What to expect when training on Anti-Depressants

We take a look at things to expect when training BJJ while being on anti-depressants

This article has been written with the help of numerous people who have shared their experiences and wish to be anonymous.

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While I write this, I know this article might make little sense to people who have never been on Anti-depressants or any other medication that ‘hijacks’ your sensory experience. It is exactly like trying to talk about Jiu-Jitsu to your 'muggle’ friend who perhaps thinks that Jiu-Jitsu is Judo, or even worse Karate. Yet, a conversation must be had, because there will surely be a handful of us that train Jiu Jitsu on anti-depressants.

For our ‘muggles’, in a nutshell, Anti-depressants coax the nervous system into releasing an excess of neurotransmitters. They usually work by increasing the production of a particular brain chemical and making it last longer most notably noradrenaline and serotonin. Both of these chemicals are supposed to be responsible for mood and emotions. But of course, trying to hijack chemical production has its downfalls and severely affects not only athletic but mental performance as well, in a sport as vigorous as Jiu Jitsu.

I’ve often googled how one feels on antidepressants to see if I feel the way I should feel. Basically to see if it is even working. And I have realized that everyone has their way of processing anti-depressants; different bodies, different processing units. Some experience elevated mood changes in their first couple of weeks, and some don’t. Some experience weight loss while others experience weight gain. It’s quite phenomenal how different we are and how differently it affects us. Nevertheless, some things inherently affect all of us on antidepressants, and although there have been not a lot of studies done to see how antidepressants can affect athletic performance, here are a couple of side effects that one should be prepared to face in the training room.

Weight Problems

One of the weirdest experiences I had was when I was eating around 1500 calories daily and still wasn’t able to lose weight, even after excessive workouts. Your weight will suffer, regardless of what you are trying to achieve and that is one of the reasons why it is certainly not wise to cut weight for a competition on antidepressants. If you are trying to lose fat in general, the best option would be not to test the scale, but instead develop habits that would eventually lead you to a healthier lifestyle.

Bye-Bye Cardio

Say goodbye to rolling 5 rounds of 5 minutes with a couple of seconds break in between. You are sparring from a disadvantage that your training partners necessarily won’t notice because your disadvantage comes from a chemical imbalance in the brain, if it was an injury, it would be a whole different story. Similarly to how we roll when we are a ‘bit’ injured and pace ourselves, when on antidepressants we should also pace our rolls and try to remember that our rounds are starting at a disadvantage. Your cardio is bound to take a heavy hit.

In a daze

I’ve had this a couple of times after trying to really go hard in sparring and I don’t know if it is physical exertion itself or just the drugs, or maybe a mixture of both, but there are some times that you will feel like you are in a daze on the mats, especially after sparring. Like you are in a dream and everything is running at a crazy pace while you are just watching it unfold. I don’t know how to explain it better but one of the analogies could be 'that’ famous scene in pop culture where a person is standing in the middle of a road and everyone around him is moving at lightning speed. Something like that.

Mood Swings

Sure, anti-depressants are supposed to make you feel better but if you invest yourself emotionally into Jiu-Jitsu (I’m talking about 110%), then this can take a very dark turn where every little detail that does not go according to you can lead to a roller coaster of emotions - ranging from extremely happy for no reason to borderline suicidal. It becomes a toxic relationship where the mats start affecting you mentally. This is also one of the reasons why you should not compete when on antidepressants. I have made this mistake and there were some car rides home where I thought about some dark stuff.

Decreased Reaction Time

Just like cardio, your reaction time will suffer and could lead to a loss of cognitive function. You won’t be able to feel the sweep like you did before or your takedowns will always result in being sprawled upon. There will be a delay of reaction and that is normal. They can also lead to a lack of coordination, muscle aches, and fatigue in general. You will feel tired for no reason at all. All of these are side-effects that will be there.

Final Thoughts

Being on anti-depressants takes a heavy toll not only on the mind, which is quite ironic but on the body as well. When training a sport as physically and mentally demanding as Jiu-Jitsu one should always ask themselves the question, ‘Why?’, ‘Why do I train at all?’ I’ve found the answer for me, to be that it is good for my mental health, and there is no more to it. That means when I go train, I behave like a kid who is eating his favorite chocolate and enjoying, savoring, every second of it.

I believe that everyone has to find out ‘that’ why and develop around that frame. If your ‘why’ is also mental health then anti-depressants will never become a hindrance to it. Sure, they will affect your athletic performance but that is not your ‘why’. Look at Jiu-Jitsu objectively, a hobby, something that makes you happy, and understand that when on anti-depressants you are fighting from a position of huge disadvantage. Every round you start is starting with someone already on your back, so don’t be too hard on yourself on the mats, your anti-depressants are already doing it for you.

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