Learning More about Prescription Medications for Emotional Disorders

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In the last several years, prescription drugs such as antidepressants and antianxiety medications have risen in popularity for the treatment of a wide range of emotional and mood disorders. Antidepressants are the most popular form of prescription medication, even for anxiety and other non-depression related mood disorders. Their use has doubled in the last decade. If you are considering prescription medications for your depression, anxiety, or mood disorder, there are some things you should keep in mind.

Prescription medications have helped millions of people deal with their emotional distress. For those with severe depression or anxiety, these medications can be a life-saver. Emotional disorders don’t just affect how we feel; they involve a combination of physical and emotional symptoms that deteriorate the quality of life for all who suffer with them.

When these physical and emotional symptoms are at their most severe, they can cripple your ability to take steps to get better, and prescription medications can be the boost that gets you back on the road to recovery. Even if you’re suffering from mild to moderate depression or anxiety, short-term treatment with a prescription medication can help alleviate your symptoms while you begin psychotherapy. We all need a head start sometimes.

While prescription medication is a great tool for treating emotional disorders, it is not a cure-all. It is strongly recommended that anyone with an emotional disorder seek the help of a therapist along with their prescription medication treatment. Prescription medications only help with part of the problem; psychotherapy is a long-term and lasting way to get to the root of the emotional causes of your anxiety or depression.

Some mental health professionals are concerned that individuals with emotional disorders will see prescription medications as the single solution to all of their problems. Psychotherapy can teach you long-term coping skills, problem solving, and ways to handle situations that are emotionally taxing. This isn’t to say that prescription medications aren’t an amazingly helpful treatment for many. Anxiety and depression are multi-pronged disorders with a combination of symptoms and causes, and they require a multi-pronged approach to treatment.

Certain prescription medications (SSRIs or SNRIs) for emotional disorders work to increase the availability of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine for a better emotional balance. These neurotransmitters are involved in mood stabilization, brain function, and bodily stress responses such as appetite, sleep, thought processes and pain. These prescription medications control neurotransmitters to correct the chemical imbalance that is partially responsible for anxiety and depression.

They can help to alleviate the chronic fatigue, feelings of hopelessness or sadness, nervousness, undue worry, physical pain, and appetite problems related to depression and anxiety. They can also help alleviate mood problems that stand in your way of living a healthy lifestyle that will provide long-term relief. Once you’ve started using prescription medications for anxiety or depression, you can get back to a regular exercise routine, seek therapy, have more concentration for better problem-solving, and generally get back to your daily activities.

There are risks as well as benefits, though. Side effects from prescription medications include dry mouth, a feeling of sedation, serious weight loss or weight gain, constipation, urinary hesitation, impaired ability to focus, and dizziness. The specific side effects depend on the type of medication you’re prescribed. Prescription medications for emotional disorders can have adverse interactions with other medications, so it is very important that you discuss any other medications you may be taking, including any herbal supplements such as St. John’s Wort, 5-HTP, SAM-e, or Valerian Root.

One concern with prescription medications is serotonin syndrome. This over-stimulation of the serotonin receptors is most often the result of a prescription medication for emotional disorders interacting with other drugs, either prescription, over-the-counter, or recreational drugs. The body is flooded with serotonin, and the symptoms include fever, sweating, shaking, lack of coordination, impaired motor skills, hyperactivity, mental confusion, and agitation. Speak with your healthcare provider if you’ve experienced any of these symptoms since beginning your treatment with a prescription medication.

If you decide to explore your options with prescription medication, it’s important to do so under the supervision of a psychiatrist or general healthcare practitioner. Everyone has a different combination of symptoms, and there are a variety of medications available. A doctor will be able to help you determine which line of treatment is best for you, and continuing care will help you if any negative side effects or drug interactions become an issue. Remember, there is help available for your anxiety, depression or mood disorder. Prescription medications can be one line of treatment for overall emotional balance.

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