Because each individual is unique and may react differently to drugs, many people must try many different medications before finding the proper fit. While psychotropic medicines might assist manage your emotions and mood, they can also have a detrimental influence on your emotions. Here are some examples of how common psychotropic drugs affect mood: Affecting neurotransmitters: Neurotransmitters are chemicals that carry messages from one brain cell to another. Psychotropic drugs affect the levels of certain neurotransmitters in your brain. Antidepressants increase the concentration of serotonin in your brain. Anti-anxiety drugs bind with dopamine in your brain to reduce its activity. Changing how you think: Some drugs work by changing how certain cells respond to stimuli; this includes drugs that act on neurons (nerve cells) to change their behavior. For example, antidepressants stimulate certain neurons to produce more serotonin, which reduces feelings of anxiety or depression. Antipsychotics work by altering the activity of neurons in specific parts of the brain that control thought processes. These drugs are used to treat schizophrenia and other mental illnesses that cause psychotic symptoms. Altering hormone levels: Hormones are chemical messengers that tell your body how to use proteins for growth, metabolism, and other functions. Drugs can affect hormones at several different levels - including their production, release, or response by target tissues.