Why do ANTIDEPRESSANTS take time to take effect?

  • Jul 26, 2021
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Why do antidepressants take time to work?

Unfortunately, at present and due to different factors (including the fact that we are in a difficult time in where it is increasingly difficult to find a stable job), the number of cases of people with depression and anxiety. Consequently, the consumption of so-called antidepressants (drugs used to combat depression) which act to increase serotonin levels in the brain. When these levels are increased, the emotional well-being of the person also increases considerably since it improves their mood.

However, the positive effects are not noticeable until a few days and even weeks after a daily and regulated intake. In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to analyze in detail what is the reason for why antidepressants take time to work. We will explain the first days antidepressant effects and how long it takes for the body to eliminate antidepressants from the body.

First of all, it is necessary to mention that not all people react the same to antidepressants because each body is different and has different levels of adaptation. That is why there are also

different types of antidepressants, which should only be diagnosed by a professional to prescribe the one that best suits your needs. Despite this, sometimes you have to try different types to find out which one causes the desired effect and the least possible discomfort at first. Some of the side effects that antidepressants can cause you the first days of consumption are the following:

  • Decreased appetite for sex (sexual anorexia)
  • Constipation
  • Dizziness and on rare occasions may be accompanied by vomiting
  • Drowsiness
  • Dry mouth
  • Headache (mild)
  • A certain degree of anxiety and restlessness

It is necessary to mention that all these symptoms can be normal to a certain point since if they are exaggerated and remain for a long time you have to consult with the doctor since probably, as I mentioned before, it should be tried with another type of antidepressant.

When we start a drug treatment to combat depression, it is necessary to follow it to the letter and have it at all times. advice from a professional, since if it is not well administered it will not have the desired effect and, on the contrary, it can reverse the results.

Generally, when this drug treatment is started, it takes several days, even weeks to take effect and this is often a cause of frustration and despair for some people.

The medications used to combat depression are the (SSRI) which means the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Among which we find: paroxetine, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, and escitalopram. But how do they act in our brain?

Effects of antidepressants on the nervous system

To explain in a simple and summarized way how antidepressants work in our brain, we will start with mention that one of the many functions of neurons is to capture serotonin from a space called synaptic.

What happens with drugs for depression is that they prevent the neuron from picking up again serotonin found in the synaptic space in order to increase the amount of serotonin between the neurons themselves. Therefore, they cause the amount of serotonin to rise in an exaggerated way from one moment to the next. Apart from the fact that serotonin is responsible for increasing mood, it is also responsible for regulating the sleep cycle, sexual desire, appetite, vomiting, among other things.

Therefore, it is normal that at the beginning of treatment, when serotonin levels in our brains are altered Some annoying side effects may suddenly appear, such as alterations in sleep, appetite, decreased sexual desire, vomiting, dizziness, etc.

Once our serotonin levels are finally regulated we can get to experience the benefits of the consumption of these drugs. This explains why antidepressants can take time to take effect in our brain, since despite the fact that our body has a great capacity to adapt to changes, it does not do so immediately and it takes some time to achieve it. Generally, the time required for antidepressants to take effect in our body is more or less 2 to 3 weeks.

Why do antidepressants take time to work? - Why do antidepressants take so long to work?

If, after trying different types of antidepressants, you discover that none of them work for you or after having been through a long treatment where a certain type of antidepressant worked for you and now it does not, you should know what following:

  • Antidepressants don't always work. Do not despair or feel bad about yourself if so far no type of antidepressant has worked for you, you should know that this can happen to some people. The exact cause why antidepressants don't work for some people or exactly why they stop working is still unknown. work, however this is not the end since there are other types of treatments such as psychotherapy that are extremely effective for relieve it.
  • You probably don't have depression. Diagnosing a person with depression can really be something very subjective if it is not evaluated exhaustively. So another possible reason antidepressants are not working for you is that what is actually you suffer, it is not a depression but another type of disorder for which you require another drug different.
  • Antidepressant tachyphylaxis. Antidepressant tachyphylaxis refers to a condition in which our body adapts to the antidepressants that are being received and finally they stop taking effect although previously the results have been obtained desired.
  • Psychological therapy. There is increasing evidence that psychological therapy, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy, is a highly effective treatment for overcome depression. However, many people prefer to focus more on drug treatment since it does not take as much effort. It is important that you know that it is worth carrying out a psychological treatment even if it is more It takes a long time and takes a long process as doing so will finally help you eliminate your problem of root.
Why do antidepressants take time to work? - What to do if antidepressants don't work?

According to the psychiatrist Josep M. Giralt Coll, the half-life of the antidepressant Escitaloplam is 30 hours. The expert assures that in a few days this drug is completely eliminated from the body. However, other antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, with a long half-life, can stay in the body for longer.

On the other hand, the psychiatrist Víctor Guasch Aparicio explains that it is a subject little investigated and that, in the case of Sertaline, after one year there should be no trace of the drug or its effects.

Let's see the half-life of some antidepressant drugs:

  • Fluvoxamine: 12-15 hours
  • Imipramine: 10-20 hours
  • Amitriptyline: 20-30 hours
  • Sertraline and Paroxetine: 24 hours
  • Citalopram: 35 hours
  • Fluoxetine: 2-4 days

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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