Antidepressants: I wasn’t told about the side-effects

About one in seven people in the UK are now taking medication for depression, but some say they are not being properly advised about the potential side effects of the medicines prescribed.

Sonade Stallan’s son Dylan was a teenager when he began treatment for body dysmorphic disorder and depression.

“He struggled with how he felt and looked about himself,” said Sonade.

“He had extreme anxiety. I thought he was going to get sick and never leave the house.”

Dylan, from Glasgow, had been on the antidepressant fluoxetine since he was 16.

However, when he turned 18, the medication was changed to Sertaline.

Within two months of the prescription change, he took his own life.

His mother said neither of them were warned of possible side effects when their medications were changed.

Sonade said she attended a meeting with her son but was not told that the new medicine could make her feel sick before she felt better.

He was also told that it was okay to drink alcohol while taking the new antidepressant.

NHS guidance says that when starting sertraline it is best to avoid alcohol until you see how it makes you feel. Also, the leaflet inside the box itself states that alcohol should be avoided.

Sonade said she drank a “significant amount” of alcohol the night before her son took his own life in 2015.

She said Dylan did not express suicidal thoughts before taking Sertaline.

Ms. Sonade says if she and Dylan had been informed of the possible effects of drinking, “none of us can say for sure what would have happened.”

But she believes the advice she received from the clinic influenced her decision to end her son’s life.

The private clinic where Dylan was treated told the BBC it was “deeply saddened” by Dylan’s death and offered its condolences to the family.

“We are not in a position to comment on individual treatments, but of course our clinical team would be happy to meet with Ms. Stallan if she still has concerns,” the journal said. .

The effectiveness of antidepressants in people under the age of 18 is not fully known and in the UK only one drug, fluoxetine, commonly called Prozac, is prescribed for this group.

But like Dylan, when you turn 18, you can prescribe any antidepressant.

There is some evidence from clinical trials that suggests that taking these drugs increases the risk of suicide in 18- to 24-year-olds.

Professor Bernacka Dubicka says that side effects should be discussed when patients are prescribed antidepressants, regardless of age.

She told the BBC: “By the age of 25, 1 in 50 adolescents taking antidepressants may experience an increase in suicidal thoughts and self-harm in the first few weeks after taking antidepressants. “The data seems to suggest that there is potential,” he said. ”

Seonaid believes better research and a better understanding of antidepressant side effects could save lives as prescription rates rise.

As the number of people prescribed these drugs increases, there is widespread debate about the side effects of taking these drugs.

About 1 in 7 people in the UK are currently taking antidepressants, and about 8% of those are under the age of 25.

Physical and psychological side effects of drugs range from headaches and foggy to more serious side effects such as loss of sexual function and suicidal thoughts.

Experts say there isn’t always time to fully discuss these side effects when drugs are prescribed.

Dr. Ben Davis, a GP and expert in sexual medicine, believes that due to current pressures on GPs, thorough discussions about the effects of drugs are not always possible.

“There are people for whom drugs save their lives,” he said.

“But on the other hand, a 10-minute consultation with someone you’ve never met has the pressure of meeting 30 people in a day.

“Will appropriate decisions about long-term dosing be made in such an environment? I don’t think so.”

The BBC spoke to more than 100 people who have used or are using antidepressants, and all reported some side effects.

For some, it has a serious and negative impact on their sex life.

Connor, who spoke under a pseudonym to protect his identity, spoke about the effects of antidepressants on his body.

He suffers from a condition known as PSSD (Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction).

An SSRI is a type of antidepressant containing sertraline, which Conner began taking in his 30s.

Within 24 hours of taking the first pill, he said, his libido disappeared, accompanied by extreme physical symptoms.

These symptoms persist 12 months after stopping the antidepressant.

“I still have genital numbness,” he says. “I’m basically asexual and not attracted to the opposite sex.

“I had a very healthy sex life when I thought I was depressed.”

Connor is one of more than 1,000 members of the PSSD network. The PSSD Network is an online community started to raise awareness about this condition, currently unrecognized by the NHS.

Antidepressants ‘completely destroyed’, he says [his] life”.

Dr. Davis said antidepressant-induced sexual difficulties were prevalent.

“We know that one in two people with depression have some difficulty with sex,” he said.

“But we also know that if you give people medication or give them antidepressants, there is evidence that up to 8 out of 10 people suffer from medication-induced sexual difficulties.”

However, for some people, the positive effects of antidepressants are worth the risk of side effects.

London-based comedian Elliott Brown has been taking antidepressants off and on since he was 16.

One of the side effects is a decrease in his libido.

“In terms of libido, it’s much higher when you’re not having sex,” he says.

“Does your partner who you hang out with sometimes think, ‘Maybe it’s because I don’t find them attractive enough?

“That’s the point where you have to be honest with them.”

He says that regardless of the side effects he experienced, the tradeoffs were worth it and they saved his life.

“I wouldn’t be here without them,” Elliot says.

“I think it’s more important to want to be here and to be with the people you love than to be lucky sometimes, for me to be lucky rarely.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress, BBC action line They can refer you to organizations that can provide advice and support.