"When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric." That feeling, known as a "runner's high," can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life." Seriously, it's like being high but not. It's an all over tingly feeling and feeling like you can do anything. I have never felt like that before. Ever.
"Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters implicated in depression. In fact, many antidepressants are designed to increase the serotonin levels in the brain. According to Harvard Health Publications, exercise may be an effective way to help improve your mood. By releasing serotonin and other endorphins, exercise can be useful in treating depression." Yep. And without the nasty side effects. While it's true that the medication I took for several years helped me function, it did some pretty unpleasant things to my body too.
Abilify (aripiprazole) is an antipsychotic medication. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain. It's used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression). It is also used together with other medications to treat major depressive disorder in adults. They put me on Abilify to help my other two medications work better. And it did. It also caused me to gain weight at an absurd and frightening rate. Abilify is one of the reasons I hit almost 600 pounds. And it happened fast. I don't take it anymore.
Common Abilify side effects may include:
- weight gain;
- blurred vision;
- drooling;
- dizziness, drowsiness; or
- sleep problems (insomnia).
I was on two others too. Wellbutrin and Lexapro. Wellbutrin (bupropion) is an antidepressant medication used to treat major depressive disorder and seasonal affective disorder. Lexapro (escitalopram) is an antidepressant belonging to a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Escitalopram affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression or anxiety. Lexapro is used to treat anxiety in adults.
Here's the list of side effects for Lexapro. Again, I experienced most of them.
- Constipation
- decreased interest in sexual intercourse
- diarrhea
- dry mouth
- ejaculation delay
- gas in the stomach
- heartburn
- inability to have or keep an erection
- loss in sexual ability, desire, drive, or performance
- sleepiness or unusual drowsiness
- trouble sleeping
Notice the "trouble sleeping"? Not the worst side effect, but close to it. Sure, I didn't feel like I was going crazy, I also wanted to sleep 20 hours a days but couldn't.
And here we have Wellbutrin:
- Anxiety
- dry mouth
- hyperventilation
- irregular heartbeats
- irritability
- restlessness
- shaking
- shortness of breath
- trouble sleeping
Hey, look at that, "trouble sleeping". And let me tell you, the "irritability" was real. Just ask my wife and kids. Maybe it had a little to do with the fact that I didn't sleep for months. So yes, these three medications helped me get the panic attacks under control. Probably saved my life. But after a couple years they didn't work as well yet still provided all the wonderful side effects. Medications work, but they're a short term solution to a life long problem. I suppose you could choose to stay on them for ever, change them up, live with the side effects, or you could exercise. The difference in how I feel now as opposed to how I felt on medication is really indescribable. It's living in a fog compared to standing on a beach with a strong wind in your face. And they certainly never triggered an endorphin rush. Not even close.
So what are the side effects of exercise? Pretty much the opposite of all those listed above. Weight loss. Improved mood. More energy. Looking better. Increased testosterone production. Sleeping better. Well, since I'm making lists and all, here's the side effects of exercise.
- Reduce stress
- Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
- Boost self-esteem
- Improve sleep
- It strengthens your heart.
- It increases energy levels.
- It lowers blood pressure.
- It improves muscle tone and strength.
- It strengthens and builds bones.
- It helps reduce body fat.
- It makes you look fit and healthy.
Horrible aren't they? And then there's that endorphin rush. It's been theorized that problems with endorphin production or the binding process may be responsible for clinical depression or sudden shifts in emotions. When you don't produce them normally you certainly feel it when they kick in.
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