Antidepressants are medications administered to treat depression. These are mainly prescribed for conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (also known as PTSD), and social anxiety disorder. Antidepressants generally alter how your brain uses specific chemicals, known as neurotransmitters, to improve mood, and behavior regulation. What are signs your antidepressant dose is too low? It matters to have more details.
Depression is a chronic state of sadness, marked by disinterest in your daily activities. There is no exact cause of depression; it can happen to anyone. Thankfully, there are a number of therapy choices to control symptoms of depression, and lessen its impact on your everyday activities.
What are depressive disorders?
Depressive disorders often show characteristics such as intensive spells of mood swings, staying irritated at all times, and avoiding basic duties as well as daily responsibilities. You may experience these signs mostly for several days at a stretch and these may impact your quality of life; most cases of depressive disorders need clinical intervention. Most widely encountered depressive disorders include:
- Bipolar Disorder – this condition involves extreme episodes of mood shifts toggling between depressive and manic behaviors. During depressive spells, you may experience sadness, fatigue, tiredness and an acute loss of interest; while manic episodes show up as heightened energy levels, impulsive actions, and a persistent feeling of euphoria
- Atypical Depression – differs from typical depression; here, individuals may experience mood improvements in response to positive events. Some of the common symptoms you experience include a marked improvement in appetite level – feeling more hungry than usual, able to have deep sleep and drowsiness
- Clinical Depression is also labelled as major depressive disorder (MDD). It is one of the most common forms of depression. It also poses a severe mental condition. This form of depression shows up as persistent spells of sadness – you may remain sad for long, an acute loss of interest in your hobbies or usual chores, major changes seen in your sleeping patterns, you may lose your ability to stay focused or able to concentrate on things
- Persistent Depressive Disorder i.e. dysthymia belongs to the chronic form - a state of depression lasting for a minimum of two (2) years. Some of its symptoms include milder spells of depression or sadness; these spells are not acute enough to interfere with daily chores and / or hobbies
- Seasonal Affective Disorder – it occurs during select seasons – most people get it during winter times; research attributes it to reduced exposure to sun’s rays. Typical signs are tiredness / fatigue, depressed frame of mind, and social-withdrawal
Some class of antidepressant drugs include serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), serotonin antagonists and reuptake inhibitors (SARIs) – to name some. Antidepressants may take a few weeks to be fully effective, but if your mood has not improved even after a few months, your dosage may be insufficient.
Ever wondered what happens when you take too much antidepressants? It’s not as rare as you’d think, and the effects can be pretty intense.
Signs your antidepressant dose is too low
While you are being treated with antidepressants, you need to watch-out for possible tell-tale signs prompting an adjustment in your dosage levels. When your dose is too low, recurrence of depression is more likely.
When you experience difficulty sleeping or living with continuously-disturbed sleeping cycles, it is a major sign of your antidepressant dose being too low. However, this is a common indication. Although antidepressants are meant to aid this, persistent sleep-related issues can be an indication of your dosage is too low.
One other major sign that your antidepressant dose is too low is when you are exposed to get depressed thoughts often, and your behavior worsens. Also, likelihood of building tolerance is indicated when your dose is no longer as effective as it once was. For therapeutic relief, this can lead to your doctor prescribing a stronger dosage.
If you are unsure about the quantity of the drug you consumed, you can contact your physician right away or visit the nearest medical emergency center. However, you need to try to be calm, and do not attempt to take an overdose of the antidepressant med; this can result in counterproductive results.
Additional use of this drug with alcohol can also cause an overdosed condition. In order to prevent overdosing and associated risks, you need to strictly follow the prescribed dose from your mental healthcare professional. It is unsafe to increase or decrease the dose on your own. Such practices may also lead to near-fatal / fatal outcomes.
What are the side effects of antidepressants?
Side effects can be classified as common, less common, and rare. Common side effects include increase in body weight, spells of migraines, being nauseated and drying of mouth - marked by parched lips or tongue. Less common side effects are drop in alcohol tolerance, and decrease in sodium levels (hyponatremia).
Rarer side effects include twitching of your muscles, irregular heartbeats, etc. Medication changes or dose adjustments can help control such side effects while preserving the efficacy of treatment. Moreover, mental health treatment requires proper and personalised monitoring. If you suspect any severe side effects, act quickly, and take needful medical attention on an urgent mode.
Based on the severity of symptoms and type of your depression, the dosage varies. Before prescribing the right dosage, psychiatrists usually consider the patient's medical history, reaction to prior therapies, and possible adverse effects.
You are advised to recognize the signs of ineffective dosage, in order to ensure effective treatment. If your antidepressant dose is too low - it may cause short-lived mood improvements that quickly fade; these improvements may make you lead a depressed life.
Also, skipping your daily doses can also hinder meds’ ability to regulate neurotransmitters, and reduce efficacy of antidepressant meds. In order to avoid any serious complications, you need to consult with your caregiving team regularly – all through the treatment plan. Such practices help your caregiving physicians to monitor the progress of treatment and also avoid possible occurrence adverse side effects of underdosing.
Disclaimer
Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.