If you take antidepressant medication, you may wonder: Will medication change my personality or who I am? In this Health Alert, Dr. Karen L. Swartz, Director of the Mood Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins, answers this important question that's on the minds of many patients.
Dr. Swartz answers: Antidepressant and antianxiety medications don't alter your personality, but they may change your interactions with others. For example, depending on your initial symptoms, they may make you feel less anxious, sad, moody, irritable, or lethargic. That can help you get along with others better and be more productive and engaged in life.
The medications don't artificially make you go from sad to happy; rather, they correct the chemical imbalance that, in turn, has thrown your emotional reactions out of balance. You should still be able to experience mood changes.
Sometimes, individuals taking antidepressant medication experience a sense of numbness, apathy, or dulling of moods. This side effect is not a goal of the medication. It may mean that your depression has been partially treated and the dull mood will lift with time, or that you need to adjust your dosage.
It could also mean that this particular medication is not the right one for you, and switching to another medication might produce better results. You also may not have received the correct diagnosis: For instance, you may have been diagnosed with depression when you are actually suffering from bipolar disorder, which requires a different approach to treatment. That's why it's imperative to be aware of your moods. If you feel like you're just not yourself when you're taking a medication, be sure to discuss it with your doctor.
