Risks of taking antidepressants without having depression

Antidepressant intake without suffering from a depressive picture can lead to a series of complications at the physical, emotional and behavioral level, so it is a dangerous practice for health. These medications act in the central nervous system through the modification of neuronal circuits to reduce the symptoms of depression after a long time of consumption. Thus, several regions of the brain are altered and can respond through a different processing of the stimuli from abroad. For this reason, taking this medication without medical prescription can generate side effects that endanger the health of the person.

In this psychology-online article we will explain the risks of taking antidepressants without having depression.

1. Is it dangerous to take antidepressants without having depression?
2. How to know if I have to take antidepressants
3. What happens if I take antidepressants and I don't need it

Is it dangerous to take antidepressants without having depression?

Taking antidepressants without having depression can be dangerous if the harmful effects they can generate on the body are not taken into account. Below we will see some aspects that can occur:

Interference with other medications

First, antidepressant intakes alters neuronal regulation levels since it acts on the central nervous system.

When the person does not suffer a depressive picture and decides to self -medicate, Symptoms of other mental health disorders can increase since antidepressants could block the neurotransmitters electrical signals that have various functions.

Adverse side effects

Although antidepressant intake can trigger a series of symptoms that usually disappear over time, the truth is that people who do not have depression have a greater risk of suffering from discomfort as insomnia, fatigue, bodily agitation, anxiety, among others.

Unlike people who are diagnosed with this mental disorder, in the case of people who take antidepressants without needing these symptoms They can be kept for a long time and give rise to other problems.

Avoiding the real problem

In general, psychiatric medications usually reduce the intensity of symptoms so that the person can carry out the activities of their daily lives. However, antidepressant intake without depression can be an attempt to Avoid the treatment of real problems affecting the person.

It should be noted that sometimes there are certain reasons that affect the decision to supply these medications without an accurate diagnosis.

How to know if I have to take antidepressants

To determine if antidepressant intake is necessary to find some indicators that can guide the person. Here are some signals that can help you know if you have to start taking antidepressants:

• Sadness, decay or persistent disinterest in daily activities: The presence of this kind of demonstrations for several days or weeks can be an alarm signal to evaluate the need to consult a specialist.
• History of depression: If any member of the family environment has suffered from this clinical picture, it is important.
• Prolonged fatigue: The lack of general energy for carrying out activities is an indicator that something is not right. However, to consider a determining symptom, fatigue must be extended for several weeks without the person experienceing significant changes in their usual thoughts, emotions and behaviors.

In any case, it is essential that each treatment that is performed by psychiatric medications be supervised by a mental health professional. Here we tell you which is the best medicine for depression.

What happens if I take antidepressants and I don't need it

Taking antidepressants without needing them brings consequences that imply risks to the person who makes this decision. Here we will mention five possible effects that emerge from this practice:

• Anxiety increase: Antidepressants can generate increase in heart rate, psychomotor agitation, tremors, palpitations, excessive sweating, etc. In addition, people suffering from anxiety may feel greater discomforts that have been increased by the chemical action of these drugs.
• Sleep alterations: It is common for people who decide to consume antidepressants have altered their sleep cycles. This can generate both insomnia and hypersomnia for several weeks, varying the intensity according to each case.
• Mood variations: repeated mood destabilizations that oscillate between states of joy with 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 food digestion, which can result in gastrointestinal disorders.

If you want to know more information on this topic, in the following article we explain if antidepressants damage the brain.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no 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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