Emerging Testimony Dangers of Using Antidepressants - Assignment Example

Name Tutor Course Date The Dangers of Using Anti-Depressants Introduction The use of anti-depressants might constitute full treatment or just a way of minimizing depression. Anti-depressants include medicine administered between periods of four or six months as directed by the doctor. Depression affects a person’s behavior, thinking, their comfort and state of mind. Anti-depressants have been functioning well worldwide since 1980s including in the United States of America. However, research has also indicated that such medicines result to a number of psychiatric disorders such as obsessive- compulsive disorders, anxiety and eating disarrays.Scott (2006) states that professionals in the medical field together with the public are starting to create new measures for anti-depressants in terms of risks involved and benefits that accrue to the user since all drugs have side effects. This paper illustrates the dangers that anti-depressants pose to patients who use them according to research carried out by a number of scholars. According to Roy (2005), depression starts from the mind where a patient’s attitude is affected and might develop negative thinking. In this case, a nurse and other practitioners should determine the cause immediately. This includes being able to identify that it is depression and advise on the right kind of counseling approach to be considered. The first step should be creating a friendly environment to make the patient feel accepted. The situations arouse feelings of sympathy and at the same time understanding. This can be more appropriate especially in case the patient looks hopeless, guilty and withdrawn to a world of his own without confidence to face the reality. Dangers of using anti-depressants Physical effects Anti-depressants are likely to cause some physical symptoms which are temporary and mild like skin rashes, diarrhea, insomnia or stomach upsets. Nausea and also pains in the muscles or joints and headaches are possible. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, referred to as the SSRIs are anti-depressants. SSRIs are likely to cause extreme effects like less capacity of the body to cause blood clotting as a result of reduced neurotransmitter serotonin concentration in the platelets. The anti-depressant exposes patients to risk of bleeding of the uterine or stomach and in case of a surgery, transfusion of blood will be compulsory, after or before the operation. Some patients are advised to combine usage of both the NSAIDs, including aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen and the SSRIs which result to more than a double effect of bleeding and will need more attention. According to Gotlib and Constance (2010), human bodies constitute chemical compounds which develop from water, foods, air and sunlight. These chemicals cause a number of reactions within the body that are likely to cause disturbances as a result of introduction of psychotropic drugs in the body in form of psychotropic drugs. The normal functioning of the body is usually interrupted by the drugs by overwhelming or slowing down normal body function and at times causesspeeding up or damming of body systems. Pariante (2009) states that, psychiatric drugs do not heal, but cover real problems making them a temporary solution for depression and not ultimate solution. Since the condition is temporary, these drugs can cause the body to wear out since it naturally responds to invasion of a foreign substance that is likely to cause a mix-up in the body.Another effect of anti-depressants involves unintentional movements of internal and external body parts. However, it is not common for such side effects to occur to a patient sand mostly affects elderly patients and those taking SSRIs that lass a longer time in the body including citalopram and fluoxetine. Loss of adequate motor control, repetitive movement of the muscles, a condition referred to as dyskinesia, uncontrollable restlessness known as akathisia and having trembling limbs are some of the unintended movements of body parts caused by anti-depressants as its side effects. Patients affected by these side effects are advised to change the type of anti-depressants they use as remedy to the unintended movements. Some cases are well dealt with through administration of drugs that reduce anxiety (anti-anxiety) such as Cogentin, beta blocker propranolol and diazepam (Rothschild, 2012). However, SSRIs are recommended by medics for older people based on safety unlike Tricyclic antidepressants. This is because, it hardly causes dizziness leading to falls and heart rhythms are safe other than inefficient functioning of the liver among old people. Medical professionals therefore advise that the elderly use drugs that are promptly metabolized such as sertraline since inefficient functioning of the liver poses a higher risk of drug interaction and cytochrome p. 450 system effects. Sexual Effects Bahrick and Harris (2008) state that there is an increasing sexual effect of depressants unlike how previous reports by researchers have stated. However, duration of effect is still not known including the scope and quality of such effects. The author states that anti-depressants are likely to cause sexual dysfunction which affects an individual’s quality of life. Further effects also include destruction of alliance in treatment especially in the case of uninformed or less informed patient of sexual related antidepressants effects and impediment of psychotherapy. Common antidepressants causing sexual side effects include SSRIs and SNRIs which are used to treat general anxiety, compulsive obsession, and social phobia among others. A good number of side effects of using these anti-depressants might be underestimated especially when paramedics are explaining the side effects to patients. Professionals in the medical field are expected to fully disclose these effects to patients involved. According to Ballon (2006), premature ejaculation can be treated by administration of SSRIs. However, antidepressants are likely to cause declined morning and nocturnal erections among men and also a struggle in attaining and maintenance of sufficient erection to allow penetration. Men using antidepressants might also face problems of reduced libido, arousal struggles and delayed ejaculation. Balon (2006) states that anorgasmia among women and struggles of ejaculation among men have been explicitly identified to be induced by medication. Women also have related sexual problems like those faced by men such as reduced libido and lubrication problems. Both men and women experience organism with no pleasures, less tactile sensitivity in the genitals and declining intensity for organism as a result of antidepressant intake side effects. However, according to Bharick (2008), this might fail to reflect during assessment where the assessment instruments are used. The key function of nitric oxide in the body involves penile and clitoral tumescence among others. Administration of antidepressant medications such as serotonergic results to diminishing sensitivity of the genital, therefore resulting into another side effect of the antidepressants. Effects of anti-depressants to psychosexual development among children and adolescent have not been clearly identified and for that reason, pose a challenge to their general development. Although it is presumed that antidepressants are likely to have similar effects to adolescents like it has on adults, this is not the case. These effects are primarily considered as therapeutic in treating paraphilia adolescents beyond the required level of treatment. Drug interaction effects This is common in case SSRIs are used as antidepressants. Since the drugs are broken down in the liver by act of cytochrome P450 system body group enzymes, it is likely to divert the functioning of other medications that go through a similar breakdown process. These reactions lead to an increased blood level for SSRIs breakdown process and a greater effect due to a prolonged process. Medics should inquire if a patient is taking other drugs so as to regulate the SSRIs prescription. In case it is paroxetine or fluoxetine, the effect is much greater compared to other SSRIs. According to Gotlib and Constance (2010), antidepressants are likely to cause delirium, racing heart or a high blood pressure. When a serotonin activity enhancing drug is administered together with an SSRI, serotonin syndrome arises which involves the above conditions in a patient’s body. Although serotonin is not common, this condition is critical and its side effects are also linked to SNRIs other than SSRIs. The syndrome is caused by high serotonin concentrations in a patient’s brain. An individual is likely to be in a state of confusion, agitation and may also diarrhea in some cases. Medical professions advice that SSRIs or SNRIs should not be combined with some medications especially St. John’s Wort, which is a herbal medicine, clomipramine and Nardil, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Treating bipolar disorder involves combination of SSRIs and lithium medications. However, this can also lead to serotonin syndrome and therefore should be avoided. Medical professions dealing with depression cases should also apply clinical reasoning in deciding what approach to use, when to change medication and how to do it especially in the case of serotonin syndrome. Clinical reasoning is considered a vital skill in healthcare practice. It is one of the characteristic of a professional and experienced nurse and an important element of nursing proficiency in different nursing fields.The skill of clinical reasoning should be utilized by nurses at every level to inform decision making. According to Banning (2008), clinical reasoning involves quality in provision of health care to reduce mortality rates in clinical centers as a result of negligence. Prenatal, natal and post-natal effects There are cases where antidepressants are prescribed to women during pregnancy. According to Scott (2006), antidepressants taken during pregnancy put pregnant women at a higher risk of experiencing low weight during birth and delivering prematurely. Post natal effects are also possible where an infant displays withdrawal, seizures, which is hardly experienced, jitters and irritability that makes them to cry. Where a mother takes paroxetine in the last months of a pregnancy, they are likely to also suffer depression after birth while infants suffer respiratory distress. However, such signs are usually strong during initial days after delivery and fade away in a month time. In such cases of pregnancy, chances of fetal infection should first be considered against benefits of the antidepressant to a mother. During breastfeeding, antidepressants such as fluoxetine and citalopram are likely to affect breast milk since they are not rapidly eliminated from the body unlike sertraline and paroxetine which are quickly removed. Risks of antidepressants also affect children and adolescents. Antidepressants are likely to slow growth among children and their development. Effects on adolescent involve their development and psychological or mental health. Depression Fluoxetine has been identified by researchers as a cause of depression among adolescents below eighteen years of age. The FDA has also approved research findings that fluoxetine, fluvoxamine and sertraline result to obsessive compulsive condition among children and that paroxetine cause childhood social anxiety disorder through a clinical trial. Regulations are currently limiting prescription of antidepressants to children unlike in 1990s where consumption of antidepressants among children was very high. A number of researchers argue that some antidepressants are likely to cause self-destructive and violent activities. Although FDA has long scrapped this idea, most medics are convinced that antidepressants enhance mental health by inciting self-destructive acts and violence. Compared to a placebo, SSRI usage among adolescent and children increases chances of suicidal thinking for patients below eighteen years. According to Rothschild(2012), suicidal thinking is more both among adults and children who use SSRIs as antidepressants. Research indicates that self-destructive acts among patients are common specifically to those taking SSRI antidepressants due to anxiety, known as akathisia in medical terms. In most cases, individuals develop or regain energy and ability to perform way before they have renewed hope. Due to these effects, medics recommend and encourage therapy approach for dealing with depression. Therapy helps patients realize their value and transform their negative thinking into positive thinking. In case of a similar situation, the approach will be the same, CBT and personal involvement since this enables patients to practice therapy even after the counseling sessions.Feeling that closeness, prescribing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and personally getting involved is usually the best thing to do for a patient suffering from depression. First, an interpersonal patient therapist relationship should be created in order to develop trust with the patient and facilitate treatment. This should be followed by creation of goals for the therapy. It involves encouraging total patient participation which is likely to be negative since it is usually responded by a lot of attitude and vague goals. Lastly, in the CBT therapy procedure is the assignment of tasks to the patient so as to facilitate their involvement. Drawing back to the events, there should be a feeling of satisfaction since the purpose of therapy is to be of great help to the patient who is expected to recover from depression. Conclusion Antidepressants are effective in helping to deal with depression among women, men, adults, adolescent children and during pregnancy. However, it is also true that they have vices in terms of side effects to the consuming individual. The effects range from physical effects, natal and post natal effects, sexual effects and drug interaction. Medical standards worldwide require the medical professionals disclose all information about the side effects of depressants to patients so as to avoid cases of misinformation and negligence. Most people are opting for therapy to solve depression issues since it does not involve medication that might tamper with normal activities of body systems. Although medical standards might formulate standards to regulate the use of antidepressants, it is also important for individuals to learn about therapeutic drugs so as to be informed. Work cited Balon, Richard. SSRI-associated sexual dysfunction. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2006. Bahrick, Audrey J. Persistence of sexual dysfunction side effects after discontinuation of antidepressant medications: Emerging evidence. The Open Psychology Journal, 2008. Gotlib, Ian H, and Constance L. Hammen. Handbook of Depression. New York: Guilford Press, 2010. Print. Scott, Timothy. America Fooled: The Truth About Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, and How We've Been Deceived. Victoria, Tex: Argo Pub, 2006. Print. Rothschild, Anthony J. The Evidence-Based Guide to Antidepressant Medications. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub, 2012. Print. Banning, M. Clinical reasoning and its application to nursing: concepts and research studies. Nurse Education in Practice, 2008. Read More

Pariante (2009) states that, psychiatric drugs do not heal, but cover real problems making them a temporary solution for depression and not ultimate solution. Since the condition is temporary, these drugs can cause the body to wear out since it naturally responds to invasion of a foreign substance that is likely to cause a mix-up in the body.Another effect of anti-depressants involves unintentional movements of internal and external body parts. However, it is not common for such side effects to occur to a patient sand mostly affects elderly patients and those taking SSRIs that lass a longer time in the body including citalopram and fluoxetine.

Loss of adequate motor control, repetitive movement of the muscles, a condition referred to as dyskinesia, uncontrollable restlessness known as akathisia and having trembling limbs are some of the unintended movements of body parts caused by anti-depressants as its side effects. Patients affected by these side effects are advised to change the type of anti-depressants they use as remedy to the unintended movements. Some cases are well dealt with through administration of drugs that reduce anxiety (anti-anxiety) such as Cogentin, beta blocker propranolol and diazepam (Rothschild, 2012).

However, SSRIs are recommended by medics for older people based on safety unlike Tricyclic antidepressants. This is because, it hardly causes dizziness leading to falls and heart rhythms are safe other than inefficient functioning of the liver among old people. Medical professionals therefore advise that the elderly use drugs that are promptly metabolized such as sertraline since inefficient functioning of the liver poses a higher risk of drug interaction and cytochrome p. 450 system effects.

Sexual Effects Bahrick and Harris (2008) state that there is an increasing sexual effect of depressants unlike how previous reports by researchers have stated. However, duration of effect is still not known including the scope and quality of such effects. The author states that anti-depressants are likely to cause sexual dysfunction which affects an individual’s quality of life. Further effects also include destruction of alliance in treatment especially in the case of uninformed or less informed patient of sexual related antidepressants effects and impediment of psychotherapy.

Common antidepressants causing sexual side effects include SSRIs and SNRIs which are used to treat general anxiety, compulsive obsession, and social phobia among others. A good number of side effects of using these anti-depressants might be underestimated especially when paramedics are explaining the side effects to patients. Professionals in the medical field are expected to fully disclose these effects to patients involved. According to Ballon (2006), premature ejaculation can be treated by administration of SSRIs.

However, antidepressants are likely to cause declined morning and nocturnal erections among men and also a struggle in attaining and maintenance of sufficient erection to allow penetration. Men using antidepressants might also face problems of reduced libido, arousal struggles and delayed ejaculation. Balon (2006) states that anorgasmia among women and struggles of ejaculation among men have been explicitly identified to be induced by medication. Women also have related sexual problems like those faced by men such as reduced libido and lubrication problems.

Both men and women experience organism with no pleasures, less tactile sensitivity in the genitals and declining intensity for organism as a result of antidepressant intake side effects. However, according to Bharick (2008), this might fail to reflect during assessment where the assessment instruments are used. The key function of nitric oxide in the body involves penile and clitoral tumescence among others. Administration of antidepressant medications such as serotonergic results to diminishing sensitivity of the genital, therefore resulting into another side effect of the antidepressants.

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