Research suggests that antidepressants can be helpful for people with moderate or severe depression. They're not usually recommended for mild depression, unless other treatments like talking therapy have not helped.
“Antidepressants can boost your mood and energy,” explained Stith. “Your mind and your body may not know what to do with that energy right away.” However, this is temporary and should improve over time.
In the case of SSRIs, SNRIs, and related medications, the effects of taking antidepressants when not depressed can include developing a condition known as serotonin syndrome. Symptoms of this condition include the following: Confusion. Agitation.
Most antidepressants boost mood and reduce depression symptoms by elevating serotonin levels in the brain. Although this is beneficial for someone who's depressed, for someone who does not have depression, taking antidepressant medication can cause serotonin to build up in the body, resulting in serotonin syndrome.
Some antidepressants can cause dizziness, drowsiness and blurred vision, particularly when you first start taking them. If you do experience these problems, you should not drive or use tools and machinery.
Taking antidepressants may help to lift your mood. This can help you feel more able to do things that don't feel possible while you're depressed. This may include using other types of support for your mental health. See our page on treatments for depression to find other options which may help.
They will help you feel like yourself again and return to your previous level of functioning. (If a person who isn't depressed takes antidepressants, they do not improve that person's mood or functioning - it's not a "happy pill.") Rarely, people experience apathy or loss of emotions while on certain antidepressants.
Approximately 70 percent of people taking SSRIs suffer from sexual side effects. But these drugs may also compromise the ability to feel love.
It's worth talking to a doctor if you can't bring yourself to leave the house because you fear something bad might happen. If you worry so much that you find yourself with physical sensations, like shaking or hot flashes, a doctor, and perhaps anxiety medication, can help.
Avoid driving or operating machinery. Avoid caffeine, tobacco and alcohol. Drink plenty of fluids. Take your antidepressant at bedtime if your doctor approves.
1 Day – On the first day of taking an antidepressant medication, most people will feel nothing at all. Some will notice side effects like nausea or vomiting that could be mild. 1 Week – One week in, people are more likely to note some other side effects like sleeping problems, diarrhea, dry mouth, and sexual problems.
Weight gain is a possible side effect of nearly all antidepressants. However, each person responds to antidepressants differently. Some people gain weight when taking a certain antidepressant, while others don't.
While antidepressants might negatively impact relationships, they can also greatly benefit them. An overall decrease in depressive symptoms may lead to less strain on the relationship. In turn, each partner may feel increased satisfaction in their daily dynamic. Even emotional blunting can be helpful in some cases.
A common side effect is sexual dysfunction. Both depression and the medications to treat depression are linked to a low libido, as well as difficulties getting aroused, having adequate lubrication, and reaching orgasm. For some people, that's reason enough to want to avoid taking antidepressants.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs are a type of medication people may use as a treatment for depression. People may also use SSRIs to treat mental health conditions that can cause intrusive thoughts, such as: OCD.
“Even though they say your meds are 'non-habit forming,' you can still have serious, debilitating withdrawals when you try to get off of them, and there's no telling how long they will last.” — Matthew A. 3. “I didn't know antidepressants could affect your libido.
Antidepressants Are Effective
Any benefits of medication have to surpass that of the “placebo effect” to be declared effective. Antidepressants are proven to be more effective than a placebo with respect to relieving depressive symptoms and shortening the length of a depressive episode.
Perhaps the fundamental reason why antidepressants are so widely prescribed and used is that they fit with the 'medical model' of mental illness, which has become the standard view in western culture. This model sees depression as a medical condition which can be “fixed” in the same way as a physical injury or illness.
Around 60% of people respond by about two months to the drugs with about a 50% reduction in their symptoms - an improvement in mood, better sleep and so on.
It's best to avoid combining antidepressants and alcohol. It may worsen your symptoms, and it can be dangerous. If you mix antidepressants and alcohol: You may feel more depressed or anxious.
Antidepressants may worsen blood sugar control because they can cause significant weight gain. SSRIs and Pamelor (nortriptyline) reportedly worsen blood sugar control in people with diabetes. Tricyclic antidepressants cause hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) in humans.
Antidepressants treat mental health conditions but can affect body weight. Although most can cause weight gain, a few antidepressants, including fluoxetine and duloxetine, may decrease appetite and lead to temporary weight loss.
In the second and third years of treatment, your risk of gaining at least 5% of your initial weight goes up substantially. At these points in time, the risk of gaining weight is over 46% higher than someone in the general population who isn't taking antidepressants. It doesn't continue to go up indefinitely, though.