Medications for mental health are often necessary for some clients. However, just like other types of meds, they may work well for certain people but not for some.
Some clients even discontinue taking their medicines in just a few months because of either lack of response or side effects. With this, it is safe to say that mental health medications work differently for different people.
Trial and error is often necessary before you find the right and most suitable medication for you. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a magic formula that considers all your information and predicts the exact medications and dosages that will be most effective for you.
However, it will still be of great help to understand the different effects of medications on people to make the whole process easier and less mind-boggling.
Here are the most common factors that explain why mental health medications may or may not work on a certain client:
Table of Contents
Age
Clients who belong to the older age group are frequently underrepresented in studies on depression. It results in a limited understanding of the effects of antidepressant medications on the elderly. It is somewhat problematic since older adults are more prone to suffering from side effects.
The elderly are also more prone to concurrent medical conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes that also require additional medication. They are also slower when it comes to metabolizing drugs. Age can also mean more side effects if there are no adjustments are made to the dosages.
Biological Sex
A person’s biological sex also predicts the response of the body to mental health medications. Studies suggest that body composition, metabolism, and hormones can change how your body will interact with medications.
Drug Interactions
It is common for drugs to interact with other drugs. These include medications for physical and mental health as well as dietary supplements and recreational drugs.
These substances may end up canceling each other, amplifying the effects including the side effects of each other, or even leading to other serious issues.
Inform your doctor of the medications and substances you are currently taking before you start with a new medication. This will allow your doctor to check for any possible interactions.
Genetics
The liver is responsible for breaking down medication molecules over time. This is made possible by the proteins in the body known as enzymes. Your genes will carry the necessary details to produce these enzymes and determine how they work.
Your genes dictate the version of every enzyme produced by your body. Every form of the enzymes in your liver can make your body process a certain medication either slower or faster than normal.
If the enzymes metabolize a medication too fast, the medication might leave your system quickly, preventing it from doing its intended job. If the enzymes metabolize your medication bit by bit, the medication might collect in your body, resulting in some negative side effects.