Keep in mind that antidepressant medicines are not “downers” or “uppers.” You will not get high when you take them. They are not addictive.
Stimulants, or "uppers," increase mental or physical function, hence the opposite drug class from depressants is stimulants, not antidepressants. Depressants are widely used throughout the world as prescription medicines and illicit substances.
Thus, serotonin cannot be simply described as an 'upper' or a 'downer'; its symptomatic effects depend on the organism's state (i.e., whether it is infected, starving, satiated, physically exhausted, sexually exhausted, etc.).
Most of the newer antidepressants belong to one of these three groups: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) Atypical antidepressants, which are newer antidepressants that don't fit into the other groups.
Common side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can include: feeling agitated, shaky or anxious. feeling and being sick. indigestion and stomach aches.
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.
Antidepressants can make you feel worse at first
Starting an antidepressant can't actually make your depression worse. But it can cause side effects that are very similar to depression. Antidepressants can make you feel tired, cause concentration problems, and lead to changes in sleep and appetite.
Fatigue and drowsiness are common, especially during early weeks of treatment with an antidepressant. Consider these strategies: Take a brief nap during the day. Get some physical activity, such as walking.
The Evidence for Personality Changes
Study authors suggested that the SSRI may have altered two key personality traits linked to depression—neuroticism and extroversion—independently of their effect on depression symptoms.
Low levels of serotonin may be associated with many health conditions including: Depression and other mood problems. Anxiety. Sleep problems.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that mediated satisfaction, happiness and optimism. Serotonin levels are reduced in depression, and most modern anti-depressant drugs, known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), act by increasing the amount of serotonin available to brain cells.
Feb 28, 2023. Dopamine and serotonin are molecules that send signals throughout the body; these chemicals affect how we feel. When dopamine is released in our brain, we feel a sense of temporary pleasure. Serotonin, while similar to dopamine, creates a long-lasting feeling of happiness or well-being.
Antidepressants are used most often for serious depressions, but they can also be helpful for some milder depressions. Antidepressants are not “uppers” or stimulants, but rather take away or reduce the symptoms of depression and help depressed people feel the way they did before they became depressed.
Prozac (fluoxetine) and Wellbutrin (bupropion) are examples of “energizing” antidepressants; whereas Paxil (paroxetine) and Celexa (citalopram) tend to be more sedating.
A person can raise dopamine and serotonin levels with medications such as antidepressants.
Unfortunately, dopamine is also responsible for the feelings of elation and ecstasy that accompany falling in love. By suppressing dopamine, Fisher argues, drugs like Prozac block your ability to have these feelings, thus making it harder to fall in love and stay in love.
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.
One of the widely-reported side effects of SSRIs is 'blunting', where patients report feeling emotionally dull and no longer finding things as pleasurable as they used to. Between 40-60% of patients taking SSRIs are believed to experience this side effect.
Antidepressants include: SSRIs. These medications can perform double duty by helping you sleep and improving your mood. But for some people, SSRIs can cause insomnia, so your doctor may have you take these in the morning, sometimes with an additional medicine for a short time to help people sleep at night.
In healthy subjects, serotonin appears important for this automatic avoidance. It has long been suggested that over-activity of the serotonin system may relate to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, as these seem characterized by too much withdrawal and avoidance.
On antidepressant medication, it is possible that you might experience a sense of feeling numb and less like yourself. Though the symptoms of depression have decreased, there may be a sense that other emotional responses – laughing or crying, for example – are more difficult to experience.
Nearly half of patients on all types of monoaminergic antidepressants report emotional blunting,6 and it is associated with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy as follows: among 161 patients, 46% reported a narrowed range of affect, 21% reported an inability to cry, and 19% reported apathy.
When you start taking an antidepressant, you should begin to function better in your daily life before you start feeling better, says Dr. Michael McGee. In other words, you should begin sleeping better, eating better, and having more energy. “Then you should start feeling better,” he says.