Antidepressants
Disorders / Antidepressants
What Are Antidepressants?
Antidepressants are prescription medicines for depression and other mental health issues like stress, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Depression is a mood disorder that makes an individual feel sad, with a reluctance toward the activities s/he once enjoyed. Depression hampers one’s memory, motivation, thoughts, appetite, and sleep cycle. Mental health disorders often start in early childhood. The symptoms are more evident in women than in men, but that doesn’t mean they are limited to a specific age or gender. Individuals beyond the limitations of age or gender can also fall victim to depression. Neurotransmitters are chemicals found in the brain that antidepressants help balance. The medications work well to reduce the symptoms of depression. Antidepressants were invented in the 1950s. One form of treatment for depression is taking medication. While the medication reduces the symptoms of depression, it may not address the underlying problems.
Conditions that Antidepressants treat
Clinical depression and other depressive disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia nervosa (an eating disorder), bipolar depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder (social phobia), persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), premenstrual dysphoric disorder, panic disorder, and so on. Remember, sometimes doctors prescribe antidepressants to treat other health conditions, but this is not the correct use of the medication. Doctors occasionally prescribe antidepressants for migraine, sleeplessness, and chronic pain.
Types of Antidepressants
Mental health professionals say that neurotransmitters, like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, are directly linked to depression. Antidepressants relieve depression by working on the neurotransmitters, which are known as chemical messengers. Each drug treats the neurotransmitters differently. Antidepressants are available in many types.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs include paroxetine, fluoxetine, citalopram, sertraline, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and escitalopram. Compared to other antidepressants, SSRIs have fewer side effects and issues, even when taken at larger dosages.
Serotonin/Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
SNRIs include antidepressants like duloxetine, venlafaxine, levomilnacipran, and desvenlafaxine.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)Â
MAOIs are effective when other medicines don’t work. One must consult an expert healthcare provider before taking these antidepressants. The doctor must be well aware of the patient’s condition. The medication may have serious interactions with foods that contain tyramine. The medicines cannot be taken simultaneously with SSRIs again due to the high level of interaction. The antidepressants include tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid, selegiline, and phenelzine.
Tricyclic AntidepressantsÂ
Tricyclic antidepressants have been recorded to cause more side effects than the new antidepressants. Typically, doctors won’t give these depressants unless you’ve tried other antidepressants that didn’t work. The class of medicines includes imipramine, nortriptyline, protriptyline, desipramine, amitriptyline, clomipramine, amoxapine, and doxepin.
Atypical AntidepressantsÂ
These antidepressants are termed atypical as they don’t fit into other antidepressant categories. The most commonly prescribed medicines are trazodone, vilazodone, mirtazapine, bupropion, and vortioxetine.
Serotonin Modulators
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)
How to take Antidepressants?
Antidepressants are usually taken orally as tablets or pills. You take the medication with water. In order to reduce your symptoms, doctors usually first prescribe the least amount of antidepressants. Then, the professional may gradually increase the dosage if necessary. It will take weeks or months before you notice an internal improvement. In order to maintain long-term mental stability, the doctor may recommend medication if you suffer from severe or chronic depression.
Antidepressants: Side Effects
The potential adverse effects of antidepressants vary by class of medicine. It’s essential to talk to your doctor about the possible side effects of the medication you would take. However, the common side effects include.
- Gastronomical Symptoms: Diarrhoea, Constipation, Loss of Appetite, Indigestion
- Nerve Concerns: Agitation, shakiness, feeling of nervousness, fast heartbeat, and palpitations
- Blurry vision
- Unexpected weight loss or weight gain
- Sexual dysfunctionÂ
- insomnia, disturbed sleep
Recipients may experience none of these side effects, or many of them. The depth and duration of side effects vary. You must talk to your doctor if you experience any of the side effects. The doctors could change the medication or modify the dosage.
Potential Risks of Antidepressant Intake
According to research, the severity of depression determines the effects and advantages of antidepressants. The severity of the depression will determine the extent of the treatment. Antidepressants are prescribed by doctors to treat moderate, severe, and chronic depression effectively. These high-dose medications do not usually treat mild depression.
Serotonin Syndrome
Serotonin syndrome occurs when the serotonin level gets too high, especially when it happens under the influence of combined antidepressant medicines. Symptoms include seizures, disorientation, an irregular heartbeat, unconsciousness, or muscle twitching.
Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia refers to low sodium in the blood. It occurs when there is a drastic drop in salt levels in the body. Antidepressant-using older adults are the ones who experience it most frequently. Symptoms include headaches, convulsions, disorientation, and muscle aches.
Suicidal ThoughtsÂ
Young people who have started taking antidepressants are inclined to harm themselves. The symptoms can occur at different dose intakes. Medical attention is required anytime. If you or someone close to you has similar symptoms, you should consult a doctor or visit the nearest medical clinic.
DiabetesÂ
People who take antidepressants are more likely to get type 2 diabetes. Compared to the regular adverse effects of antidepressants, the side effects are less frequent here. The symptoms worsen into severe conditions where you can receive support from a doctor or a mental healthcare expert.
Overdose of Antidepressants
In case one takes antidepressants at a dose more than required, it’s considered to be an overdose. The level of toxicity in the medication varies. It is imperative that you discuss the possibility of an overdose with your healthcare provider prior to ingestion. Take your medication exactly as directed, and keep it out of reach of children and pets. When taken in excess, tricyclic antidepressants are the most dangerous medications. If you think you may have overdosed on medication, get medical help right away. The following are signs of an antidepressant overdose.
- Fast heart rate
- Low blood pressure
- High blood pressure
- Drowsiness and dizziness
- Rigid muscles
- Mental confusion
- Coma
Different classes of antidepressants come with different sets of overdose symptoms. You must talk to your healthcare provider about the overdose signs and symptoms of the specific category of antidepressant medicine. For instance, an SSRI overdose may lead to high blood pressure.
Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome
When you abruptly stop taking an antidepressant after taking it for at least six weeks in a row, you may have antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. The discontinuation symptoms include:
- Headache, body ache, fatigue, excessive sweating
- Dizziness and lightheadedness
- Tingling, burning, and shock-like sensations
- Anxiety and irritability
- Nausea
- Insomnia
Never discontinue your antidepressant medication without a doctor’s approval. It requires safety considerations before you stop the medicine. It takes at least four weeks for the symptoms to go away when the dosage is reduced.
Health Considerations
Medication options for treating depression can differ from person to person. Choosing the right medication for depression takes patience. In order to determine the correct dosage for you, your doctor may start you on the lowest dose of any depression medication and gradually increase it. Talk to your doctor about the recommended dosage and duration of the treatment. You have to let your doctor know what medications you currently take and what health problems you have. If you have any particular health problems, you must let us know. In such an instance, the doctor may suggest a different drug that is better at treating depression.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are antidepressants addictive?
No. Antidepressants are usually not addictive, but your body can develop a reliance on the medicines during the medicine course.
Do antidepressants trigger suicidal thoughts?
In some cases, yes. Antidepressants may create a risk of suicidal thoughts in young adults in the initial weeks of treatment. The tendencies gradually decrease over the long term.
Do antidepressants show immediate results?
No. It takes several weeks for an antidepressant to come into action. In case you don’t see any improvement after a certain time, talk to your doctor.
Are antidepressants safe to take?
Yes. Antidepressants are safe to take when you use them correctly under a doctor’s prescription. Follow the instructions as directed by your doctor. In case you experience any side effects, report them to your doctor. And, never stop taking the medicine without consulting your doctor.
Does the intake of antidepressants affect one’s sexual life?
Yes. Antidepressants may hamper one’s sex life temporarily. Reduced libido and lack of desire can disrupt one’s sex life. But, this is short-term. Once the medicine stops, the concerns begin to recede.