Side effects of antidepressants
Although antidepressants are one of the ways to help adolescents with depression or anxiety feel better mentally and socially, there are also some other physical attributes to them that may tag along, too.
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With antidepressants, also called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), about 40% of people who take them have side effects and 25% of those side effects are very bothersome to the patient.
You know when you listen to the commercials and they seem to rattle off every imaginable thing that can go wrong from taking medications? Here’s a Kristen Wiig sketch on Chantix for smoking cessation to remind you!
That’s because drug companies are required to tell you almost anything anyone reports could go wrong. Some of these things are common and others are very rare!
So how do you decide if its ok for you to start a medication? This is where working with a doctor can help. Its ok and expected for you to have questions! Your doctor’s job is to help think with you about what is right for you.
Many factors will go into your decision like:
- You feel your symptoms of depression and anxiety are getting in the way of you living your life the way you want to
- Your doctor has answered your questions about how the medication could help you and what to expect
- You’ve considered different treatment options with your doctor and family
Just remember! Many side effects will go away after a few weeks of taking the medication. This is why for antidepressants you usually start on a lower dose and slowly work your way up as your body gets used to the medication to the standard dose. Its important to NOT stop the medication on your own, and check with your doctor about side effects you think you are experiencing. For certain medications, if you stop them yourself instead of slowly, it can make you feel sick.
It can take several weeks for antidepressants to feel like they are helping your mood so be patient! and keep in touch with your doctor.
Side effects are not always guaranteed, and if you have one side effect it does not necessarily mean that you will get more. It depends on your body and lifestyle and there is no way to anticipate if or which side effects you may get from antidepressants.
Try keeping track of possible side effects! Here’s an example of how:
and some more sheets you can try
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Here are some more common side effects and what you can do about them:
- headache
- this should get better within a week – if not talk to your doctor
- feeling speeded up
- this should get better within a week – if not talk to your doctor
- nausea
- should get better soon, eat small frequent meals rich in protein
- dizziness
- get up slowly and drink fluids – talk to your doctor if you are worried
- blurred vision
- this should get better soon
- wakefulness
- ask your doctor about taking your medicine when you wake up
- drowsiness
- ask your doctor to take your medicine at night
- dry mouth
- drink up! get in water or chew sugarless gum
- constipation
- again – get in water or try fiber-rich foods
You may have heard about people talking about suicide in relation to antidepressants. About a fifth of adolescents may have thought about suicide, but less than 3% have tried. In some studies, adolescents taking antidepressants were found to think about suicide more. These numbers were very small: 4 in 100 adolescents in the group of adolescents taking antidepressants versus 2 in 100 adolescents in the group taking sugar pills. Also, there were no actual suicides that occurred. Leading psychiatrists have even shown that this association does not play out in real life antidepressant use in adolescents. Still, if you feel you are having more thoughts about suicide, please let your doctor know. Read more about this here.
If you have experienced any of these side effects from antidepressants, how did you overcome them? Leave your response below to help others!
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