selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are one of the most common medications prescribed in America today. All medications have unwanted effects, although for the large part, these medications are successful and safe.
“Side effects from antidepressants depend on the category of medication you are using, but in most cases when we discuss negative effects, we’re speaking about SSRIs,” says Madhukar Trivedi, MD, a psychiatry professor and manager of the Depression Center in the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. According to a report in the journal Psychiatry, about 40 percent of individuals taking antidepressants have side effects, and about 25 percent of those negative effects are thought to be quite bothersome. A couple of the most typical ones (sexual side effects and weight gain) are serious enough to induce visitors to stop or alter antidepressant medications.
Here are seven important antidepressant side effects you have to be conscious of:
Physical Symptoms.??When you first begin antidepressant treatment, depression drug side effects may be physical symptoms like headache, joint pain, muscle aches, nausea, skin rashes, or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and temporary. A study published in the journal Clinical Therapeutics looked at more than 40,000 individuals who had lately started antidepressants. The most common early negative effects of dissertations meds were nausea and headache. “Many folks build up a tolerance to these early unwanted effects, plus they rarely require discontinuation of medications,” says Dr. Trivedi.
Sleep Disturbance.??“Many folks discover trouble sleeping when they first begin taking an antidepressant — trouble falling asleep or that they wake up easily through the night time,” says Trivedi. Other forms of depression medication-related sleep interference common with SSRIs include nightmares and sleepwalking. An overview of sleep interference in individuals taking SSRIs, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, reported that about 22 percent of those on these prescription meds experience some type of slumber interference.
Day Sleepiness. “Daytime sleepiness could be a side effect of sleep disruption at night or a direct sedative effect of an antidepressant,” clarifies Trivedi. “If an antidepressant causes sedation, taking it at bedtime may solve the problem.” Medicine negative effects of SSRIs specifically can comprise both sedation that triggers sleeplessness and daytime sleepiness that creates nighttime wakefulness. About 25 percent of men and women on SSRI meds could have one or both of those two side effects.
Migraine Headache.??Because migraines are generally more common in people who have depression, Trivedi says, “folks who take medications for migraines must take care when taking SSRIs.” Medicines taken for migraine treatment, called triptans, and SSRIs both boost the brain chemical serotonin. Serotonin syndrome, which causes fast heart rate flushing, and headache, can happen whether these medications are taken together. Request your doctor about how to prevent serotonin syndrome if you are taking prescription meds for both illnesses.
Weight Gain.??“Weight gain is a late side effect of antidepressants plus among the very typical reasons that patients quit taking them or must modify medications,” says Trivedi. “Getting 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week is the greatest treatment.” The chances of gaining weight depends on the antidepressant you’re taking. With paroxetine hydrochloride (Paxil), a commonly used depression medication, about 25 percent of people may gain more than 7 percent of their body weight.”
Suicide. The risk that taking an antidepressant will increase the risk of suicidal thinking has been widely studied. According to most of the research, when weighed against taking a placebo, the danger of suicidal thinking doubles. The overall risk of this depression medication side effect for kids, adolescents, and adults is 2 to 4 percent. One reason antidepressants can lead to suicide is the fact that they could give someone enough energy to undertake a suicide plan. Routine follow-up together with your physician is the most effective way to stop this complication.
Sexual Unwanted Effects.??Sexual unwanted effects will be the most frequent long term side effects caused by SSRIs. They include decreased sexual desire, delayed ejaculation in men, as well as the inability to have an orgasm in girls. Up to 60 percent of men and women on SSRIs may have one of these depression drugs side effects. “Sexual unwanted effects are one of the long-term negative effects that lots of people cannot stand,” Trivedi says. “For any side effect, early or late, you must utilize your doctor; there are usually alternatives that will help. But discontinuing your medication on your own is never a wise decision.”??
