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. 2022 Nov 3;12(5):309-319.
doi: 10.9740/mhc.2022.10.309. eCollection 2022 Oct.

The clinical utility of newer antidepressant agents: Understanding the role in management of MDD

Kristin Waters  1
Affiliations

The clinical utility of newer antidepressant agents: Understanding the role in management of MDD

Kristin Waters. Ment Health Clin. .

Abstract

Whereas MDD is characterized in part by changes in mood, other symptoms can also cause significant impairment, including sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and fatigue. Newer antidepressants are explored with the goal of more optimally treating these non-mood-related symptoms of MDD. The 3 oral antidepressants that have been FDA-approved most recently include vortioxetine, vilazodone, and levomilnacipran. Unique features of these antidepressants are explored through 3 patient cases.

Keywords: antidepressants; cognitive impairment; depression-related fatigue; major depressive disorder; psychopharmacology; treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: At the time of this writing, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Major Depressive Disorder 2022 had not yet been released. This guideline includes both vortioxetine and vilazodone as first-line treatment options for MDD. Also, I am a member of the Speaker's Bureau: Janssen Pharmaceuticals. I speak about medications that are not discussed in this article. Psychopharmacology Pearls are review articles intended to highlight both the evidence base available and/or controversial areas of clinical care for psychiatric and neurologic conditions as well as strategies of clinical decision making used by expert clinicians. As pearls, articles reflect the views and practice of each author as substantiated with evidence-based facts as well as opinion and experience. Articles are edited by members of the Psychopharmacology Pearls Editorial Board as well as peer reviewed by MHC reviewers. This article was developed as part of the 2022 Psychopharmacology Pearls product for BCPP recertification credit. The course information and testing center is at https://aapp.org/503974.

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