Some antidepressant side effects, for example, dry mouth, subside after a few weeks of using the medication, but others, notable sex problems, may persist. Compared with younger people, the elderly tend to be more prone to antidepressant side effects. Dr. Yudofsky says, 'It's just the opposite of drinking alcohol. With alcohol, you get the enjoyable effects right away. The hangover doesn't appear until the next morning.
Alcohol is a powerfully depressant drug.
Don't stop taking antidepressants abruptly. If you do, you may experience a variety of flu-like withdrawal effects. When you're ready to stop, work with your physician to taper off. Tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants also have limited usefulness in the elderly because their side effects may be severe in older adults. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.