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Bipolar disorder - Management
What adverse effects of SSRIs should I be aware of?
- Common adverse effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) include:
- Gastrointestinal effects (dose-related and fairly common — including nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and constipation), and anorexia with weight loss. Increased appetite and weight gain have also been reported.
- Hypersensitivity reactions may also occur. These include rash (consider discontinuation — rash may be a sign of an impending serious systemic reaction, possibly associated with vasculitis), urticaria, angioedema, anaphylaxis, arthralgia, myalgia, and photosensitivity.
- Other less common adverse effects include dry mouth, nervousness, anxiety, headache, insomnia, tremor, dizziness, asthenia, hallucinations, drowsiness, convulsions, galactorrhoea, sexual dysfunction, urinary retention, sweating, hypomania or mania, movement disorders and dyskinesias, visual disturbances, hyponatraemia, and bleeding disorders including ecchymoses and purpura.
- Suicidal behaviour has been linked with antidepressants.
- Angle-closure glaucoma may very rarely be precipitated by treatment with SSRIs.
[BNF 56, 2008]
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