What are mood regulating drugs?

Currently, the mood-regulating drugs in regular clinical use mainly include four categories: mood stabilizers, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and low-dose atypical antipsychotics. All such drugs are psychiatric prescription drugs and must be evaluated and confirmed by a psychiatrist before they can be used. It is absolutely not recommended to buy and take them by yourself.

Last week, I just met a young girl who had just started working in the clinic. She worked overtime until early morning for three months in a row. She shed tears at every turn and was always flustered. She bought imported sleep-aid gummies from a purchasing agency that were said to "soothe mood". After eating it for more than half a month, it didn't help at all. In fact, her hands shook worse. When I came to the doctor, I found out that the kind she bought didn't even have a batch number of the drug. It was just a snack with melatonin added, and it had no therapeutic effect at all. For example, the most classic mood stabilizer, lithium carbonate, is a commonly used drug for patients with bipolar disorder. It is like a cushion for the fluctuating emotions. It will not suddenly lead to a few days of sleeplessness and spend money, nor will it suddenly hit rock bottom and be unable to get out of bed. However, the therapeutic dose of this drug is close to the toxic dose. During the medication, the blood lithium concentration must be checked regularly to avoid adverse reactions.

SSRI antidepressants, which are often called "happy pills", such as sertraline and fluoxetine, are actually not able to eliminate bad moods as soon as they are taken. Most of them take 2 to 4 weeks to slowly take effect. In the first week, there may be some side effects of nausea and drowsiness. It is like slowly recharging a depleted emotional battery. You have to wait for the battery to slowly accumulate enough before you can feel the change. Nowadays, academic circles have different opinions on whether to use medication for mild mood disorders. Many studies believe that for people who are only temporarily depressed and have not yet reached the diagnostic criteria for moderate depression, regular exercise and cognitive behavioral intervention are as effective as taking medication. In the long term, the risk of recurrence is even lower. Only those with moderate or above mood disorders need to give priority to medication intervention.

There are also anti-anxiety drugs that everyone occasionally uses, such as benzodiazepines such as lorazepam and alprazolam, which are more like "emergency drugs" for emotions. When you encounter panic attacks or severe acute anxiety, take one pill and it will gradually stabilize in ten minutes. However, you must not take it regularly for a long time, otherwise it will be easy to become dependent, and it will be even more uncomfortable if you want to stop taking the medicine later. Many people hide away when they hear the word "antipsychotics", wondering if the doctor thinks their condition is serious. In fact, using low-dose atypical antipsychotics such as quetiapine and aripiprazole to assist in regulating mood is now a very mature solution. Whether it is refractory depression or the acute phase of bipolar disorder, using them together can help stabilize the mood faster. There is no need to be defensive when seeing the name of the drug.

I have seen too many patients who felt better after taking medicine for a month or two, then stopped the medicine privately. Within half a month, their mood rebounded even more than before. In fact, emotional adjustment is never something that can be solved once and for all by taking medicine. Medicine only helps you bring your mood back to a normal range, so that you have the energy to adjust your life rhythm, cooperate with psychological counseling, and slowly adjust according to the doctor's rhythm. This is the safest way.