Antidepressants have become the most prescribed drug in the United States, surpassing medications for high blood pressure by five million prescriptions. They work by affecting serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain, neurotransmitters that influence mood, and stabilize emotions when altered. Common antidepressants include Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac. While originally intended for depression treatment, antidepressants are now also prescribed for chronic pain, anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, and eating disorders.

1. BY: ARABIA RUIZ

2. Antidepressants were the most frequently prescribed drug, overtaking the runner-up, high blood pressure medications , by five million prescriptions! Antidepressants have the power to change your moods.

3. They accomplish this by affecting the amount of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. Serotonin and norepinephrine are neurotransmitters, which travel through neurons in the brain. Scientists don't know a great deal about how these neurotransmitters affect your mood. But they do know that when antidepressants alter how neurotransmitters travel, it stabilizes your emotions.

4. Zoloft, Paxil and Prozac are some of the most common antidepressants. Before the 1980s, seeing a psychiatrist was the preferred treatment for depression. But advances in technology have allowed new interest in antidepressants.

5. Despite their name, antidepressants are not prescribed solely for depression anymore. They are also used to treat chronic pain, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and even eating disorders.

6. http://health.howstuffworks.com/antidepressant-most-prescribed.htm