Does any here have experience with antidepressants?

[Galteeth]

Everyone gets the 'blues', everyone will experience situational depression in their lives. Using supplements in place of professional assessment, is risky. I will never understand why anyone would play around with their brain chemistry! Thats playing with fire. Just because you can do it and the means is available doesn't mean you should.


t.

We are always playing around with our brain chemistry. it's called being conscious.

 

[Galteeth]

Finally, I have to vent off a peeve. Self-diagnosis and treatment has been encouraged. There is a plethora of information available on the internet some which is nothing but snake oil, 30 second Ads for medications which seeks to replace the education/experience of a physician in determining the need/appropriateness of serious medications, some even pitched by fear. There are OTC supplements which are dangerous that include those to build muscle, etc. and can by themselves produce problems unforeseen by the user. Although people have the capacity to understand more, that decade or more of education of a physician cannot be short-circuited with a 30minute or even a 30day PhD on the net.

I supposse this touches on a hot political topic, but I have to express my STRONG disagreement with your point of view. For many years I went to various psychiatrists and went through the gauntlet of various SSRIS. they were totally ineffective (as in zero percent) yet I kept getting prescribed them. I knew from researching (again, for years, not thrity days), that their were other options available. Most docs didn't want to "take the risk". Anyway, long story short, I had to doctor shop to try MAOIs, which have so far been the only helpful thing.
Critical thinking does not just mean being selectively skeptical. i would encourage anyone who is suffering from any medical problem to research for themselves and not just blindly trust someone because they have a piece of paper from the government.

 

[Proton Soup]

yes, SSRIs have become a bit of a panacea. how they may or may not work is sketchy at best. for example, another drug used to treat depression is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianeptine" , an SSRE (selective serotonin reuptake enhancer).

and http://www.deplin.com/DeplinFacts,HowItWorks" is a TMM that enhances synthesis of all three monoamine transmitters.

 

[Nan]

I supposse this touches on a hot political topic, but I have to express my STRONG disagreement with your point of view. For many years I went to various psychiatrists and went through the gauntlet of various SSRIS. they were totally ineffective (as in zero percent) yet I kept getting prescribed them. I knew from researching (again, for years, not thrity days), that their were other options available. Most docs didn't want to "take the risk". Anyway, long story short, I had to doctor shop to try MAOIs, which have so far been the only helpful thing.
Critical thinking does not just mean being selectively skeptical. i would encourage anyone who is suffering from any medical problem to research for themselves and not just blindly trust someone because they have a piece of paper from the government.

True, critical thought is necessary. Your experience points to a major flaw in the delivery of health care today. You obviously are capable of research and understanding. No everyone is or has the capacity to understand and sort out complex data/research, pathophysiology, the extremes in textbook cases, etc. The government quite complicit in this very fine mess. It is an extremely complex maze which is unfair in countless ways to patients and those health care providers who are there as a vocation.

Not to get too political: Tort reform is a critical element in reform of health care. Doctors are risk adverse in particular fields to almost a total seizure of their abilities to practice, even forcing some out after decades of practice (see obstetrics). A little bit of sunshine is necessary.

I wish you the best of luck in finding effective therapy and a physician who can help. It is a very long row to hoe for all too many which is unnecessary and unfair.