The Pros and Cons of Antidepressants

Close

The idea of taking medication to treat psychiatric conditions such as depression has garnered quite a bit of controversy in comparison to other areas of medicine. Many people are vocal about whether antidepressants are good or bad on various media platforms and have strong opinions on either side of the debate, but very few are neutral.

Some feel that there are too many side effects or that they don’t work or that others will judge them if they are taking antidepressants. Others fear they will become addicted to them or that they will change their personality.

The choice to take antidepressants or not is indeed a pretty big one. So are antidepressants worth it? Doing your research and having one or more meaningful discussions with your doctor is the best place to start.

It’s always a good idea to decide based on real data instead of rumors or a depiction of antidepressants in the media.

Below are some pros and cons of taking antidepressants based on years of clinical research and understanding what patients hope for and worry about when making this personal decision.

Common Antidepressant Medications

Are Antidepressants Worth It?

If you’re thinking about taking antidepressants and wondering if they’re right for you, you’ll want to get an idea of some of the advantages and disadvantages of taking antidepressants. Ultimately, your best bet is to work with your doctor to determine the right treatments and medications for you.

ProsImproved motivation to enact lifestyle changesSafeEffectiveConsSide effectsDelayed onset (might take time to see results)Some antidepressants might not work

ProsImproved motivation to enact lifestyle changesSafeEffective

Improved motivation to enact lifestyle changes

Safe

Effective

ConsSide effectsDelayed onset (might take time to see results)Some antidepressants might not work

Side effects

Delayed onset (might take time to see results)

Some antidepressants might not work

Pros of Antidepressants

Below are some of the common benefits of taking antidepressants.

Motivation to Enact Lifestyle Changes

Many lifestyle changes could help manage depressive symptoms. Things such as exercise, hobbies, and a balanced diet are known to bebeneficial in dealing with mental illness.

The catch is that a depressed person cannot always get motivated enough to initiate these lifestyle adjustments. Antidepressants can provide a running start to the implementation of a healthier way of living.

If someone does exercise their option to take medication, ideally, that will be part of a holistic approach to their wellness that includes self-care and attention to physical health. One doesn’t replace the other.

Antidepressants Are Safe

Antidepressants have been proven to be safe. The wordsafemay feel vague but, for antidepressants, this refers to:

There are studies demonstrating that antidepressants can even be safe for certain vulnerable populations such as pregnant women,organ transplant recipients,those with active tumors, and those who’ve recently had a stroke.

Antidepressants Are Effective

Whenever a drug is tested for efficacy, it is tested against a placebo. A placebo has no active ingredients but might produce an effect because some patients respond to the suggestion of treatment. Any benefits of medication have to surpass that of the “placebo effect” to be declared effective.

Antidepressants are proven to be more effective than a placebo with respect to relieving depressive symptoms and shortening the length of a depressive episode.

As this class of medication has been in use for over 40 years, there is a plethora of information about how they affect the body. Since the 1980’s, several large-scale studies have compared these medications against placebo and against each other as new ones come on the market. However, very little information is available regarding a hierarchy of efficacy among antidepressants.

The fact that antidepressants are effective is a significant pro. Depression is a terrible condition involving symptoms such as sleep disturbances, hopelessness, difficulty concentrating, lethargy, and suicidal thoughts.

A depressive episode can undermine close relationships, interrupt lives and increase the likelihood of risky behaviors and poor choices. It can severely limit psychosocial functioning and diminish your quality of life.

Remember, the drawbacks of taking an antidepressant must be measured against the drawbacks of remaining depressed. If we only compared the shortcomings of taking a medication to not taking the medication, we get a biased, incomplete view.

The History of Depression

Cons of Antidepressants

When deciding if antidepressants are right for you, it’s important to also get an understanding of the possible disadvantages of taking them.

Side Effects

Although antidepressants are safe, they are not free of side effects. A medication can be considered safe even if it has side effectsifthe side effects are not life threatening and/or go away when the medication is discontinued. This is largely true for antidepressants.

A few of the more common side effects of antidepressants include:

Many people don’t have side effects at all or the side effects go away as the body adjusts to the medication. An ongoing open dialogue with your prescriber about your experience is a must, so make sure your concerns are heard from the start.

Some people who have side effects decide that the benefits they are getting from the medication are worth it. So, they are willing to put up with things such as dry mouth, for example, and make sure they have plenty of water on hand, in exchange for living without depression.

Long-Term Effects of Antidepressants

Delayed Onset

Antidepressants don’t work right away. Of course, it depends on the medication and the individual, but benefits can start as soon as a few days after taking your first dose.

Most will experience some benefits within two to four weeks. A trial of an antidepressant isn’t considered to technically be a failure unless you have felt no improvements after six weeks on a therapeutic dose.

Some medications will be introduced at a low dose to allow your body to adjust, and then that dose will be slowly titrated upwards. You and your doctor can discuss whether it is realistic to expect benefits before getting to that dosage.

Stigma

Some individuals might feel so much ambivalence about taking medication that they skip doses or won’t disclose their use of antidepressants to other providers who may need a complete health history.

You also want to be comfortable enough with the idea of taking medications so that you can commit to it for approximately six months, as this is the usual recommendation.

Some Antidepressants May Not Work For You

At times, a medication is either ineffective or doesn’t result in the full desired effect. In this case, you and your doctor can work on a plan which might be a new medication, or in some cases, an additional medication.

Currently, there is no great way to predict in advance which medication might work for a given individual with just a standard interview.

However, there appears to be a genetic component to antidepressant response. Some companies offergenetic testingwhich may be helpful in determining the best choice for you.

Your prescriber may also inquire about other relatives with a depression history and what medications worked for them to help guide her prescribing.

We Don’t Really Know Why Antidepressants Work

This does not mean, however, that antidepressants don’t help. Instead, it means we don’t fully understand preciselywhyantidepressants relieve symptoms of depression.

Depression is complex and can have multiple causes. Because of this, no single treatment works for everyone.

Taking an antidepressant might improve your symptoms, but it won’t necessarily change the underlying factors contributing to your depression. For this reason, combining medication with psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, stress management, and other tactics may provide the best relief.

A Word From Verywell

Making the commitment to take an antidepressant is a major decision. Although there are so many great resources on the internet for independently doing research, make sure to hear your options from a medical professional.

You can get a rundown from your doctor of treatment options that might be right for you without making a commitment, so don’t be afraid of getting informed.

What Is Deep Brain Stimulation?

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Swinkels JA, de Jonghe F.Safety of antidepressants.Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1995;9 Suppl 4:19-25. doi:10.1097/00004850-199501004-00003Bałkowiec-Iskra E, Mirowska-Guzel DM, Wielgoś M.Effect of antidepressants use in pregnancy on foetus development and adverse effects in newborns.Ginekol Pol. 2017;88(1):36-42. doi:10.5603/GP.a2017.0007Mullish BH, Kabir MS, Thursz MR, Dhar A.Review article: depression and the use of antidepressants in patients with chronic liver disease or liver transplantation.Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014;40(8):880-892. doi:10.1111/apt.12925Rampello L, Battaglia G, Raffaele R, Vecchio I, Alvano A.Is it safe to use antidepressants after a stroke?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2005;4(5):885-897. doi:10.1517/14740338.4.5.885Andrade C.Relative efficacy and acceptability of antidepressant drugs in adults with major depressive disorder: Commentary on a network meta-analysis.J Clin Psychiatry. 2018;79(2):18f12254. doi:10.4088/JCP.18f12254Malhi GS, Mann JJ.Depression.Lancet. 2018;392(10161):2299-2312. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31948-2Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Swinkels JA, de Jonghe F.Safety of antidepressants.Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1995;9 Suppl 4:19-25. doi:10.1097/00004850-199501004-00003Bałkowiec-Iskra E, Mirowska-Guzel DM, Wielgoś M.Effect of antidepressants use in pregnancy on foetus development and adverse effects in newborns.Ginekol Pol. 2017;88(1):36-42. doi:10.5603/GP.a2017.0007Mullish BH, Kabir MS, Thursz MR, Dhar A.Review article: depression and the use of antidepressants in patients with chronic liver disease or liver transplantation.Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014;40(8):880-892. doi:10.1111/apt.12925Rampello L, Battaglia G, Raffaele R, Vecchio I, Alvano A.Is it safe to use antidepressants after a stroke?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2005;4(5):885-897. doi:10.1517/14740338.4.5.885Andrade C.Relative efficacy and acceptability of antidepressant drugs in adults with major depressive disorder: Commentary on a network meta-analysis.J Clin Psychiatry. 2018;79(2):18f12254. doi:10.4088/JCP.18f12254Malhi GS, Mann JJ.Depression.Lancet. 2018;392(10161):2299-2312. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31948-2Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Swinkels JA, de Jonghe F.Safety of antidepressants.Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1995;9 Suppl 4:19-25. doi:10.1097/00004850-199501004-00003Bałkowiec-Iskra E, Mirowska-Guzel DM, Wielgoś M.Effect of antidepressants use in pregnancy on foetus development and adverse effects in newborns.Ginekol Pol. 2017;88(1):36-42. doi:10.5603/GP.a2017.0007Mullish BH, Kabir MS, Thursz MR, Dhar A.Review article: depression and the use of antidepressants in patients with chronic liver disease or liver transplantation.Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014;40(8):880-892. doi:10.1111/apt.12925Rampello L, Battaglia G, Raffaele R, Vecchio I, Alvano A.Is it safe to use antidepressants after a stroke?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2005;4(5):885-897. doi:10.1517/14740338.4.5.885Andrade C.Relative efficacy and acceptability of antidepressant drugs in adults with major depressive disorder: Commentary on a network meta-analysis.J Clin Psychiatry. 2018;79(2):18f12254. doi:10.4088/JCP.18f12254Malhi GS, Mann JJ.Depression.Lancet. 2018;392(10161):2299-2312. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31948-2Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0

Swinkels JA, de Jonghe F.Safety of antidepressants.Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 1995;9 Suppl 4:19-25. doi:10.1097/00004850-199501004-00003

Bałkowiec-Iskra E, Mirowska-Guzel DM, Wielgoś M.Effect of antidepressants use in pregnancy on foetus development and adverse effects in newborns.Ginekol Pol. 2017;88(1):36-42. doi:10.5603/GP.a2017.0007

Mullish BH, Kabir MS, Thursz MR, Dhar A.Review article: depression and the use of antidepressants in patients with chronic liver disease or liver transplantation.Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014;40(8):880-892. doi:10.1111/apt.12925

Rampello L, Battaglia G, Raffaele R, Vecchio I, Alvano A.Is it safe to use antidepressants after a stroke?.Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2005;4(5):885-897. doi:10.1517/14740338.4.5.885

Andrade C.Relative efficacy and acceptability of antidepressant drugs in adults with major depressive disorder: Commentary on a network meta-analysis.J Clin Psychiatry. 2018;79(2):18f12254. doi:10.4088/JCP.18f12254

Malhi GS, Mann JJ.Depression.Lancet. 2018;392(10161):2299-2312. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31948-2

Moncrieff J, Cooper RE, Stockmann T, Amendola S, Hengartner MP, Horowitz MA.The serotonin theory of depression: A systematic umbrella review of the evidence.Mol Psychiatry. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01661-0

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?