How Long Does It Take for Antidepressants to Work? When Will I Feel Better?
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- One of the most commons questions I get asked by patients and their loved ones is... "How long does it take for antidepressants to work for depression?" If you can invest 5 minutes for the sake of your health and knowledge, this 5 minute fast fact video will give you a better understanding of what the realistic timelines are of when to expect positive results from traditional prescription antidepressants.
Other topics that are covered include: what factors can affect those timelines of expected results and the percentage of patients that experience positive results on their first attempt at taking an antidepressant for their major depressive disorder aka clinical depression.
Please share, like, and subscribe if you find this video informative and helpful. And please submit topics you'd like to hear about for future videos as well!
Dr. Andrew Kim MD is a board certified psychiatrist, a principal investigator (lead physician) in clinical trials involving major depressive disorder, and has treated thousands of patients with MDD over his career. Please subscribe to his channel for more informational and educational videos to help you become a better advocate for yourself or for your loved ones.
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Website & Blog: andrewkimMD.com
Contact Email: akim@AndrewKimMD.com
** The information in this video, including but not limited to, videos, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this video channel and its affiliated websites (such as AndrewKimMD.com) are for informational and entertainment purposes only. No material on this channel is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen on this website or its affiliated social media sites & channels. **
**Disclosures: At the time of creating this video, Dr. Andrew Kim M.D. was an independent contractor on the Janssen Speakers Bureau and works as a Principal Investigator on FDA clinical trials for pharmaceutical sponsors. **
As someone who struggles with MDD- Thank you so much for all of your help, information, and advocacy. You are really making a difference in the world for people like me- thank you!
You are incredible. Thanks for the information.
Keep up the great videos Dr. Kim!!
Will do, thanks for the encouragement and support !
Thank you for the insight Dr. Kim! I’m starting week 2 of my 25mg trial of Zoloft, so I’m looking forward to the reduced side effects (e.g. Heightened anxiety, nausea).
No it will be my fourth week , i hope it will get better
thank you mr kim
I appreciate your videos, don’t listen to the people giving you s***, great vid!
I am on week 6 of prozac. Ups and downs but this has been the 2nd worst week out of all of it. Im worried it doesnt work for me :/
This video was awesome!🔥🔥🔥
Thanks man.
Hello Dr Kim thanks for this honest perspective about what to expect with antidepressants , i have chronic insomnia due to mild depression but i was self treating it okay until the pandemics, do you think it's a good time to go on antidepressants or stick to hypnotics to treat my insomnia because i function normal if my sleep is not interrupted.
In general, the one issue with hypnotic use, is the issue with tolerance. If hypnotics are used daily, it’s a matter of time before one develops a tolerance and that same does just isn’t as effective as before. A minority of people are lucky and can use them nightly for years, but in general most people hit a wall. You’re right, sleep is so crucial for so many things and the lack of it affects so many areas of your life. If possible, personally, I always think it’s best to find non-benzodiazepine/non-hypnotic options for the long run. And use them only as needed for rough patches. It’s worth a discussion with your physician, if you feel the insomnia is stemming from depression. And it’s tricky with antidepressants. If the insomnia is from depression, and your depression improves, the sleep can get better. But, sometimes, antidepressants themselves can cause insomnia as a side effect. So it’s good to keep track of your sleep after starting a med like that to see if it’s causing my any sleep issues on top of your current sleep problems.
I’m on sertraline 50 mg for one month but i started with half of it the first week then I went up to 50 and I feel sometimes my hands sweating and hot things comes from my feet till I feel my heart beat fast is this some side effects??
I have minor depression...more so social anxiety...agoraphobia. 20mg seemed ok but want to try less first
Please tell people it is okay to cry. Wheni was going for radiation and chemo summer of 2016. The doctor put me on zoloft. I said the crying was releasing tension. The pills made me Depressed. I went off after a month and felt better. In society they want to put people on pills when it is not real depression..but grieving, etc. I then read the side effects were suicide or something like that...can't remember....
Crying made people around me uncontrollable...lol..but that was odd. In the 12 step rooms you are not supposed to hand a kleenex..let people cry...
What’s good for shy bladder please
I have a graded work on why do antidepressant take so long to work but I can't really find any info on it can you give more info on it please.
Many people mistakenly assume that antidepressants are as simple as “boosting” or raising serotonin levels, which is incorrectly. Serotonin levels rise rapidly as soon as you take one dose, but the clinical effect lags for 6-8 weeks. This is because cellular changes, such as protein productions changes in receptor density on the surface of nerve cells needs to take place, thus the delay in effect
@@AndrewKimMD oh ok thanks you
I'm on 20mg of Prozac since June 1st 2020 (almost 8 weeks) and i don't feel any better.
Again, I can’t comment on your direct medical care as you are not my patient. But, in general, when something like Prozac is being used for Major Depressive Disorder or Anxiety Disorders, and if one has not felt improvement in 6-8 weeks on 20mg, that is a good time to have a discussion with a qualified licensed medical professional about a potential dose change or other options. The therapeutic dose range for Prozac ranges from 20-80mg daily. Many people require more than the minimum therapeutic dose of 20mg. It would be worth having a discussion with your prescribers at this point.
@@AndrewKimMD Thank you so much, I see my doctor on Tuesday (7/28/20) and definitely going to tell him. Thanks again your videos really help. 💡
Any self help things to try for depression, (meds free)
Once we are there there is no self help only meds.
Exercise,meditation, eating healthier, therapy, and there are more. Although these things may seem very hard to do (which they absolutely are when your depressed) it's worth it. Just sitting or laying around and doing nothing wont relieve anything. Also walking is good
Passionflower tea, $2.99 no side effects
Does this work for anxiety disorders
Yes. Not all, but many antidepressants are also FDA approved to treat not only Major Depressive Disorder, but anxiety disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. The dosages sometimes may be slightly different than doses used for depression.
@@AndrewKimMD thank you for the reply I'm on day to of the medication for anxiety and it feels like it's already working I believe I'm suffering from paws syndrome hence the panic attacks I never had them before
How very wrong this is... the funny thing is that I had NO sexual dysfunction BEFORE being put on therapeutic dose of the drug... got sexual dysfunction when ON the drug... and the best part is that sexual dysfunction never dissapeared when OFF the drug... Instead, my life is completely ruined by ALL the side effect I developped AFTER SSRI withdrawal....
Many doctors aren't aware of all the destructions those drugs bring to people taking them as prescribed.
This is unacceptable. This is no healthcare. This is destruction "as prescribed".
Some doctors do a better job of describing the risks better than others. A discussion about the potential risks of sexual side effects should always take place. Do SSRIs cause sexual side effects? Yes, unfortunately it is very common. But, for almost every individual, do the sexual side effects go away soon after stopping the antidepressant? Yes. It's called facts and data from millions of people who have taken antidepressants over half a century. I love how people want to ignore the data of millions and millions of people. Again, does PSSD exist as a long term consequence? Yes, it's possible from a mechanism standpoint theoretically. Is this a universally accepted diagnosis, no, it is still being investigated and still has some controversy surrounding it in the academic world. Is it as rampant as Dr. Healy (a class action star witness psychiatrist that banks off lawsuits) suggests it is, likely not even close. Again, if this is something that happened to you, I'm sorry to hear, and I'm not saying it's not possible or doesn't exist. But, is it as widespread as Dr. Healy makes it out to be? Nope. "Destruction as prescribed" is false, melodramatic and discourages people from seeking help that they may need.
This crap ruined my life! Don't even think for a second side effects are reversed!
False. But, you're entitled to your opinion.
@Heather I agree. Everyone is different. These meds are not for everyone. They are honestly overprescribed in America. They are not perfect, nor meant to be a silver bullet. But, for some, they can be the difference between suffering for months and years vs getting better in a shorter period of time. And for some, they can be life saving. Everyone has a different path. Ideally, I would love for all my patients to be able to deal with their mental health issues med free. But, sometimes medications may be needed and we always have to weigh the risks vs benefits on using them in the short and long term. It boggles my mind, how rationale thinking has gone out the door, when people want to push a personal agenda on others. Thank you for your comments, hope you are doing well during these trying times.