Do antidepressants make permanent changes?
Do they cause permanent changes? There is no evidence, and little reason to believe, that the commonly prescribed antidepressant medications cause any permanent changes to the brain or have any persistent side effects.
If the symptoms develop later or gradually, they may constitute a relapse of the depression. Ultimately, these withdrawal symptoms will improve with time, but they can be unpleasant for days and possibly even weeks. In time, the brain readjusts and people should experience a return to their normal state.
antidepressants do technically “change” your personality. Whether that is a good thing for you or not is up to you to decide, but the simple fact is that they do influence personality in some way.
Do Antidepressants Permanently Alter Brain Chemistry? Antidepressants are designed to alter brain chemistry to alleviate symptoms—thus, they do so while you are taking them. They may promote potentially beneficial structural brain changes, as well.
A course of treatment usually lasts for at least 6 months after you start to feel better. Some people with recurrent depression may be advised to take them indefinitely. Read more about antidepressant dosages.
Usually, you don't need to take antidepressants for more than 6 to 12 months. While they can make you feel better, you can get withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them. Some people will get no symptoms when reducing or stopping an antidepressant – but many do.
Those who had used antidepressants for >3 years reported more severe side effects, including “weight gain”, “addiction”, “feeling not like myself ”, “withdrawal symptoms”, and “suicidality”, than those who had been on antidepressants for ≤2 years.
Some studies have found a link between SSRI use and a higher risk of dementia. But the science is murky. Other studies have found no such association; one study even found that SSRIs may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease in people with mild cognitive impairment.
Taking antidepressants may help to lift your mood. This can help you feel more able to do things that don't feel possible while you're depressed. This may include using other types of support for your mental health.
Antidepressants may take a while to kick in. You may feel some depression symptoms improve within the first couple weeks, but it can often take 4 to 8 weeks to feel the full effects of your medication. If you've taken your antidepressant for at least 4 weeks with no improvement, let your healthcare provider know.
Do antidepressants change your outlook on life?
While antidepressants often help people with depressive disorder manage their symptoms, new research shows that the use of these drugs is not associated with improved quality of life in the long term.
SSRIs treat depression by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is one of the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) that carry signals between brain nerve cells (neurons). SSRIs block the reabsorption (reuptake) of serotonin into neurons.
Although this is beneficial for someone who's depressed, for someone who does not have depression, taking antidepressant medication can cause serotonin to build up in the body, resulting in serotonin syndrome. When serotonin levels are too high, the person may experience symptoms like: Agitation or restlessness.
The goal of this is to make up for any deficiencies that might be causing a person's depression symptoms. So do antidepressants work as a permanent cure for depression? No, they do not, and the reason for this lies in how they work. While they cause changes in brain chemistry, this effect is only temporary.
While that might be the case for some people, others—including me—will be on mental health medication for the long-haul. And luckily, as long as the benefits of the medication outweigh the potential side effects, there's no strong evidence that long-term use of SSRIs poses any major problems.
Side-effects usually improve over time. Guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends that antidepressants are used as 'maintenance' treatment for up to 2 years to prevent their depression returning (relapse).
You may be tempted to stop taking antidepressants as soon as your symptoms ease, but depression can return if you quit too soon. Clinicians generally recommend staying on the medication for six to nine months before considering going off antidepressants.
Despite what some commentators say, overall the evidence that they work for many people is very strong. Over the years, antidepressants have also been found in clinical trials to be useful treatments for anxiety, pain and other problems.
Long-Term Effects of Antidepressants
The main side effects they complained about included: Sexual problems (72%), including the inability to reach orgasm (65%) Weight gain (65%) Feeling emotionally numb (65%)
SSRI antidepressants are sometimes associated with emotional blunting. This can also include such symptoms as feeling indifferent or apathetic, being less able to cry and less able to experience the same degree of positive emotion as one normally would.
What is being on antidepressants like?
Common side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can include: feeling agitated, shaky or anxious. feeling and being sick. indigestion and stomach aches.
Summary: Antidepressants increase the presence of a growth factor in the brain, which then leads to a proliferation of new cells, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers.
Some people are bothered by the idea that they might not be able to beat depression without medication. They think of antidepressants as a kind of crutch, and think they would see themselves as being weak and helpless if they had to rely on them. Others question whether they really need the medication to feel better.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Health care providers often start by prescribing an SSRI . These antidepressants generally cause fewer bothersome side effects and are less likely to cause problems at higher therapeutic doses than other types of antidepressants.
Cautions for specific antidepressants
a bleeding disorder. type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. epilepsy – SSRIs should only be taken if your epilepsy is well controlled, and the medicine should be stopped if your epilepsy gets worse. kidney disease.