Antidepressants vs Psychobiotics For Depression

Addressing your mental health should involve tailoring solutions to meet individual needs, but sometimes, it can feel as though we don’t have a say in our journey. If you have sought support from a professional, you might have been offered antidepressants or another pharmaceutical to alleviate your physical and mental symptoms. These medicines work for many people, and can be extremely beneficial for periods of low mental health. However, medication doesn't always appeal to everyone. If you’re interested in exploring alternatives to antidepressants, keep reading as we go into detail about options available to you.

How Do Antidepressants Work?

Antidepressants are medicines used to address depression and anxiety. The most common form of antidepressants work by altering the levels of a key neurotransmitter in your brain – serotonin. This neurotransmitter is known as a ‘happy hormone’, since it plays such an important function in our mood and wellbeing.

Our brains use serotonin to regulate mood; but in a depressed or anxious brain, the levels of available serotonin might be lower than normal. Therefore, antidepressant medicines aim to increase levels of serotonin in the brain.

The way antidepressants work, however, is not by giving you more serotonin. What the most common types of antidepressants do is keep the serotonin around in your brain for longer, so the levels of these happy hormones stays stable. During the day, your brain will release serotonin, but after a while, it will take back any leftovers. Antidepressants function by stopping your brain from taking back any leftover serotonin, keeping it around for longer, meaning you have more serotonin available, improving your mood.

Should I Take Antidepressants?

Deciding whether antidepressants are right for your situation is a personal choice. However, sometimes you might not have the opportunity to weigh up the pros and cons with your doctor.

The main positive of antidepressants is that they are well-researched and shown to be effective in treating depression. Likewise, antidepressants can be used in conjunction with other treatments, such as therapy conducted by a psychologist or psychiatrist, giving you a double-pronged approach to depression.

However antidepressants have cons, too. Firstly, like many other pharmaceuticals, antidepressants come with side effects. Side effects of antidepressants include:

Weight changes
Unstable mood
Concentration issues
Drowsiness
Gut dysbiosis

Woman with depression reading about antidepressant medicines

Antidepressants are often required to be taken for approximately 12 weeks in order to reach their peak effectiveness, after which you can evaluate to see if it is right for you. During this time, antidepressants need to be taken consistently, and you could experience any of the above side effects during this trial phase. It is also common to have to adjust dosages or change brands of antidepressants if they are not working effectively, leading to a frustrating ‘trial-and-error’ approach to your mental health.

Additionally, antidepressants are prescription medicines, which means you must see a physician to receive your prescription. Prescription medicines will also require some form of payment or health insurance coverage to alleviate any costs. As antidepressants influence levels of serotonin available in your brain, you must take them consistently in order to see results. This means that antidepressant medicines cannot be stopped or changed without first getting the advice of a medical doctor.

How Do Psychobiotics Work?

Psychobiotics are a unique type of probiotic which has been shown to influence your mental wellbeing through acting on the Gut-Brain Axis (GBA). The GBA is a well researched communication pathway between the gut and brain, which is influenced greatly by the diversity and health of the gut microbiome.

Just like antidepressants, psychobiotics also influence levels of serotonin in a depressed or anxious brain. However unlike antidepressants, which act on the neurons in our brain, psychobiotics act on the GBA. Interestingly, up to 90% of our serotonin is produced in our gut, so our gut microbiome is being researched into more as an incredibly important contributor to our mental health.

Do Probiotics Help With Depression?

One specific strain of probiotic – PS128, is a potent psychobiotic which has been shown to improve outcomes in patients with depression. Instead of keeping existing serotonin around in our brains for longer, PS128 can actually help our gut produce more serotonin, meaning overall serotonin availability in our brains is increased as well. PS128 in particular is backed by over 30 years of research and over 14 clinical studies showing a range of benefits, including in people with depression.

How probiotics can help the Gut-brain axis for depression

Why Try Psychobiotics For Depression?

The pros of psychobiotics are extensive – since PS128 is a probiotic derived from plants, not only are there no documented side effects, but it does not require a prescription from a doctor, either. Clinical studies into PS128 show that improvements can be seen in as little as 8 weeks, meaning you can see the benefits sooner compared to a pharmaceutical drug. The dosage for PS128 stays constant, meaning no ‘trial-and-error’ approach, and you can suspend treatment safely if you feel like it is not suitable for you.

The largest pro of taking a psychobiotic is that you are helping your body boost its serotonin production. Not only that, PS128 has been shown to also improve levels of dopamine, another one of our ‘happy hormones’ important to our mental health. Finally, you can also take a psychobiotic such as PS128 in conjunction with other therapies, including in tandem with antidepressant drugs and alongside psychological therapy.

Psychobiotics like PS128 have been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression, and could be a suitable alternative to antidepressants. If you’re hesitant to try a pharmaceutical approach to depression or anxiety, psychobiotics could be useful to your mental health journey.

A quick review of everything we just discussed is available below:

Pros and cons of antidepressants and psychobiotics for depression

Should I Try Psychobiotics For Depression and Anxiety?

If you’re considering exploring alternatives to antidepressants or pharmaceuticals, psychobiotics might be a good option. Although treatment for anxiety and depression should be individualised to suit your needs, psychobiotics such as PS128 could be right for you if:

You have tried antidepressants with little success
You are looking for a natural alternative to antidepressants or pharmaceuticals
Do not want to see a doctor for treatment due to limitations in finances or health insurance
You are interested in supporting your gut to improve mental wellbeing
You are looking for something to complement any psychological counselling or therapy you might be doing (such as CBT, DBT, or psychotherapy)

If you relate to any of the above, you could benefit from taking psychobiotics.

Finding the support you need to address mental health issues can add unnecessary stress on your mind and body. Knowing what options are available for depression and anxiety can make the process of taking action a little bit easier. Psychobiotics are promising probiotics which can support your gut to produce the necessary neurotransmitters for optimal mental wellbeing. At the same time, you can have peace of mind knowing that psychobiotics such as PS128 are effective and have no side effects. If you’re interested in learning more about the influence of the gut-brain connection in depression, click here.

Disclaimer: The information on this blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns or if you are considering changing any medication regime.