Intro
Medications can have a big effect on your health, mentally, emotionally, and physically. One area that medication can have a big impact on is your mood.
If you’re worried that your medication will impact your mood, positive or negatively, we’ve got everything you need to know about medications and their associated side effects.
1. Mental Medication
It should come as no surprise that any medications taken for your mental well-being are likely to change your mood.
For example, depression medications are intended to brighten your mood or just level out the bad moods you experience;
But, what you may not be as familiar with are the secondary mental impacts. Some medications that are targeted to one specific problem can have an adverse effect in another way. This is very common with misdiagnosis like depression and bipolar disorder.
If you are misdiagnosed with depression and take depression medications, bipolar disorder can be triggered, ultimately changing your mood. Furthermore, simple psychoactive medications, in line with a proper diagnosis, can also have a lasting effect on mood.
One common complaint by those taking medication to treat anxiety disorders is that life becomes very muted as a result. It can be difficult to feel the highs or lows when a medication is keeping your moods at bay.
Regardless. It’s important to work with a professional that can help you understand your options and what to look out for.
2. Birth Control
Despite all the good that birth control can do for your body physically, it can be mentally draining. Many who take birth control, specifically oral contraceptives, report experiencing more frequent low moods, depression, or other instances of altered moods.
Any time you add additional hormones into the body, you run the risk of your body reacting adversely to them. Because our bodies are their own finely tuned ecosystems, the slightest variation can have a big effect.
That includes introducing or supplementing estrogen and progesterone by pill. There is science behind it, but in a nutshell, the chemicals in birth control directly impact certain areas of the brain, leading to differing mental states.
While there are things you can do to help limit the effects of hormonal birth control, you’ll want to speak with your doctor for tips on how to manage the effects, or choose a different contraceptive.
3. Pain Medication
Certain pain medications can severely affect your mood. People who take pain medication, especially more intense options like morphine, oxycodone, or general opioid use report mental health shifts.
For opioid induced depression, professionals think that depression develops as a result of opioids relationship with the brain. It’s said that opioids can alter how our brain perceives and works through the pleasure and reward components of the brain.
The problem worsens for those suffering with addiction as depression and opioid use are often linked together and have a deep level of causation. If someone is suffering from depression, they may choose to self-medicate with opioids.
And on the other end, if someone is struggling with an opioid addiction, it may trigger an episode of depression. This relationship can create a complicated relationship, making it hard to remedy in the end.
What to Do if Your Medication Is Affecting Your Mood
Living with a health ailment can be difficult, especially when more complications are developed as you navigate treatment options.
If you’re suffering from mood changes by taking your prescribed medication, you have options for navigating the issue.
Your priority should always be to speak with your prescriber to address your concern. Avoid stopping your medication regimen without the guidance of a professional as this can make things worse.
Instead, continue taking your medication until told to stop by your provider. In the meantime, do what you can to lead a health balanced lifestyle, avoiding alcohol and potentially triggering foods or activities.
That also means reading up on how your behaviors can impact your mood so you have a better understanding of interactions. For cannabis questions, visit Veriheal.
Conclusion
When introducing a new substance into your body, it is possible that your mood may be changed as a result. Whether it be a medication taken specifically for your mental health, like an SSRI, or it be a pain management or option for reproductive health, different medications can affect your body in different ways – head to toe.
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