September 17, 2018 at 12:29 pm · kailashmantry · 0 comments
The dangers of anxiety medicines prescribed to you.
September 17, 2018
“a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome”
-anxiety meaning
“Mother needs something today to calm her down
“And though she’s not really ill “There’s a little yellow pill
“She goes running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper…”
Rolling Stones, 1966
Everybody feels fear at some points of their life, however when the fear does not fade away and persists, or gets worse, you could be suffering from anxiety. You can read more about causes and symptoms of anxiety here.
People face problems and upsets in their lives that cause Anxiety, Depression and other Mental Problems. However the claims that these “Mental Diseases” caused by “Chemical Imbalances” in the brain can be cured by dangerous drugs is foolish, false and fatal.
The drugs prescribed to you simply treat your symptoms, not the real disease. These drugs treat symptoms like feelings of depression, not the real cause of depression or anxiety.
What medications are prescribed to Anxiety Patients?
Many types of medications are prescribed to help treat anxiety. The most common medicines are:
- Benzodiazepines (typically prescribed for short-term use)
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (Long Treatment)
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs primarily used for treating anxiety. Brain cell communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. These transmitters called neurotransmitter. Benzodiazepines affect neurotransmitters in the brain, and regulate chemicals in our brain that affect mood and emotions. Benzodiazepines slow down neural activity, and so it is used for treating anxiety. As stated earlier Benzodiazepines are used for short term treatment of anxiety.
Some common side effects of it are
- Weakness
- Sedation
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Confusion
- Anger
- Violent Bouts
- Irritation
- Aggressive behaviour
- Memory loss
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs are some of the most common anti-depressants. SSRIs work by improving the function of brain cells that regulate emotions. Brain cell communicate with each other through electrical and chemical signals. These neurotransmitters are dysfunctional or not optimally functioning in cases of depression. In very few cases, people taking SSRIs can develop a serious condition called serotonin syndrome.
Some Common Side Effects are:
- Indigestion
- blurry vision
- dehydration
- insomnia
- drowsiness
- decreased libido
- erectile dysfunction
- Although some of these side effects are temporary, many other side effects like sexual problems may persist even after stopping medication.
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
SNRIs block the reabsorption of neural transmitters in the brain. SNRIs are dangerous because SNRI Withdrawal is very common. Missing a few doses or stopping the medication all together can cause a host of problems like Anxiety, weakness and dizziness.
SNRIs can cause
- mild nausea
- Dryness in oral cavities
- Dizziness
- headache and excessive sweating
- SNRIs can even cause
- Constipation
- Insomnia
- loss of appetite
- weakness
- and host of other sexual problems
- It is also dangerous for people with high blood pressure and liver disease.
What are Anti-Depressants?
Anti-depressants are drugs designed to treat depression, sometimes they are prescribed for conditions like anxiety and insomnia. It is necessary to note that they are only effective in supressing depression, and not treating depression. It is popularly believed that excessive activity of nerves may be the cause of anxiety and other psychological disorders. Anti-Depressants work differently from person to person, so a patient may have to try a multitude of medicines before they find one suitable for them. Even when a person starts taking anti-depressants it is necessary to consult a doctor before stopping medication. And if one does stop taking medications, the symptoms of anxiety return.
Do Anti-Depressants help?
Well according to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality all antidepressant medications work about as well as each other to improve symptoms of depression. They also state that once a person starts taking anti-depressants it is hard to get off medications. So is it even worth it?
Ram Verma, an Entrepreneur based in Mumbai has suffered from depression for over 10 years, after being diagnosed with depression and getting prescribed Prozac, Ram took the medication for two years, he had this to say: “Taking the pills made me feel like a dead man, I had no energy and it took 1-2 days for the effects of the pills to wear off”
Kavita, a Media Professional, was also prescribed anti-depressants, said she had no interest in leaving the house after taking the pill. She also mentioned not wanting to socialize with anyone.
Both Kavita and Ram however were lucky enough to get treatment from Kailash Mantry, and were able to safely get off their medicines without any side effects.
Side effects of Anti-Depressants:
Anti-Depressants are extremely dangerous for your heart, as an overdose can lead to rapid or irregular heart beat can negatively affect your cardiovascular system, and even lead to heart attack or death. Anti-Depressants can even cause irregular spikes in your ECG. So it is extremely dangerous for not only heart patients but everyone.
- Abrupt withdrawal of medication can cause anxiety, confusion, dizziness, and agitation.
- Duloxetine can cause liver damage and should be avoided by alcohol drinkers at all costs, and even people that have liver disease.
- Venlafaxine causes increased cholesterol levels, it can also decrease appetite, random weight loss, increased blood pressure, when using venlafaxine.
- Medicines like Xanax which are Benzodiazepines lead to many problems like hypertension, decreased sex drive, disinhibition, emotional dysfunction, depression, sudden anger and violence tendencies, memory loss, struggled thinking and lowered mental capacity.
- Anti-Depressants can cause sexual dysfunction, strong headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, diarrhoea, and Weight fluctuation.
- Sometimes drugs can cause paradoxical effects, where in some tests, the person experiences negative impact on symptoms instead of any improvements. It can lead to severe suicide desire and violent thoughts.
- This study from BMJ also states that anxiety medicines may double the risk of suicidal thoughts in children and people under the age of 24.
Anti-Depressants and Weight Gain
Anti-Depressants can invariably result in uncontrolled weight gain or weight loss. Studies show that a significant portion of people taking anti-depressants experience this effect.
Weight gain can be a sign of your medication not working for your body. Consult your doctor to switch to another form of medicine.
Antidepressants and Pregnancy
Consuming anti-depressants during pregnancy is extremely dangerous for the foetus and cause complications during birth.
Consult your doctor if you should continue taking medicine.
Antidepressants and Alcohol
Alcohol is dangerous to people consuming alcohol, it worsens the symptoms of anxiety. It can also cause certain side effects.
Consult your doctor about the potential risks of consuming alcohol while you’re on anti-depressants.
Antidepressants and Pregnancy
Consuming anti-depressants during pregnancy is extremely dangerous for the foetus and cause complications during birth.
Consult your doctor if you should continue taking medicine.
Antidepressants and Alcohol
Alcohol is dangerous to people consuming alcohol, it worsens the symptoms of anxiety. It can also cause certain side effects.
Consult your doctor about the potential risks of consuming alcohol while you’re on anti-depressants.
Long term implications of Anxiety Medication:
Anxiety medication are capable of causing severe side effects, and should be avoided in all but the severest of cases. When one considers all the risks stated above its easy to understand why they are such a dangerous treatment. If you are taking medicine, work on making sure your anxiety is getting cured in the long term.
Why our Treatment is Different:
Neeraj Kumar Singh, a patient of Specific Phobia Disorder, said that he had no interest in doing anything, felt like his head was too heavy, experienced too many negative emotions and had harboured many ill feelings towards the world. He took many medicines to no obvious benefits. After treatments with Life Coach Kailash Mantry he felt confidence and ready to take a target of earning 3 core rupees. To learn more about his experiences and feelings you can watch his video here.
Pritam Das is one of our patient, an engineer based in Pune. After dealing with the death of his mother had to start working long hours to earn money, and lost connection with his family, said it was the cause of his anxiety, Kailash Mantry said that Pritam had issues making decisions quickly. After helping Pritam experience the feeling of family, love, Business success and many more topics he was ready to take on the game of life. He shared his life authentically and surrendered to the training. Lastly he advised all people facing with anxiety to stop dealing with anxiety by themselves, instead asking them to come to a life coach with your life and get cured. To experience his story, click here.
So it is important to understand the depression medication is no cure for depression. It is simply treating the symptoms. Depression medicines regulate chemicals in our brain called neurotransmitters that affect mood and emotions.
References
Vgontzas, AlexandrosN, Anthony Kales, and E. O. Bixler.Benzodiazepine side effects: role of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Pharmacology 51.4 (1995): 205-223.
Categories: Life tips
