June 24, 2007 - 9:38am
I've never posted a forum topic so I hope Im doing this right. Over the years, my doc has prescribed about a half dozen Anti Depressants (hereafter referred to as ADs), zoloft, paxil. welbutrin, celexa, Cymbalta, and another or so that I can't remember. My family doc, prescribed these. They NEVER did anything but whack me out, not in a good way (if there is a good way to whack out), make me feel funny, nauseas, cloudy, and more. They seem to docs to be the Magic pill for everything. My wife, took a few, but for Migraines and one seemed to actually help her for that purpose, but she eventually got to the point where it was making her feel funny too. There may also be a placebo affect with these things, if you think they work, they work.....
Frankly and personally I don't believe in Seratonin Balance, although I did some research that says Timothy Leary and Albert Hoffman did a loooong time ago. Their use of it was for different purposes. I have taken the stance that some docs want these pills to be magic pills to make their jobs easier to treat symptoms and not have to deal with psychological issues (not their job anyway) that are the real roots to some of these issues. I recently began seeing a shrink who does all the talking, doesn't seem to give a hoot about the issues that I came to see him about, i.e. grief from lost parents, early child abuse, compartmentalizing problems, to be able to survive heavy loads of them, chronic pain and more. Instead of taling with me about my issues, he wants me now to use an EMSAM patch and talks to me like Im stupid when I tell him I dont want to use the AD. Well Im not stupid and I DON'T want another AD. He thinks it will help with my chronic pain (they don't) but his reasoning to tell me that is to get me off the few Norco I take. I "thought" that a psyciatrist was supposed to listen, perhaps not.
Anyway, not to digress too much more, which is hard as everything seems intertwined, I'd like to hear some opinions on the ADs, Seratonin balance and other folks experiences with them. Right now, I'm against them for "me", but feel if they help someone else...... then who am I to question that. Well I do question it. Even in those cases I think they are just masks and don't deal directly with the problem. I think that they are the "easy way out" for many docs and that the drug companies have loaded them with samples and give them bonuses or other rewards to prescribe them. After all they have to pay for the R&D.
Opinions?
thelifeline
June 28, 2007 - 11:01am
#2
OK i guess no one has opinions on ADs
It's fine. I was just interested in other peoples thoughts on the "mass distribution" of ADs in todays society. If there are no thoughts, thanks anyway and I'll try to learn this one someplace else.
thelifeline
June 28, 2007 - 12:25pm
#3
bottom line
it is all about the bottom line, and of course, as always, the bottom line is money......
June 28, 2007 - 12:26pm
#4
You bring up an interesting
You bring up an interesting topic lifeline. I personally have been on a couple of AD off and on over the past few years and I feel that there are many people that definitely need ADs but I don't think this should ever be up to a primary care doc to decide. This should be left solely to psychiatrists. Primary care doc's are often influenced a little too hard by "big pharma", And now we see controlled release/extended release versions coming out, i.e. paxil cr. What is the purpose to this? Paxil was already a once a day medication and shortly after GlaxoSmithKline loses the patent to it they come out with Paxil CR and actually claim it to be necessary? And whats more surprising is that doctors actually buy into it.
Another big problem that I was getting at earlier is that these medications are SEVERELY over-prescribed, not everyone is depressed in a medical sense, that something is wrong with their mind chemically. If you just lost your wife/son/dog/favorite pair of pants, then yeah, of course you'll be down about it, and have a grieving period. Does this warrant anti-depressants for a non-existent chemical imbalance? No.
I actually remember going to a PCP with my girlfriend for restless legs syndrome and she checked the depressed box under "what are your symptoms? back pain, chest pain, fatigue, etc" And the doctor said "so you've been depressed lately?" my girlfriend responded with "Yeah, it's nothing serious, just some stress" (more or less) and rather than getting a prescription for something specifically for RLS, the doctor gave her Celexa and said "This is shown to help RLS in some people, but it will also help your depression". I'm sure this is an all too common scenario but I just used it as an example.
Let me make myself clear though, I'm not saying no one needs ADs, there are lots of people with chemical imbalances and receptors that don't "fire" right. I know I am, and I actually got it from genetics.
( on a side note I always saw the commercials for requip and figured RLS was something completely made up but that is 100% serious because her legs go crazy at night. I've never seen anything like it)
As far you seeing a shrink, if you want to talk--see a psychologist. If you want medications--see a psychiatrist. There are significant differences between the two.
Thats just my opinion anyway.
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Tuna
June 28, 2007 - 5:27pm
#5
I've also reached that conclusion
I'm afraid that you're right about the psychiatrist-psychologist thing. I know where the edge is and I think I'm close to it. My issues however are mental, I think. Seratonin balance is NOT my problem.
I even tried a bunch of the ADs through my family doc and now the new shrink is trying to talk me into an EMSAM patch, but I'm saying NO. (of course it was a sample box that I saw).
AD's are not the magic pill to solve all peoples problems and I am resenting being talked down to by some (not all) docs. This new shrink talked to me like was stupid when I didn't just let him guide me around by my nose ring and swallow any AD he thought I might try. (Usually the one that the sales rep left them the most samples for).
June 28, 2007 - 4:01pm
#6
Not that I don't have any
Not that I don't have any thoughts on the matter, but I have so many I could write about it for several hours. I thought it was a great topic. I am a supporter of antidepressants. The newer medications are generally save and effective for a variety of problems. Many patients prefer a medication to psycho-therapy either due to time, privacy, or cost.
July 6, 2007 - 6:37pm
#7
I agree that there is very
I agree that there is very little clinical utility to weekly prozac or paxil. It is just a gimmick in order to continue to compete with the generics. As you said, it is already only once a day. It is also easy to take, and few side effects related to actually swallowing the pill. Prozac is $10 for 100 day supply! Prozac weekly is $280 for 12 pills (a 90 day supply)! On the other hand, a psychiatrist charges $150-$200 a session, a psychologist about $100.
July 7, 2007 - 9:40pm
#8
I've been on ADs for several
I've been on ADs for several years now and they most likely have saved my marriage. For years I've dealt with thoughts and feels that seemed to have no logical catalyst. That said I definately agree that ADs are highly overprescribed. I think alot of folks that take them actually request them when they see their PCP. They see these comercials on TV that make them look like some joy pill that will make thier lives devoid of all depression and sadness and their doctors just freely prescibe them.
On a side note I've had difficulty in finding a psychiatrist that I'm comfortable with,and getting an appointment with a new one always takes at least a month. The only way they say that I can see someone sooner is to have myself committed(suicidal/homicidal.)
July 9, 2007 - 5:57pm
#9
I don't know
All I can comment on is my own experience with ADs. I was on one once without knowing it..... ala Zyban and when I took it the first time, I did really well and my wife said my entire attitude changed and i was wonderful to be around and then I went off it and started smoking again and wanted to quit and got it again and much to our demise I was a total maniac that time. That is when I found out I was taking Welbutrin and not some nicotine replacement therapy.
I am now taking Nortriptalyne/Pamelor and I feel like a million bucks as compared to 3 1/2 weeks ago. I don't know how long I will need to be on this medication but right now but I don't see a need to stop right now.
I do feel they are overprescribed and I do wish that the neurologist would have given me the referal to the psychiatrist when I asked vs. just prescribing an AD and telling me to come back in 3 months but that is what has happened and that is what I am going to do.
July 13, 2007 - 11:36am
#10
I was perscribed to Lexapro
I was perscribed to Lexapro for awhile while attending a councilor for depression and self harming. The only way i could keep getting Rxs for Lexapro would be to keep going to that annoying councilor. I tell my life story to her, see her 2 more times, then they effing switch councilors on me and i get this guy who talks to me like im 8. When i started to take the Lexapro, i didnt feel ANY different at all. I kept taking it because my mom would want me to and i wasnt really going to argue with her since its just swallowing a super small pill once a day. Lexapro didnt make me feel happy, nor did it do the opposite. It basically just put me in a non-caring mood. No emotions really...just like, i dont know...like a zombie mode. It did boost my confidence though with talking to new people and in front of crowds a little, but other than that, it never made me smile all day and stuff that people would think ADs would do. After awhile i just couldnt take the childish lectures so i stopped going and just stopped taking Lexapro and quite honestly, i feel the same and i still can never really understand what it even did.
July 14, 2007 - 8:33pm
#11
Each different AD has a
Each different AD has a different effect on each person. Years ago, I used to take Zoloft and I was on it for a year or two. Finally I went off, which was hard cause of what it did to me, then a year or two later I realized I needed an AD again. I tried the Zoloft again, and this time it was terrible! The side effects were bad, so I was switched to something else, which didn't work. I went through about five different AD before something finally worked for me; Prozac. I've been on and off that for the past year and a half, but haven't taken it now for about six months because of having no insurance.
I'm a social worker, not a medical professional. All comments and thoughts are simply my opinion and experience.
Sometimes it feels like the old "futuristic" movies and some new B budget ones, where in the year 2525, we're all wearing uniforms, watching public video brainwashing, take a blue pill for sleep and a red one to be "happy" and so on.... Sometimes I think the big pharmaceutical companies are looking for this red "happy pill" and we are the guinea pigs for the trials. You've all seen those movies. I can't think of the names of them right now. I'm open to this, believe me, the ultimate "happy pill", but I don't want to participate in the studies.....
thelifeline