Antidepressants are drugs or medications designed to treat depressive disorders. The main reason why antidepressants are what they are is because of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). The SSRI is a common drug component often found in most antidepressant brands. These inhibitors can interact with the brain’s serotonin, which is responsible for regulating an individual’s mood.
However, while SSRIs can improve one’s mood to some extent, that’s not enough to treat depression. If you genuinely want to eliminate all traces of depression, there are several things you need to remember before you take antidepressants or similar medication.
1. Class Of Drug
Before anything else, you must understand that there are different types or ‘classes’ of antidepressants. Some examples of these antidepressant drugs include:
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Noradrenaline and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NASSAs)
- Serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
Among these different types, the most common is the SSRIs since their side effects are mild and are considered the safest among the various classes of anti-depressive medications. With that said, each type has different side effects, and is suited for different purposes.
Since your body is built differently from other individuals, the medication that helped your friend get over depression might not be as effective on you. That’s precisely why the concept of a pharmacogenomics testing company was developed in the first place—to pinpoint the most suitable drug for an individual according to their DNA. So, before you attempt to take medication for depression, you must first consider what class of drug is most suitable for you.
You can do so by simply getting a diagnosis from a physician or doctor. After looking at your symptoms, they should be able to narrow down the list of suitable drugs for your unique case. Of course, it goes without saying that you must follow their instructions from thereon.
2. Existing Health Conditions
Just like any other type of medication, antidepressants can result in side effects. Some are momentary, while others may linger for quite some time. Below are examples of the potential side effects of antidepressants and other related medications:
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Palpitations
- Reduced blood sugar control
If you’re currently suffering from a health condition, it’s advisable to consult your doctor before taking medications for your depression. For one, your health condition may react negatively to the medication. Take diabetes, for example. Since diabetic individuals are already struggling to manage their blood sugar as it is, taking antidepressants would only worsen the condition. On that note, make sure you consider your existing health conditions before taking the medication.
3. Work Schedule
Once you start taking medication for depression, you’ll have to continue doing so for several weeks, or even months. During that time, you’ll often have to deal with dizziness, nausea, and insomnia, all of which can be detrimental to your work performance. So, it’s generally an excellent idea to first consider your work schedule before taking the medication. If you have a lot of work to do in the following days or weeks, then you might need to take a leave.
It’s also worth noting that if you’re unlucky, you might end up having to take medication for depression regularly for up to six months, so it’s best to be prepared for that possibility.
Of course, if you’re currently not invested in any employment at the moment, there’d be no need to ask for a leave. Regardless, make sure your schedule is free in the next couple of months since you most likely would need to concentrate on treating your depression.
4. Dosage
Considering the potential side effects of anti-depressive medications, it’s safe to assume that if you make a mistake in the dosage, you’ll end up suffering big time. For that reason, you should first make sure you know the dosage that works best for your body. For your reference, the typical dosage for antidepressants ranges from 25 mg to 75 mg, depending on the severity of the condition. If in tablet form, that would be equivalent to one to three tablets a day.
But since dosage largely depends on the severity of your depression, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. If you want a more accurate dosage, it’s best to consult a physician or a doctor. They should be able to come up with a somewhat accurate estimate for the dosage.
5. Age
Although the primary purpose of antidepressants is to eliminate depression, a study by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has found that taking anti-depressive medications may result in suicidal thoughts, especially for individuals who are 24 years or younger. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean young adults and teenagers shouldn’t take antidepressants. It simply means they should take extra caution when doing so. And it’s best to have an adult monitor them throughout the whole process.
6. Reaction With Other Medicines
Most antidepressants contain a substance that interacts with serotonin. Most of the time, these interactions are harmful. At worst, it would only result in nausea and other side effects. But that won’t always be the case, especially if you take other medicines on top of the antidepressant, like sleeping pills, for example.
Since sleeping pills help you get a good night’s sleep, and antidepressants do the opposite, there’s a chance that combining these two medications would result in harmful effects.
For that reason, before you take anti-depressive drugs, you might want to consider your other medications first, and see if there would be a conflict. As always, you can find out if you can go through with your medication by consulting a healthcare specialist.
Wrapping Up
Medication is often the best way to deal with medium to severe depression. So, if you think you’re only suffering from mild depression, it might be best to try out other options instead. For example, steering away from gadgets, engaging in social activities, or taking up rehabilitation programs can go a long way in helping you get over depression.
Of course, if these treatment plans aren’t effective, that would be the best time to take medication. If you arrive at that point, this guide should be very helpful in getting you started.
