Pros and Cons of Taking Antidepressant Medication

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Medical Video: Rapid Antidepressant Actions of Special K. Toward a New Pharmacotherapy of Depression

Depression is a medical disorder that cannot be underestimated. If not treated properly, depression can be fatal until death. Then, the handling provided must also be safe and secure. One treatment offered for sufferers of depression is an antidepressant. To understand the ins and outs, see the following pro and contra antidepressant information.

Various levels of depression

Depression is not a disease that can be equated in general. There are various types of depression that can attack you. In addition, each person will also show a different reaction to the depression they experience. Based on the severity of symptoms experienced, WHO divides depression into the following three types.

1. Mild depression

Generally mild depression is triggered by events or events that make you stressed. From there, there arises anxiety and moodiness that will make your mood worse for a long time. You may also have difficulty undergoing daily activities such as working, studying, and concentrating. The activities that you have enjoyed also feel torturous and burdensome.

2. Moderate depression

Besides the symptoms of mild depression, you who suffer from depression are beginning to feel the signs physically. For example, eating and sleeping patterns that change dramatically, a body that feels weak and heavy, and an empty facial expression or moody. Usually at moderate levels of depression, doctors have prescribed antidepressant drugs.

3. Severe depression (major depressive disorder)

At the stage of major depression, you usually cannot carry out your normal daily functions such as maintaining cleanliness and health, working, socializing, or driving. There is a strong tendency to confine themselves and in some extreme cases, those suffering from severe depression commit suicide attempts. This type of depression usually requires treatment with antidepressant drugs and therapy.

Get to know antidepressant drugs

In healthy conditions, nerve cells in the brain send impulses through various compounds and substances in the brain. When you are attacked by depression, certain compounds in the brain such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine become unbalanced and block the nerve from sending impulses. Experts believe that antidepressant drugs will help balance the compounds and substances that the brain needs to function normally. In general, antidepressant drugs are safe for consumption if you follow the advice and dosage given by your doctor or psychiatrist. The more severe your depression, the more antidepressants will have a good impact on your recovery.

Pros and cons of antidepressants

Although it can help you get out of a depression hole and relieve your symptoms, antidepressants can also have an impact that you need to be aware of. Consult with your doctor what is the best treatment you need to take and make sure you really understand the consequences of each choice. Before deciding to take antidepressants, consider the pros and cons of undergoing treatment for depression with the following antidepressant drugs.

Benefits of antidepressant drugs

Patients taking antidepressant drugs showed improvement in mood and concentration levels faster than those who did not take antidepressant drugs. Antidepressant drugs are also able to increase energy so that the body no longer feels weak and heavy. You can also carry out daily activities relatively easily. If accompanied by therapy, antidepressants can prevent your depression from recurring in the long run.

Side effects of antidepressant drugs

Antidepressants cannot work in an instant. To feel positive repairs and changes, patients usually need the fastest time one month after starting treatment with an antidepressant. In some people, the effect of this drug will only be felt after four or six months because a lifestyle that is less supportive of healing. After that you are not recommended to immediately stop treatment. You may be asked to continue treatment with antidepressants for one to two years, depending on the condition and level of your depression.

In addition to the length of time it takes, there are also factors that side effects of drugs that have an impact on your life More than 30% of people on treatment with antidepressants report side effects felt in the early weeks. The most common side effects include nausea, dizziness, trembling, and sweating. However, this effect usually disappears on its own within a few days. While the side effects that are quite disturbing are insomnia, anxiety, panic, loss of sexual desire, and weight gain.

In some very rare cases, antidepressant drugs can encourage negative thoughts such as suicide. However, usually those who take antidepressant drugs, especially those with severe depression, already have thoughts like this so it is difficult to distinguish which ones are produced by treatment and which ones actually come from the patient's own mind.

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Pros and Cons of Taking Antidepressant Medication
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