Celexa is a type of medication called an SSRI. SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. That is a fancy term meaning that the medication blocks serotonin from being absorbed in the brain.
Doctors still have a lot to learn about how imbalances in the brain chemistry can cause depression, but research suggests that certain chemicals in the brain allow the nerve cells to "talk" to each other. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters, and one of them is serotonin. SSRIs act on serotonin in the following way:
- Serotonin passes from one nerve cell to another to aid in communication.
- As it does so, small amounts pass back into the first cell, while the rest goes on to the second cell.
- When not enough serotonin gets through to the remaining cells, depression may result.
- SSRIs block the serotonin from being passed back into the first cell during the transfer process.
- This blocking action causes more serotonin to be available at the next nerve cell, and that helps to restore the balance of serotonin in the brain.