Are antidepressant dangerous?

Question

I am taking AROPAX and EPILIM.

Answer 1

The antidepressant drugs can be thought of as a team; they are working to accomplish the same goal (improve mood and reduce anxiety) but each group or player does it in different ways.

Aropax belongs to the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors group of antidepressants. They work by prolonguing the amount of time that Serotonin has to affect your brain cells. Serotonin promotes calmness and a good mood.

SSRIs are probably the safest group of antidepressants on the market right now, except maybe a couple of the atypical antidepressants. Other SSRIs that are well-known include Fluoxetin (Prozac). There are some rare but dangerous things that can go wrong with SSRIs. You should notify your doctor immediately if you experience a sudden fever, severe muscle stiffness or cramping, seizure, confusion, or sudden panic attacks.   These are all signs of something called Serotonin Syndrome, which is rare but can be caused by drugs int the SSRI group. Serotonin Syndrome occurs in only about 1 out of every 2000 users.

Epilim is also called sodium valproate. It is a mood stabilizer. It has some unpleasant side effects, but none of them are deadly if they are treated promptly. They include cramps, diarrhoea, drowsiness,  and tremor.

One of the risks with any antidepressant is suicide. That might seem like a strange statement to make, so let me explain. People who are extremely depressed often feel listless and out of energy, so even though they may want to end their lives, they have neither the creativity or mental clarity to form a suicide plan, nor the energy to carry it out. As they begin taking antidepressants, their clarity and energy level increase. Because the antidepressants don't reverse one's mood immediately, for a while they are still suicidal, but now can act on it... and so they take their lives, even though they are receiving appropriate treatment.

If you are experiencing problems like these, let your doctor know now, so he can adjust your dosages or your drug regimen. I hope this helps!

Answer 2

I heard that the withdraws are worst than the symptoms you had before you began to take the medication.

Though most doctors don't disclose that information, mostly because the pharmaceuticals companies and the doctors have very close ties.

Personally, I would never recommend them to anyone. The simplest thing anyone could do is go hiking, start eating healthier, get out in nature more often, stop watching as much TV. Cause when you think about, we are in a time, where we are not surrounded by nature. We are totally separated from it. It's very unhealthy, especially when the World Health Organization says the leading cause of death by 2020 is mental illness.

Answer 3

They can be addictive and therfore you become reliant on them. Just be careful and avoid any alcohol whatsoever, because drinking whilst on anti depressants caused my friend to become suicidal. Just be careful.

Answer 4

I have a fair idea that there was a well-publicised study completed earlier this year that investigated the effectiveness of anti-depressants.   Its findings were quite shocking, but I urge you to check my information before discontinuing any medication.   The study showed that anti-depressants were only equal in effectiveness to placibos (flour and water).   I repeat: Do not take my word for it!

Answer 5

The SSRIs are fairly safe in adults, less so in children and adolescents.  Other types like tricyclics are more dangerous and are only prescribed in particular circumstances, usually when other treatment options have been exhausted.

The main issue with antidepressants is they are not effective in isolation.  Don't think just by taking them you will fix things.  Using antidepressants may help you gain more benefit from therapy, but you need to be doing the therapy as well.  By themselves their effectiveness is questionable.

If you are suffering side effects from then and want to go off them, it's important you discuss that with your doctor and plan your withdrawal from them.  A sharp withdrawal can be bad for you.  Also, if doctors are informed of side effects they can report them and help the medications become better understood.

Answer 6

The most common side effects are nausea and headache. Antidepressants can induce agitation and suicidal thoughts in children and young adults. They also have a side effect called Serotonin Syndrome that can be dangerous, it is fairly uncommon. EPLIM can cause hair loss, weight gain, and occasionally liver problems, but is fairly safe.

Keep in mind that depression is actually very dangerous. About 7-10% of people with depression eventually committ suicide and suicide is a top 10 cause of death in Western countries. The risk of suicidal thoughts on an atidpressant is much lower and the risk of actually killing yourself after an antidepressant is probably in the range of 1 in 1000 to 1 in 4500, so you have to carefully weigh the risk vs. bennefits with your doctor.