If you're taking tranquilizers, antidepressants, or simulates such as the amphetamines or Ritalin, it's fairly obvious that they are going to affect mood. What is much less obvious is that hundreds of other drugs can alter mood, drugs you would not normally expect to have that effect. For example, some antibiotics and many blood pressure drugs affect mood, and consumers seldom get the proper warning.

The other problem is drugs supposed to create one change in mood have an opposite or some other unexpected effect. Some people become anxious or hostile after taking tranquilizers. .

Generally the mood effects of drugs tend to fall into two patterns. Some drugs are downers, and make people feel tired, listless,dully,not interested in things, or quite depressed. Many others are stimulants, making people anxious, jittery, unable to sleep, panicky or fearful. Antidepressant drugs can swing either way: making people anxious or nervous, or sleepy and sedated

Even more problematical are the cases where the drugs trigger hallucinations or aggression, hostility or outright psychosis (hearing voices, seeing visions)

However, in some ways, the more subtle mood affects are the worst because the consumer doesn't think to blame the drug. It is important to be aware that a LOT of drugs can affect mood in some people. If you discover you "don't seem to be your usual self" put the drug on your list of suspects.

If you do detect or suspect unwanted effects on mood, an alternative drug often be found to accomplish the medical purpose without throwing your world out of whack.

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