Navigating your mental health concerns is an extremely personal journey. Still, you’re likely to see the best results when you ask for help. Treating conditions like anxiety, major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder centers on therapy. In addition, antidepressants may be recommended if you’re having severe symptoms that you’re struggling to manage on a day-to-day basis.
Antidepressants can play a significant role in reducing your symptoms to lessen their impact on your overall quality of life. But it’s not an immediate fix. Like many medications, they can take a while to achieve the desired effect.
Several factors can influence how long it takes for antidepressants to start working, including the following:
- Condition(s) being treated
- Severity of symptoms
- Type of antidepressants being prescribed
- Co-occurring treatment
In this blog post, we’re here to guide you through the average timeline for antidepressants to work so that you don’t have unrealistic expectations or a fear that they aren’t doing their job.
First week
Antidepressants work by adjusting the neurotransmitter levels in the brain that affect mood regulation and cognitive function. That sort of process takes a bit of time, and not without a risk of potential side effects along the way.
As your body is introduced to the new medication, it’s not uncommon for side effects to develop in the first week or so. It’s possible to experience:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
Talk to your doctor if these symptoms are persistent or worsening.
Second week
It’s possible to start feeling some of the positive effects of your antidepressant after a couple of weeks. Although you may not have a dramatic improvement in your symptoms, you’re likely to still feel like the medication is starting to do its job. Once you start to feel the impact, you can begin to feel confident that you’re making progress in your mental health journey.
As the effectiveness of the antidepressant starts to kick in, you may experience:
- An increase in positive emotions and thoughts
- Higher energy levels
- Less preoccupation with managing your symptoms
Four to eight weeks
After the first month, many people experience significant improvements of their symptoms, with a majority having the full benefits by the end of the second month. Mild side effects are also usually gone by the end of this time frame.
The full effects that come after eight weeks of antidepressants usually include:
- Reduced feelings of worry, sadness and hopelessness
- Increased emotional regulation for effective response and management of feelings
- Improved sleeping schedule
- Better cognitive function for productivity, such as focus and problem-solving
It’s always important to communicate with your provider how your mind and body are adjusting to the antidepressant. If there’s an issue after the first four weeks, such as severe side effects or lack of symptom improvement, a change in medication or dosage may be required.
All antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and/or behavior in patients younger than 25 during the first weeks of treatment, which is why close monitoring is needed.
Beyond the first two months
Once your antidepressant starts to work, you’re likely to continue to experience the positive impacts for quite some time. Many people stay on antidepressants for six to 12 months, but it’s possible to stay on them for much longer. If you’re interested in stopping your prescription because you believe that the antidepressant has done its job, your provider may suggest that you continue until the six-month mark before reevaluating. It’s important that you’re tapered off medication, as abruptly discontinuing them can lead to negative effects.
Medication management is the key to effective antidepressant prescriptions. You can collaborate with your physician and psychiatrist to make the necessary changes to your antidepressant based on how your body reacts to the medication.
Lightfully can help you manage your antidepressant medication in our levels of care
Combining antidepressants and therapy can help you get the treatment you need for the mental health conditions that are affecting your quality of life. Even though your symptoms aren’t immediately alleviated after the first dose of medication, the gradual positive effects of antidepressants can be coupled with the coping mechanisms learned in therapy to help you work toward the future you’re aiming to achieve.
At Lightfully, several of our levels of care include meetings with psychiatrists to make sure you’re getting the best results possible with your antidepressant. Our Residential Treatment Center and in-person and Virtual Partial Hospitalization Programs include weekly psychiatric sessions. Our Intensive Outpatient Program, both in-person and virtual, includes psychiatry meetings as needed.
Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.
