Three Things They Don’t Tell You About Starting Antidepressants

It’s really common for people to be on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. I myself have been on them for years and years and I wanted to take some time today to talk about a few things no one told me about being on antidepressants in case no one told you, either.

1. You Can’t Have Grapefruit or Valerian Root (Probably)

Of course, it completely depends on which medication you’re on so check the interactions or talk to your pharmacist or doctor. But most antidepressants (and a lot of other medications) interact negatively with grapefruit. Why grapefruit and no other citrus fruit? Well, pomelos and tangelos also have the same kind of chemical that causes the issue, but grapefruits are the biggest problem. Essentially these furanocoumarin chemicals effect the way the medications are processed in our liver which can increase the amount absorbed into the bloodstream. You can check out this post for more information. Here’s what they said you need to understand:

1. It doesn’t take much. One whole grapefruit or one glass of grapefruit juice is enough to alter how these medications affect you.

2. Its effects last several days. Grapefruit’s ability to affect medication lasts for 1–3 days. Taking your medication a few hours apart from consuming it isn’t long enough.

3. It’s significant. For a small number of drugs, grapefruit’s effects can be serious.”

Note that the list provided isn’t complete. I like this site for checking drug interactions.

Valerian root was one that I’d never heard was an issue until someone I know found out the reason her meds were suddenly less effective was because she’d recently started drinking Sleepy Time Tea, which contains valerian root. This interacted with her anti-anxiety med, I believe, but many people on antidepressants also take anti-anxiety medications. You can find out more about this here.

2. Brain Zaps, Brain Fog, and other Weird Effects of Missing a Dose

It’s really important to be consistent with your medications— if you feel like you don’t need them anymore, that’s probably just because they’re doing their job. But every once in a while we all inevitably will miss a dose. For me, this happens when I’m out of my routine, like if I sleep in late. Sometimes, missing a dose will be fine and I won’t feel anything. Usually I only feel the effects of missing doses if it’s happened two or more days in a row. Sometimes I get what people call brain zaps which are really hard to describe and not much fun to experience. Other times, my tongue feels weird and that’s how I’ll know I didn’t take my medication. It’s never fun, no matter what side effects of missing a dose I experience, and it always forces me to pay better attention to taking my meds every day (until I inevitably miss one again).

3. Bye Bye, Sex Drive

For some reason, this isn’t considered a side effect that really needs to be mentioned all that often— probably because it’s taboo. Or maybe it’s because, according to the CDC, women are almost twice as likely to be on antidepressants, and our sexual health isn’t seen as important (*eye roll*). Whatever the reason, it’s true: antidepressants can significantly impact your sex drive. This Harvard Health article gives some advice on how to work around it but frustrating doesn’t even mention any moves to fix it.

It’s worth talking to your doctor about. It can be hard to bring up sensitive topics like this but your doctor’s heard it before and they can help you find the solution that’s right for you.

Have your own example of something no one told you about being on antidepressants? Leave it in the comments below :)

Photos are creative commons and sourced from Pixabay.