Four things to know about antidepressants

If you suffer from depression, your general practitioner or your psychiatrist may have prescribed antidepressants for you, like seven million French people who take them every year. A figure which has continued to increase since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Depression is in fact a common illness since in 2021, 12.5% ​​of French men and women declared having suffered from it during the previous 12 months, according to Public Health France.

Also read: 3 questions to differentiate depression from depression

Antidepressants are not euphoric

If antidepressants are prescribed to relieve symptoms of depression, “These are not euphoric drugs and they have no effect on people who do not suffer from depressive disorders”let it be known Vidal.

To understand how antidepressants work, we need to look at the brain, where “information circulates in the form of electrical messages, called nerve impulses. Synapses constitute areas for the exchange of information, in the form of chemical messages, between neurons”, notes the reference site for health products.

These chemicals, called neurotransmitters, are released by sending neurons and bind to specific molecules on receiving neurons.

“Antidepressants modify this chemical communication between neurons, but their precise mode of action on depression is not known and we are far from having elucidated the mysteries of how the brain functions”concedes Vidal.

Antidepressants take two to four weeks to work

According to the Health Insurance platform Ameli.frantidepressants do not work immediately. “It takes two to four weeks for a regression of symptoms to be observed”notes the site.

In addition, side effects are possible, “especially at the start of treatment or when increasing doses. They are generally temporary”details Health Insurance. Depending on the medications, we may observe daytime drowsiness or, on the contrary, excitement, constipation, weight gain or loss, dry mouth, drop in blood pressure or even erectile dysfunction.

Antidepressants are not habit-forming

After a few weeks of treatment, antidepressants generally help to regain sleep, appetite, increased energy, pleasure and positive thoughts, Vidal reports.

Contrary to some popular belief, the vast majority of antidepressants do not create dependence, unlike anxiolytics or sleeping pills.

“It is very important not to stop treatment without talking to your doctor, even if you feel better. Untimely stopping exposes you to a significant risk of relapse: the duration of treatment is rarely less than 4 months,” Vidal explains again.

Treatment can take several years

During a depressive episode, treatment is continued after symptoms improve to consolidate the positive results. Regular treatment is essential, confirms Health Insurance.

“Stopping antidepressant treatment, if justified, must be done gradually over several weeks, after 6 to 12 months of remission of depression in order to prevent relapse. Early cessation of treatment is the cause of recurrences of depression.”

In severe forms of depression, treatment is sometimes extended for several years to avoid recurrences, the site concludes.