alienriot:

grumpyoldnurse:

fatale-distraction:

fatale-distraction:

constantine-spiritworker:

its-thedinosaurman:

staying-happily-high:

butterscotchwm:

notnights:

soloontherocks:

my favorite side effect warning is for antidepressants

pros: you won’t want to kill yourself

cons: you might want to kill yourself

Back when I was in a psychiatric hospital, and was offered antidepressants, my mother had declined them due to that apparent side effect. So the staff actually explained about this effect antidepressants have, that give reason to that warning.
When first taking antidepressants they raise up your energy first. So that you have the energy to do the tasks you might have avoided doing due to your depression.
Because of this those who were already suicidal, now have the energy to go do so. Which is the ones this warning is given for.
It’s not that a side effect of antidepressants magically makes you want to kill yourself, it’s the energy it gives those who were already struggling with suicidal issues, to actually attempt the act.

Very informative…

Wow. I’m so glad you explained that. Now I understand

My high school choir/psych teacher actually told is about this. She also said if you have a suicidal friend who starts seeming like they might be getting better because they have more energy, that’s the time to be cautious because that’s when they may still be suicidal but they’ll actually have the energy to go through with it

THIS. a thousand times THIS. I had it explained to me in my AP psychology class in high school. super fucking important.

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT and I wish my doctors had explained it to me this well when I first started taking them.

JUST GONNA REBLOG THIS AGAIN TO ADD that my younger sister in law recently started on anti-depressants among other medications in juncture with therapy to help handle an extreme case of OCD and anxiety, and I was the one who had to explain this to her. Her doctor only explained the risks, and not WHY they would actually be considered risks, which put her off of taking medication for most of her life. I explained it, and she understood, and THAT is why she is now on medication that is significantly improving her life. DOCTORS NEED TO TELL US THIS SHIT.

Best description of why ‘increased risk of suicide’ is included in the warning for anti-depressants I’ve ever read.

Signal boost this to save a life.

While this definitely needs to be spread, this isn’t always the reason for them including that as a side effect. Some antidepressants do make people more suicidal, not because it’s making them better, but because it’s making them worse.

If you start to feel suicidal when taking a new med, tell your provider *immediately*.

When I was put on Prozac my suicidal ideations became way more intense and I ended up trying to kill myself. Turns out my body doesn’t process SSRIs well and I was switched to lamictal. I am doing so much better now.

I’m not saying this to deter anyone from getting help or starting a new medication, but feeling more suicidal isn’t necessarily an indicator that a medication is working.

I had some similar experiences, including with Prozac. Which got totally dismissed at the time (along with other side effects) as irrational resistance to taking medications at all. It was very dangerous, and I know I am not the only one to encounter this.

One thing that SSRIs and some other medications can do? Lower seizure threshold. Where temporal lobe seizures in particular can be interpreted as worsening psych symptoms, unrelated to the meds and requiring more which may make the situation worse.

(Very much including the possibility of agitation/sudden strong anxiety attacks and suicidal thoughts, yes.)

More about this, that I wrote years ago: Autism, medication, and seizure risk.

With our tendency toward unusual medication reactions and high prevalence of epilepsy, this may be a much more common issue for autistic people. Even if you’re not aware of having had seizures before. (I did, but they were never recognized as such.) Lowering the threshold may be enough to cause problems there.

It’s a possibility to keep in mind for anyone who is suddenly having unusual experiences while taking medication(s), and too rarely considered as an explanation.

Important for people to have plenty of info going in. And to consider that anything out of the ordinary that starts happening on a medication is most likely related.