Antidepressants without myths: what kind of medication it is, who really needs it, and why you shouldn't be afraid of it
Kyiv • UNN
Psychiatrist Yevhen Skrypnyk reveals the truth about antidepressants, dispelling myths about addiction and side effects. These medications are effective for many disorders, not just depression, and are not addictive.
Antidepressants in Ukraine are still surrounded by fears and prejudices, while the demand for these drugs has sharply increased over the past year. Psychiatrist Yevhen Skrypnyk told a UNN journalist more about what antidepressants are, how they affect a person, and which beliefs about these drugs are actually myths.
Antidepressants are often associated exclusively with depression, but in fact, their scope of application is much wider. Today, these drugs are included in international protocols for the treatment of anxiety disorders, PTSD, OCD, sleep disorders, and psychosomatic conditions, the doctor says. That is why psychiatrists prescribe them much more often than before.
Antidepressants are not only for the treatment of depression. They are used for anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, and also for psychosomatic conditions: irritable bowel syndrome, overactive bladder, feeling of a "lump in the throat."
The history of antidepressants, like many medicines, began by chance. The first drugs were created not for psychiatry at all, but for another medical purpose. Subsequently, doctors noticed an unexpected effect and began to develop a new direction of treatment.
The first antidepressants appeared in the 1960s, when a drug for treating tuberculosis suddenly showed an improvement in patients' mood. This is how antidepressants began to be developed. The first was imipramine, and later, amitriptyline, which is still considered the "gold standard" due to its strong action.
Despite their effectiveness, old tricyclic antidepressants had serious side effects. It was these that formed the myth of the "vegetable state" after taking such drugs. Modern psychiatry has long since moved away from this approach.
Amitriptyline is very effective, but it has many side effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness, palpitations, and constipation. It was from this that the myth arose that antidepressants turn a person into a "vegetable." Modern drugs, such as sertraline, escitalopram, and fluoxetine, do not have such effects.
Another common fear is that antidepressants cause addiction. According to the psychiatrist, this statement has nothing to do with reality and is not confirmed by any research.
Antidepressants do not cause addiction. Neither old nor modern ones. They do not cause euphoria, there is no craving. There is only a withdrawal syndrome, as with many other drugs. If the drug is withdrawn gradually, there will be no problems.
Instead, real addiction can be caused by popular "heart drops," which many Ukrainians consider safe, says Yevhen Skrypnyk. It is these, not antidepressants, that pose a real threat.
Corvalol, Barboval, Valocordin contain phenobarbital - a barbiturate that causes addiction. In many countries, these drugs are prohibited or strictly controlled, but here people are afraid of antidepressants, but calmly take barbiturates.
It is also interesting that antidepressants do not "lift the mood" instantly and do not work as stimulants, because their action is actually related to complex processes in the brain, so the effect takes time.
Antidepressants do not make a person happy immediately. They stabilize the metabolism of neurotransmitters, i.e., serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine. Through a cascade of processes, anxiety decreases and the condition gradually improves. The first effect is only after 2-6 weeks.
At the beginning of treatment, the condition may even worsen, and this is normal, explains Yevhen Skrypnyk. However, it is at this stage that some patients make a mistake and stop therapy.
The first few weeks may bring nausea, insomnia, increased anxiety, and headaches. These are normal side reactions that eventually pass. The problem is that sometimes patients stop the drug after a day or two due to these side effects, and then say that antidepressants do not work.
Antidepressants are prescribed for clear indications. For mild depression, treatment with psychotherapy alone is possible, but in more complex cases, medication is indispensable, explains the psychiatrist.
For moderate and severe depression, antidepressants are necessary. It's not a question of "do I want to or not," but a question of treating the disease.
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By the way, the demand for antidepressants in Ukraine increased by 72% during the period 2023-2025. This is evidenced by data from the Liki24 service, reported by Forbes. The psychiatrist explains such an increase in sales by a change in the approach to the treatment of mental disorders in Ukraine and the world.
People have finally started treating anxiety disorders not with valerian and nootropics, but with drugs that are included in international protocols. Antidepressants began to be bought more, and nootropics, on the contrary, less. This is a good sign.
In addition, among the most common myths is the belief that antidepressants will have to be taken for life if treatment is started, but in reality, this is not the case, the doctor says. At the same time, treatment must indeed be long enough.
After improvement, antidepressants should be taken for about another year. If stopped earlier, the symptoms will return. This does not mean that the person is "addicted," it means that the treatment was interrupted too early.
Another myth is that these drugs are only for the "weak" or those who "couldn't cope on their own." Doctors consider such an approach particularly harmful.
Mental disorders are not about weakness. They are about brain biochemistry, genetics, and external stresses, and antidepressants are medicines just like insulin for diabetes or drugs for hypertension.
Thus, antidepressants are not a "magic pill" and do not replace self-work. But in many cases, they become a necessary stage of treatment, without which psychotherapy and lifestyle changes simply do not work. Today, the increasing use of antidepressants is not an alarming signal, but a sign that society is gradually abandoning stigma and self-medication. People are less and less trying to "endure" or suppress symptoms with dubious sedatives and more and more often turn to specialists.
ATTENTION! The material is for informational purposes only. If you are concerned about health problems, consult a doctor.