What are antidepressants, and how do they affect our lives?

One of the adverse effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it is the proliferation of depressive conditions in society. Cases of this common mental disorder have seen an increase never before seen.

Given this, going to the bedside specialist is essential to cope with the situation.

Depending on the severity of the case, a prescription for antidepressant treatments will be necessary. Today, they are safer than you think; but they also have some harmful effects, stay to the end and find out all about these drugs.

What are antidepressants?

Antidepressants are a type of drug or medicine used to treat major or biological depression. They are indicated only when the depressive symptoms are advanced, chronic and with altered physiological components.

In short, they make it possible to regulate or make better use of molecules known as neurotransmitters. The decrease in the bioavailability of some of them, such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, is implicated in depression.

With the prescription of an ideal treatment, the described neurotransmitters conserve their functions and normal duration.

Being involved in the correct exercise of the brain and the connections of the nervous system, they seem to be of great organic utility.

What are they for?

Drug treatment for depression has evolved over the years. Now they are more effective, with less reaction, compared to other drugs, and their adverse effects are few.

Its mechanism of action is based on normalizing the joint action exerted by certain neurotransmitters. Both serotonin and norepinephrine are organic substances involved in the proper performance of the individual in cognitive, emotional and behavior.

When depression is of a biological rather than a psychological nature, one goes directly to the prescription of specialized drugs. Which explains that not every depressive disorder must necessarily be approached pharmacologically.

In the long run, antidepressants in well-stipulated therapeutic doses keep depressive symptoms at bay. By regulating the synaptic activity of neurotransmitters, both psychic (sadness, disability, apathy) and somatic (physical) feelings decrease.

Types of antidepressants handled internationally

Antidepressant treatment is one of the most extensive that exists due to the variety of presentations of depression. Specifically, they also depend exclusively on the type of neurotransmitter involved.

Although their use and connotation is linked to medical criteria, today they are considered effective against depression. They have fewer addictive components, also improving the range of action in which they act. Categorically, they are the following:

• Tricyclic antidepressants.

• Tetracyclic antidepressants.

• Non-tricyclic antidepressants

• Atypical antidepressants.

• Selective.

• Not selective.

Each of the different types of antidepressants works according to its own mechanism of action. Of course, the result is the same: to achieve mental and emotional balance in the patient.

Mechanism of action

Biochemically speaking, major or biological depression is the result of an alteration of certain neurotransmitters. Serotonin and norepinephrine are the main affected and triggers of the depressive picture.

More than 50 years ago, it was found that both organic substances, also known as monoamines, play a special role.

They are responsible for regulating the limbic system of the brain, involved in the cognitive and emotional processes of the patient.

The reduced bioavailability of such neurotransmitters is the precursor to the apathetic states experienced in depression. At the same time, they unleash the rest of the psychological and somatic symptoms already described.

Within that order of ideas, all types of antidepressants have a common goal: to increase said bioavailability. To this end, they resort to two essential mechanisms:

1. They inhibit the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine in the intersynaptic space of neurons. In this way, its bioavailability is increased.

2. They prevent its destruction or catabolism in the neuronal presynaptic space. How? Making the action of the precursor enzyme of such a process impossible: monoamine oxidase.

Possible consequences of taking antidepressants

The consequences of taking antidepressants are latent as when taking any other drug.

Medications are substances, mostly biosynthetic, that can inflict damage on the body if not dosed properly.

Under the right circumstances, the consequences of taking antidepressants are not dangerous or life-threatening. In fact, with a good medical prescription and excellent professional vision, they only appear in a small percentage.

Antidepressants and their side effects

The side effects of antidepressants are varied and usually occur when therapy is advanced. As already mentioned, as long as an overdose is not incurred, they resolve spontaneously or by applying certain certified strategies.

The medical consensus states that dealing with the side effects of antidepressants can be unsatisfactory for the patient. It is a situation that adds more uncertainty to the clinical picture you are experiencing. Some of them are the following:

1. Nausea and vomiting: they make up the adverse symptoms in most pharmaceutical treatments. In general, as the body adapts, they disappear from one moment to the next.

2. Weight gain: loss of appetite is recurrent and characteristic of depressive attacks. When relieved by antidepressant treatments, the sudden return of the urge to eat can influence uncontrolled weight gain.

3. Fatigue, drowsiness or insomnia: its mechanism of action on the neurotransmitters described contributes to the appearance of such symptoms.

4. Decreased libido: the affectation of the sexual and erotic field is another side effect of antidepressants. The momentary loss of sexual desire or the inability to reach orgasm is a clear example of this.

5. Exacerbation of heart problems: when suffering from arrhythmias or hypertension, antidepressants represent a risk for such health conditions.

Other consequences or counterproductive effects, but with less leading character, is dry mouth, dizziness and gastrointestinal discomfort. It is not unlikely to become aware and see a doctor in case of these symptoms.

Recommendations of the World Health Organization

The taboo around mental health and its treatments can lead to distrust in patients. The truth is that the WHO and various certified medical societies around the world have proven the efficiency of antidepressants.

1. The World Health Organization recommends, first and foremost, not abandoning antidepressants once prescribed. No matter how much improvement is felt, it is a therapy that lasts for a certain time.

2. Neither should they be dispensed with due to the consolidation of certain common adverse effects. Instead, attending the GP to counteract such an eventuality will increase the effectiveness and sensitivity of antidepressants.

3. If you have gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea, vomiting or constipation, it is advisable to consume it away from meals.

4. Practicing relaxing activities or physical exercise will contribute to a greater oxygenation of the brain. It will be a key foundation for the drugs in question to be excellently processed.

5. Seeking support from family or close friends weighs the whole process in general. They will provide a vision that the individual himself may not possess, benefiting the scope of a successful path.

Mental health is as or more important than physical well-being, which is why it has to be taken as a priority. In times of uncertainty, where the pandemic seems to be raging again, psychiatric or psychological assistance is extremely useful.