# Dr won't give antidepressants



## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

I just got back from my Dr appointment. He wouldn't give me an antidepressant. He said that if you have reasons to be depressed, it isn't clinical depression, therefore it doesn't need to be treated with antidepressants.So he validated my depression, but did nothing about it. Where does that leave me? It didn't help that I made the appt specifically to talk about Elavil, but by the time I got in to see him I had developed a chest infection. He said he didn't want to discuss the elavil until a later date, after the infection was dealt with. The only reason he said what he did was because I wouldn't let it go. I swore I wouldn't leave his office without something for depression, and here I am, empty handed, again. How does he always get around me? He's like a darned political leader.It takes weeks for those things to kick in and I was hoping to start now, so that I would actually care about Christmas when it got here.Based on his evaluation, anyone taking antidepressants is "clinically" depressed. Thats ironic because I wasn't depressed 9 years ago when he started giving them to me. Boy, am I confused.Lori


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

Hi LoriAnn. As to whether your particular experience of depression is clinical depression or not, there are guidelines and diagnostic criteria which you may want to check out for yourself, to see if you think your doctor is on target. Maybe this is what he was talking about?


> quote:Q. What is depression? [Types Index] | [Top] http://www.depressionalliance.org/Contents/index.htm Being clinically depressed is very different from the down type of feeling that all people experience from time to time. Occasional feelings of sadness are a normal part of life, and it is that such feelings are often colloquially referred to as "depression." In clinical depression, such feelings are out of proportion to any external causes. There are things in everyone's life that are possible causes of sadness, but people who are not depressed manage to cope with these things without becoming incapacitated. As one might expect, depression can present itself as feeling sad or "having the blues". However, sadness may not always be the dominant feeling of a depressed person. Depression can also be experienced as a numb or empty feeling, or perhaps no awareness of feeling at all. A depressed person may experience a noticeable loss in their ability to feel pleasure about anything. Depression, as viewed by psychiatrists, is an illness in which a person experiences a marked change in their mood and in the way they view themselves and the world. Depression as a significant depressive disorder ranges from short in duration and mild to long term and very severe, even life threatening. Depressive disorders come in different forms, just as do other illnesses such as heart disease. The three most prevalent forms are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder


This link has info on symptoms and diagnostic criteria: http://www.depressionalliance.org/Contents/index.htm And another link you may (or may not! lol) find useful : "What should you look for in a doctor? How can you tell if he/she really understands depression?" http://www.depressionalliance.org/Contents/index.htm I don't know if it is the same where you live, but over here in my area of the UK, doctors often recommend counselling to patients. Counselling can be very useful for patients with 'secondary' depression, which means it is being caused by their life events. Counselling can help them work out ways to tackle their situation ('problem-solving') to improve their low-mood. Well, that's my experience and memory of things anyway LoriAnn, I don't know if it's standard practice or what, but I wondered if your doctor had mentioned this sort of counselling to you. Another thought I had, was that depression (whether it's clinical or not) must be a really common experience amongst people with chronic illness, so I wonder what the standard practice for that is? There's some info about the sort of counselling I mentioned here:


> quote:http://www.cchs.net/health/health-info/doc....asp?index=9288*A Vicious Cycle: Chronic Illness And Depression*Psychotherapy, or "therapy" for short, actually refers to a variety of techniques used to treat depression. Psychotherapy involves talking to a licensed professional who helps the depressed person:Focus on the behaviors, emotions, and ideas that contribute to his or her depression. Understand and identify the life problems or events, such as a major illness, a death in the family, a loss of a job, or a divorce, that contribute to depression and help them understand which aspects of those problems they may be able to solve or improve. Regain a sense of control and pleasure in life. *Tips for Coping With Chronic Illness*Depression, disability, and chronic illness form a vicious circle. Chronic illness can bring on bouts of depression, which, in turn, can lead to a run-down physical condition that interferes with successful treatment of the chronic condition. Following are some tips to help you better cope with a chronic illness:Learn how to live with the physical effects of the illness. Learn how to deal with the treatments. Make sure there is clear communication with your doctors. Try to maintain emotional balance to cope with negative feelings. Try to maintain confidence and a positive self-image. Get help as soon as symptoms of depression appear.


Of course that info and suggestions may not be the right thing for you Lori. Maybe the right think is to give your doctor a







over the head







Remember that you can ask for a second opinion, and you don't need to tell your existing doctor that you want to do that.Take care,


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## Judy (Jan 2, 1999)

Boy, now that is a switch from all of the doctors I've seen! they ALL want to give me anti-depressants...and I'm not even depressed! Therefore I will NOT take them and then they make me feel guilty because I won't do what they want me to so they don't want to see me again! Go figure! I assume they are going on the theory that it will calm that vagus nerve thta runs from brain to gut? But I am SO afraid of the side affects of those things I cannot bring myself to put one in my mouth. Mainly because the main side affect with them is always diarrhea...which I have big time...all the time. I just know it will make it worse nad I can't take any worse and still function. So I live on Bentyl and Immodium for four years now. Just goes to show the difference in doctors.Judy


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Hi Lori







I posted under your Elavil thread.I really think your Doc made a wise choice on not giving you an anti-depressant.Morphine probably isn't the best way to go either, but I think I'd take that over the Elavil when it comes to managing the pain. Elavil isn't all it's cracked up to be. It blows me away that they want to give us an anti-depressant for pain management. I firmly believe that it screws us up more in the long run. Hang in there.


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## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

Thank you so much Susan, you work so hard for this site and everyone here. I appreciate it so much, especially when I know you don't feel well either. If the doctor had wanted to send me to therapy I would have gone, but he never mentioned it, the problem is that there is a 2 year waiting list for therapy here. Its so bad that a couple of months ago, a suicidal person jumped through a third story window at the hospital when they told him they couldn't help him (yet) he died of course, to make his point. And they made changes, now they keep them on the ground floor. This system sucks when people are in need. What good is free when you can't get it at all?Judy, I understand your point very well. The same doctor was so quick to give me elavil back in 93, when I wasn't complaining about depression, and he kept me on it 8 years. Thats half the reson I am so confused.Karen, I went over and read your post about the elavil, and you are right, I did complain about my stomach when I was taking it and it was bad enough to make me get off it, but what I have been thinking about lately is that getting off the elavil hasn't helped my stomach at all. Nothing is changed, in fact its much worse. I guess I am desperate and grasping at straws, I wasn't even sure I would want to take it again, (thats why I was looking for a replacement)but I wanted to talk to him about a very low dose, or other options, after all, elavil isn't exactly the ideal drug for depression.But I didn't get that far with him, and its more because the office was packed and he was hours behind. I actually got up to leave & asked the nurse to reschedule me for next week, but she said that I looked to sick to go home and that I should stay to see him. So I stayed, for all the good it did me.The chronic illness is the problem with my depression, I know that. I would always say to my husband or kids, "when I feel better we'll.........whatever. I always managed to hang on to the illusion that someday I would feel better, until now. This is as good as it gets. I know it, and I have to accept it, but can I live with that, do I even want to? I have dragged myself through nearly 30 years of this ####, I paid my dues, but I can't face the idea of another 30 years of it, its all I can do to face tomorrow.I'm going back to the doctor next week, and thats exactly what I am going to tell him, and I'm not going to let him cut me off.Anyway, I seem to have found a tea I can tolerate, caffeine free earl grey. That has made me smile a bit, I have missed having a cup of tea on a dreary day. Its the little things that keep us going I guess.Lori


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## weener (Aug 15, 2000)

Lori Ann, I'm glad you are going back next week to see your doctor. Hopefully he will listen and recommend something for you. My concern was that he didn't recommend something else for you ie) therapy. Depression is a very serious illness and he shouldn't have left you hanging. I truly believe that society has to start recognizing that mental illness is as serious as physical illness. Maybe you can emphasize how you've been feeling lately and how you need help of some type. If it isn't medication then therapy. For myself, I was at the end of my rope, too much going on and when I went into the office I actually broke down in tears and told him, how close I was to ending it all. He ended up giving me zoloft and told me to come back within a week. If you decide to go the therapy route, you might be able to get into private therapy. I saw a therapist run by a church group. I paid a fee according to my income. Which wasn't much then, so I paid $20.00 a visit. Lori Ann, good luck with next week, please let us know how everything goes.


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Lori,Weener has some good advice. Therapy might be a good idea. You've had so much to handle for so long and you've tried to be so strong; perhaps if you had someone who could be your "sounding board"? Someone who can be "impartial" to everything going on? A thought.Take care and let us know how your appointment goes.


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## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

Keep us posted! (((hugs)))


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## Mio (Dec 19, 1999)

I also think itï¿½s strange that your doctor didnï¿½t recommended a therapist ...I was in therapy for about three years and that was best thing Iï¿½ve done. I was on anti-depressive too for a while but it was after my therapy that I finally came out of my depression. Keep us posted!Take care, Mio


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## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

Hi everyone, i just got back from my doctor and I think he was actually listening, he asked questions about my moods, sleeping & activity. I was so afraid to go to him with this, I was scared of the possibility that he would say depression was causing me to be so ill. I felt so much better when he said that being so ill for the last year and in so much pain is likely altering my mental state and that I couldn't be expected to cope with it for so long without intervention.He has given me a prescription for paxil to try, 10mg for the first 14 days, if I don't suffer major side effects I am to double the dose and stay on it for 6 weeks, but he wants to see me before that. How it will mix with all the other drugs I am taking i don't know, but I will try anything.Weener did you belong to the church which helped provide councelling? The church I use to belong to had a bad reputation for repeating peoples private business in this small town, so I am a bit wary of talking to anyone who isn't bound by law to keep quiet. I think about going to church sometimes, maybe a little faith would be good for me, but I rarely leave the house anymore except for seeing doctors and tests, I just can't seem to muster up the desire to do anything. I am tired of channel flipping though, I've seen enough Little House on the Prairie and Matlock shows to last me a lifetime. I haven't even finished my xmas shopping, a rare thing for me, but I just don't care enough to do it. I think I am too tired to be a basket case. I hope this drug helps, I am tired of feeling terrible even when I am not in terrible pain.If anyone else has experience with paxil please let me know.Lori


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## weener (Aug 15, 2000)

Lori Ann, I'm so glad that your doctor listened to you this time. You must be relieved. I don't have any experience taking the paxil, but my ex-mechanic has been on it for years and said that he couldn't survive without it. It took me a few weeks before I noticed a difference while taking the zoloft. Give it a chance, unless you have side effects. It may be the answer and if not then there are others to try. As for the therapy I didn't have to attend church to get into therapy. I found out about it through a friend who had been going there. It was called New Life Counselling. It was in a town 20 minutes from where I lived. I chose out of town for privacy, but I actually bumped into a couple of people from my town (coming out of the therapist office). I didn't feel so funny afterwards. I figured at least I admitted that I need help and seeked it. If you are not comfortable with your church, then I would go elsewhere. Usually in the larger towns or cities they have Mental Health depts. If you go to your local library they may even have a blue book with all the government agencies in it. I know they have that in Ontario. The other option is to go back to your doctor and ask him to refer you. Good luck Lori Ann I hope you find someone to help.


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## Mio (Dec 19, 1999)

Paxil worked very well for me and took away alot of anxiety. I didnï¿½t get any problem with side effects but I got bad withdrawl symptoms. It took me over 6 months before I could stop my medication, but that is probably individual.Take care!/Mio


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## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

thanks for the info weener, I'll look into it...I'm long overdue for therapy I think.Mio, I was just wondering, if you didn't experience side effects, why did you stop taking paxil? I can relate to how long it took you to stop, I had a similar experience with the elavil.Lori


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## Mio (Dec 19, 1999)

Hi Lori Ann,I stopped taking Paxil when I got over my depression. I think I was on Paxil almost two years and I was in therapy for three years. After that I didnï¿½t feel depressed and thru those years in therapy I felt so much better abut myself...Paxil got me throu my worst depression and therapy helped me see myself and my life in another perspective. Of course I get my ups and downs like everyone else but thats how life is I guess. /Mio


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

LoriAnn, how are you doing on the Paxil?


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## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

Hi Susan,I've been on the paxil for a little over a week now, I have not noticed much improvement in my symptoms but I have not had any bad side effects either, so I will stick with it for a while. Any side effects I have been experiencing are debatable as I have gone from a Chest infection, to an ear infection and now to a sinus infection, I am on so many meds I can't keep them straight and anyone of them or the infections could be making me feel so crapy, 2 antibiotic pills, antibiotic ear drops, 3 stomach meds, estrogen patch, morphine & paxil. Just trying to space them out so they don't interact with each other is a major challenge. I have a few more days of antibiotics to take, I will hopefully have a better idea then how the paxil is doing. Its hard to believe that 8 months ago I wasn't taking a thing. Thank you for asking.Lori


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

So many meds, so little time!







I'm glad you haven't had any bad side effects from the Paxil so far. Those infections sound horrible LoriAnn. Hope the antibiotics knock them on the head soon, just like this:







take care,


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Oh gosh, Lori Ann, you've got so darn many things to fight off all at once. I'm so sorry. I was so hoping you would be feeling a little better---not worse. Darn it! I owe you a letter and I promise I will write soon. It's been a circus around here lately. Take care. Thinking of you.


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