Posts Tagged ‘Antidepressants’

The Danger Of Consuming Alcohol and Antidepressants

January 6th, 2010

Antidepressants are the drugs that are used to treat depression. Due to the fast life and the unbearable tensions in life many people suffer from depression may it be the clinical depression or the normal depression. So the number of people taking this antidepressant drugs has increased to a greater extent.

But at the same time there are a number of people who also consume alcohol daily. The thing is that, there are a number of people who are not aware of the fact that consumption of alcohol and antidepressants can have a serious impact on the life of these people. It is not only the antidepressants but there are many medications which interact with alcohol and have serious effects. It is observed alcohol is the main cause for maximum number of emergency admissions in the hospitals.

The science that lies underneath is that whenever we intake the drug as a medicine in order to cure a disorder, that drug has to enter in the blood stream of the body so that it can make some effect on the organ and tissues.

The effect of these drugs is reduced only when these drugs are processed, that is effect is reduced only if the metabolism takes place in the body. Alcohol also behaves in the same manner. It enters into the bloodstream and causes intoxication to the brain and is finally metabolized and eliminated via the liver.

When drugs and alcohol are taken in simultaneously than for metabolism to take place they fight or demand for the same enzymes and can result into improper functioning of the drug. This in turn can result in not curing the disorder for which the antidepressant was taken. In some cases the consumption of alcohol along with antidepressants can cause serious disorders, and can sometimes lead to death.

When it comes to alcohol and antidepressants together, there are a number of cases when their interaction causes severe disorders. Alcohol boosts or adds to the sedative effect of the trycyclic antidepressant. Increase in sedative effect can result in the decrease in the mental responses.

Many beers and alcohol consists of a chemical that reacts with the antidepressants like the monoamine oxidase inhibitors that can result in increase in the blood pressure of that person.

Thus there are a number of disorders that occur because of the interactions of antidepressants and alcohol. So one should always take care of this fact that, one does not consume alcohol and antidepressants at the same time.



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Are Antidepressants Safe During Pregnancy

January 2nd, 2010

Being pregnant can be a wonderful time in your life, but it can also be a cause for concern and worry if you’re a woman taking antidepressants. Women are constantly counselled to avoid medication during pregnancy, but stopping antidepressant medication can be very dangerous to do. Not only that, the effects of antidepressants on an unborn foetus haven’t been fully studied and while researchers offer caution, they don’t have firm answers on medication for depression and pregnancy.

Suddenly halting antidepressant use can have a serious effect on a person. Plunging into profound depression is a high risk of stopping medication abruptly, and anyone taking antidepressants is constantly warned not to put aside their pills without first consulting a doctor and following a careful plan to wean off the medication.

Risking suicidal thoughts or severe depression most often outweighs the risk to baby’s health, as one is greater than the other. For sure, this places pregnant women in a situation full of worry. If they don’t stop their medication, will baby be safe? Will there be long-term consequences to their child because of antidepressant use during pregnancy?

The sedentary lifestyle of someone gripped by depression can be just as adverse to the unborn foetus as someone active and healthy who takes medication. Sometimes the risks must be carefully weighed, as a depressed woman may lose weight and eat very poorly or sleep too much, none of which has a healthy effect on an unborn baby.

Eating well and properly is very, very important to the proper development of a baby and when meals are skipped or are too small to provide the caloric intake a pregnant woman needs, baby will definitely suffer.

Antidepressant medication and pregnancy need to be weighed carefully, risk versus risk. Most medications on the market today have shown some adverse effects on unborn babies and the deeper scientists plunge, the less the outlook for antidepressants seems positive.

Paxil has been linked to heart defects when taken in the first three months of pregnancy and Prozac has shown to be correlated to a rare but serious lung problem when used in the latter months. Tricyclic medication is definitely one that has shown to have adverse effects on fetuses and doctors stay away from this type of antidepressant when a pregnant woman is concerned.

Having to weigh the pros and cons of your own health versus your baby’s is extremely difficult. Many women have, however, effectively worked together with their doctor to find a plan for dealing with depression during pregnancy and some have certainly opted to take medication during that time of their lives.

Your doctor may be able to help you find alternative methods of dealing with your illness that doesn’t involve medication or will monitor you closely throughout your term should you have to stay on antidepressants.



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Using Antidepressant For Primary Care

January 1st, 2010

Suicide rate amongst patients facing depression are high and hence prescription of antidepressants to them is to be done with primary care and concern as it can lead to very crucial conditions. Depression mostly affects a lesser percentage of adults.

The antidepressants prescribing patterns by general practitioners and psychiatrists are relatively different from each other. The use of certain tricyclic antidepressants is found to be safe not leading to any cardiovascular complications as compared to other antidepressants.

Dosages and Prescribing Pattern by General Practitioners

Suicidal behavior is generally associated with depression and care has to be taken in the amount of dosages that are prescribed to such patients. The dosages of tricyclic antidepressants have to be started or consumed in low quantities which can be stepped up further in accordance with the individual’s requirement.

Such dosages can have side-effects and sometimes their effect can be neglected also depending on the individual’s body compatibility. The general practitioners are a group of people who can give information to the patients about the prescription pattern and dosage of various antidepressants.

Generally, if the patients feel better they themselves discontinue the dosages without consultation of general practitioners. But it is recommended not to do so as it could cause many other side effects.

It is also observed that the amounts of dosage prescribed by the general practitioners are less than the recommended quantity which can be regarded as improper prescription. The dosages of antidepressants are generally prescribed to the patients suffering from depression but they can also be approved to a small proportion of patients suffering from Migraine or Prophylaxis.

The amount of dosages prescribed by the general practitioners in the trials have found equivalent to a placebo given in trials. These dosages are ineffective and hence it is evident that prescription of antidepressants by general practitioners differs from the dosages administered by Psychiatrists.

Overview

Primary care needs to be taken by general practitioners while prescribing the medicine to an individual. They have to judge the symptoms shown by the patients and they need to efficiently relate it with kind of mental illness. Usually, people with moderate levels of depression are cured faster with the low dosages prescribed by the general practitioners.

A general practitioner has to evaluate symptoms closely and look out for the responsible factors. For people with major depression it becomes difficult to get relief from the mental disorder if they are unable to take tricyclic antidepressants on time. In such cases certain dosages have to be administered and person can be recommended to switch over to a completely new drug.



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