Is it normal to feel worse on antidepressants

Thomas says. Options include another depression medication or the addition of counseling, psychotherapy, mood-boosting cardio exercise, or light therapy to your treatment regimen. The combination of medication and other mood-brightening treatments can speed your recovery and reduce your overall time on antidepressants, she says. If you feel unusually elated or you become very terse with your spouse, feel noticeably more irritable, or have an uncharacteristic bout of road rage, you probably need to change your antidepressant, he advises.

You may experience some depressive symptoms when discontinuing antidepressants, but this does not mean the depression is returning. Unfortunately, some people stay on their antidepressants longer than needed because the symptoms of discontinuing SSRIs can be mistaken for signs of returning depression. Work with your doctor to distinguish between the two.

You may need to go even slower than a few weeks when tapering off your antidepressant to prevent these withdrawal symptoms. While taking an antidepressant can be very helpful for managing depression, you might not find the right one for you on the first try. And be on the lookout for any worrisome symptoms while you're taking any antidepressant, Lim advises.

Manic episodes, serotonin syndrome, and seizures, for example, need to be evaluated by a doctor ASAP. Additional reporting by Michelle Pugle. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Health Topics. It should be noted that no suicides actually occurred among the young people studied. Although there were some suicides among the adults studied, the numbers were too few for any conclusions to be drawn about whether the antidepressants used were a causal factor.

It is also important to remember that depression itself is also a known risk factor for suicide and cannot be ruled out in these cases. The black box warning further suggests:. The FDA's decision was not without controversy. There were unintended consequences of the FDA decision and the research itself was criticized due to methodological issues.

Another concerning trend was a resulting increase in psychotropic-drug poisonings. This may indicate an increase in suicide attempts, although whether these poisonings were accidental or intentional is not clear. Some evidence suggests that the FDA warning combined with alarmist media reports that may have exaggerated the connection between antidepressant use and suicide played a role in the decreased use of effective medications. While a black box warning might cause some to feel concerned, they should be aware that the benefits to be obtained from treating depression with an antidepressant greatly outweigh the risks in the majority of cases.

Untreated depression is quite serious and is much more likely to lead to suicide than is an antidepressant. The warning is simply provided so that people can be aware of this potential effect and take appropriate measures to get help if they do begin to feel worse. Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression.

Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter. Insel T. Antidepressants: A complicated picture. National Institute of Mental Health. Published December 6, Food and Drug Administration. Suicidality in children and adolescents being treated with antidepressant medications. Updated February 5, Revisions to product labeling. Friedman RA. Antidepressants' black-box warning years later.

N Engl J Med. Third, they may feel worse. Fourth, they feel better very quickly but then the medication stops working as quickly as it worked. Oftentimes, a mood stabilizer rather than an SSRI works much better as this is what is indicated when in the bipolar spectrum. But, like many psychiatric illnesses, bipolar is a spectrum disorder.

There is bipolar II, which is a less severe type with mild mood swings hypomania mild mania and depression but mostly have depression. Or, they are further down the spectrum having even milder symptoms. This is why practitioners miss the diagnosis making the mistake of insisting on treating with SSRIs.

Hence, the vicious cycle leaving the patient to suffer, perhaps unnecessarily. What can help is getting the diagnosis right so that the proper medication is prescribed.

Too many people suffer needlessly for years simply because the provider never goes to prescribing a mood stabilizer over an SSRI. The environment seems to be key. Environments that are nurturing and supportive of healing are more likely to change and strengthen the brain in a positive way. This might be enhanced if SSRIs have prepared the brain for this.