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Drug Side Effects: Emotional Pain

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Symptoms > Emotional Ailments > Emotional Pain

Although emotional pain is rooted in the mind, it can be every bit as intense as physical pain. Psychological or emotional pain can arise from a number of causes, including grief and loss, to mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. Various emotions, such as anger, sadness, shame, and guilt, can also contribute to emotional pain, all while leaving behind potentially lasting health effects like substance use disorder or suicidal thoughts.

There are also a number of different medicines that affect mood, whether by directly or indirectly altering a person’s brain chemistry or causing other side effects that can lead to negative emotions like frustration, stress, and anger. 1 As a result, it is of the utmost importance to consider the often devastating consequences and side effects associated with many prescription drugs before beginning treatment. Emotional pain from medications is a very real risk that must be thoughtfully considered when presented with a new medication regimen. Emotional pain, regardless of the cause, can be incredibly overwhelming and disrupt multiple facets of your life.

At Alternative to Meds Center, our team has extensive, research-backed knowledge regarding the effects that emotional pain caused by drugs or prescription medications can have on your everyday life. We believe in a holistic approach to health focused on identifying the root causes of your condition in order to treat the issue at its source rather than dispensing medications that can cause additional symptoms.

Types of Emotional Pain

Types of Emotional Pain

Emotional pain can arise in many ways, depending on the drug involved, the individual, and other circumstances. This pain can be mild, moderate, severe, or disabling, and people describe their emotional pain in a variety of unique terms. 

Here are some of the ways people experience emotional pain: 2

  • Deep sorrow or sadness
  • Depression
  • Grief
  • Intense Distress
  • Loneliness and Isolation
  • Anxiety or Panic
  • Anger of Rage
  • Shame or Guilt
  • Worthlessness

In addition to the aforementioned feelings, emotional pain may also accompany certain destructive and harmful behaviors, such as:

  • Continued or increased substance use
  • Violence or aggression towards others
  • Compulsive and risky behaviors such as excessive shopping or spending, gambling, and sexual activities.
  • Eating disorders

These types of behaviors can exacerbate the original physical or mental health symptoms that led to the use of alcohol, illicit drugs, or pharmaceutical medications. In this way, substance use disorder, medications, and emotional pain can be a dangerous cycle.

The Physical Impact of Emotional Pain

In addition to the mental effects, emotional pain can have a substantial physical toll. If left unchecked, emotional pain can manifest itself as physical symptoms and cause noticeable pain. This can lead to even greater levels of distress and further hamper an individual’s ability to function regularly. Some of the lingering physical effects that can result from emotional pain include: 3

  • Stomachache or gastrointestinal issues
  • Diarrhea
  • Muscle pain, particularly in the neck, arms, and legs

Much like the negative behavioral aspects that can be caused by emotional pain, physical and emotional pain can become a self-sustaining cycle. People who experience the physical effects of emotional pain can become even more distressed by declining health or additional symptoms, worsening their mental health.

Underlying Causes of Emotional Pain

adults who struggle with depression

Too often, the cause of depression and other types of emotional pain is attributed to a simple “chemical imbalance” inherent in the brain. This theory, however, is only a theory – and it is one that has never been proven by qualified research. The pharmaceutical industry, though, has capitalized on that theory and created a plethora of medications designed to artificially inflate important brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters, including serotonin and norepinephrine. 4 The true sources of emotional pain are much more complex and nuanced than a simple chemical imbalance. 

Emotional pain can emerge from several sources, including the very drugs prescribed to resolve it. Obtaining a deeper understanding of these causes can help individuals experiencing emotional pain address them instead of relying on psychiatric medications.

Here are some of the common underlying causes of emotional pain:

Loss

Suffering a significant loss of life or bereavement, the loss of employment, or the end of a personal relationship can create an acute sense of grief, sorrow, sadness, and mourning that can lead to long-term emotional pain.

Trauma

Experiencing traumatic events such as severe accidents, disasters, violence and abuse, or combat can lead to long-term emotional scarring. Conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD can also result from traumatic experiences.

Loneliness

Feeling isolated or detached from other people, particularly if prolonged, can lead to intense feelings of sadness, depression, and despair. Extended periods of loneliness or isolation can also contribute to other mental health conditions. 

Mental Health Conditions

Certain conditions, including anxiety and other disorders, can contribute to emotional pain, which in turn can deepen the overall pain and condition, potentially creating a vicious cycle. 

Missed Opportunities

Falling short of one’s personal goals and expectations or those brought on externally can lead to intense feelings of disappointment and self-criticism. Significant or repeated failures can contribute to emotional pain by creating feelings of inadequacy and diminished self-esteem for long periods of time.

Chronic Stress

Continual stressors derived from work obligations, financial pressures, and personal relationships can build up to cause significant emotional pain. Chronic stress can often lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression in the long term, which can result in several physical health problems as well as emotional pain.

Substances 

Illicit and legal substances, like street drugs and alcohol, truly can cause the neurological and neurotransmitter issues theorized to cause depression. When coupled with the social and relationship issues caused by substance use disorder, this can lead to emotional pain.

Medications

Certain medications can contribute to emotional pain, as indicated below.

What Are the Emotional Side Effects of Drugs?

Many medications carry the risk of imposing both physical and psychological side effects. Unfortunately, emotional pain from drugs is one of the more concerning side effects caused by medications used to address physical and emotional pain. 

Here are some of the common emotional side effects linked to medications:

  • Increased emotional sensitivity. Common pain relievers, like ibuprofen, have been linked to fluctuations in emotional sensitivity or hurt feelings among men and women who take pain relievers regularly. 6
  • Decreased empathy towards others. Some common drugs used to provide pain relief, including recreational drug use, have been linked to decreasing levels of empathy towards other people who are experiencing discomfort. 6,18
  • Impacted ability to process information. It’s been found that some individuals who have taken acetaminophen for pain relief treatment can make more mental errors and notice an impacted cognitive processing ability. 6
  • Reduced emotional attachment. Certain individuals taking various painkillers or other substances for relief have shown a reduced emotional attachment. 6, 19
  • Blunted emotional response. Select individuals have also shown dampened emotional responses to people and social experiences when taking antidepressants. 7

The emotional side effects of drugs and medications can have a subtle yet significant impact on an individual’s life.

Drugs and Medications That Can Cause Depression as a Side Effect

Common depression symptoms, such as sadness, trouble sleeping or focusing, and others, can be overwhelming to handle and often impact a person’s ability to perform the duties of their daily life. Identifying the root cause of depression can be difficult, and there are often multiple factors that contribute, from genetics to medical history to personal circumstances. It’s significant that many people are unaware of the way drugs and medications can affect emotions.

Here are some common drugs that cause depression and may contribute to or exacerbate its symptoms:

Prescription Drugs

  • Stimulants – Many stimulant medications are used to improve mood and attention. However, both illicit and prescription stimulants have been linked to depression and can cause withdrawals that exacerbate emotional symptoms. 8
  • Opioids – Although the intended use of prescription opioids is to treat severe pain, both prescription and illicit opioids have been heavily linked to both depression and addiction, particularly in cases of long-term use. 9
  • Antidepressants – As the name implies, antidepressants are specifically used with the intent of treating depression. However, the side effects of antidepressants include neurotransmitter fluctuation, headache, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, changes in appetite, sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal problems, dizziness, dry mouth, rash, blurred vision, and even apathy. These additional side effects often worsen depression symptoms. 10
  • Benzodiazepines – Xanax and other benzodiazepines are typically prescribed to treat insomnia and anxiety; however, higher doses have been linked to increased depression. This can be particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol or other substances. 11
  • Corticosteroids – Corticosteroids such as Prednisolone are used to treat cases of swelling and inflammation in the body, including arthritis, allergies, and more. However, there is an increased risk of depression due to the medication changing the structure of or damaging certain parts of the brain. These medications may also alter gene expression, which can also lead to other adverse psychiatric effects. 12
  • Hormonal Contraceptives – Birth control pills, IUDs, patches, and even vaginal rings have been linked to depression, potentially leading to worsened symptoms. 13
  • Isotretinoin – Commonly used to treat severe acne, isotretinoin interferes with the body’s ability to bind with retinoid compounds. Documented depressive symptoms and even multiple cases of suicide have been associated with isotretinoin use. 14
  • Levetiracetam & Zonisamide – Anticonvulsive drugs used to treat seizure disorders, have been linked to psychiatric side effects. 15
  • Omeprazole – Proton Pump Inhibitors, like Omeprazole, are designed to treat acid reflux and reduce stomach acid. However, they do carry a risk of inducing depression symptoms and suicidal thoughts. 16
  • Alcohol – Chronic alcohol use can halt neurogenesis, causing depressive symptoms. 17

Understanding and identifying the potential risks and emotional pain side effects of medical and nonmedical drugs can prove to be vital for the status of your mental health. The medications and substances intended to eliminate emotional pain may be causing more while failing to address the root cause of the issue. 

Our Approach at Alternative to Meds Center

People have the mental and physical capacity to withstand a great deal of pain when facing times of significant duress. Just because you can live through times of emotional pain, however, does not mean you should. Alternative to Meds Center can perform lab testing to determine whether allergies, nutritional deficiencies, or the toxic burden of medications may be linked to your emotional pain. We can help you address environmental factors and find solutions to alleviating your emotional pain without additional toxic burden.

Find a Lithium

Our approach is to leave no stone unturned in the search for underlying causes of emotional pain. Our team can help you develop a holistic treatment plan to reduce your emotional pain without taking on the risks and side effects of unnecessary medications. 

At Alternative to Meds Center, we are deeply familiar with the overwhelming nature of depression and emotional pain. We know that simply medicating to mask the emotional pain very rarely produces effective or lasting results for patients. Our holistic approach focuses on identifying the underlying causes of emotional pain in order to treat the pain at its source.

Contact our compassionate team or fill out our online form to learn more about the various alternatives to medication in order to treat emotional pain and improve the quality of your daily life.

Sources:

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  2. Tossani E. The Concept of Mental Pain. Psychother Psychosom 1, 82 (2): 67–73. January 2013. [Cited 2024, Aug 21] 
  3. Chu B, Marwaha K, Sanvictores T, et al. Physiology, Stress Reaction. [Updated 2024 May 7]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan. [Cited 2024, Aug 21]
  4. Lacasse JR & Leo J. Antidepressants and the chemical imbalance theory of depression: A reflection and update on the discourse. The Behavior Therapist. 2015. [Cited 2024, Aug 21] 
  5. SAMHSA. Warning Signs and Risk Factors for Emotional Distress. Disaster Distress Helpline. June, 2023. [Cited 2024, Aug 21] 
  6. Ratner et al. Can Over-the-Counter Pain Medications Influence Our Thoughts and Emotions? Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2018. [Cited 2024, Aug 21]
  7. Harmer CJ, Bhagwagar Z, Perrett DI, Völlm BA, Cowen PJ, Goodwin GM. Acute SSRI administration affects the processing of social cues in healthy volunteers. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003 Jan;28(1):148-52. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300004. PMID: 12496951.[cited 2024 Oct 7]
  8. Chang Z, D’Onofrio BM, Quinn PD, Lichtenstein P & Larsson, H. Medication for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk for Depression: A Nationwide Longitudinal Cohort Study. Biological Psychiatry, 80(12), 916-922.2016. [Cited 20214, Aug 21] 
  9. Scherrer JF, Salas J, Copeland LA, Stock EM, Ahmedani BK, Sullivan MD & Lustman, PJ. Prescription opioid duration, dose, and increased risk of depression in 3 large patient populations. The Annals of Family Medicine, 14(1), 54-62.2016. [Cited 2024, Aug 21]
  10. Kelly K, Posternak M, Alpert JE. Toward achieving optimal response: understanding and managing antidepressant side effects. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008;10(4):409-18. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2008.10.4/kkelly. PMID: 19170398; PMCID: PMC3181894.[cited 2024 Oct 7]
  11. Guina J, Merrill B. Benzodiazepines I: Upping the Care on Downers: The Evidence of Risks, Benefits and Alternatives. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 7(2):17.  2018. [cited 2024 Oct 7]
  12. Kajiyama Y, Iijima Y, Chiba S, Furuta M, Ninomiya M, Izumi A, Shibata S, & Kunugi H. Prednisolone causes anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and altered expression of apoptotic genes in mice hippocampus. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 34(1), 159-165. 2010. [Cited 2024, Aug 21] 
  13. Skovlund CW, Mørch LS, Kessing LV, Lidegaard Ø. Association of Hormonal Contraception With Depression. JAMA Psychiatry. 73(11):1154–1162. 2016. [Cited 2024, Aug 21]
  14. Hull PR, D’Arcy C. Isotretinoin use and subsequent depression and suicide: presenting the evidence. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2003;4(7):493-505. doi: 10.2165/00128071-200304070-00005. PMID: 12814338[cited 2024 Oct 7]
  15. Chen B, Choi H, Hirsch LJ, Katz A, Legge A, Buchsbaum R, Detyniecki K. Psychiatric and behavioral side effects of antiepileptic drugs in adults with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2017 Nov;76:24-31. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.08.039. Epub 2017 Sep 18. PMID: 28931473.[cited @024 Oct 7]
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