This blog post is going to be all about, you guessed it: anti depressants. I'm going to talk about the different types of anti depressants out there, how they work and what it's like to be on them. Going on them for the first time can be a real shock to the system so it's important to understand what they do to your body and also what it can do to others when they're on them. This blog is going to be more of an informative one rather than a chatty one about my own experience, although, of course, I will include that as well.
First off there are four different types of anti depressants which are:
Select serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - These are the most widely presribed types of anti depressants and are more likely to be used as they have fewer side effects and an overdose on them is a lot less serious than others.
Serotonin-nonadrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) - These are designed to be a lot more effective than SSRI. But the evidence to suggest they work better is a bit uncertain, it mainly depends on the person, some do better on SSRIs while other people do better on SNRIs.
Nonadrenaline and specific serotonergic antidepressents (NASSAs) - These can be effective for people who are unable to take SSRI and the side effects are similar to those of SSRI. They can cause drowsiness at first though.
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) - These are a much older form of antidepressant and are no longer recommended as a first line of treatment for depression as an overdose from these can be much more dangerous than other antidepressants. They also cause more side effects than SSRIs and SNRIs but exceptions are sometimes made for people with severe depression that don't respond well to other treatment.
So yeah, four main types of anti depressants, I'm currently on an SSRI called Citalopram at 30mg, the only annoying thing about this tablet is that it contains lactose and I'm lactose intolerant, but this antidepressant also helps with my anxiety. I started on 10mg because that's what they usually do, and went up to 20, then 30 as I felt like my dosage needed to go up as it wasn't working the way I wanted and needed it to.
How it usually works with antidepressants if you don't have a depressive disorder is that you take it for about six months to help boost the serotonin and nonadrenaline levels in the brain. Both of these neurotransmitters are thought to be linked with mood, and as they're neurotransmitters they send signals around the body via the nerve cells in the body and brain. How my psychiatrist described it to me is that they work by bringing the serotonin and nonadrenaline levels back up to a place where they would be normal, and then the brain learns to create more of them and that's when you can begin to wean yourself off them. They usually start to work seven days after starting to take them but this can vary, and they can affect the body in many different ways. It's so important that if you notice a change you don't stop taking them after a month, you need to do the whole sixth months to get the neurotransmitters at the level that they're meant to be then slowly come off them. If you stop completely all the progress you made with the levels of neurotransmitters can completely go away and it can be seriously dangerous.
How it usually works with antidepressants if you don't have a depressive disorder is that you take it for about six months to help boost the serotonin and nonadrenaline levels in the brain. Both of these neurotransmitters are thought to be linked with mood, and as they're neurotransmitters they send signals around the body via the nerve cells in the body and brain. How my psychiatrist described it to me is that they work by bringing the serotonin and nonadrenaline levels back up to a place where they would be normal, and then the brain learns to create more of them and that's when you can begin to wean yourself off them. They usually start to work seven days after starting to take them but this can vary, and they can affect the body in many different ways. It's so important that if you notice a change you don't stop taking them after a month, you need to do the whole sixth months to get the neurotransmitters at the level that they're meant to be then slowly come off them. If you stop completely all the progress you made with the levels of neurotransmitters can completely go away and it can be seriously dangerous.
I think the worst thing about my antidepressant is how tired it makes me. I've switched from taking it in the morning to taking it at night but it still can affect my energy levels. I've found that if I do a lot during the day I get so tired and need a nap whereas before I would just want one rather than need it. I've also been getting really weird dreams with this antidepressant which isn't something I've experienced before. Usually I don't dream at all but now with these I dream all the time and man they can be bizarre. Sometimes to the point that I question reality when I wake up, they're so vivid and real that it can seriously mess with my brain.
When I first started going on them I didn't really notice that much of a change so after four weeks on 10mg I switched up to 20mg and then four weeks later up to 30mg. I found that when I got the right dosage of 30mg, it really helped level out my mood. I was paranoid that it would make me feel nothing at all and I would be like a robot, and it did do that to a certain extent but not to the point it had done previously when I've been on antidepressants. As they started to work I noticed a big difference in my mood swings to the point where they weren't really there as much as they use to be. I wasn't overly emotional and my anxiety reduced somewhat compared to what it was like before I was on them. I've been on Valium before and I know how messed up it can get you and how tired and groggy so I was glad to be on something that didn't have that big affect on my body like that drug did.
The most dangerous side effect of any antidepressant is an increase in suicidal thoughts. Kinda weird when you think that they're meant to reduce those thoughts, but on the rare occasion they can make it all worse. It's so important to have an open line of communication about this to your GP. The reason they usually start with a small dosage is because of this exact issue, if you are having increased suicidal thoughts GO TO YOUR DOCTOR, they can change the medication or do something else so that you don't take that step in doing something silly.
The best way that antidepressants work is alongside counselling, the antidepressants take care of the imbalance of neurotransmitters while the therapy helps with the issues that made you feel like that in the first place. You want to resolve the issues as well not just rely on the pills to make you feel better. Most doctors will recommend you see someone to talk through your issues and resolve them with you.
I hope this blog post has been helpful to you guys and you've got a better insight into some of the antidepressants out there and the affect they have on your body both on a chemical level but how they can affect your thoughts as well. They're not something you should be afraid of taking but you do need to self monitor and see if they're working in the way you want them to.
Stay awesome.
When I first started going on them I didn't really notice that much of a change so after four weeks on 10mg I switched up to 20mg and then four weeks later up to 30mg. I found that when I got the right dosage of 30mg, it really helped level out my mood. I was paranoid that it would make me feel nothing at all and I would be like a robot, and it did do that to a certain extent but not to the point it had done previously when I've been on antidepressants. As they started to work I noticed a big difference in my mood swings to the point where they weren't really there as much as they use to be. I wasn't overly emotional and my anxiety reduced somewhat compared to what it was like before I was on them. I've been on Valium before and I know how messed up it can get you and how tired and groggy so I was glad to be on something that didn't have that big affect on my body like that drug did.
The most dangerous side effect of any antidepressant is an increase in suicidal thoughts. Kinda weird when you think that they're meant to reduce those thoughts, but on the rare occasion they can make it all worse. It's so important to have an open line of communication about this to your GP. The reason they usually start with a small dosage is because of this exact issue, if you are having increased suicidal thoughts GO TO YOUR DOCTOR, they can change the medication or do something else so that you don't take that step in doing something silly.
The best way that antidepressants work is alongside counselling, the antidepressants take care of the imbalance of neurotransmitters while the therapy helps with the issues that made you feel like that in the first place. You want to resolve the issues as well not just rely on the pills to make you feel better. Most doctors will recommend you see someone to talk through your issues and resolve them with you.
I hope this blog post has been helpful to you guys and you've got a better insight into some of the antidepressants out there and the affect they have on your body both on a chemical level but how they can affect your thoughts as well. They're not something you should be afraid of taking but you do need to self monitor and see if they're working in the way you want them to.
Stay awesome.
No comments:
Post a Comment