Psychiatric medications often have many possible side effects, most of which are rare and can be managed by working with the physician and mental health specialist involved in the case. There are some common side effects that may be unavoidable though, leaving patients no choice but to learn how to live with these issues in order to maintain their mental health. Changes in taste, dry mouth, memory problems, and even frequent urination and a sudden urge to urinate are all common side effects for most if not all psychiatric medications. Anyone who has ever sat in on a therapy group with individuals who take this class of drugs understands that these problems are very real and very common. There are ways to alleviate these symptoms or manage them so they are not as troublesome.
One of the common side effects with psychiatric medications is a change in taste, and this is one that may be difficult to live with. Patients report that foods which they used to enjoy now taste different, or even have a foul taste to them. This can create a big problem because proper nutrition is important for both mental and physical health. It can take time to adjust to the changes in your taste and in the meantime food and drink may not be very appealing. Dry mouth and frequent thirst can be managed easily by keeping liquids available at all times. Frequent urination and the sudden urge to go can be managed by using the bathroom more often. Psychiatric medications affect the way that the brain thinks and functions, and it is common for these drugs to interfere with memory on some level. If the memory problems become severe then the drugs used may need to be adjusted or changed to minimize this side effect. Have you ever experienced any of these common side effects? If so which ones? How did you deal with it?
