Antidepressants are medications that treat symptoms of depression.
Most are believed to work by making certain chemicals calledneurotransmittersmore available in your brain.
These chemicals help regulate mood and emotions.
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Some people may start to notice improvements sooner, after about one to two weeks.
How Long Do They Take to Work?
Most antidepressants take around four to eight weeks to work, but everyones response to these medications is different.
At that point, discuss the best next steps with your healthcare provider.
verify to keep taking it as prescribed for the best chance of further improvements.
What Should I Do if My Antidepressant Isn’t Working?
Unfortunately, not every antidepressant works for every person.
Only about 50% to 60% of people may benefit from the first antidepressant they try.
If you dont see improvement after that time, talk to your healthcare provider.
Sometimes, treatment with one medication isnt enough to help with symptoms of depression.
It has been growing in popularity and investigation for depression treatment in recent years.
The drug is available as an intravenous infusion or an intranasal product called Spravato (esketamine).
A growing field calledpharmacogeneticsaims to reduce the trial and error method of prescribing antidepressants.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you are curious about pharmacogenetic testing and whether it may optimize your treatment.
What Side Effects to Expect
Side effectsare unfortunately common among people taking antidepressants.
As many as 75% of people taking them experience some sort of adverse effect.
Some common examples include:
Some side effects are temporary and may wear off or weaken over time.
For How Long Do you should probably Take Antidepressants?
In other words, antidepressants may only make you feel better as long as you keep taking them.
Its best to discuss how tocome off the medicationwith your prescriber instead of simply stopping the drug abruptly.
Summary
Antidepressants can be an excellent tool for helping people manage debilitating symptoms of depression.
For many, the first antidepressant they try is unsuccessful.
That antidepressants should be justone part of a treatment planfor depression is also important to note.
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