There are news stories every day, both positive and negative, about the effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of anti-depressant medications. Are they really effective? Here’s an overview of SSRIs for anxiety.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or more popularly known as SSRIs, are mostly used to treat people with severe clinical depression, although they have anti-anxiety properties as well.
How do SSRIs work? They hinder the process of serotonin (a neurotransmitter that regulates your moods) reabsorption in your brain. By regulating the amount of serotonin, your brain is able to effectively transmit messages that give you the feeling of being in a positive, calm and balanced mood. When starting on an anti-depressant, it can take up to 6 weeks to take full effect.
The brand names of SSRIs are well-known, a few of them are Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and Lexapro. One of the reasons why they are so well known and so widely prescribed is because they are known to have less serious side effects than other types of anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications. There are, however, a few things you should know before looking into getting an SSRI anti-depressant prescribed for your anxiety.
There is the risk of an anti-depressant causing the reverse effect of what it is supposed to do. All anti-depressants carry a warning by the FDA, stating there may be a side effect so severe that it makes the patient’s anxiety or depression symptoms worse. Increased feelings of despair, hostility and agitation, even suicidal thoughts can occur. This side effect is rare, since these medications are still very popular. The more common and less dangerous side effects include nausea, dizziness, sexual dysfunction or decrease in sexual appetite, headaches and weight gain.
Since the chemical serotonin is being regulated by these drugs, you should also know the effects of other drugs on this chemical. If you take stimulants, such as the types of medications used to treat chronic lung diseases, (asthma, COPD and emphysema) take note that they can decrease the level of serotonin in your brain if used for a long period of time. You can get the same effect, only more slowly, by drinking caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea and some types of soda. Caffeine does not effect SSRIs directly, but if your serotonin level is being decreased, it may impose on the effects of the SSRI.
The known drug interactions with SSRIs are few. If you are a diabetic and taking Insulin, you may need to adjust your insulin level because SSRIs have been known to decrease blood sugar levels. The diabetes drug Orinase, in combination with an SSRI will also cause blood sugar to drop. SSRIs cannot be combined with the other anti-depressants of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s) or Buproprion (like Wellbutrin). Some heart and blood pressure medications mixed with SSRIs can cause abnormal heart rhythms.
You can become physically or psychologically dependent on an anti-anxiety drug if taken for longer than three or four months. With anti-depressants like SSRIs, however, physical dependence takes much longer. You will still need to decrease the dosage, under the guidance of your mental health care provider, if you are going to stop taking the drug. Withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, fatigue, severe depression and insomnia can occur if you stop taking it abruptly.
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