why do some medicine take an hour to kick in and some like anti depressants take weeks to work?
In: Chemistry
Its all about getting certain chemical levels in your body.
For example, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) works by slowing your bodies production of Prostaglandin. This chemical is what causes inflammation in the body, so by preventing this process we can quickly eliminate minor pain and inflammation.
Most anti-depressants on the other hand work by stopping your body from absorbing positive brain chemicals such as Serotonin. In order to have a noticeable effect, your body still needs to “catch up” by producing serotonin at a normal rate in order to build up high enough levels to notice a change in feeling. The reuptake is just reduced meaning you can slowly elevate your overall serotonin levels without losing the serotonin your body already produced.
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