Anti depressants

[chazza]

A friend of mine has been on anti depressants for as long as I've known her (over 10 years) and everytime something bad happens her she goes to the Dr and gets the dosage upped.

We've tried to talk her into counselling or other methods of coping with her problems but she seems to think nothing else will work.

She says she is now on or close to the highest dosage that can be prescribed, and has no plans to come off them (possibly ever). I don't know which particular one she is on

I just wondered how safe it is to be on them your whole life and are there any side effects?

[hc4361]

Her GP will be monitoring the situation. Some people cannot manufacture the hormone serotonin and lack of this causes clinical depression.
Just as some diabetic need insulin because they can't make their own, some clinically depressed people need anti-depressants to mimic serotonin.

[ummmm]

I went to the doctor once saying I couldn't sleep. Then I started crying. I left with a script for antidepressants. I wasn't depressed....I was tired.

I never took them.

[ACtheTROLL]

her GP will be monitoring the situation ... to make her life (the doctor's) easier - bung another pill - quieten her down ... get her out of the surgery

GPs do a hard job ... but there is a tendency to formulate treatment - not to apply it - and where specialist knowledge is required - they don't always have it

my GP recently referred me to (the wrong) specialist despite my telling her there was a letter in the system detailing what actions to take if this happened ... she didn't even look at my file - just wrote the referral - the blood tests indicate ....

the specialist agreed that he wasn't the person to see - and referred me to the guy I'd wanted in the first place....

the point being that depression is difficult to diagnose ... and just as hard to treat

your friend is - or will get to the stage when the pills ensure she can't cope.... and better yet ... she won't care she can't

it's not easy - but she's an addict - and probably terrified of actually feeling

[chazza]

This is what i thought as I know a GP issued me with anti depressants when I wasn't depressed one time.

I worry that it is an easy way out, to treat the symptoms and not the cause.

This is what i was wondering about AC, will there be a stage when she can't get anything stronger and what will happen then!