Anti Depressants: First Choice or Last Resort?
Many Americans experience symptoms of depression at some point in their lives. Because of this, a good number of people are prescribed some form of anti depressant to help combat the symptoms of depression. However, for the majority of patients, anti depressants are a short-term course of treatment and the patient is weaned off the medication sooner or later. When this occurs, problems can arise with serious sleep disturbances, which can bring back the symptoms of depression and can cause other problems like chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic insomnia, and emotional instability. To make things even more complicated, some anti depressant drugs purposely inhibit REM sleep, but can also inhibit stages of deep sleep, which are necessary for humans to function at optimal levels. Because of this, it is extremely important for people who suffer from depression, whether on anti depressants or coming off of anti depressants, to ensure that they are getting the sleep that they need.
While it may seem as simple as getting an hour or two more sleep each night, that’s not the case. Because anti depressants directly affect the patterns of sleep in the human body, as does the cessation of anti depressant use, it is important that the body get the help it needs to combat these side effects. Because of this, many patients are turning to natural sleep aids to help get the sleep they need and help prevent additional symptoms of depression and fatigue. In fact, anti depressants may not be needed at all if a patient is able to get their sleep cycle into a healthy, optimal state. With the proper sleep patterns, a person's symptoms of depression may disappear altogether.
Many natural sleep aids, such as melatonin, chamomile, and Chinese licorice root have long been known to aid people in getting a good night’s sleep and may even combat cases of chronic depression. While there are indeed cases where anti depressants are the best course of treatment for a person experiencing depression, natural remedies should not be overlooked and synthetic prescriptions should be turned to as a last resort, not a first choice. Natural remedies are easier on the body, are associated with fewer side effects, and often cost less than expensive prescriptions purchased at the pharmacy.
