Side effects of different antidepressants have been ranked for the first time, revealing huge differences between drugs.

Academics looked at the impact medications had on patients in the first eight weeks after starting treatment, with some causing patients to gain up to 2kg in weight or vary heart rate by as much as 21 beats every minute.

Around eight million people in the UK take antidepressants.

Researchers warned the gulf in side effects could affect people's health and whether they could stick to their prescription.

They said nobody reading this should stop their treatment, but have called for antidepressants to be closely matched to the needs of each person.

 

"There are big differences between [antidepressants] and this is important not just for individual patients, but large numbers of people are taking them, so even modest changes could have a big effect across the whole population," said researcher Prof Oliver Howes.

We've always known antidepressants affect physical health. The study by King's College London and the University of Oxford is the first to produce a ranking so the effects of medicines can be easily compared.

The team analysed 151 studies of 30 drugs commonly used in depression, involving more than 58,500 patients.

Not everybody develops side effects but, on average, the results published in the Lancet medical journal showed:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d65nqgd5zo

That's only a part of side effects.

More important is that depressive people suffering from those side effects get prescribed medication against these side effects like Betablocker, antidiabetic drugs, sleeping pills, stomach medication.

And....

It's increasing the risk of suicide.