People who suffer from type 1 diabetes are more likely to develop mental health problems than those who do not have diabetes. This includes diabetes stress, depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Many times people start using antidepressants in type 1 diabetes to avoid them, but their use is not effective. Antidepressant use in type 1 diabetes can cause a number of side effects and may also increase the risk of hypoglycemia. The best solution is to seek the help of a doctor when facing diabetes distress.
Diabetes distress
During diabetes stress, people experience depression that is directly related to their day-to-day management and the stress of living with diabetes. Its symptoms are similar to depression. Many times people get confused between these two. Depression is also called major depressive disorder. Its treatment may be different. Antidepressant use is not beneficial for people who are facing diabetic distress. Major depressive disorder is a combination of genes and stress that reduces mood stability by affecting brain chemistry. General anxiety disorder can also result from a combination of brain chemistry, genetics and life experiences.
An easy way to diagnose whether a patient is experiencing depression or diabetes stress is to ask yourself, “If I remove diabetes from my life, will my depression symptoms go away?”. If most of those symptoms improve or they do not disappear, you can conclude that you are dealing with depression rather than 'diabetes distress'. If you feel that diabetes has ruined your life and because of this you will not be able to achieve anything in life, then you should talk to the doctor about it. They will help you to get out of this type of stress so that you start using antidepressants in type 1 diabetes to avoid it.
The relationship between type 1 diabetes and depression
As we have mentioned above that if a person has type 1 or type 2 diabetes, then the risk of depression is very high, whereas if the person is depressed then the risk of type 2 diabetes increases. However, it is possible to treat both depression and diabetes together. Managing one well has a positive effect on the other. Let us know how both are related to each other.
Diabetes causes many types of health problems and complications that work to worsen depression.
Life style gets spoiled due to depression. In which unhealthy eating, not exercising, smoking and weight gain. These are all risk factors for diabetes.
Depression affects the ability to complete tasks, communicate and think. This makes it difficult to manage diabetes successfully.
Antidepressant use in type 1 diabetes
Before using antidepressants in type 1 diabetes, people think that it will solve my problems. Note that this is not true. Antidepressants can't solve your problems. One advantage of this is that it can improve the ability to solve problems. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, used as antidepressants, work by affecting the brain's serotonin, a chemical nerve called a natural mood stabilizer.
When your brain releases serotonin, some of it is used to communicate with other cells, and some goes back to the cell that released it. SSRIs reduce the amount of serotonin going back to the cell that released it, making more serotonin available to communicate with other cells in your brain. Low serotonin levels are often thought to be one of the most common contributing factors to depression.
Do not take any type of medicine, whether it is an antidepressant or not, without the advice of a doctor. Consumption of such drugs without a doctor's prescription can prove to be dangerous.
To know more about diabetes, watch these 3D models:
Antidepressant use in type 1 diabetes at risk of hypoglycemia
Common side effects such as constipation and dizziness occur with the use of antidepressants in type 1 diabetes. Patients with diabetes use insulin and other drugs that lower blood sugar levels. The use of antidepressants in type 1 diabetes can lead to hypoglycemia. Some studies have found that the use of certain particular antidepressants increases the risk of hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes. Such cases are more commonly seen in the first week of antidepressant use. However, it is not necessary that this happens to everyone, but its risk is high.
According to a study by St. Louis University of Medicine, the use of antidepressants in patients with type 2 diabetes can improve blood sugar levels. The researchers claim that there is a 95% greater chance that blood sugar will be well controlled by taking an antidepressant, but they also acknowledge that the significant improvement may have come from treating the depression alone in the participating patients.
Things to keep in mind before using antidepressants
If your doctor has prescribed this medicine to you, take it regularly. Do not make any changes in its dosage. Along with this, keep the following things in mind.
These drugs can cause constipation.
Therefore, include fiber in the diet or use fiber supplements such as isabgol husk etc.
Do not stop the medicine without the doctor's advice. This can be dangerous for the patient. Tell your doctor if you want to stop taking the medicine. They will consider reducing the dosage as well as discontinuing it gradually.
Do not use antidepressants in type 1 diabetes
Antidepressant use in type 1 diabetes is not useful for both depression and diabetes. Therefore, to manage both these conditions, you can follow the tips given below.
get help from psychotherapy
Instead of using antidepressants in type 1 diabetes, seek help from psychotherapy specifically. It improves symptoms of depression. Due to which diabetes management can be done in a better way.
Medications and lifestyle changes
Regular exercise, yoga, healthy diet and distance from smoking and alcohol are essential for both diabetes and depression. This helps in improving both. All these are also necessary for overall health.
