The Side Effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors - Research Paper Example

?Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Introduction: In the contemporary age, a lot of people are falling prey to depression and anxiety. The mechanical life has immersed man into work and the time for enjoyment and merry-making has almost become non-existent. Even if there is some, tensions are ready to take hold of an individual’s mind from all sides. There is tension of work, relationships, disease and the list goes on. Anxiety, depression, and mental illnesses are quite common among the Americans. A vast majority of the conditions of distress can be improved with the help of SSRIs. According to WebMD (2011), SSRIs is prescribed to cure almost any kind of mental illness in America. Some of the SSRIs that are prescribed most often include Celexa, Zoloft, Luvox, Paxil, Prozac, and Lexapra. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) happen to be the most widely employed range of antidepressants. They were formed after TCAs. SSRIs boost serotonin level in the brain. SSRIs are different from TCAs and MAOIs in that SSRIs have no noticeable impact upon the levels of norepinephrine in the brain. In addition to that, the side effects of SSRIs are considerably milder and fewer as compared to those of TCAs and MAOIs. Drug interactions are fewer and they are not as effective for the commitment of suicide as TCAs are. SSRIs affect the level of serotonin, a chemical neurotransmitter in brain. Many people take SSRIs before any other antidepressants in order to regulate depression. When an individual suffering from depression sees a doctor, he/she may be given several types of therapies include cognitive therapy, psychotherapy, behavioral therapy and complementary therapy. Whatever it may be, it is almost always accompanied with suitable medication, that for a vast majority of times, happens to be SSRI. Mental Illness: Mental illnesses are brain disorders that have biological reasons. Mental illness includes such psychological disorders as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, panic, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders. As a result of any of these mental illness, the patient’s thinking is disrupted and he/she may exhibit drastic changes in his/her mood, feelings, and dealings with others. Mental illness can be acquired at any age. Most people fall prey to mental illness at a very early age, though the susceptibility to acquire this illness never fades away. “The most serious and disabling conditions affect (2.6 – 5.4%) of adults (5 – 9%) of children ages five to seventeen” (Bukhari, 2008). Mental illness may or may not be a result of poor upbringing or personal weaknesses of an individual. Most mental illnesses are fairly treatable. A lot of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments are offered to cure the mental illness and the treatments work in 70 to 90 per cent of the cases. Medication can help regulate the symptoms of mental illness in the patient, though medication is necessarily accompanied with some kind of therapy or counseling. It is extremely important to take necessary steps to help the patient out of the trouble as early as possible. Mental illnesses cause disability. It is estimated that major depressive illness will be the most significant cause of lost productivity for children and women by 2020 (Bukhari, 2008). How do SSRIs Work? There is no clear, concise, and objective theoretical explanation of the way SSRIs work to regulate the depression and boost the self esteem of an individual. “The antidepressant action of SSRIs is not thoroughly understood but is possibly due to the ability of SSRIs to block the uptake of serotonin, thereby providing higher levels of serotonin at the brain receptor site” (emedicinehealth, 2011, p. 2). Most doctors consent that SSRIs block the chemical serotonin absorbing receptor in the brain. By blocking this receptor, SSRIs influence the individual’s mood. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has been found to affect an individual’s mood and anxiety through research. It assists in the carriage of electrical impulses from one neuron to another inside the brain. In normal conditions, the first neuron reabsorbs the serotonin. The reabsorption process is slowed down by SSRIs. As a result of this, serotonin finds more time to be in the synaptic gap between the neurons, thus being able to stimulate impulses in the other neurons. SSRIs “block the reuptake of serotonin, so the next time an impulse comes along, there is more transmitter, a stronger message is passed, and activity in that part of the brain is increased” (antidepressantsfacts.com, n.d.). This is elaborated with the help of the figure below: Nerve Activity without the influence of SSRI (antidepressantsfacts.com, n.d.). Reduced activity of the nerve because of depression (antidepressantsfacts.com, n.d.). Blockage of recycling and increased tendency of the message to pass under the influence of SSRI (antidepressantsfacts.com, n.d.). The ultimate goal of SSRIs is to build the right balance of serotonin inside the brain. With the passage of time, SSRIs create significant changes in the brain. Both the sending and receiving neuron become used to the elevated level of serotonin in the brain as a result of regularly altered procedures of production and reception. The patient should not hope for a sudden change in mood after the start of medicine. It may take the brain anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to become used to the changes made by SSRI (Fritscher, 2009). In the first few weeks of the start of medicine, the patient experienced slight changes in mood. The doctor should be made aware of any changes observed and the medication should be continued unless otherwise advised by the doctor. “SSRIs only work after they have built up in your system, and thus need to be taken regularly, and will start to have their effects after two weeks or more” (Medinfo, 2010). With the passage of time, side effects become lesser obvious. SSRIs mildly affect an individual’s mood and attitude. Although the impact of SSRIs on an individual’s behavior is positive, yet different people may have different concerns with the change of mood. Some people are so much influenced by SSRIs that they turn into a completely different person. Myths about SSRIs: A lot of myths are known regarding SSRIs. SSRIs are considered to be dangerous when they are combined with other antidepressants or medicines. A lot of people believe that SSRIs should be taken without any combination with other sorts of antidepressants. When SSRIs are taken along with drugs like TCAs, Zyvox, Demerol, Ultram, and MAOIs which boost the levels of serotonin in the brain, such a combination causes tremor, coma, hyperactivity, coma, confusion, and even death in the individual. The patient may acquire gastrointestinal bleeding upon the combination of SSRIs and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Some doctors think that such beliefs have no concern with reality! They think that SSRIs happen to be the safest among all drugs given no drug is 100 per cent safe and that SSRIs do not interact with other medicines when taken in addition to them. However, it has been observed in real life cases that SSRIs can raise the blood pressure to dangerous levels when they are consumed along with monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors like Nardil, Selegiline, and Marplan. Demerol is prescribed to relieve pain after surgeries, though it has also been found to raise the patient’s blood pressure if the patient also takes SSRI. Thus, there is a lot of evidence to tell that SSRIs are bad partners with other medicines, though it can not be said with certainty! Some people take SSRIs voluntarily in an attempt to change their personality. This may or may not happen because results are different for different people, though change in the chemistry inside brain does have positive effects on an individual’s behavior for sure. Side Effects of SSRIs: Some of the side effects of SSRIs are that they may intensify the impact of Warfarin or Coumadin which in turn, may cause excessive bleeding. Patients taking SSRIs should be carefully monitored for the warfarin therapy. SSRIs may cause the patient to vomit. In addition to that, dose-related nausea, diarrhea, and headache are common side effects of taking SSRIs, though the side effects go away as the treatment is continued. SSRIs may also cause restlessness, insomnia, and time-dependent agitation in the patient. In order to treat insomnia, the patient is given a low dose that makes about 50 mg to 100 mg of trazodone or Desrel before going to bed (MedicineNet, 2011, p. 3). Lowering the dose of SSRI regulates agitation. Anti-anxiety drugs also prove a useful treatment for agitation. There is a strong link between SSRIs and sexual dysfunction. Viagra, Symmetrel, Pausinystalia vohimbe, and Prostigmin are common prescribed for the treatment of secual dysfunction. Patients taking SSRIs may also experience a sudden weight loss after some days of the start of treatment, though the lost weight is regained with the passage of time. An in-depth analysis of the results of SSRIs suggests that side effects are generally temporary and go away with time but the relief that an individual gets through taking SSRIs is worth it. That is why, SSRIs have become doctor’s ultimate choice in the treatment of mental illnesses. References: antidepressantsfacts.com. (n.d.). The Brain. Retrieved from http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/ssriwork.htm. Bukhari, E. I. (2008). Mental Illness. Retrieved from http://www.annafsia.com/english/mental_illness.htm. Emedicinehealth. (2011). SSRIs and Depression. Retrieved from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/ssris_and_depression/page2_em.htm. Fritscher, L. (2009). How SSRIs Work. Retrieved from http://phobias.about.com/od/medication/qt/howssriswork.htm. MedicineNet. (2011). Antidepressants. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/antidepressants/page3.htm. Medinfo. (2010). SSRIs. Retrieved from http://www.medinfo.co.uk/drugs/ssris.html. WebMD. (2011). Depression Health Center. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/depression/ssris-myths-and-facts-about-antidepressants. Read More