Psychiatric medications, explained clearly.
Plain-language guides reviewed by a psychiatrist. Side effects, timelines, comparisons, and the questions worth asking.
PsychiatryRx is an independent reference publication about psychiatric medications. It isn't a clinic or a pharmacy. It's a place to understand what you've been prescribed.
Popular medications
Plain-language guides to the medications people ask about most. Each one covers what it treats, how it works, what to expect week by week, side effects, and how to come off it safely.
Alprazolam (Xanax)
A fast-acting benzodiazepine used for anxiety and panic, intended mainly for short-term or occasional use.
Amphetamine (Adderall)
A stimulant medication for ADHD, the amphetamine-based type.
Aripiprazole (Abilify)
An atypical antipsychotic used for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and as an add-on for depression.
Atomoxetine (Strattera)
A non-stimulant medication for ADHD, taken daily.
Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
An atypical antidepressant, an NDRI, used for depression, seasonal depression, and smoking cessation.
Buspirone (BuSpar)
A non-sedating anti-anxiety medication for generalized anxiety, taken daily.
Citalopram (Celexa)
An SSRI antidepressant used mainly for depression.
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
A long-acting benzodiazepine used for panic disorder and certain seizure conditions.
Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
An SNRI antidepressant, closely related to venlafaxine.
Diazepam (Valium)
A long-acting benzodiazepine used for anxiety and several other conditions.
Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
An SNRI antidepressant that is also used for several chronic pain conditions.
Escitalopram (Lexapro)
An SSRI antidepressant used for depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
An SSRI antidepressant used for depression, OCD, panic, and bulimia, known for its long half-life.
Guanfacine (Intuniv)
A non-stimulant ADHD medication, often used on its own or added to a stimulant.
Hydroxyzine (Vistaril)
An antihistamine used for anxiety, often as needed, without the dependence risk of benzodiazepines.
Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
A mood stabilizer used mainly to prevent depressive episodes in bipolar disorder.
Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse)
A long-acting stimulant for ADHD, taken once daily, also approved for binge eating disorder.
Lithium
A long-established mood stabilizer, still considered a benchmark treatment for bipolar disorder.
Lorazepam (Ativan)
A benzodiazepine used for anxiety, intended mainly for short-term or occasional use.
Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta)
A stimulant medication for ADHD, one of the two main stimulant types.
Mirtazapine (Remeron)
An atypical antidepressant often chosen when depression comes with poor sleep and loss of appetite.
Paroxetine (Paxil)
An SSRI antidepressant used for depression and a wide range of anxiety disorders.
Propranolol (Inderal)
A beta blocker used off-label for the physical symptoms of situational anxiety, such as performance anxiety.
Quetiapine (Seroquel)
An atypical antipsychotic used for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and as an add-on for depression.
Sertraline (Zoloft)
An SSRI antidepressant used for depression, anxiety, panic, OCD, PTSD, and PMDD.
Trazodone (Desyrel)
An older antidepressant now used most often, at low doses, as a sleep aid.
Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
An SNRI antidepressant used for depression and several anxiety disorders.
Vortioxetine (Trintellix)
A newer antidepressant for depression, with a lower rate of sexual side effects than many SSRIs.
Start here: guides
Short, practical guides for the moments where most questions show up: starting a medication, coming off one safely, and finding a prescriber.
Antidepressants and sexual side effects
How common sexual side effects are, why they happen, and what can be done about them.
Antidepressants and weight
What antidepressants tend to do to weight, which ones differ, and how to think about it.
Coming off an antidepressant safely
What discontinuation feels like, and how a careful taper makes stopping manageable.
Generic vs brand-name psychiatric medication
Whether generic psychiatric medications are as good as the brand, and what to know.
How to get psychiatric medication management
Who can prescribe psychiatric medication, the in-person and telepsychiatry options, and how to choose.
Medication, therapy, or both
What the evidence says about medication, therapy, and combining them.
Psychiatric medication and alcohol
How alcohol interacts with antidepressants and other psychiatric medications, and why caution makes sense.
Psychiatric medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding
How decisions about psychiatric medication in pregnancy and breastfeeding are approached.
Starting a psychiatric medication: what the first month is like
A realistic week-by-week picture of beginning an antidepressant, and what is normal.
Switching antidepressants
Why people switch antidepressants, how a switch is done, and what to expect.
Why isn't my medication working?
Common reasons an antidepressant doesn't seem to be helping, and what usually comes next.
Compare two medications
Choosing between two options, or wondering how yours compares? These side-by-side guides lay out the real differences.
Adderall vs Ritalin
How amphetamine and methylphenidate compare, the two main stimulant types for ADHD.
Adderall vs Vyvanse
How amphetamine and lisdexamfetamine compare, two amphetamine-based stimulants for ADHD.
Ativan vs Klonopin
How lorazepam and clonazepam compare, two benzodiazepines used for anxiety and panic.
Buspirone vs Xanax
How buspirone and alprazolam compare for anxiety, a daily non-habit-forming option and a fast-acting benzodiazepine.
Cymbalta vs Effexor
How duloxetine and venlafaxine compare, two SNRI antidepressants.
Cymbalta vs Lexapro
How duloxetine and escitalopram compare, an SNRI and an SSRI.
Effexor vs Pristiq
How venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine compare, two closely related SNRIs.
Klonopin vs Xanax
How clonazepam and alprazolam compare, two benzodiazepines that differ mainly in how long they last.
Lexapro vs Celexa
How escitalopram and citalopram compare, two closely related SSRIs.
Lexapro vs Prozac
How escitalopram and fluoxetine compare, two widely used SSRIs.
Lexapro vs Xanax
How escitalopram and alprazolam compare for anxiety, a daily SSRI and a fast-acting benzodiazepine.
Lexapro vs Zoloft
How escitalopram and sertraline compare on uses, side effects, and what to expect.
Lithium vs Lamictal
How lithium and lamotrigine compare, two mood stabilizers used in bipolar disorder.
Prozac vs Zoloft
How fluoxetine and sertraline compare, two widely used SSRIs.
Strattera vs Adderall
How atomoxetine and amphetamine compare for ADHD, a non-stimulant and a stimulant.
Trintellix vs Lexapro
How vortioxetine and escitalopram compare, a newer antidepressant and a standard SSRI.
Valium vs Xanax
How diazepam and alprazolam compare, two benzodiazepines that differ mainly in how long they last.
Vyvanse vs Ritalin
How lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate compare, stimulants from the two main families.
Wellbutrin vs Adderall
How bupropion and amphetamine compare, an antidepressant and a stimulant that both affect focus and energy.
Wellbutrin vs Lexapro
How bupropion and escitalopram compare, two common antidepressants that work in very different ways.
Wellbutrin vs Zoloft
How bupropion and sertraline compare, two common antidepressants that work differently.
Xanax vs Ativan
How alprazolam and lorazepam compare, two fast-acting benzodiazepines for anxiety.
Browse by drug class
How whole families of medication work, and how the drugs within them differ. A good place to start if this is all new.
ADHD medications explained
The two groups of ADHD medication, stimulants and non-stimulants, and how they compare.
Antipsychotics explained
What antipsychotics are, and how they are used in bipolar disorder and depression.
Atypical antidepressants explained
Antidepressants that work differently from SSRIs and SNRIs, and when they are used.
Benzodiazepines explained
What benzodiazepines are, how they work, and why they are usually used short-term.
Mood stabilizers explained
What mood stabilizers are, how they are used in bipolar disorder, and how they differ.
SNRIs explained
What SNRIs are, how they work, and how they compare with SSRIs.
SSRIs explained
What SSRIs are, how they work, and how the medications in the class compare.
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PsychiatryRx is part of a small network of independent mental health publications, alongside AnxietyResource.org, DepressionResource.org, and AnxietyResearch.org.
The medical editor
Shariq Refai, MD, MBA
Board-certified psychiatrist · Medical editor, PsychiatryRx
Dr. Refai reviews each guide on PsychiatryRx for clinical accuracy. He is a board-certified psychiatrist, the medical editor of AnxietyResource.org, DepressionResource.org, and AnxietyResearch.org, and the founder of shrinkMD, an independent telepsychiatry practice. That affiliation is disclosed on our about and disclosure pages.