How do antidepressants work?

 How do antidepressants work?

There is a common understanding that depression is caused by thinking too much and due to one's own weakness. It is said that depression is caused by one's weakness and one should control it by oneself. It is not even considered as a disease.

So how does depression medicine work? Does depression medication have any side-effects? Other questions may come.

First of all, you should understand that depression is a disease like any other disease. We see and understand fever and broken legs. But the mental problem is not visible and it is said that it happened because of thinking too much. But the reality is that not thinking too much, but thinking too much is the main symptom of depression.

Depression should be understood as a disease and only after understanding it, its treatment and medicine can be understood. There are various reasons why mental problems appear. One of the main reasons is stress. There are many neurotransmitters in the brain. Among those neurotransmitters, depression is caused by disturbances in neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

How do depression medications work?

When a patient takes depression medication, the medication enters the blood through the stomach through the liver. The drug reaches the target site through the blood. After reaching the target place, if the neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine are low, they increase it, and if they are high, they reduce it and bring it into balance. This is how antidepressants work.

How many days does the medicine start working?

Fever subsides within a few hours of taking fever medicine. But antidepressants don't work that way. They usually take two to four weeks to work. It takes up to a month to know if the medicine has worked properly.

Do you have to take medicine for the rest of your life?

Many people think that once you start taking depression medication, you have to take it for the rest of your life. It is not true that all depression patients need to take medication for life. How long to take medicine is determined by looking at the nature of the disease, needs and physical and mental condition.

If you have depression for the first time, you have to take medicine for nine months to a year. But if the problem increases or worsens, you have to take medicine again. Even after recovery from depression, there is a possibility of recurrence. 100 people have depression and 60 people may have the problem again. If it happens again, you have to use the medicine again.

It may not be possible to stop the drug because of habituation, but the tendency of the disease itself may not be stopped due to recurrence. But when the problem gradually gets better, the medicine can be reduced and stopped.

Is there side-effect of medicine or not?

Depending on the nature of the medicine, some side-effects may be seen. There is a possibility of getting gastric, weight gain, feeling tired with any medicine. However, not all drugs have side-effects.

If a side-effect is seen, various measures can be taken to resolve it. For example, if a medicine increases obesity, obesity can be avoided by exercising and eating a balanced diet. Medicines are made only after long studies and research. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid of using medicine because of side-effects.

Can depression be treated without medication?

It can be decided whether the depression can be treated without medication or not, depending on the condition of 'mild', 'moderate' and 'severe' depression.

If there is 'mild' depression and severe symptoms are not observed, it can be cured with counseling and psychotherapy alone without medication. But if you have moderate or severe depression, you should take medicine.

It should be done on the advice of a doctor while taking medicine. The decision to stop or continue the medication should also be made on the advice of the doctor.