Anti-depresants WARNING

[lsyorke]

CAnn, I'm happy that your daughter is doing well. You went into this well informed... sadly this is not always the case.

My goal is to encourage people to research what they are putting into their bodies. Just because a doctor prescribes it, doesn't make it right or safe for you. Just because you see something in a commercial doesn't mean it's good for everyone. And finally , just because a drug reaction isn't listed in the drug insert, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Remember those who print the information are the same ones that are making billions of dollars in profits... it's proven that sometimes they are not forthcoming in ALL the details.

 

[C.Ann]

Just because a doctor prescribes it, doesn't make it right or safe for you. Just because you see something in a commercial doesn't mean it's good for everyone. And finally , just because a drug reaction isn't listed in the drug insert, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Remember those who print the information are the same ones that are making billions of dollars in profits... it's proven that sometimes they are not forthcoming in ALL the details.

---------------------------------

Isn't that the truth! Can't tell you how many times I have gotten sick from various medications for routine health problems after the doctor has all but taken the Boy Scout oath that "this medicine won't bother you at all.. I promise.. " Yup - okay.. Maybe the times I ended up flat out on the bathroom floor I should have called him to come and take care of me..

The doctor I have now (an older female doctor) is much more inclined to listen when I talk and do her very best not to prescribe things that are going to make me sick.. And the BEST part is that she doesn't try to "fix things that aren't broke.." If I tell her medication "XYZ" works for me, then that's what she prescribes - not some new "wonder" drug..

 

[disneymom3]

I went to my doctor for problems with anxiety, she put me on Effexor. I have no idea why anxiety is treated with an anti-depressant. it kind of takes the edge off of life. it's OK, I guess.

Effexor is an anti-anxiety drug. That is it's main purpose according the the psychiatrist we consulted.

I agree that only psychiatrists should be prescribing these medications. GPs do not have the specialization that I personally think is needed for them. What I have seen is that GPs prescribe one med. If that doesn't work they try another one and maybe another after that. However, oftentimes the correct dose is a combination of two different drugs and I personally have never run across a GP who has enough of a handle on that to be prescribing them.

 

[dcentity2000]

Effexor is an anti-anxiety drug. That is it's main purpose according the the psychiatrist we consulted.

Venlafaxine (US brand name Effexor) is classed as an SSNaRI anti-depressant, mainly used for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.

I'm a bit surprised that it is being used to treat anxiety. True, it can help a great deal, but it's by no means the first port of call as it acts on norepinephrine, inhibiting the re-putake of said neurotransmitter.

Serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are a class of antidepressant used in the treatment of clinical depression and other affective disorders. They are also sometimes used to treat anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and chronic neuropathic pain. They act upon two neurotransmitters in the brain that are known to play an important part in mood, namely, serotonin and norepinephrine. This can be contrasted with the more widely-used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which act only on serotonin.

-- Wikipædia

A more typical treatment for anxiety would be a barbituate or a more generally sedative anti-depressant such as Dothiepin.

Not to say that Venlafaxine won't help - it just seems a tad unusual, at least in Europe.

Be warned though: Venlafaxine has a horrific withdrawal process compared to other anti-depressants and should be taken one step at a time.



Rich::

 

[disneymom3]

Rich, I stand corrected. Thanks for the info. As I said, that is what we were told by the psychiatrist.

At any rate it does wonders for the person I know who is taking it and it definitely is treating anxiety. Takes this person from being borderline unable to function to being a very productive confident person.

 

[dcentity2000]

At any rate it does wonders for the person I know who is taking it and it definitely is treating anxiety. Takes this person from being borderline unable to function to being a very productive confident person.

That's excellent!

All my warnings aside, psychiatric drugs can do wonders for those who take them



Rich::

 

[disneymom3]

I agree, Rich.

And I did not say in my previous posts, but I also agree with your basic stance that these drugs are overprescribed and at times used when they are not needed.

Sadly, there is still such a stigmatism on depression that there are still many many people who do not get the help they need.

 

[lsyorke]

Effexor has one of the worst withdrawals ("discontinuation syndromes) of all the ssri/snri's. Please be very careful if you ever decide to stop taking this drug.

 

[Holly]

I agree with the OP and believe it is something to be taken seriously.

Not only are they overprescribed, but the "trial and error" manner in which they are prescribed seems reckless at times.

 

[JerseyJanice]

One thing to keep in mind here--a doctor needs to prescribe all of the drugs discussed in this thread. If people are being prescribed drugs (on a long-term basis, especially) that they shouldn't be taking, then it's the prescribing doctor's responsibility, ultimately--not the patients.

IOW, no physician should be prescribing drugs for an area of medicine in which he/she hasn't been specially trained.

If your PMD found cancer in you, for example, he/she would refer you to an oncologist, and that is who would prescribe chemotherapy or other treatment. In the instance of a mental or emotion disorder, the PMD should refer you to a psychiatrist, who will recommend what he/she believes is the best course of treatment is. It could be some kind of psychotherapy or counseling (such as a psychologist might perform), it could be drugs, or it could be some combination of the two.

In any event IMO, it would be most helpful to tell people to see doctors trained in the areas in which they need treatment rather than telling them to avoid taking any properly prescribed anti-depressants (or any other kind of medicine, for that matter).

 

[Krissalee]

I went to my doctor for problems with anxiety, she put me on Effexor. I have no idea why anxiety is treated with an anti-depressant. it kind of takes the edge off of life. it's OK, I guess.

I don't know if it is one of the uses listed in the med books, but Effexor is often used when someone has a dx of depression, AND/OR social anxiety disorder. Maybe your doctor felt that from the symptoms you described were, rather than experiencing episodic anxiety, you were experiencing chronic social anxiety.

 

[skooniebird]

After following a number of threads here and elsewhere on the topic of anti-depressants (as well as other psychiatric drugs), I felt compelled to post this here.

Psychiatric drugs are serious things.

No-one even knows how they work yet.

Currently the "in thing" for doctors to do is to prescribe anti-depressant drugs to people who show even the whisperings of being depressed, even though they are indicated for Major Depressive Disorder. Typically, psychotherapy is not tried on it's own as it should be in the vast majority of cases.

Usually the drug concerned is an SSRI, a modern family of drugs still in patent today. Examples include Fluoxetine (US brand name: Prozac) and Sertraline (US brand name: Zoloft; UK brand name: Lustral). The more effective and older anti-depressants such as Dothiepin are more rarely prescribed as, being out of patent, they are no longer pushed by the drugs companies.

More worrying still, it appears that many psychiatrists readily prescribe anti-depressant medications to minors where the symptoms of depressions are mild to moderate.

Why is this worrying?

Well, psychiatric drugs mess with your head in ways that have not been sufficiently researched. This is especially true in regards to children, where there is evidence that anti-depressants can precipitate suicidal tendencies.

As such, all SSRIs are to be contraindicated for use in children INCLUDING Fluoxetine in the UK; anti-depressant drugs will only be prescribed when there is a real and immediate danger as to the child's life. The FDA in America is looking into following suit.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that people are too trigger happy with psychiatric medications and as such put a large group of individuals at risk of anything from tremor to hypertensive crisis resulting in strokes needlessly.

PLEASE remember that psychiatric medications are intended for serious cases only. If your doctor suggests them, make sure to quiz them about therapy (not counselling) and about older, more tried and tested drugs. This applies doubly to children - I'd strongly recommend getting a second opinion if medication is offered.

It's not that psychiatric medications are evil - far from it. They can help tremendously as well as harm people - it all depends on the patient. All I'm asking is for people to be a little more cautious.



Rich::

The problem is the lack of knowledge of most people about mental illness and it's effects and origins. Compared to research on cancer, heart diseaese, and so amny of these common ailments, we are still in the dark ages regarding our brains and how they work and how they effect our bodies and our moods. I believe any psychiatric medication should only be prescribed by a clinical psychiatrist. NOT the family doctor. And so many people need to get educated and have a wake up call. Would you tell someone with MS or heart disease to just "suck it up" it's all in their heads? Yet that is done to so many seriously in need of medication and help with the disorders happening in their brains. They are made to feel as though they are just being big babies. Try living in a seriously depressed person's mind and body, who can barely even move their limbs, and can do nothing but wish for death on a daily basis to just stop the physical and emotional pain it causes. Psychiatric meds should be more regulated. But given the state of our health care system and one psychiatrist visit runs from 100 to 300 dollars only partially if at all covered by insurance, you can se why people are getting scrips from the family doc. I have an ongoing problem which I receive 700 dollars a month from Social Security Disability. But as I have to see the psychiatrist at 150 dollars a pop every 6 weeks and can't have a job due to frequent dibillitating panic attacks it leaves my husband as the sole provider of a family of five. And we won't even talk about the pittance insurance covers for medication. It's a strain. It's no fun. The guilt of not being "normal" to people makes it 100 times worse. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. Great thought SHOULD be given to the use of these meds, but no one truly needing them needs to hear anyone not speaking from first hand experience soapboxing. Anyone can have my shoes any day.

 

[lsyorke]

Great thought SHOULD be given to the use of these meds, but no one truly needing them needs to hear anyone not speaking from first hand experience soapboxing.

I agree with everything that you say here. BUT first hand experiencing "soapboxing" is what has brought out the problems with these drugs. In reference to withdrawal, I can't tell you how many people have told me "I never would have taken this if I knew this was going to be so bad".

Yes, some will chose to take them because they're in such emotional pain that it's worth that risk. That is their choice and their decision and for them it is worth the risk. But the vast majority of these prescriptions are written for situations that aren't that dire.

This is all I'm saying... be aware of what you are taking. You are absolutely right that research on the brain and its functions are in the dark ages. That's why the information about ssri's is talked about in terms as "may be caused by a chemical imbalance". They just don't know definitively at this point in time. They don't know how these work... hence the "you have to try alot of different meds to find out what works for you" regardless of who is prescribing. It's trial and error on how you're going to react. Some get lucky and have good reactions, others aren't so lucky.

Someone going from migraine headaches(prescribed by a psychiatrist) to suicide is not soapboxing.. it's addressing both side of a drugs actions.

 

[magicmouse2]

To the OP - Many UK doctors are reluctant to prescribe prozac anyhow.But I have friends who have gone from crying, suicidal wrecks, to anxious to step out of their own home, to happy people, and good mothers because of this drug. Where I live there is a big Stigma around taking antidepressants and opinionated people can often prevent people like my friends from seeking the help they need in time. Sometimes therapy is not enough, and there is no underlying cause, and it is indeed a combination of hormones and chemical imbalances that cause the sufferer to feel the way they do. Be careful issuing warnings unless you are a qualified Medical Practitioner. I normally dont get involved in threads like this but I have first hand experience.