Escitalopram is a medicine used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Do you know how escitalopram works in the body? In this Psychology-Online article, we are going to talk about this substance, its mechanism of action and its effects. Keep reading to know what escitalopram is, what it is for, and side effects.
Escitalopram is one of the most recent medicines used to treat depression. It's about a Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).
It is a drug that acts on the serotonergic system in the brain of the individual by increasing the level of serotonin. That means that the use of that medicine increases the amount of serotonin available in the body and thus exerts its effects on mood regulation.
Alterations of the serotonergic system are considered an important factor in the development of depression and related illnesses. In the following article, we talk about the relationship between serotonin and depression.
Escitalopram, in addition to being used in treatment, is also used to prevent a relapse of depression.
According to studies, antidepressant drugs they continue to be effective in treatments. Even when they are associated with psychotherapy, the success of the treatment increases even more.
Escitalopram is indicated for the treatment of depression and anxiety. We are going to understand a little more about them to understand what it feels like to take escitalopram and why it is used.
Depression
Depression (major depressive episodes) is a disorder that alters the individual's mood, With symptoms of sadness, loss of interest, anger, frustration, negative thoughts are predominant. The major depressive episodes They refer that these symptoms interfere for a long period of time in the life of the individual.
Anxiety disorders
Panic disorder, also named as panic disorder, it's a type of anxiety disorder in which the individual has strong concern in suffering a crisis of anguish, that is, in the crisis the person feels an intense and sudden fear and discomfort accompanied by various symptoms, such as fear of dying or fear of losing the control.
In the same way as the agoraphobia it is an anxiety disorder, that refers to a fear or anxiety in seeing oneself in situations or places that there is no way to escape easily, where there will be no help available if the person feels anxious intense.
Social anxiety disorder
The social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is a disorder in which the individual suffers from anxiety, insecurity, shame for fear of the opinion of others. In daily interactions, be it at school, at work, or in other situations, the individual suffers by presenting the symptoms mentioned above and ends up having his life affected.
Generalized anxiety disorder
At generalized anxiety disorder the individual seems to have a constant, persistent and intense preoccupation with certain matters. It is a disproportionate reaction, the thoughts are recurrent and there is a difficulty in dealing with situations of uncertainty.
Obsessive compulsive disorder
The obsessive compulsive disorder refers to the presentation of insistent and recurring thoughts by the individual, those Thoughts are obsessive, that is, the person cannot not think about it, and therefore, they generate anxiety. There is also the presence of rituals, which are certain behaviors that are repeated in a compulsive way. The individual performs them with the intention of reducing his anxiety.
Like most medicines, the use of escitalopram can have some side effects, although not all people suffer the effects and generally these can disappear in a few weeks of use.
Care should also be taken when using the drug in combination with another. The doctor must be advised in case the individual uses other medications, since the interaction of escitalopram with another remedy can cause an adverse reaction.
For all these reasons, it is extremely important to say that side effects should be reported to the doctor and, in certain cases, you should go to the hospital immediately.
Let's quote the side effects that can occur with the use of escitalopram:
- Sickness
- Headache
- Nasal mucus (sinusitis)
- Decreased or increased appetite
- Anxiety
- Agitation
- Nervousness
- Difficulty getting to sleep
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Tremors
- Sudden muscle contractions
- Unusual bleeding
- High fever
- Swelling (skin, tongue, lips, face, swallowing)
- Itchy skin
- Dry mouth
- Difficulty urinating
- Diarrhea
- Threw up
- Constipation
- Seizures
- Yellow skin
- Fast or irregular heartbeat
- Thoughts of injuring or killing yourself
- Increased sweating
- Muscle and joint pain
- Weight gain or loss
- Sexual disturbances (erection problems)
- Hallucinations
- Mania
Whenever you are using any medication and feel side effects, talk to your doctor or mental health professional, it is It is important for them to know so that the dose can be adjusted to reduce the effects, in addition to effectively administering the treatment.
In case you are wondering when the effects of escitalopram begin to be noticed and how to know if escitalopram is working, we recommend that you consult the following article:
- Why antidepressants take time to work
- How to know if the antidepressant works
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.
If you want to read more articles similar to Escitalopram: what it is, what it is for and side effects, we recommend that you enter our category of Psychopharmaceuticals.
