A few words about Depression, as well as Anxiety, Panic and various similar disorders.
Via X (formerly Twitter) - mine is @dricaroalves, I follow excellent professionals from all over Brazil and one of them posted the link to the interesting article below a few days ago. Read it and then allow me to talk a little about it.
What side effects do antidepressants cause in the long term? by Joel Rennó Jr.
Answer: Antidepressants are medicines or drugs that act on the nervous system, whose function is to normalize the flow of neurotransmitters, which are molecules responsible for the nerve impulse from one neuron to another.
Neurotransmitters leave a neuron, cross the synapse (space between two neurons) and activate the receptors of the next neuron. The most important neurotransmitters are: serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, acetylcholine and GABA.
The mechanisms of action differ from one antidepressant to another. There are several different classes. There are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram and escitalopram). There are antidepressants that inhibit the reuptake of both serotonin and noradrenaline, known as dual-action antidepressants (venlafaxine, milnacipran and duloxetine). There are other antidepressants that also act on other neurotransmitters.
Side effects vary according to the class to which the antidepressant belongs and also according to each person's tolerance. The older antidepressants, known as tricyclics (clomipramine, imipramine, amitriptyline) tend to give more side effects than the newer ones (serotonin reuptake inhibitors and those with a dual mechanism of action).
Side effects
Among the side effects (which vary from person to person and according to the type of antidepressant used) that can occur are: changes in sleep and appetite, gastrointestinal changes (diarrhea or constipation), urinary retention, skin allergies, sweating, decreased libido or delayed ejaculation, weight gain or loss, nausea, dizziness, tremors. Some of them can even paradoxically increase anxiety and agitation in the first few days of treatment and for a limited time.
The initial side-effects can be circumvented and alleviated in the first few days or weeks of treatment, the doctor should always be consulted and advise the patient on this. Stopping the medication on your own should be avoided. Some people are more sensitive to side effects, while others are not. It's very individual.
In the event of excessive accidental ingestion, or even with the intention of suicide, it is essential to immediately take the patient for a clinical assessment in an emergency room. Generally, depending on the clinical assessment and the time elapsed since the drug was taken, gastric lavage with activated charcoal is carried out.
In cases of intoxication with cardiorespiratory changes and changes in the level of consciousness, hospitalization in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) may even be necessary. In general, today's antidepressants are safer than the old ones (tricyclics), even when taken in large quantities.
Attention! This text and this column are not a substitute for a consultation or follow-up with a psychiatrist and do not constitute a consultation. Questions about prescriptions and dosages of medication should be addressed directly to your psychiatrist. Avoid self-medication.
Depression, anxiety, panic disorder and other disorders are very similar: most of the time, they occur and are maintained due to problems involving neurotransmitters. The most common disorder is a reduction in the amount of neurotransmitters available in the synaptic cleft (the space between neurons through which communication takes place) and the most problematic is serotonin (which at night, with the reduction in ambient light, is converted into melatonin, the “sleep hormone”; therefore, problems with serotonin affect melatonin and, consequently, sleep).
For this reason, there is a consensus that, in order to treat these disorders, it is necessary to “normalize” the neurotransmitters in the synaptic cleft. The issue is that commercially available drugs act mainly by inhibiting the reuptake of neurotransmitters, whereas for many people this is not the root cause of the disorder. After all, many people are unable to produce enough neurotransmitters, which makes a differentiated treatment necessary for good results.
Want to know more about it? Read the answer I provided to the question I received a few months ago via my website, below.
Question:
“I have two children, a lot of stress with work and family issues, and no time to look after myself. Lately, I've been feeling down and I'm very afraid of developing depression. Could orthomolecular medicine still help me?”
1 - Taking time out to look after yourself is essential. After all, if you fall ill and have to stop, who will take care of everything you're responsible for? So my first recommendation is to read and try to follow as much as possible of what is described in the presentation “Living: What is Necessary” (https://icaro.med.br/viver/). The basis for the proper functioning of the organism, body and mind is crucial, because even the best medicines find it difficult to work without it.
2 - In my practice, I work mainly with orthomolecular medicine, homeopathy and guidelines for healthy habits, combining, when necessary, herbal medicine, hormone modulation and even “traditional” medicine. Therefore, it is not only the orthomolecular strategy in medicine that will be applied in the treatment of your case (for more information, see the respective sections of the website).
3 - We all go through difficult periods in our lives, unfortunately, many times. It's completely normal to have phases in which our mood seems to be “depressed”. Our society has mistakenly agreed that “being sad is a disease that needs to be treated”, and this has resulted in an increase in the use of antidepressants and anxiolytics. But the disorder is characterized by a constant state of sadness and low mood, especially if for no apparent reason, and not by occasional episodes. Therefore, the first “anti-depression” measure (and anti-anxiety too) is not to turn worrying about your health into yet another stress factor. However, if depression is diagnosed (which can only be done after a detailed and careful assessment), antidepressants are not the only therapeutic resource. The treatment of depression must include:
a. If there is an identifiable cause for the depression, it needs to be addressed and resolved. Otherwise, the patient may end up taking medication for life, merely relieving the symptoms. In this context, psychological support is often valuable, if not indispensable.
b. In many cases of depression, there is a deficiency of certain neurotransmitters (substances responsible for transmitting information in the brain) and nutrients. Without the replacement of these elements, a cure for depression is not feasible:
- Is the diet adequate, providing the body with the nutrients it needs (for example, to manufacture neurotransmitters)? If not, it needs to be improved.
- Is the intestine working properly and actually absorbing these necessary nutrients from food? Poor bowel function not only reduces the absorption of these nutrients, but also increases the retention of toxins, which can impair the functioning of the whole organism (causing disorders).
- Is your blood circulation good enough to transport nutrients to your brain (or where they need to go)? After all, there's no point in absorbing them well if they don't get to where they're needed.
c. As with all functions in the body, once they have fulfilled their role, neurotransmitters are disused or inactivated by the body itself. Most antidepressants work by reducing this inactivation, allowing them to work for longer.
I hope it's clear that treating depression requires much more than just taking antidepressants. This is precisely why so many people experience failure in their treatments for both depression and anxiety.
But avoid labeling yourself! Why is it so important to have a specific name for your current set of signs and symptoms? In my opinion:
- Try to identify and resolve the psychological causes and aggravating factors of your condition.
- Make time to look after yourself and your health at all levels. Remember, if you fall ill, you will be forced to find that time, perhaps more urgently.
- Correct mistakes in your Life Habits (https://icaro.med.br/en/15habits/).
- Treat yourself.
Finally, to answer your question: yes, orthomolecular medicine (combined with homeopathy and Healthy Lifestyle Habits) can help you. But we can only be sure of this after an assessment and follow-up in the clinic.
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