Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI)

What are SNRIs?

Every year, 6.7% of the U.S. population will be diagnosed with depression. There is not one specific cause of depression, and treatment methods are not an exact, concrete science. But fortunately, there are many different, effective methods for alleviating depression symptoms. Most patients will respond favorably to a combination of medications and talk therapy.

Research supports the benefits of adding talk therapy or counseling to depression medication treatment, as a review of studies in this area shows that a combination of therapy and medication is significantly more effective for treating depression when compared to medication alone. Medication can treat some of the chemical imbalances associated with depression, whereas therapy can help patients to work through feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or guilt and develop healthier patterns of thinking.

There are many different types of depression medications, and each one will affect patients differently. While one may work for Patient A, Patient B may not respond. It is common for depression patients to try a few different medications before finding one that works for them.

One of the most popular medications is SNRIs or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. The following article will explain how and why SNRIs work, and who can most benefit from taking an SNRI. If SNRIs and other depression medications don’t work, the article will also explain alternative treatment methods for treatment-resistant depression.

How do SNRIs work?

Depression can be caused by a combination of factors, including genetics, environmental triggers, and brain chemistry. Talk therapy is focused on coping with the environmental aspects of depression and there is no way to change a person’s genetics. Medications, however, can help patients whose depression is rooted in issues with brain chemistry.

SNRI drugs, just like any medication, do not work for everyone, but they are a promising treatment option for those who can take medication and prefer this treatment method. That being said, a review of 15 different studies found that 48.5 percent of patients achieved remission with SNRI drugs, meaning that these medications tend to work for about half of people who take them.

Suppose you have depression that does not respond to other treatments. In that case, SNRI medications may be a suitable option, but keep in mind that research also shows that when compared to the popular SSRI drugs, SNRIs are slightly more likely to create side effects that cause people to stop taking them. If other depression medications do not work for you, you may still be able to tolerate the side effects of SNRI drugs if they alleviate your depression symptoms. 

Alternative treatment options, like TMS, can be explored for patients who do not respond to SNRI drugs or other antidepressants. Some people may also need alternatives to medication because the side effects of the medication may be intolerable or even dangerous. 

SNRIs vs SSRIs

SNRIs are often compared to SSRIs, which are a popular class of antidepressant drugs. In fact, antidepressant prescribing trends show that sertraline and fluoxetine, two SSRI drugs, have been the most widely prescribed antidepressants over time. SSRI drugs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin only, which is how they exert their antidepressant effect. They achieve this by increasing the availability of serotonin in the nervous system, whereas SNRIs, as their name suggests, increase the availability of both serotonin and norepinephrine. 

If you’re wondering, “How is SNRI better than SSRI?” the answer lies in the ability of SNRI drugs to increase both serotonin and norepinephrine levels, allowing SNRIs to treat numerous symptoms of depression. Since SNRIs seem to treat a wide variety of depression symptoms, they may be more effective than SSRIs for some patients. Research shows that compared to those who take an SSRI drug, those who take SNRIs for depression are more likely to experience remission. SNRIs may be particularly useful for those with treatment-resistant depression or for patients who do not respond favorably to other antidepressant drugs.