The Pros and Cons of Taking Antidepressants
Depression is a medical disorder that cannot be underestimated. If not handled properly, depression can be fatal to death. So, the handling given must also be safe and secure. One treatment offered for people with depression is by taking antidepressants. To understand the ins and outs, let’s learn from the following review on the pros and cons of taking antidepressants.
Various levels of depression
Depression is not a disease that can be equated in general. There are various types of depression that can strike you. In addition, each person will also show a different reaction to the depression they experienced. Based on the severity of symptoms experienced, the WHO divides depression into the following three types.
1. Mild depression
Generally, mild depression is triggered by events or events that make you stressed. From there, comes anxiety and moodiness that will make your mood bad for quite a long time. You may also have difficulty undergoing daily activities such as work, study, and concentrate. Activities that you previously enjoyed also felt torturous and burdensome.
2. Moderate depression
Aside from the symptoms of mild depression, those of you who are suffering from depression are starting to feel the physical signs. For example eating and sleeping patterns that change dramatically, the body feels weak and heavy, and facial expressions that are empty or depressed. Usually, at a moderate level of depression, the doctor has prescribed antidepressant drugs.
3. Major depression (major depressive disorder)
At the stage of major depression, usually, you cannot carry out your normal daily functions such as maintaining cleanliness and health of the body, working, socializing, or driving. There is a strong tendency to lock yourself in and in some extreme cases, those suffering from major depression are attempting suicide. This type of depression usually requires treatment with antidepressant drugs and therapy.
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Getting to know antidepressants
In a healthy condition, nerve cells in the brain will send impulses through various compounds and substances in the brain. When you are attacked by depression, certain compounds in the brain such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine become unbalanced and prevent the nerves from sending impulses. Experts believe that antidepressant drugs will help balance the compounds and substances that the brain needs to function normally. In general, antidepressant drugs are safe for consumption if you follow the advice and dosage given by your doctor or psychiatrist. The more severe your depression level is, the more antidepressants will be good for your recovery.
Also read: BEST FOODS TO FIGHT DEPRESSION – 12 Must Have Ones
Antidepressants are used for clinical purposes in a number of indications including the following:
1. To reduce feelings of anxiety, panic, and stress
2. Relieve insomnia
3. To reduce seizures/attacks in the treatment of epilepsy.
4. Causes muscle relaxation in conditions of muscle tension.
5. To reduce blood pressure and or heart rate.
6. To improve mood.
Most antidepressants are believed to work by slowing down the disposal of chemicals in the brain. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are needed for normal brain function. Antidepressants help depressed people by increasing the natural chemicals available in the brain.
Antidepressants are generally taken for 4 to 6 months. In some cases, patients and their doctors decide to take antidepressants longer.
The main clinical indication for antidepressant use is a major depressive disease. This drug is also useful in the treatment of panic disorder, other anxiety disorders (anxiety), and enuresis in children. Previous research has shown that this drug is useful for treating attention deficit disorders in children and bulimia and narcolepsy.
Anti-depressants such as amitriptyline also have anti-seizure effects. This class is used in patients who are depressed and also experience anxiety, or for long-term use where it is feared that dependence arises when using benzodiazepines. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors such as moclobemide are very useful in depressed patients with phobias. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citaloram can be used for panic attacks.
Also read: Understanding the Difference between Stress and Anxiety
The pros and cons of antidepressant
While it can help you get out of a depression pit and ease the symptoms that you are experiencing, antidepressant medications can also have an impact that you need to be aware of. Consult with your doctor what is the best treatment you need to take and make sure you truly understand the consequences of each choice. Before deciding to take antidepressants, consider the pros and cons of undergoing treatment for depression with the following antidepressant drugs.
Benefits of antidepressant drugs
Patients who take antidepressant drugs show improvement in mood and concentration levels faster than those who do not take antidepressant drugs. Antidepressant drugs can also increase energy so that the body no longer feels weak and heavy. You can also go through your daily activities with relative ease. If accompanied by therapy, antidepressant drugs can prevent your depression from recurring again in the long run.
Antidepressants’ side effects
Antidepressants cannot work in an instant. To feel positive improvements and changes, patients usually need the fastest time of one month after starting treatment with antidepressants. In some people, the effects of this drug will only be felt after four or six months because of a lifestyle that is less supportive of healing. After that, you are not recommended to stop the treatment immediately. You may be asked to continue treatment with antidepressants for one to two years, depending on your condition and level of depression.
In addition to the length of time required, there are also side effects of drugs that have an impact on your life. More than 30% of people who take antidepressants report side effects in the early weeks. The most common side effects include nausea, dizziness, trembling, and sweating. However, this effect usually disappears on its own within a few days. While the side effects that are quite disturbing are insomnia, anxiety, panic, loss of sexual desire, and weight gain.
In some very rare cases, antidepressant drugs can encourage negative thoughts such as suicide. However, usually, those who take antidepressant drugs, especially people with severe depression, already have thoughts like this so it is difficult to distinguish which is produced by treatment and which indeed comes from the patient’s own mind.
There you go. That was the review of the pros and cons of taking antidepressants. Hope this article is useful to you so you can decide (with of course your doctor’s help) what is the best medications you can take that are safe and better in helping you with your depression.
Stay safe, happy, and healthy!
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Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Thank you for reading today’s topic: The Pros and Cons of Taking Antidepressants
Depression has no particular cause, some as a result of a loss/death of someone, conflict and some other reasons but depression can also arise from the emergence of major events such as the Covid-19 pandemic which has led to stoppage of money flow and restricted movement. So I am so glad that this antidepressants is very much available for the depressed. The truth is majority of is are always very conscious of the advantages of things neglecting it’s disadvantages. A big thanks to you for exposing us to some of the disadvantage attached to taking the antidepressant.
Hi Sheddy,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate your kind words in your comment!
Glad you found this article useful.
Yes, we have to watch out for the side effects antidepressants may bring to us. So, by consulting our doctor we can have a better understanding of what’s needed in order to overcome our depression. Each person has different reactions to antidepressants.
Thanks again for your comment. Stay safe,happy and healthy!
Ferra
Depression is really dangerous and it can lead to death but knowing how to counter it makes things a lot better. But antidepressants too can be fatal too especially when talking on the side effects. However, taking it with proper medications and doctor’s prescription would make it all better. Thanks
Hello Ella,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate your kind words in your comment!
Glad you found this article useful.
Yes, taking wrong antidepressants could have fatal consequences and might worsen one’s conditions. So, it is ALWAYS recommended to consult doctors.
Stay safe, happy and healthy!
Ferra
I do not believe anyone should take antidepressants. I agree with a lot of the commenters that you should consult your doctor before taking any type of drug. And that is certainly true with antidepressants. I thank you for outlining the pros and cons as my best friend takes these and I wasn’t sure if it was doing more harm than good, but it turns out they are doing him good. Thanks for the information.
Hi Brandon,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate your kind words in your comment!
Glad you found this article useful.
Yes, I agree with you. Sometimes I think antidepressants are like a short-term fix that might cause a long term problem to some people if they chose wrong ones or if their body couldn’t accept certain kinds of medication.
Always, always consult with our doctors before taking any pills. But I am glad it seems to work for your best friend.
Thanks again for your comment. Stay safe,happy and healthy!
Ferra
Because antidepresssant do cause side effects some people refuse to take them. What are your thoughts on natural antidepressants like St. John’s Worts?
Hi Amy,
Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. I really appreciate your kind words in your comment!
I do believe that herbs can work in conjunction with modern medicine but both a person who suffers from depression need to discuss with their doctor about the risks and benefits of taking natural antidepressants like St.John’s Worts. I heard that this plant can help with mild depression. That being said, one has to learn about it more before taking it. It also has some side effects like allergic reaction, fatigue, etc (according to what I read from WebMD).
Thanks again for your comment. Stay safe,happy and healthy!
Ferra
I found your article on antidepressants interesting. I take Cymbalta myself, not for depression but off label for my fibromylgia pain. I have lots of pain from the fibro and other issues (degenerative disc disease, diabetes, etc.). I was very leary at first to begin taking the Cymbalta because I had read that some people had suicidal thoughts when taking it. Fortunately it is working just right for me, helping my pain and also it helps my mood from dropping too low because of the chronic pain. Thanks for this article.
Hello Shirley,
Thank you for Thank you for taking time to visit my site, read my post and leave a comment. 🙂
I am glad you found something that works for you. You are right, the effects are different to each persons. The suicidal thought is the worst.
Thanks again for sharing your story. It really is helpful to other readers. I really appreciate it! It shows that not all antidepressants are bad.
Stay safe, happy and healthy!
Ferra
I used to take antidepressants for about a year. I felt it definitely helped and I rarely get depression now. I used to get it around 3 to 4:30 PM every single day. I would just lose interest in everything. This article is very enlightening I really appreciate it.
Hi AJ,
Thank you for stopping by my website, reading the post, and leaving a kind comment.
I appreciate you for sharing your thoughts and support. Glad that you rarely get depression now.
Glad to hear that you found this post useful.
Stay safe, happy, and healthy!
Ferra
This was a really good article, it’s always good to highlight that with everything that is there to make us better there is always potential side effects but it is a case of the benefits outweighing the risks with these things and depression can be such a serious illness you have done a great job here bringing some awareness to this.
Whats your opinion on talking therapies?
Hi Amy,
Great question. Taking therapies is definitely helpful but first, you have to know what kind of therapy is suitable for your condition.
Also, who should you see? A psychiatrist or a psychologist? Sometimes the need for therapies also depends on how severe the depression or mental disorder is.
Thank you for stopping by my website, reading the post, and leaving a kind comment.
I appreciate you for sharing your thoughts and support.
Glad to hear that you found this post useful.
Stay safe, happy, and healthy!
Ferra
Great article and very informative! I think suggesting certain foods is a great idea.
Do you think there are herbs or supplements that can help?
Hi Alyse,
Great question. Yes, on my other articles I have talked about vitamins that help with depression. Certain kinds of essential oils are great too. My favorite is Lavender. 🙂
Thank you for stopping by my website, reading the post, and leaving a kind comment.
I appreciate you for sharing your thoughts and support.
Glad to hear that you found this post useful.
Stay safe, happy, and healthy!
Ferra
Depression is indeed much more than just generally eternal bad mood, or sadness, as unfortunately many believe. I’ve met people (elderly mostly) who were given a package of OCT anti depressants by their children, as a quick resolution for there parents being depressed. They did not realise that the question is much, much more complex, than to be resolved with a couple of pills.
So, I really like that you, beside the excellent description, paid attention to warn readers about the importance of consulting with a doctor prior to start taking them on their own.
Very well done.
Hi Kerry,
Thank you for stopping by my website, reading the post, and leaving a kind comment.
Yes, I believe that antidepressants can work for some people, but for others, it would be just a quick fix. It won’t be good for them in the long run.
So, definitely need to get a doctor’s opinion in order to determine whether or not we need antidepressants or what other alternatives we can do if we don’t take antidepressant.
I appreciate you for sharing your thoughts and support.
Glad to hear that you found this post useful.
Stay safe, happy, and healthy!
Ferra