When you take drugs, substances, or alcohol, they might, at times, make you feel changes in your mood or cause uncomfortable feelings known as a substance-induced mood disorder.
Many medicines and illicit drugs are the primary cause of mood disorders such as depression, sadness, lack of interest in daily activities, and hopelessness. Others even lead to maniac symptoms making you feel overexcited, hyperactive, and difficulties controlling your actions.
Biological Process Behind the Cause of Substance-Induced Mood Disorder?
Many drugs alter the mechanism of brain cells’ communication with each other. Also, drugs modify the levels of chemical messengers, known as neurotransmitters, in your nervous system. The two crucial neurotransmitters are serotonin and dopamine.
If your nervous system has the right balance of these chemical messengers, you will have improved moods. Too much or little of these chemicals can cause mood disorders. Many drugs and substances alter the proper functioning of dopamine and serotonin work by upsetting their balance.
Frequent or daily use of medicines that affect the nervous system can also contribute to substance-induced mood disorder. Later, withdrawal from drugs can lead to mood problems four weeks later after quitting.
Drugs and Substances that can Cause Mood Disorders
A group of drugs and medicines that can cause substance-induced mood disorder mood disorders include
Alcohol
Heavy alcoholic drinkers usually struggle with poor mental health and are often cautious when seeking help.
Benzodiazepine
Long term use of these drugs can result in addiction, and users usually find it challenging to withdraw from them. They also cause long-lasting mental health conditions, and it is crucial to address such issues in a safe rehab center.
Other Drugs
Other prescription medicines that cause substance-induced mood disorder include antidepressants, steroids, birth control pills, amphetamines, certain antibiotics, inhalants, some acne medicines, and high blood pressure drugs.
If you suspect any category of these drugs that causes your substance-induced mood disorder, consult with your health provider.
Symptoms
Common symptoms include depression or mania, or they may interchange between the two.
Depression symptoms
- Patients feel rather unhappy and uninterested in normal life activities
- Insomnia, or sometimes sleeping too much
- Hopelessness
- Trouble concentrating or memorizing things
- Exhaustion and low in energy
- Low libido and performance
- Irritability
- Suicidal thoughts
- Feeling worthless and remorseful
- Decreased or increased appetite depending on drugs
- Persistent worrying about never recovering soon
- Unexplained back or abdomen pains and headaches
Mania symptoms
Maniac episodes include a psychiatric disorder characterized by:
- Excessive physical activity
- Multiple thoughts and rapidly changing ideas that lead to disorganization and confusion
- Restlessness and hyperactivity
- Impulse behaviors, such as overspending cash
- Trouble maintaining focus and concentration
- Talkative accompanied by fast-talks
- Outbursts of high sexual interest and activity
- Feeling high self-worth
- Very short-tempered which causes fights with others
How Soon Can You Get Substance-Induced Mood Disorder After Consumption?
In some cases, you can get induced mood disorders almost immediately. Sometimes, you can even get intoxication, implying that depressive episodes start when you get high on a drug. Also, it can take place after withdrawal, during which you start experiencing depression.
Final Thoughts from the Recover
Seek professional immediately help if you identify symptoms related to substance-induced mood disorder caused by drugs or medicine.
