why do SSRI medications take time to “Build up”?

Question

Im confused as to what this means. What is building up in your body? Serotonin?

In: 9

Answer 1

SSRI stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. That means it doesn’t tell your body to make more serotonin, it just tells it to hold onto the serotonin it *does* make for longer before it reabsorbs it.

Imagine your serotonin system as a bucket with a small hole cut in the bottom. Your brain can only use serotonin while it’s in the bucket.

As you make more serotonin, you add more to the bucket so your brain has more it can use. But serotonin is constantly flowing out through the hole, too (which is good; overflowing causes it’s own problems and can kill you!)

SSRIs make the hole at the bottom of the bucket smaller, so it takes longer for the serotonin to leave the bucket. But if the bucket is already emptied out before you start the SSRI, it’s still going to take some time to fill it up again because you’re not making more, you’re just losing less.

Answer 2

SSRI stands for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. That means it doesn’t tell your body to make more serotonin, it just tells it to hold onto the serotonin it *does* make for longer before it reabsorbs it.

Imagine your serotonin system as a bucket with a small hole cut in the bottom. Your brain can only use serotonin while it’s in the bucket.

As you make more serotonin, you add more to the bucket so your brain has more it can use. But serotonin is constantly flowing out through the hole, too (which is good; overflowing causes it’s own problems and can kill you!)

SSRIs make the hole at the bottom of the bucket smaller, so it takes longer for the serotonin to leave the bucket. But if the bucket is already emptied out before you start the SSRI, it’s still going to take some time to fill it up again because you’re not making more, you’re just losing less.