8. Conclusion

A wide range of antidepressant drugs are available on the market, the most frequent used being the SSRIs, but they do not represent the ideal medication to treat MDD, especially due to the various side effects, that considerably influence the patient's daily life and activity.

Recently introduced in therapy, the four new antidepressants have demonstrated a number of benefits compared to classical medication, represented by faster onset of pharmacodynamic effects, simpler dosage regimen, without necessity of dose adjustment, slight superior efficacy, and less importantly short-term side effects.

Although they have proven efficacy in treating MDD and are being investigated for other possible indications, the risk that these drugs may cause adverse effects following prolonged administration is not fully elucidated. And since most patients undertake antidepressant therapy for several months or years and may suffer from various comorbidities, future detailed clinical trials are needed to establish the pharmaco-toxicological profile of these new antidepressants.
