How many medicines should I be taking for my symptoms of seasonal affective disorder?
There are no easy answers to this and it is a very individual choice. Generally one medicine should always be the aim but combinations (often called “polypharmacy”) sometimes help. It is rarely of any use to combine drugs with similar ways of working. Below are some of the combinations that are used with the reasons. This is not a complete list but you might want to talk to your prescriber about any combinations not on this list you may be prescribed.
It would usually only be necessary to take one medicine at a time for winter depression. Bupropion has a slightly different way of working than the SSRIs so there might be some logic in combining them.
| Main medicine | Second medicine | Reason |
|
An antidepressant (e.g. citalopram, escitalopram, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, clomipramine) |
Bupropion or reboxetine |
Resistant SAD, but there is no evidence this works any better |