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an·ti·de·pres·sant | \ ˌan-tē-di-ˈpre-sᵊnt 
, ˌan-ˌtī- \
, ˌan-ˌtī- \Definition of antidepressant
(Entry 1 of 2)
: used or tending to relieve or prevent depression
antidepressant drugs
antidepressant
nounDefinition of antidepressant (Entry 2 of 2)
: an antidepressant drug — see ssri, tricyclic antidepressant
Examples of antidepressant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first.
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Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 There’s every reason to think that tinkering with that receptor system could have antidepressant effects, and it’s never been systematically manipulated in that way.
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Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "I Hacked My Body So You Don't Have To," 25 June 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first.
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Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first.
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Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first.
—
Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first.
—
Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first.
—
Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 In interviews, dozens of people who had experienced antidepressant withdrawal recounted similar stories: The drugs often relieved mood problems, at first.
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Benedict Carey And Robert Gebeloff, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-term use of antidepressants is surging in the US," 9 Apr. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In particular, House investigators have shown interest in a possible connection to a risky antidepressant that Trump has personally promoted for preventing veteran suicides.
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Isaac Arnsdorf, ProPublica, "Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddy Used His “Shadow” Sway Over the VA to Promote His Comic Book Empire," 3 June 2020 Only one antidepressant, bupropion (Wellbutrin and other brands), was associated with a small degree of weight loss.
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Andrea Alfano, Scientific American, "Many Psychiatric Drugs Have Serious Effects on Body Weight," 1 July 2015 Halladay’s autopsy report revealed high concentrations of morphine and amphetamines in his body, along with an antidepressant, a sleeping aid, and traces of alcohol.
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Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, "Roy Halladay’s drug addiction exposed in his cry for help in ESPN's 'Imperfect: The Roy Halladay Story'," 28 May 2020 Medications, which mostly include antidepressants, reduce the high level of emotional arousal, allowing a person to more effectively use their rational brain in dealing with stressful conditions.
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Arash Javanbakht, The Conversation, "Veterans, refugees and victims of war crimes are all vulnerable to PTSD," 21 Jan. 2020 Both offerings improve patients’ symptoms within hours or days, as opposed to most standard antidepressants, which take weeks to manifest.
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Popular Science, "Two radically new drugs bring hope for people with depression. But psychiatrists are skeptical.," 31 Dec. 2019 Placebos — if that’s what antidepressants are — work.
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Mathina Calliope, Longreads, "The Backcountry Prescription Experiment," 3 Dec. 2019 Other research suggests that certain antidepressants may be safe to take during pregnancy.
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Samantha Lauriello, Health.com, "Everything Women Need to Know About Depression During Pregnancy," 8 Nov. 2019 Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics
Fluoxetine is an antidepressant, and diazepam is used to treat anxiety and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
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NBC News, "RFK granddaughter, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, died of drug overdose," 1 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antidepressant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for antidepressant
antidepressant
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of antidepressant
medical : a drug that is used to relieve or prevent depression in a person
See the full definition for antidepressant in the English Language Learners Dictionary
antidepressant
adjectivean·ti·de·pres·sant | \ ˌant-i-di-ˈpres-ᵊnt, ˌan-ˌtī- \
\variants:
also antidepressive \ -ˈpres-iv \
\Medical Definition of antidepressant
(Entry 1 of 2)
: used or tending to relieve or prevent psychological depression : relating to, being, or utilizing an antidepressant an antidepressant drug antidepressant treatment
antidepressant
nounvariants:
also antidepressive
Medical Definition of antidepressant (Entry 2 of 2)
: a drug used to treat psychological depression : an antidepressant drug
The dual-action antidepressant venlafaxine appears to demonstrate superior efficacy and higher rates of remission in severe depression as compared with either SSRIs such as fluoxetine or tricyclic antidepressants.— John Mann, The New England Journal of Medicine, 27 Oct. 2005
— called also energizer, psychic energizer, psychostimulant
— see tricyclic antidepressantKeep scrolling for more
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The first known use of antidepressant was in 1961
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