To pill or not to pill......

[Johnnymc]

Hi all!

I finally plucked up the courage and went to the doctors yesterday as i'm suffering from depression.  When speaking to the doctor he gave me a 6 or 7 questions on a scale of 1-4 of how bad i felt about certain things and then told me he was prescribing me fluoxetine for 6 months.  I did tell him that i didnt want medication as i don't think i'm that bad and that i would like to work through it with a councellor or therapist.  He said that all he could do was give me the phone number for IAPT.

I have decided to ring IAPT up and see what it is about and not take the meds but does anyone else here think that this is appalling practice?  I don't even know what type of depression i'm suffering from so how can he just give me a blanket pill to "cure" it?

Your thoughts please  _)(

John

[littlebeing]

Hi

I understand what you mean about just giving you a phone number, that shows a lack of support. Some doctors are not that helpful and understanding, luckily I have a lovely GP who is really helping me.

Generally anti depressants are not a cure. They just give you a bit of a break from feeling quite so bad so that you get the chance of helping yourself. This is what I believe anyway. The first time I suffered from depression it was reactive and I was referred to the department of mental health but had to wait 10 months before I was offered any counselling. Without the pills, my GP and a nurse at the hospital, who I went to talk to each week, I would not be here today. If you feel that talking to someone may help then I suggest you try and go privately. You could always book another appointment with a different doctor at your surgery and get a second opinion. Be prepared to ask the things you want to know though.

[Johnnymc]

Thanks LB! Yeah i've gone privately in the end as my faith in the NHS has been all but destroyed.  The woman i'm seeing said that it was rediculous to have just given me pills as this doesn't resolve the long term issues that have been effecting me and were meeting once a week.  She was very positive about my issues and said all I need is to learn some behavoural mechanisms to alter my thinking and maybe some hypnotherapy (a little sceptical but i'm open to different approachs).  Also Omega 3 which came as a suprise I just thought it was for joints but apparently it also is brilliant for brain function and mood elevation!

I feel loads better now and looking forward to my sessions.  Back to the doc's tomorrow to hand him back his tablets!  *()

[littlebeing]

Am pleased you are getting it sorted, hope I was some help. I think doctors are very quick at giving people prescriptions these days but you are write to try and address the issue.

Good luck with everything.

P.S I didn't know that about omega 3 either, may try some

[Johnnymc]

Yeah apparently 2 caps when you start to feel yourself slipping helps.  Haven't tried it yet but thats what she said.  _)(

[sia06]

Hi

I'm new here, and had a similar experience with a GP leaving me unsure about medication.  I've been feeling under pressure and upset for a while and hit a real low earlier this week so family & friends encouraged me to go to the doctors.  He prescribed me Fluoxetine, but barely asked me any questions or explained anything about depression.  I didn't think I was depressed, and even now I'm not sure if I am, I thought I was stress making me tearful.   
I am worried about taking medication because I have my 2nd year uni exams in just over a month's time and don't want to be suffering with side effects or worse low feelings until the pills start to work.  And surely I shouldn't take medication if I'm not entirely convinced that I am depressed.

I've looked at the symptoms list for depression and could say yes to many symptoms (lack of sex drive for over a year now, frequently feeling sad, tearful, irritable, low self esteem, lack of motivation & enjoyment) but last night I went to a circuits class and today I feel pretty good, so I'm confused.    How can I determine if it's depression or just a normal reaction to a lack of exercise, stress over uni assignments and a situation in my house share which has led to some financial problems? 
 
Whenever I feel low I check my calendar to see if is just hormones, sometimes there's a pattern and sometimes not. 
Yet, I do have days where I feel really good and positive.  Surely if I have days like this I can't be depressed? 

I experienced panic attacks nearly 3 years ago after a close friend died.  So I attended counselling which uncovered a build up of tension had been there for some time, and the emotion of losing a good friend triggered some kind of episode, in which I cried several times a day and shut myself away through the summer.  I have always associated it with grief, but looking back the crying had started before the loss of my friend. 
However, I still got up every morning and went to work; I still had my appetite and I was getting enough sleep so I don't know if it was depression then or just a period of 'something else' but I can't put a label on it. 

Since Christmas I haven't made much contact with friends, either because I assume they wouldn't enjoy my company because I'm too serious at the moment or I feel embarrassed about my appearance (I've out on weight and my skin has got bad recently).  But again surely these are just symptoms of low self esteem, not depression?

Any advice or general thoughts would be appreciated.