Antidepressants: Everything You Need To Know

1 in 6 Americans is on antidepressants and other mental health drugs.

 Antidepressants are successful in relieving symptoms of anxiety, seasonal affective disorder, dysthymia, mild depression, and other conditions.

This class of medications works to correct chemical imbalances that attack the neurotransmitters in the brain. These imbalances are believed to be the cause of changes in mood and behavior.

Here are some things you need to know before getting on your antidepressants.

1. Different Medications Suit Different People

Patients respond differently to different medications. For this reason, your doctor will strive to find the correct balance for you.  

This might mean putting you on different medications and switching up the dosages before you finally find the right drug and the best dosage for you.

Your doctor will consider what other medications you are taking, the side effects, other pre-existing conditions and the cost for different types of drugs.

2. Results Are Not Instantaneous

While the hope is that you start feeling better almost immediately, this is rarely ever the case.

In most cases, the medications will take 1 to 3 weeks to begin working. However, it takes 6 to 8 weeks to see the full results of the drugs.

Keep taking your medications without fail, and as prescribed. It’s always a bad idea to abandon your treatment plan or change your doses without your doctor’s okay.

3. Some Side Effects Are Temporary; Some Are Not

Like most drugs, antidepressants have some side effects. Again, these are experienced differently from one person to the next.

Some of the more common ones like nausea, insomnia, dry mouth, and dizziness will generally taper off after the first few weeks of commencing your medication.

Another common side effects are sexual problems. These go from the typical symptoms of erectile dysfunction in men to non-pregnancy related lactation in women.

Your doctor can re-adjust your medication, suggest lifestyle changes or prescribe safe, effective ED medication.

4. Stopping Medication Too Soon Can Be Disastrous

It’s often tempting to quit medication as soon as you start feeling better. This is a horrible idea.

Take your medications for as long as your doctor advises. This is typically 6-12 months.

Doing this will significantly reduce your risk of relapsing once your doctor takes you off the medication.

5. Wean off the Medication Gradually

Stopping your medications abruptly can cause discontinuation syndrome.

This is basically withdrawal symptoms after the stoppage of antidepressants.

To prevent this, it’s best to come off the medicine over a few weeks as advised by your doctor.

Some of the common effects are nausea, anxiety, insomnia, irritability, vivid dreams, and electric shocking sensations.

These symptoms are similar to those that led you to start taking antidepressants in the first place. Due to this, patients can confuse their withdrawal symptoms for their depression coming back full swing.

A clear distinction between the two lies in the progression. With a mental condition, the symptoms will get worse over time. With withdrawal symptoms, the symptoms get better from one day to the next.

6. Some Drugs Are Contraindicated Substances

Some antidepressants work by increasing the levels of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is known to regulate appetite, mood, sexual function, sleep, and memory.

Combining antidepressants with illegal drugs or other medicines that increase serotonin can lead to toxicity.

For this reason, it’s best to stay away from illicit drugs. Ensure to mention you are on antidepressants when seeing other doctors or purchasing over the counter drugs as well.

7. Listen To Your Body

Even with the best medical team, no one is keyed into how you are feeling when on antidepressants.

For this reason, listen to your body and your gut. By staying alert to how you feel from one day to the next, it becomes much easier to tell when something is off.

You are Not Alone

Depression affects millions of people in this country.  However, it is not all gloom. Stick to your treatment plan and strive to lead a healthy life, and you will be on your way to finding happiness.