The fear is widespread that antidepressants are so strongly affected by the body's work that they can literally get hooked on them as drugs. We decided to check if such fear is justified.
One Internet resources write about possible depending on antidepressants, others, on the contrary, refuted This is a statement. Those who take such drugs, sometimes They complainthat they cannot stop the reception or what suffer After completing the course and experience something akin Dependencies. The correct abolition of taking these drugs Dedicated Articles in medical blogs and sites clinic. The fact that the dependence on antidepressants, although not as strong as on alcohol or drugs, but still exists, and “gets away from them is very difficult”, reported On sites Rehabov. This is a belief Reflected And in the mass culture-in one of the episodes of the series “Deceiving Me”, the NASA pilot loses orientation in space and breaks the plane due to breaking after the termination of antidepressants.
Antidepressants are group Psychotropic drugs, which primarily affect the level of monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) in the body. Thus, drugs improve mood, help to overcome longing, lethargy, apathy and anxiety, reduce irritability and stress, normalize sleep and appetite.
For the treatment of depression, insomnia and anxiety from ancient times, natural alkaloids and opiates were used. Among the most popular plants from which such substances received, was St. John's wort. Hippocrates and Galen noted its healing properties, and in 1525 Paracelsus described its effectiveness for the treatment of depression, melancholy and excessive excitement. The first modern antidepressants can be called isoniazid and Iproniazid, which in 1951, American chemists developed to treat severe tuberculosis. Doctors noticed that the resulting funds not only effectively fight with Koch's wand, but also cheer up almost hopeless patients in a depressed state due to their diagnosis. Psychiatrists Max Lurie and Harry Zalzer steel To experiment with these drugs, they noted their high efficiency in the fight against apathy, and Lurie gave the new class of drugs the modern name - “antidepressants”.
All over the world, by assessment WHO, up to 5% of the adult population suffers from depression. The volume of the global market of antidepressants in 2023 Compiled $ 18.5 billion and, according to forecasts, in ten years will increase to $ 25.22 billion. In March 2024, the analytical company DSM Group appreciated Russian market of antidepressants. For the incomplete three months, 3.6 million packs of these drugs were sold totaling 2.9 billion rubles, the increase in sales compared to the same period last year amounted to 45%in the monetary value, and in natural - 33%. In 2023, the sale of antidepressants in Russia beat A five -year record - 17 million packs were implemented.
Antidepressants are prescribed not only for the treatment and prevention of depression. Their Use In isolation or in combination with other drugs for the therapy of bipolar affective, post-traumatic, obsessive, borderline and other personality disorders, panic attacks, neurosis, schizophrenia, eating disorders, chronic pain syndromes, insomnia. Apply Antidepressants for the relief of addictions - kleptomania, pyromania, Ludomania. They can also register For diseases that do not directly affect the psyche, but affecting the nervous system - bronchial asthma, irritable intestine, migraines.
Although the first effect of antidepressants is usually visible in the first two weeks of reception, clinical recommendations Consult Take the medicine for six to nine months in the event of the first episode of depression. Until two years, a reception can take after the third and subsequent episodes. However, by data Centers for the control and prevention of diseases (CDC), in the USA 21.4% of men and 27.2% of women who have been prescribed antidepressants from the age of 12, took them ten years or more.
To figure out whether the reception of antidepressants can cause addiction, you need to understand what is addiction. National Institute for the Study of Medicine Dependence (USA) Determines Its as a chronic, recurrent disorder, characterized by compulsive search and use of drugs, despite adverse consequences. Clinic Mayo Notes And other signs: over time, to achieve the previous state, an increase in the dose is required, and without taking the drug, well -being worsens (both psychological and physical). Another authoritative medical center "Clinic Clinic" Lists, from which a person may develop dependence. Of the substances, these are alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, inhalants, opiates and opioids, nicotine, various stimulants, such as “adderell”, widespread in the United States, albeit recipe. In addition, gambling, eating, sports exercises, purchases, sex, watching pornography, video games, store thefts and other risky behavior can lead to dependence. As can be seen from these lists, neither the antidepressants themselves nor the treatment of mental illness from the point of view of authoritative medical organizations cause addiction. Moreover, usually within the framework of the treatment of such disorders, the dose is gradually reduced, not increased.
However, like all medicines, antidepressants have side effects. Among the most common -Increased excitability or lethargy, insomnia or drowsiness, headaches, difficulties with concentration, rapid heartbeat, impaired work of the gastrointestinal tract. However, under the adverse consequences of dependence usually implied completely different - problems in the family, at work and in society caused by regular use of drugs, as well as the willingness to spend all available funds for the purchase of drugs or even receive them illegally. Moreover, all of the above side effects of certified antidepressants reversible, that is, pass after the cancellation of the drug or its replacement for others. In addition, antidepressants Do not provide The effects comparable to the drug, namely, do not cause euphoria or hallucinations, do not give excessive energy or clarity of thinking, that is, there is simply no point in accepting them in recreational or stimulating goals.
In 2019, a group of British psychiatrists Analyzed All available scientific publications on antidepressants and potential dependence on them. Experts came to the conclusion that, unlike, for example, Benzodiazepin, there is no reason to believe that antidepressants can lead to addiction.
At the same time, a sharp abolition of such drugs Maybe To cause the return of the symptoms, and a change in the psychological state sometimes worsens so much that it becomes even more severe than it was before the start of therapy. This will not be a manifestation of dependence, similar to the breaking of a drug addict, but there may be severe weakness, headache, a sharp deterioration in mood or its differences. That is why the reception of antidepressants are not completed simultaneously, but gradually reduce the dosage. According to statistics The national alliance of mental illnesses (USA), up to 80% of patients who abruptly stop taking antidepressants, face various negative symptoms.
From the point of view of medical diagnostics, this is called a symptom of cancellation. However, in everyday speech, such circulation also describes the withdrawal syndrome, which occurs due to the cessation of taking any psychoactive substance. Probably, improper usage could contribute to the emergence of a myth of antidepressants causing dependence.
Scientists Do not know Surely why there is a cancellation syndrome. The main hypothesis - it can be associated with a sharp drop in the level of mediators, when they have already ceased to come from the outside, and the body has not yet adapted to maintain the necessary level on its own. The most dangerous effect of cancellation syndrome is an increasingly frequent appearance of suicidal thoughts in a patient. Typically, the problem is stopped by the resumption of taking antidepressants in the previous dosage, and then, if you need to stop therapy, a controlled and gradual reduction in the dose occurs. At the same time, there is an effective way to prevent cancellation syndrome - not to abandon the drug sharply, but to gradually reduce the dosage.
In addition to cancellation syndrome, with a sharp termination of taking antidepressants, patients can Faced with relapse of depression and also take it for the symptoms of dependence. If the period of therapy itself, even with the gradual cessation of taking drugs, was too short or the medicine was selected unopet, does not occur full cure, although well -being is normalized. In this case, within a few weeks after the cessation of medication, depressive symptoms may return.
And although antidepressants do not cause dependence, some other drugs prescribed for the treatment of mental illness are able to provoke it. In particular, mentioned mentioned benzodiazepines can be Assigned to overcome problems with falling asleep and control of anxiety as part of treatment large depressive disorder. The most famous trading names of drugs from this class are “Valium” and “Ksanax”, as well as flunitrazepam (Rogipnol) - notorious Rape drug. Unlike antidepressants, benzodiazepines Give Euphoria and a sense of lightness, relieve stress and help to relax. Their use can lead to the formation of a persistent mental and physical dependence, and the abolition of the drug is accompanied by a significant deterioration in well -being up to seizures.
Thus, antidepressants do not apply to drugs that can cause addiction. Firstly, all the changes arising in the body during their use are reversible. Secondly, the drugs of this group do not have an euphoric or relaxing effect, so taking such drugs will not change the condition of a healthy person so that he wants to repeat the intake. Authoritative medical institutions do not include antidepressants to substances that can cause addiction. At the same time, a sharp cessation of their intake can cause cancellation syndrome - a short -term state with a number of unpleasant symptoms, which is effectively prevented by a gradual decrease in the dose of the drug.
Image on the cover: Harvard Health
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