By “I take antidepressants and I feel worse.” Do you identify with this situation? If so, in this article we will talk about why and the measures you can take to stop it from happening.
Antidepressant drug therapy is one of the first options in cases of severe depression. However, unlike other medications, there are significant individual differences in the effects of antidepressants. Thus, it is possible to find people who claim to feel worse, even though they are taking antidepressants.
The first thing we need to know is that there may be several reasons for someone to think this way. Furthermore, it is not something we should take lightly, since sometimes people make wrong decisions unilaterally regarding the intervention plan proposed. Therefore, it is important to be aware of what could be happening and what can be done about it.
How do antidepressants work?
Antidepressants are drugs that have psychoactive properties to treat mental illnesses, such as depression , anxiety and other conditions . The theory tells us that these types of disorders can be related to imbalances in neurotransmitters. The latter are nothing more than a set of substances that participate in different processes, including mood.
However, not all antidepressants work the same way; each has different components and mechanisms of action. Most of those prescribed are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (associated with mood) . Thus, their objective is to prevent neurons from capturing serotonin , increasing its levels in the body and improving mood.
If that is true, why would someone say “I take antidepressants and I feel worse”? Something we should know about these drugs is that they act more slowly than others. When starting therapy with antidepressants, their effect usually takes between two and four weeks to appear . There are even cases in which this time can extend up to 6 weeks. In the end, everything will depend on the type of antidepressant and the particular circumstances of each person.
Side effects of antidepressants
Continuing from the above, a key fact about antidepressants is that they can cause different side effects. A large-scale study found that patients taking these drugs often report problems in different areas. Among the most common are body weight, sex life, appetite, sleep , and pain perception. In several cases, the side effects worsened over time (Saha et al. , 2021).
Antidepressant therapy tends to show positive effects after a few weeks. While that is happening, your body may start to experience the side symptoms that these drugs can cause . That could be one factor affecting patients who say “I take antidepressants and I feel worse.”
We must not forget that these medicines induce changes in our body, and it takes time to adjust to them. Many of the side effects that may occur are only temporary reactions and disappear over time .
A useful tip is to ask your psychiatrist about possible side effects and how long they are expected to last if they do occur. This way, you will be prepared for what could happen to your body and your mood.
The effectiveness of antidepressants
Another factor to consider is the efficacy of these drugs. A systematic review published in The Lancet concluded that antidepressants produce improvement in 60% of cases. The authors of the research compared the efficacy of 21 common antidepressants with placebos to arrive at this result.
However, we must also consider that the response to antidepressants varies depending on the medication and the patient’s body. Furthermore, looking at the results of the study, we realize that 40% of patients do not achieve significant improvement. So, there is a possibility that someone is not taking the right antidepressant or that these drugs are not the solution.
Should I stop taking antidepressants?
“If I take antidepressants and I feel worse, should I stop taking them?” This is a common question and the answer is no. Under no circumstances are patients advised to stop taking medicines unless advised to do so by a specialist. Doing so could lead to other problems that are even more unpleasant than the possible side effects.
It is best to maintain constant communication with your psychiatrist and tell him or her how you feel. This way, the specialist can make certain decisions such as reducing or increasing the dose or changing drugs. This way, it will be easier to know which medication works best for you and how you should take it for it to be effective.
The importance of psychotherapy
When it comes to mental disorders, it is important to consider that they are never due to a single cause. Therefore, we cannot expect a single treatment to produce a complete improvement in someone suffering from depression. Ideally, antidepressant therapy should be accompanied by psychotherapy and lifestyle changes. In this way, the effects of the drug will be enhanced and we will increase the chances of improvement.
In conclusion, addressing depression and other disorders with psychotropic drugs is a complex issue . In order to receive treatment safely, frequent contact with a specialist is essential. Talking to an expert is one of the keys to ensuring that the intervention is effective.