This year, the ABC launched its Anxiety Project, looking to delve into anxiety in Australia and the long-term effects it is having on the population. One area which drew our attention here at Claims Pharmacy, is the rise of antidepressants and the effects they are having on the Australian population.
After hearing of this, the team at Claims Pharmacy embarked on a mission to understand the trends and effects of antidepressants on injured people. What we found was both surprising and intriguing.
So, what is an antidepressant? You might be thinking ‘they just make you less depressed’ and whilst true, there is a lot more to the story. Antidepressants affect a number of chemicals within the brain, influencing mood and anxiety to relieve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder among other conditions. Importantly, antidepressants are not a standalone cure – they help to alleviate symptoms while other therapeutic and lifestyle interventions can heal the cause.
Those taking antidepressants can experience side effects such as headaches, nausea, insomnia, drowsiness, agitation and anxiety, reduced sex drive, dizziness, addiction and withdrawal. Doesn’t sound good, does it? This is a key reason why their use needs to be approached with caution and be closely monitored.
A deep dive into our data from 2021 found that approximately 28% of all injured people we support were prescribed antidepressants, making them the third most consumed drug. What was more of a concern was the medications injured people were being prescribed along with antidepressants.
Of injured people prescribed antidepressants in 2021:
● 56% were also prescribed opioids
● 47% were also prescribed an anti-inflammatory
● 24% were also prescribed a sedative medication
We have covered previously, in another blog, the dangers injured people can face with polypharmacy. With antidepressants it is no different. Antidepressants can mix with opioids to depress the central nervous system, causing extreme sleepiness, respiratory depression, coma, and even death. Interactions with anti-inflammatories can increase the risk of bleeding and haemorrhaging while sedating antidepressants can increase the sedating effects of other sedating medications.
Antidepressants need to be approached cautiously on their own and must be done even more so when mixing them with other medications. But, as we often see at Claims Pharmacy, these medications are frequently consumed, and frequently combined with other medications. We see this occurring not only in cases of psychological injuries, but with physical injuries too. Often this is as a secondary injury resulting from stress and recovery of a physical injury or even as a side effects of long-term opioid use. Such combinations can be a recipe for danger.
The potential dangers of antidepressants can be minimised through first line treatments such as counselling and therapy. Clear and open communication between all stakeholders will also reduce risks of poly-drug use and help develop a more thorough recovery and care plan. Combining first line treatments into a multimodal approach with constant review, can help treat the cause of symptoms antidepressants help treat, resulting in a safer journey along the road to recovery.
Our data shows that there is a compelling need to focus on medication management for injured people, connecting all stakeholders to help minimise the risks posed by antidepressants and other such medications. This is what we at Claims Pharmacy pride ourselves on providing.
We focus on monitoring and reviewing to identify the risks that medications like antidepressants, and those that they are combined with, pose to Injured Australians. Through our Medication Management program, we help resolve the risks, through a successful and safe withdrawal.
Our end-to-end program has reduced the rate of secondary injuries these medications cause, helping to create a safe and stable healthcare system that supports medication management and withdrawal and has helped us assist many Injured Australians to navigate the road to recovery.
For more information on our end-to-end medication program, please contact Claims Pharmacy on 1300 926 220 or email us at [email protected]
The Anxiety Project, ABC.
The information on this website is not a substitute for medical advice, nor is it to be used for diagnosis and treatment.