Depression Meds & Compliance

When you take cold medicine, in an hour or less your symptoms diminish. That makes it easy to see why you should KEEP dosing yourself.  But it’s less obvious—at least right away—why you should STICK to an antidepressant. The benefits don’t kick in immediately—in fact, it can take up to two months before you feel significant relief from your depression. For some people, that can be so frustrating that they don’t want to stick with the therapy. A depressed person plagued with pessimism and negativity might give up TOO SOON. For others, the SIDE EFFECTS associated with the medication are troubling and make them reluctant to take the meds. And for still others, depression makes them disinclined to seize control of their wellbeing and take full responsibility for becoming healthier. They are just not willing or able to comply with treatment recommendations. On the flip side, some people stop taking the medication as soon as they start to feel BETTER. In reality, you should stay on your meds for at least 6 months, and LONGER if you’ve had 2 or more major depressive episodes within 5 years. But whatever the reason, many, many people FAIL to follow their doctor’s prescription for antidepressant therapy. In fact, different studies have reported that only about 20 percent of patients comply, according to the World Health Organization. This is VERY risky behavior, because stopping medication abruptly or taking it sporadically can increase depression-like symptoms or plunge you back into full blown major depression.   When it IS time to come off antidepressants, your doctor will put you on a tapering-off schedule so your body can gradually adjust to going without the medication. To learn more about antidepressants, check out other videos in this series.