Taking antidepressants without suffering from depression can lead to a series of complications on a physical, emotional and behavioral level, making it a dangerous practice for health. These medications act on the central nervous system through the modification of neuronal circuits to reduce the symptoms of depression after a prolonged period of consumption. In this way, several regions of the brain are altered and can respond through different processing of stimuli coming from outside. For this reason, taking this medication without a doctor’s prescription can cause side effects that endanger the person’s health.
In this Psychology-Online article we will explain the risks of taking antidepressants without having depression.
Taking antidepressants without depression can be dangerous if the harmful effects they can have on the body are not taken into account. Below we will see some aspects that can occur:
Interference with other medications
First of all, the intake of antidepressants alters levels of neuronal regulation since it acts on him.
When the person does not suffer from depression and decides to self-medicate, symptoms of other mental health disorders may increase since antidepressants could block the electrical signals of neurotransmitters that have various functions.
Adverse side effects
Although taking antidepressants can trigger a series of symptoms that usually disappear over time, the truth is that people who do not have depression have a increased risk of suffering from discomfort such as fatigue, body agitation, anxiety, among others.
Unlike people who are diagnosed with this mental disorder, in the case of people who take antidepressants without needing them, these symptoms can be kept for a long time and give rise to other problems.
Avoidance of the real problem
Generally speaking, psychiatric medications usually reduce the intensity of symptoms so that the person can carry out the activities of their daily lives. However, taking antidepressants without having depression may be an attempt to avoid treating the real problem that affects the person.
It should be noted that sometimes there are certain reasons that influence the decision to provide these medications without an accurate diagnosis.
To determine if taking antidepressants is necessary, we find some indicators that can guide the person. Here are some signs that can help you know if you need to start taking antidepressants:
- Persistent sadness, depression, or lack of interest in daily activities: the presence of this type of manifestations for several days or weeks can be an alarm signal to evaluate the need to consult a specialist.
- History of depression: If a member of the family environment has suffered from this clinical condition, it is important to take into account its presentation to know if the person could have the pathology.
- Prolonged fatigue: A general lack of energy to perform activities is an indicator that something is not right. However, to be considered a determining symptom, fatigue must last for several weeks without the person experiencing significant changes in their thoughts, emotions, and habitual behaviors.
In any case, it is essential that each treatment carried out using psychiatric medications is supervised by a mental health professional. Here we tell you.
Taking antidepressants without needing them brings consequences that involve risks for the person who makes this decision. Here we will mention five possible effects that arise from this practice:
- Increased anxiety: Antidepressants can cause increased heart rate, psychomotor agitation, tremors, palpitations, excessive sweating, etc. In addition, people who suffer from anxiety may feel greater discomfort that has been increased by the chemical action of these drugs.
- Sleep disturbances: It is common for people who decide to take antidepressants to have their sleep cycles altered. This can generate both insomnia and hypersomnia for several weeks, varying the intensity depending on each case.
- Mood variations: repeated emotional destabilizations that oscillate between states of joy and moments of intense anguish.
- sexual problems: It is possible that a person suffers from sexual impotence, premature ejaculation, lack of attraction, among others.
- Gastrointestinal difficulties: They can manifest alterations in the digestion of food, which can result in gastrointestinal disorders.
If you want to know more information about this topic, in the following article we explain if.
This article is merely informative, at 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.