In this piece for Psych Central, Dr. Viatcheslav Wlassoff discusses some of the safety issues and adverse effects of antidepressants.
“When it comes to side effects, anticholinergic side effects like dryness of mouth, blurring of vision, and dizziness are common with most antidepressants. Most of them may also alter appetite and sexual function, and cause an upset stomach, joint and muscular pains, problems with drug interactions, irritability, mood changes, movement disorders and the risk of falling in the elderly, and much more. Moreover, these side effects continue to persist when the drugs are used long term.
The development of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms are widespread. Discontinuation syndrome can be really bad in many cases.”