelteon (Rozerem)
Ramelteon is a sleep medication, sold as Rozerem, that works on the body clock rather than sedating the brain. It isn't habit-forming and isn't a controlled substance.
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Serotonin Syndrome
Serotonin syndrome is a potentially serious reaction caused by too much serotonin activity in the body, often from combining certain medications. It can range from mild to life-threatening and needs prompt medical attention.
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Sertraline (Zoloft)
Sertraline is an SSRI antidepressant, sold as Zoloft. It's one of the most widely prescribed psychiatric medications, used for depression, anxiety, panic, OCD, PTSD, and PMDD.
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SNRI
SNRI stands for serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It's a class of antidepressant medications that adjust two brain chemicals at once and is used for depression, anxiety, and some pain conditions.
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SSRI
SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It's a class of medications used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD, and several other conditions by adjusting how serotonin moves between nerve cells.
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Stimulant
A stimulant is a medication that's a first-line treatment for ADHD. It helps with focus and impulse control and is a controlled substance managed closely by a prescriber.
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Suvorexant (Belsomra)
Suvorexant is a newer sleep medication, sold as Belsomra, that works by blocking the brain's wakefulness signal rather than sedating you. It's used for both falling and staying asleep.
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Taper
A taper is a planned, gradual reduction of a medication's dose, in steps, instead of stopping all at once. It gives the body time to adjust.
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Tardive Dyskinesia
Tardive dyskinesia is a movement side effect that can develop after long-term use of certain medications, causing involuntary movements often in the face, mouth, or limbs. It warrants prompt attention from a prescriber.
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Temazepam (Restoril)
Temazepam is a benzodiazepine, sold as Restoril, used for the short-term treatment of insomnia. It carries the dependence and withdrawal risks of its class.
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Tolerance
Tolerance is when the body adapts to a medication so that the same dose does less than it used to. It's a physical adjustment, not a character flaw.
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Trazodone (Desyrel)
Trazodone is an older antidepressant now used most often at low doses as a sleep aid. It isn't habit-forming, which is why it's a common alternative to sleeping pills.
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Tricyclic Antidepressant
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are an older class of antidepressant medication. They work but tend to cause more side effects than newer drugs, so they're often used after other options.
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Venlafaxine (Effexor)
Venlafaxine is an SNRI antidepressant, sold as Effexor XR, used for depression and several anxiety disorders. Missing doses tends to be noticeable, which makes taking it consistently matter.
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Vortioxetine (Trintellix)
Vortioxetine is a newer antidepressant, sold as Trintellix, used for depression. It has a lower rate of sexual side effects than many SSRIs, and it's expensive because it has no generic.
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Washout period
A washout period is a deliberate gap between stopping one medication and starting another, so the first one has time to clear the body before the second arrives.
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Withdrawal
Withdrawal is the set of symptoms that show up when a substance the body has adapted to is reduced or stopped. With some substances it's uncomfortable, and with a few it's dangerous.
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Z-drug
Z-drugs are a group of sleep medications, including zolpidem, eszopiclone, and zaleplon, that act on the same brain receptor as benzodiazepines but target sedation more selectively.
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Zaleplon (Sonata)
Zaleplon is the shortest-acting Z-drug, sold as Sonata. It's used for trouble falling asleep, and it clears fast enough to leave little next-day hangover.
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Zolpidem (Ambien)
Zolpidem is the most widely prescribed Z-drug, sold as Ambien. It's a fast-acting sleep medication used mainly for trouble falling asleep, and it's meant for short-term use.
Explore another category
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