Antidepressant Medications

Do You Really Need Antidepressants?

If you have been affected for more than two weeks by feelings of sad, despair, and hopelessness, or by excessive and difficult-to-control concern, consult a doctor for an assessment of your symptoms and circumstances, as well as to explore therapy and support alternatives. Early therapy can improve treatment outcomes.

Make sure your doctor knows if you've had a decreased need for sleep combined with an unusual level of energy, or if your mood has shifted from sad to unusually joyful or irritated. Mood stabilizer drugs may be more appropriate for your requirements, either alone or in conjunction with antidepressants. Antidepressants alone can lead some people to go from depressed to manic.

Medications are only one method of treating depression and anxiety. Interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be equally beneficial. Peer support, school and career counseling, and housing and employment assistance can all help to address issues that may cause or intensify depression or anxiety.

What Exactly Do Antidepressant Medications Do?

Antidepressant drugs stimulate the action of molecules called neurotransmitters in the brain. Increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine appears to alleviate feelings of sadness and anxiety. However, the brain is an extremely complicated organ, and the reasons for these medications' effectiveness are not yet entirely understood.

We do know that these medications assist to alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms in up to 70% of those who use them. This percentage becomes much higher when those who do not respond to one type of antidepressant try another.

Side Effects Of Antidepressant Medications

All drugs might cause negative effects. Some people have no side effects. Others may find the side effects upsetting. In most situations, adverse effects subside as the treatment continues.

To avoid adverse effects, treatment is often begun at a low dose and gradually raised until the optimal dose is established. The appropriate dosage is one that maximizes benefit while minimizing negative effects.

If you are having side effects, check the information provided by your doctor or pharmacist about the particular consequences of any medication you have been prescribed. If the adverse effects are not minor and manageable, you should continue taking your medicine as recommended, but notify your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor may

I recommend you to wait a bit longer for the adverse effects to diminish.
Consider adjusting your dose, taking the medicine at a different time of day, or prescribing other medications to manage adverse effects.
Change your medications.
Stop using medications and offer an alternate therapeutic technique.
Side effects differ based on the type of drug. More information about side effects is provided for each kind of antidepressant.

You can help to control the potential adverse effects on your own by:

To prevent weight gain and constipation, follow these tips: exercise regularly, eat a low-fat, low-sugar, high-fiber diet (e.g., bran, fruits and vegetables), use sugarless candy or gum, drink water, and brush your teeth regularly to increase salivation, and slowly rise from a sitting or lying position to avoid dizziness.

Some antidepressants can provoke agitation, restlessness, and separation. These sentiments may mirror anxiety symptoms and might exacerbate, rather than alleviate, feelings of hopelessness and despair. Some individuals may turn suicidal or aggressive. This response to antidepressants is estimated to occur in around 4% of persons who take them, with the risk being highest during the first few weeks of therapy.

Before beginning therapy, plan for the chance of feeling worse before feeling better. Know what resources are available to you and who to contact.

When you start therapy, keep track of your thoughts and feelings, and report any thoughts of harming yourself or others to your doctor, a crisis line, or the emergency room.

If you have an increase in suicide thoughts or anxiety, your doctor can help you decide whether you should stop taking the medicine or try to be patient and give it time to work.

Types of Antidepressant Medication

Antidepressants are classified into numerous groups, each having a number of different drugs. While all antidepressants are effective, no medicine or kind of treatment works the same way for everyone who takes it. You may be recommended to try more than one type of antidepressant or to take a mixture of antidepressants to alleviate your misery.



SSRIs
This class of medications, which includes fluoxetine , paroxetine , fluvoxamine , citalopram , escitalopram , and sertraline, is typically the first option for treating depression and anxiety disorders. These drugs are known to cause less negative effects than certain other antidepressants. Buspironeis comparable to SSRIs and has been shown to alleviate anxiety but not depression.

Common adverse effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight gain, dry mouth, headaches, anxiety, drowsiness, and reduced sexual desire and responsiveness. This class of medications can also produce jitteriness or restlessness, as well as sleep disorders such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up throughout the night, and vivid dreams or nightmares.

SNRIs
Venlafaxine , duloxetine , levomilnacipran, and desvenlafaxine are all members of this drug class. These medications are used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic pain.

Common adverse effects include nausea, sleepiness, dizziness, agitation or anxiety, exhaustion, lack of appetite, and sexual dysfunction. These drugs, when used at larger doses, may raise blood pressure.

NDRIs
This family of drugs includes bupropion . When used to treat depression, it is frequently prescribed for its stimulating properties in conjunction with other antidepressants. It is also used to treat ADHD and as a smoking cessation aid.

Common adverse effects include jitteriness and sleeplessness.

Mirtazapine (Remeron), a drug in the NaSSAs family, is a very sedative antidepressant that may be beneficial for insomnia or anxiety symptoms. This drug also helps to boost the appetite.

Common adverse effects include sleepiness and weight gain.

Nonselective Cyclics
This older category consists of amitriptyline , imipramine , desipramine , nortriptyline , trimipramine , and clomipramine .

Because older medications have more negative effects than newer therapies, they are rarely used as first-line treatments. However, when other medications fail to offer relief from severe depression, these antidepressants may be useful.

Common adverse effects include dry mouth, tremors, constipation, drowsiness, impaired vision, trouble peeing, weight gain, and dizziness. Because cyclics can induce irregular heart rhythms, your doctor should do an electrocardiogram (ECG) before you use this medicine.

MAOIs
The earliest class of antidepressants were monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), which included phenelzine and tranylcypromine . MAOIs are effective, although they are rarely used since they need a particular diet.

Moclobemide , a newer MAOI, can be used without dietary restrictions; nonetheless, it may be less effective than older MAOIs.

Common adverse effects include a drop in blood pressure when transitioning from sitting to standing (orthostatic hypotension), sleeplessness, edema, and weight gain.

Also Read Home Remedies To Treat Insomnia

Antidepressant drugs are primarily used to relieve the symptoms of sadness or anxiety. They can also be used to treat other disorders including bulimia and chronic pain.

Antidepressants benefit many people. However, they are not suitable for everyone. Even when they perform effectively, they have a limited capacity. They frequently function best when paired with talk therapy, support from family and friends, and self-care (for example, regular exercise, a good diet, and adequate sleep).

Antidepressants might take many weeks to completely work. Improved sleep, appetite, and energy are early markers of drug efficacy. Improvement in mood generally occurs later.