Common Side Effects of Anti-Depressants

Antidepressants are one of the most common tools used for treating depression and are often used for other mental disorders. While antidepressants don’t claim to cure depression, they do work to reduce its symptoms. There is a huge variety of antidepressants available to treat the taxing symptoms of mental illness, which is why it’s important to cooperate with your doctor to find the one that fits you best. Several factors may influence this choice such as your specific symptoms, its interaction with other medications you’re taking, health conditions, or its possible side effects.

Common antidepressants side effects

Not all antidepressants have the same side effects. There are different groups and categories of antidepressants, each having unique side effects.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs):

Agitation, anxiousness, or feeling shaky
Feeling sick
Stomach problems
Appetite changes
Sleep problems
Headaches
Reduced sex drive
Serotonin syndrome (if it is taken with another medication that increases serotonin levels)
Hyponatremia for elderly users
Diabetes (in the case of long-term use)

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs):

Dry mouth
Slightly blurred vision
Urination problems
Feeling drowsy
Feeling dizzy
Weight gain
Excessive sweating
Heart rate problems

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs):

Blurry vision
Rash
Seizures
Edema
Significant weight changes
Sexual problems
Stomach problems
Sleep problems
Headaches
Feeling dizzy
Heart rate problems
Blood pressure problems

Common misconceptions of antidepressants side effects

While it’s true that any medication we take, including over-the-counter pain killers, will come with a list of side effects, there are still misunderstandings regarding those involving antidepressants.

1. Weight gain

One of the most commonly feared side effects of antidepressants is weight gain; however, not all antidepressants cause weight gain and not only do some of them cause weight loss in the beginning but there are even a few antidepressants that are sometimes prescribed with weight-loss medication. If you are witnessing significant weight changes throughout your journey, you may consider discussing different solutions with your doctors such as having a specific diet, exercising, or changing your medications.

2. Reduced sex drive

Another common side effect of antidepressants is a reduction in the individual’s sex drive. The loss of sexual desire is actually one of the prevailing symptoms of depression. This implies that antidepressants may not help lessen the sexual side effects at first and in some cases, they may even worsen them in the beginning. However, since the purpose of taking antidepressants is to treat and reduce depressive symptoms, they may actually be effective and helpful for treating sexual dysfunction in the long run.

3. Personality changes

A lot of people also worry that taking antidepressants may affect or change their personality. This is not the case. When a person takes antidepressants, their personality remains the same, but instead, it shines without the depression, worry, and anxiety symptoms that the person had prior to take the medication. Therefore, their behaviour and their attitudes change, which may lead those around them to feel that their personality has changed, even if it didn’t. However, antidepressants actually help the person appear truer to who they are than they used to before because they remove the symptoms that they had due to their disorder.

Your solutions to some antidepressant side effects

1. Headaches

Several antidepressants may cause headaches during the first few days of taking the medication; however, it is less common for this side effect to last long. You may ask your doctor to suggest an appropriate pain killer that would ease this discomfort occurring in the beginning.

2. Stomach problems

Regularly taking certain antidepressants may lead to an upset stomach, which could mean nausea, diarrhea, or constipation. It is always advised to take these medications while having eaten enough fibre and having drank enough fluids. You may also consult your doctor on using over-the-counter medication for diarrhea or constipation. These side effects tend to fade away after the early stages of taking antidepressants.

3. Dry mouth and/or bad breath

Dry mouth is another side effect that is associated with the early stages of taking antidepressants. One may temporarily cope with it by regularly sipping water, sucking ice chips or sugarless candies, or taking mints and sugarless gum.

4. Still feeling sad

While antidepressants do take time to kick in, if you are continuously experiencing symptoms for a prolonged time, you can need to take some factors into consideration. Antidepressants’ effectiveness may decrease if you are frequently using alcohol or drugs at the same time. It is also worth noting that antidepressants are not sufficient to treat depression on their own, and it is best to combine their intake with effective psychotherapy. There is also a chance that the antidepressant you are currently taking simply isn't working for you, for several reasons, which means that you would need to contact your doctor to change the type you’re using.

5. Sleep problems

Some types of antidepressants do affect our sleep patterns and it’s important to address these issues with our doctors as soon as they arise in order to solve them straight away. There are, however, certain lifestyle changes that could help us have an overall better sleep quality, such as adjusting our sleep environment, getting enough physical activity, relating our caffeine and alcohol consumption, and balancing our nap times. Antidepressants can seem scary and many may be reluctant to start taking them due to the immense stigma they have and possible side effects they may cause.There are, however, several solutions for each problem faced and you can work together with your doctors to figure out what works best for you. It’s important to know that there is a huge variety of antidepressants out there, which means that if one doesn’t work for you, then you can find others that will. You always have the option, with the supervision of your doctors, to switch from one antidepressant to another one, combine it with another medication, or adjust the dosage if the side effects last longer or if you find yourself unable to cope with them. There is always help and support out there and our team at O7 Therapy is always there for you.

Common Side Effects of Anti-Depressants

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