The doctors will prescribe you medication if it is what you want. They won't deny you medication. But they will monitor you closely, or at least my doctor did. I saw him every two weeks for months.
If you add the word "good" before doctors then that statement works, it's not always the case though.
The reason I was curious about people's stance is because I went in to see a doc a few weeks ago to get a certificate for taking a day off work, I had experienced what I expect was anxiety which I've never felt before, anyway I see him for 5 minutes and he gives me a script for 10mg Lexapro even though I did not ask for any kind of prescription, hell I didn't even mention medication. It's part of a larger generic medical centre where you never see the same doc twice so he didn't know anything about me beyond file notes. I had been in earlier to get a referral letter to see a therapist I have an appointment to see as it's a requirement of theirs but I didn't go into detail beyond answering a question on sleep patterns and mood, that doc wrote the letter, gave me a thyroid test and noted it on my file. Now there certainly are side effects of depression that I would like gone, it's exceptionally unproductive at best, but I question the cost. Clearly that doctor wasn't being helpful by throwing pills at me, although that doesn't make it an automatically bad solution.
I once called a psychiatrist and the devil said he charged $1000 for initial consultation. WTF! :steam: I needed help, desperately, but not at these prices.
Ouch!
I have comorbid anxiety and depression, and am currently on 20mg Lexapro. I had many many misgivings about medication and changing medications, even when they didn't work. I guess most of this stemmed from my fears about "losing my personality" and "damaging my creativity" etc. Mostly, I was afraid that my doctor would over-medicate me. However, he always listened to what I had to say, and allowed me to basically take charge of my own treatment and make my own decisions about the various options that he presented to me. So I guess I would say that I'm very lucky in having a sensible, supportive doctor.
So I guess my viewpoint is that while it may be oversold, but there are still situations that warrant antidepressants. In these situations, I'd be suspicious if the doctor didn't present all the options, talk about the side-effect profiles in the literature and pricing, and talk about a treatment plan that is complemented by lifestyle change and therapy. I would be even more suspicious if after finding the right medication and working on the treatment plan, he/she didn't talk about long-term goals to get off the medication.
I was pretty apprehensive when he wanted to give me a script, I straight away asked about the side effects, he gave a few quick things like nausea and headaches etc then basically sold it as a good and easy option I had. I'm not at all confident that he did it because it's the right option for
me. Something like 5-HTP for instance may have been a better choice, but nothing else was mentioned.
At the end of the day I'm happy to educate myself so I can make my own informed decisions about what's right for me but his approach was disconcerting.
So I immediately stopped taking it because a) I hadn't been given the option of an informed choice and b) I loathed and detested the thought that my emotions were being manipulated by drugs. I wanted to be me even if that meant I often felt miserable.
The second in my twenties for pain relief and at a tiny fraction of the therapeutic dose. It turned me into a brain dead zombie and I was so out of it that I didn't realise how out of it I was til I came off the drugs a few months later.
I agree with the idea of wanting to feel like yourself, regardless of how that feels, and the idea of medication numbing a person doesn't appeal. But on the other hand I know that I'm not naturally a depressive person so I'm really not myself anyway... *shrug*
Seems for every plus there's a negative.
So antidepressants didn't work for me, but I'm certainly not against prescription drugs being used for treatment- I just think that most doctors are close minded about the options that they have for treatment and only look at the most obvious ones
Totally agree. Also, your experience sounds scary!
Considering the potential for (common) adverse effects when considering SSRIs/SNRIs (e.g. weight gain, apathy, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, etc.) I am pre-disposed to encourage folks to try all other options first (exercise, better nutrition, counseling/CBT, and self-exploration.
You'd be amazed at how quickly your life improves when you feel better, look better, and eliminate as many things in your life (bad job, toxic people, demanding social groups, etc.) that contribute to feelings of unhappiness.
If you feel you are being prevented from living a normal, productive, and happy life then consider meds, but do so carefully.
umpyouup:
It kinda came down to that for me.
I've done the whole eliminate negative things and embracing the positive things like exercise and good food into my lifestyle and while it certainly has an impact it's just not enough. I understand the cause of my depression and self affirmations will not help.
I'm apprehensive but I've decided to give the SSRIs a shot with close monitoring of all side effects, moods and influencing factors, whilst still keeping the negative things out and exercise in, not too sure about the food part, I'm trying to be good but I haven't had an appetite for several weeks so I'm eating only because I know I should and probably not enough as a result.
It's been 10 days and I've already seen changes in mood and some side effects. Dunno how long I'll go but I don't feel numb at all so that much is ok so far.