5 Invaluable Benefits of the Right Antidepressant

Every year in the United States, approximately 17.3 million adults and another 1.9 million children suffer from major depressive disorder. Major depressive disorder is more than sadness or mild depression. It can totally disrupt your life and raise your risk for life-threatening diseases, even suicide.

Medication won’t help in cases of mild depression. However, with moderate-to-severe depression or chronic depression, the right medication is essential, life-changing, and potentially life-saving.

At Precise Research Centers in Flowood, Mississippi, our mental health experts, Joseph Kwentus, MD, and Karen Richardson, PhD, diagnose and treat major depressive disorder. 

In addition to providing talk therapies, which help you manage symptoms and find new coping mechanisms, we work to find the right antidepressant for your unique and individual needs.

Can the right antidepressant really make a difference in your life? It can. Following are five of the benefits you can expect once we find the right antidepressant for you.

1. You sleep better

When you suffer from depression, your sleep suffers, too. You may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. You might wake up too early in the morning, your mind racing, and be unable to fall back asleep.

Without adequate rest and sleep, your body can’t function the way it’s supposed to, and neither can your brain. Antidepressants help you sleep because they regulate the neurotransmitters in your brain, helping them interact in a healthier, more efficient way.

When you have the right antidepressant, all aspects of your sleep improve, from how long it takes you to fall asleep to how deeply restful and restorative your sleep is. Sleep itself helps alleviate depression, so improving sleep is a priority when we consider which medication and dosage will benefit you.

2. Your symptoms improve

Antidepressants can not only improve your symptoms, but make them go away entirely. In one study, 40-60 out of 100 people on antidepressants noticed an improvement in their symptoms within eight weeks. Only 20-40 out of 100 noticed an improvement on placebo.

Usually, it takes about 3-4 weeks for antidepressants to stabilize your mood. About 60% of people notice relief with the first medication they’re prescribed. However, if you don’t experience a difference after a month or so, we may try another type of medication to give you relief.

3. You enjoy life again

Once your symptoms begin to subside, you notice a boost in your mood and a boost in energy. The activities that used to give you joy become pleasurable again.

If you’d been isolating yourself when your depression was in full force, you find that you’re eager to reconnect with friends and family. You also start making better choices in general, which contributes to a more positive mood.

4. You think better

Once your neurotransmitters start to function optimally, your brain can work the way it’s supposed to. If you experienced brain fog with depression, that heavy fog lifts.

Your memory improves, and so does your focus and concentration. The improvements you experience with your sleep also help your brain function at its best. 

5. You’re less likely to relapse

Unfortunately, even with treatment, depression can’t usually be fully cured. However, when you have the right antidepressant, you’re less likely to experience a relapse of symptoms once you have them under control.

About half of people who didn’t take antidepressants experienced a relapse of depression within two years. Among those who did take antidepressants, less than a quarter had a relapse. 

The right antidepressant can completely transform your life. In addition to FDA-approved medications currently on the market, we also participate in clinical trials that may benefit you. 

Call us at 601-420-5812 or book an appointment online for depression treatment today. You can also send a message to our team here on the website. If you’d like to be considered for a clinical trial, please let us know.