There are several important things to consider if you decide on drug treatment for your depression:

If you are depressed, your health-care provider may recommend several different drugs depending on your condition. For example, antidepressants will target the brain chemicals that influence your depression. Mood stabilizers treat the ups and downs of mood that are common in bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. Or you may need an antianxiety drug (if anxiety accompanies your depression) or an antipsychotic drug (if thought distortion accompanies your depression).

Here's the full range of drugs that may be used in the treatment of depression:

No antidepressant works immediately. Although they have an immediate effect on the brain's chemical messengers, their effect on depression takes several days to weeks. Although it is possible to get relief sooner, count on an antidepressant drug taking at least two to four weeks, if not longer, to show its full effect.

Mood stabilizers are useful in the treatment of bipolar disorder, but they are also used in the treatment of depression. They may be used alone or in combination with other mental-health drugs. For example, they sometimes are prescribed to enhance the action of antidepressants.

Because anxiety is common in depression, drugs to reduce anxiety can be very helpful.

Distorted thinking can be a symptom of depression. Antipsychotic drugs are very good at helping a person better recognize reality. These drugs are sometimes used in very low doses to enhance the effects of antidepressants.