What happens if you take antidepressants and you’re not depressed?
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In this article, we will try to answer the question ‘What happens if you take antidepressants and you’re not depressed?’ by giving two important effects of taking antidepressants when you are not depressed based on research. Later in the blog, we will understand what are antidepressants, different types of antidepressants and how they work with their side effects.
What happens if you take antidepressants and you’re not depressed?
Antidepressants are medication that is given by psychiatrists to those who are struggling with depression. However, the research based on the brains of a monkey, the closest to the human brain shows that if you take antidepressants and you’re not depressed, it can alter the structure of your brain. It was seen that those who had taken antidepressants and not depressed showed a change in the brain structure. The outcomes indicated the medications decreased the volume of two significant locales of the mind. The initial was the foremost cingulate cortex, the piece of the mind that controls and directs temperament. The difference was where the enrollment and solidification of memory occurred.
In addition, antidepressants usually help in the regulation of mood by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitter. For example, if you take an SSRI, it stops the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin, therefore increasing the levels of the neurotransmitter in the body. This will help if you are depressed. But if you are not depressed then the increased serotonin levels may make you extremely happy for no reason. Theoretically, this could result in all sorts of actions, but most likely you wouldn’t notice a difference, except maybe a slight headache or insomnia or you might sleep better. However, every brain is unique. The repercussions of taking an antidepressant when you are not depressed are also unique. Therefore, there is no right answer to what will happen to you if you take antidepressants and you’re not depressed.
Antidepressants are also used for other psychological disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), childhood enuresis, or bedwetting, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social anxiety disorder. Therefore one needs to be very cautious while using these antidepressants.
What is an antidepressant?
Antidepressants are meds that can help alleviate manifestations of sadness, social uneasiness issue, anxiety disorders, seasonal affective disorder, and dysthymia, or gentle constant depression, just as different conditions. They mean to address substance irregular characteristics of synapses in the mind that are accepted to be liable for changes in temperament and conduct.
Antidepressants are seen to increase the levels of serotonin and other happy neurotransmitters causing mood changes in the depressed person and eliminating the other symptoms of depression.
Antidepressants were first developed in the 1950s. Their use has become progressively more common in the last 20 years.
As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the level of individuals matured 12 years and over utilizing antidepressants in the United States rose from 7.7 percent in 1999-2002 to 12.7 percent in 2011-2014. Around twice the same number of females use antidepressants as guys.
Antidepressants when joined with psychotherapy are the best method to battle sorrow in any person.
Myths about antidepressants
Myths #1
Antidepressants are a “convenient solution” or a “bolster” which don’t get at the base of the issue.
Truth #1
While the facts confirm that antidepressants won’t do a lot to mitigate the ecological conditions that cause situational wretchedness, they can be “empowering” medication that reduces manifestations of significant sadness enough to empower an individual to seek after and get more profit by way of life changes, uphold gatherings, and guiding procedures.
Myth #2
Antidepressants are addictive.
Truth #2
No. In contrast to dozing pills and some nervousness drugs, antidepressants are not addictive. Be that as it may, you should never stop a course of antidepressants all alone without the management of a treating doctor; while your body won’t ache for the medication, it will be influenced by an unexpected stop, especially at higher dosages.
Myth #3
Once on antidepressants, I’ll be on them forever.
Truth #3
False. The overall standard clinicians frequently use is that an individual should be treated with antidepressants at any rate one-and-a-half times as long as the span of the burdensome scene before they can start to be weaned off. Longer-term stimulant utilization is viewed as just for a more modest level of individuals who have at least two backslides of significant despondency.
Types of antidepressant
There are 5 main categories of antidepressants that focus on different neurotransmitters
Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are utilized to treat significant sadness, disposition issues, and perhaps however less usually attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, menopausal symptoms, fibromyalgia, and chronic neuropathic pain. These are normally recommended antidepressants that raise levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, two synapses in the cerebrum that assume a critical job in settling disposition. Models incorporate duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor), and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq).
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
Specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most ordinarily endorsed antidepressants. They are successful in treating depression, and they have less results than different antidepressants. SSRIs block the reuptake, or assimilation, of serotonin in the mind. This makes it simpler for the synapses to get and send messages, bringing about better and more steady states of mind. They are classified “particular” since they basically appear to influence serotonin and not different synapses.
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are so named in light of the fact that there are three rings in the synthetic structure of these meds. They are utilized to treat discouragement, fibromyalgia, a few kinds of tension, and they can help control persistent agony.
Tricyclic antidepressants work by forestalling the reabsorption of synapses called serotonin and norepinephrine. The body needs both of these to work regularly. On the off chance that there is a lot of possibly, you may wind up encountering nervousness. On the off chance that there isn’t sufficient, sorrow may result. Since TCAs forestall the standard reabsorption (reuptake) of these synapses, there will be all the more openly coursing in the synaptic separated between neurons in the mind. In the event that you have discouragement, the reclamation of the serotonin and norepinephrine levels can prompt an improvement in your side effects. Models incorporate amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine-clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), and trimipramine (Surmontil).
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
This kind of energizer was usually endorsed before the presentation of SSRIs and SNRIs. It restrains the activity of monoamine oxidase, a mind catalyst. Monoamine oxidase assists break with bringing down synapses, for example, serotonin. In the event that less serotonin is separated, there will be all the more flowing serotonin. In principle, this prompts more balanced out temperaments and less uneasiness. Specialists currently use MAOIs if SSRIs have not worked. MAOIs are by and large put something aside for situations where different antidepressants have not worked in light of the fact that MAOIs collaborate with a few different drugs and a few nourishments. Instances of MAOIs incorporate phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), isocarboxazid (Marplan), and selegiline (EMSAM, Eldepryl).
Noradrenaline and specific serotonergic antidepressants (NASSAs)
These are used to treat anxiety disorders, some personality disorders, and depression.
Depression is related to diminished degrees of monoamines in the cerebrum. Noradrenergic and explicit serotonergic antidepressants (NaSSAs) have a double instrument of activity that expands the grouping of 5-HT and noradrenaline in the synaptic split to inside the ordinary reach. NaSSAs tie to and repress both noradrenaline a2-autoreceptors and noradrenaline a2-heteroeceptors. This activity helps in the treatment of misery. Models incorporate Mianserin (Tolvon) and Mirtazapine (Remeron, Avanza, Zispin)
Side effects of antidepressants
Every type of antidepressant has its own unique side effects.
Side effects of SNRIs and SSRIs include
- Weight gain or loss
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Agitation
- Restlessness
- Sexual dysfunction
SNRIs may increase blood pressure, especially at high doses.
Side effects of Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) include
- seizures
- sleep deprivation
- nervousness
- arrhythmia, or sporadic heartbeat
- hypertension
- rash
- sickness and retching
- stomach cramps
- weight reduction
- stoppage
- urinary maintenance
- expanded tension on the eye
- sexual brokenness
Side effects of Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) include:
- obscured vision
- rash
- seizures
- edema
- weight reduction or weight pick up
- sexual brokenness
- loose bowels, queasiness, and blockage
- nervousness
- sleep deprivation and laziness
- cerebral pain
- discombobulation
- arrhythmia, or unpredictable heart beat
- swooning or feeling faint when holding up
- hypertension, or hypertension
Side effects of Noradrenaline and specific serotoninergic antidepressants (NASSAs) include:
- constipation
- dry mouth
- weight gain
- drowsiness and sedation
- blurred vision
- dizziness
Many side effects last just for a couple of days or weeks and afterward improve. Others may proceed until you quit taking the medication. In the event that the results are extreme or are an issue for you, talk with your therapist. They might have the option to figure out how to help diminish them – by having you require the medication at an alternate time of the day, for instance – or switch you an alternate drug.
It’s significant not to quit taking medicine without chatting with your doctor. On the off chance that you stop it abruptly, you may feel debilitated or have migraines or unsteadiness. Your doctor can help you decline your portion over the long haul to stop your medicine securely.
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Conclusion
In this article, we have tried to answer the question ‘What happens if you take antidepressants and you’re not depressed?’ by giving two important effects of taking antidepressants when you are not depressed based on research. Later in the blog, we have understood what are antidepressants different types of antidepressants and how they work with their side effects.
FAQs: What happens if you take antidepressants and you’re not depressed?
Is it bad to take an antidepressant?
No, it is not bad to take antidepressants. Psychiatrists usually prescribe antidepressants for depression anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and many other psychiatric conditions. These if taken under the administration of your doctor, are considered to be safe.
Do antidepressants damage your brain?
Examination on creatures has discovered that antidepressants can shrivel the associations between synapses and that these don’t develop back after the medications are halted. There may very well be a case for tolerating the dangers of these possibly risky results if SSRIs were truly powerful in mitigating.
Which antidepressant is best for energy?
Prozac/Fluoxetine is the best antidepressant for energy. It gives people more energy than other antidepressants which may not work well for someone with insomnia as well as depression. That being said, for those with low energy, it can be helpful. Fluoxetine treats many mental health issues which include depression, OCD, and panic disorders.
Do antidepressants affect memory?
Tranquilizers, antidepressants, some blood pressure drugs, and other medications can affect memory, usually by causing sedation or confusion. That can make it difficult to pay close attention to new things.
References
https://edition.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/conditions/11/13/unnatural.highs/index.html
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