Eating for two

Two Tips for People Who Have Just Started Taking Antidepressants to Treat Their Depression

5 November 2019

Louis Stone

If you have begun to take antidepressants to treat your depression, the tips below might come in handy.

Go to an after-hours doctor if you ever lose or spoil your medication

If you ever lose your antidepressants or accidentally damage them during a period of time when the medical centre you normally get your prescription from is closed, then you should not wait until this centre reopens in order to get a new prescription and replace the spoiled or lost medication. This is especially the case if doing this might mean that you miss one or more doses. Instead, you should locate an after-hours doctor and get them to give you a new prescription immediately.

The reason for this is that if you lose your medication on, for example, a Friday and your usual medical centre is not open again until Monday, you will end up failing to take several doses of your medication. The abrupt discontinuation of this type of medicine can produce withdrawal symptoms which, while not life-threatening, could leave you in very poor health for several days.

Depending on the type of antidepressant you have been taking, you might develop a sensation in your head that feels like an electric shock. You may also become very irritable and struggle to fall asleep, or you might develop muscle pain and become nauseous. Furthermore, missing these doses could temporarily worsen your depression.

Don't hesitate to reassess using a particular antidepressant if the side effects are too unpleasant

When they first start taking antidepressants, many people assume that they have to stick to the exact brand and dosage that their doctor initially prescribes, regardless of the impact that particular prescription has on their health. The truth is that whilst you do need to wait a few weeks to adjust to taking a specific antidepressant in order to find out if it is effective. If you can't tolerate the side effects, you are not obligated to stay on that medication and dosage forever.

For example, if you notice that your medication is making you feel constantly nauseous, to the point where you are struggling to eat and have lost a lot of weight, then you should definitely go back to your doctor and ask them to give you a prescription for a different antidepressant. If you don't do this, you could end up malnourished, which might then lead to you developing other health conditions.

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