Antidepressants

Sufferers of depression may often be reluctant to seek help and engage with treatment due to the stigma that surrounds mental health conditions. Pharmacists and their teams can help patients overcome these barriers. Telling a sufferer that they are not alone and that they deserve support can really resonate with someone who is feeling at their lowest ebb. 

It is also worth pointing out that talking to a professional is very different to talking to family members and friends. The emotional connection is not the same, which removes worries about causing upset or hurting feelings, and that no problem is too small or unimportant.

Being prescribed an antidepressant can feel daunting, so it is worth asking patients at the point of dispensing if he or she has had the benefits and risks of their treatment explained to them, and running through any details they seem unclear about. 

While everyone’s experience of medication is different, counselling patients on likely side-effects and how antidepressants can sometimes take two to four weeks to start working can be reassuring at a time when they may be feeling very uncertain. Side-effects will emerge before the patient starts to feel benefit from treatment and it is worth explaining that many of these are transient and likely to improve with time.

Research has shown that patients feel reassured when they are provided with information about side-effects and told that they can try a different type of antidepressant if the side-effects turn out to be intolerable. 

Checking for usage of other medicines, including OTC and complementary products, is essential in identifying possible interactions. Ask if the patient drinks alcohol and provide advice as appropriate. Emphasising that antidepressants are not addictive – while also highlighting the risk of discontinuation symptoms if stopped abruptly – will also be helpful, as is counselling on the risk of drowsiness in the early days of treatment and the impact this can have on skilled tasks such as driving or machine operation.