Verification: R-uCYRNvKT0-Uv9OFMfdbi-nOyXZMWkRrQ7QhMI7

Antidepressants Cause Addiction: Truth or Myth

Probably, there are not so many discussions about any group of drugs, there are not so many myths and stereotypes as about antidepressants.

Antidepressant meds get their name from the symptoms of depression (the first antidepressant was created as an anti-tuberculosis drug), but they can also be called “antianxiety” drugs because they reduce anxiety. They can also be called “analgesics” because they effectively help with neuropathic and chronic pain. Antidepressants are able to neutralize the tides before menopause,  but it’s difficult to say how to call such an action in one word.

How do antidepressants affect your body?

What can replace antidepressants? Some depressions can be treated with “non-antidepressants”: for example, a similar condition in hypothyroidism is treated with L-thyroxine replacement therapy, and depression around the onset of menopause, if not too severe, responds well to estrogen. A very promising direction is now considered the use of psychedelics along with psychotherapy to eliminate depressive symptoms.

Different antidepressants work by different mechanisms, such as increasing the amount of certain substances or blocking certain receptors. Some representatives may contribute to weight gain, others to loss, but in most cases they are quite neutral on this issue. Some drugs activate, others, on the contrary, can make you sleepy. In a word, antidepressants are like people: they are very different, and along with positive qualities, there will always be some disadvantages in them.

The way they work can explain their effects on the body, both good and bad. For example, many members of this class of drugs increase the amount of serotonin, both in the nervous system and in the rest of the body.

The nervous system responds by reducing depressive symptoms. What about the rest of the body? Since 90% of serotonin is located in the intestine, where it activates the contraction of the intestinal wall, blockade of the uptake of this substance by an antidepressant leads to excessive activity of the intestinal tract and, as a result, diarrhea. Such an explanation of the side effects of these drugs removes a touch of “terrible mysticism” and incomprehensibility in ideas about their impact.

Can you take antidepressants for life?

Some people have to take antidepressants constantly, for almost their entire lives. It happens if depression constantly recurs. Very often, new exacerbations of the disorder occur due to too rapid termination of the treatment course with drugs. There is a kind of paradox: a person with his hasty actions because of the fear of pills with each untreated episode more and more binds himself to them.

Are antidepressants addictive?

These drugs still provoke dependence, not only mental, but physical. After all, your body adapts to the medicine:

  • at the receptor level;
  • chemical reactions;
  • and also begins to metabolize it better.

Once again, it must be emphasized that physical dependence is not mental. You may not want to take some medication, you may not be attracted to it, but you may have a physical addiction.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *