Three weeks ago, Lucy Arnold, 28, started taking an antidepressant to treat her stress-induced anxiety. Since taking it, she's been sick nearly every day. "Sometimes it comes in waves and I can hold it, but other times I can't," she explains. "Today I had to leave work earlier than planned as I vomited all over my brand new office floor."
Ideally, Lucy would have been signed off work – like her GP advised – but because she's self-employed, it has proved impossible to take time out. Worse, the drugs' horrendous side effects could last for another six weeks. "I've been so tired but still trying to pull 12-hour days," she says.
In 2016, there were 64.7m prescriptions for antidepressants in England - an increase of 108.5% in a decade. Around one in 100 people taking antidepressants will experience common side effects such as nausea, headaches and tiredness – and yet recent research for the mental health charity Mind shows that many people choose not to tell their employers about mental health issues.
Which makes you realise that many people at work – perhaps even some in your office – might be silently struggling with the side effects of antidepressants while trying to find a treatment that's right for them.
