When will I feel better?

The anatomy of depression

Individual nerve cells in the brain – neurons – communicate with each other by sending and receiving electrochemical impulses. The neurons, however, do not touch, so the impulses are carried from cell to cell via chemical messengers called “neurotransmitters”.

There are many different neurotransmitters, which regulate every function of the brain. Perhaps the most important is serotonin, which has many functions in the nervous system, including affecting:

• Mood
• Sleep patterns
• Pain threshold
• Impulsiveness
• Sexual behavior
• Appetite

People who suffer from depression often have a deficiency of serotonin in their brains. Antidepressants work by increasing the amount of this neurotransmitter. As serotonin levels return to normal, so does mood.

Acute treatment

The time between when you begin treatment and when your symptoms disappear is called “acute treatment”.

During acute treatment, your symptoms will be alleviated gradually over the course of 1 to 4 weeks, so it’s important that you don’t discontinue treatment, even if you don’t notice any improvement in your mood after a week. For your own sake, please be patient!

Once you have completed your acute treatment, you will feel better. However, it’s very important to continue your treatment until you are fully recovered. For that reason the recommended treatment time with Cipralex is a full 6 months or more.

When will I be completely recovered?

Recovery from depression can be as difficult to diagnose as depression itself. The best way to be sure that you are in remission is to consult your doctor. She will most likely administer a test and interview you regarding your mood, health, work and sleeping habits, etc., just as she did when she initially diagnosed you.