Hickey: Getting Help Part 3.5: Debunking myths about meds

I would be utterly remiss if I wrote about psychiatric medication without any mention of myths or side effects. I would be utterly remiss if I wrote about psychiatric medication without any mention of myths or side effects. I’m not a doctor, but I am someone who has had experiences with depression and antidepressants and consulted with my psychiatrist about them. Distinguishing fact from myth when it comes to meds can make all the difference between recovery and stagnation.

Here are some things that are not true about antidepressants. First of all, they are not a miracle cure. You will not feel better the day you pop your first pill. You might not ever feel better on the first type of pill you take, and you might have to try another one after a few weeks. Even if the first drug you try works with your body chemistry, you likely won’t perceive a noticeable difference for about a month.

Furthermore, meds are no substitute for therapy, self care and reflection. Your antidepressants might make living feel more bearable, but they won’t give you self-esteem. Your anxiety meds might quell your panic attacks, but they won’t magically transform you into someone who feels OK in situations involving large crowds. Those are things that often take months or years of work. My life didn’t become as good as it is now after just a few weeks on Paxil. But I’m not sure I would have worked so hard for those years if Paxil hadn’t brought a reprieve from the periodic two-week episodes during which it was a superhuman struggle to stop crying and leave my dorm.

On the flip side, your medication is not going to wipe out your personality. You will not talk, think and act like a Stepford Wife or a Care Bear, and it will not make your life an endless expanse of sunshine. If your meds are working, you will be a happier, more-capable, less-anxious version of yourself. In fact, one sure sign that your meds are working is friends remarking that you actually seem more like yourself. You will still feel sad when it is appropriate to feel sad, and sometimes when it’s not. You will still, in short, be human; and you will still be you.

Meds also won’t quash your creativity or your spirit of rebellion. It’s true that many great artists, writers and musicians struggle with mental illness, but even though creativity and mental health troubles often coincide, treating one won’t remove the other. I’m a writer — a nonfiction writer by occupation, a fiction writer by nature and a poet by ill-advised foray into the genre — and I’ve never felt less creative as a result of my medication.

Never has it been suggested to me since beginning treatment that the quality or originality of my work has declined. You can, in fact, have your poetry cake and eat it too without putting your head in the oven like Sylvia Plath.

The number-one legitimate reason that some people decide against medication is because of side effects. Side effects of antidepressants vary widely in severity and character, but the most common ones include headaches, nausea or vomiting, insomnia or hypersomnia, vivid dreams and weight gain. Sometimes the side effects subside after the adjustment period — the time it takes your body to get used to processing the drug — but sometimes they persist, and many people find them disruptive enough to discontinue usage of the drug. On the other hand, many people experience a withdrawal syndrome when they begin to wean themselves off their antidepressants. The syndrome can manifest in flu-like symptoms, tremors, sleep disturbances and a multitude of other aggravations. Usually these symptoms fade a few days or weeks after withdrawal is complete, but on rare occasions they can last for months. This dissuades many people — very understandably — from taking antidepressants in the first place.

Some of the most common side effects of psychiatric medication are sexual. Consumers of most major brands of antidepressants frequently report loss of libido, problems with erection or lubrication and difficulty reaching orgasm. Many people suffer these effects for far too long because they’re embarrassed to call their psychiatrists and say, “Since taking this medication I can’t reach orgasm, and that’s unacceptable.” This is BS. If your medication is having sexual side effects that are affecting your quality of life, get over your shyness and tell your doctor. You deserve to enjoy your sex life just as much as you deserve to be healthy and happy.

Most antidepressants carry labels advising users not to consume alcohol while taking them. These warnings vary by brand — and you should always ask your doctor — but usually such labels just mean that you will get drunker faster than before you started taking meds. They don’t necessarily mean you will get horribly sick. If you could usually have two beers and be fine, this will likely be out of the question after you start taking antidepressants. Be cognizant of this, and limit your intake accordingly.

Thoughts of suicide are another commonly reported side effect of psychiatric medication. This should go without saying, but for the love of God, if you begin taking meds and you feel like killing yourself, tell your doctor right away. He or she should make an appointment for you immediately if the situation is that urgent.

I was very lucky with the meds I was prescribed. The effect on my mood was transformative, and my only significant side effect was drowsiness. But despite my success up to this point, I live with the knowledge that I could be in for a world of upsetting withdrawal effects when I choose to discontinue use.

If this sounds like a mixed bag, it should. I concluded that the benefits of medication were worth the risks, and that was the right decision for me. I made that call for myself, but with extensive deliberation and the constant support of a doctor. If you ever have to make the same decision, keep this method in mind.

Email Tracey at tbh15@pitt.edu.