Should I take or not take Anti-depressants and anti-anxiety mediction?
Thank you for asking a very vital question. Obviously, it is imporant to you and hence it is swirling through your mind. Depending on who you ask, the answers can vary. Also, what answer are you seeking to the above question? Are you leaning towards taking medication or do you have some hesitation around it? Are your apprehensions and willingness related to cultural perspective? I will be honest - there is still stigma around taking medication in many cultures including my network of South Asian people. Many of my colleagues also believe that antidepressants, even when working, are just covering up the underlying problems. This could be true but can also be false so more investigation is required rather than a blanket statement - Psychiatric medication is bad. Could it become addictive- yes, we have seen such cases. Could it work in your favor? That is a strong possibilty too.
I have had conversations with many psychiatric doctors. Many believe that antidepressants do not merely cover up the underlying problems especially when biochemistry is underlying the issues. There viewpoint is that severe depression and severe anxiety are fundamentally neurochemical problems so antidepressants are an integral part of the treatment. So the question, psychotherapists, consider are is this running in the family? Is this part of intergenerational trauma? Was their early onset of depression due to traumatic events in this person’s life? What did they not get that they needed growing up? We work with several such inquiries in our sessions so we encourage you to book one with our counselling team.
A colleague told me that, many patients who need antidepressants do not get them from psychiatrists. Instead they get their prescriptions from primary care physicians. Oh and we all know the long wai-lists and over stretched health resources in our province of British Columbia. If you have a good doctor, you are one of the lucky ones. Antidepressants do save lives. So if the patients feel impeded to see a psychiatrist, then by all means have the primary care physician prescribe. But unfortunately most primary care physicians are comfortable with two or three antidepressants only. And they do not know how to augment antidepressants with BuSpar, low-dose antipsychotics or mood stabilizers such as Lamictal or lithium. So at the end, either the patients tried two antidepressants and quit, thinking that antidepressants do not work or the patients and the primary care physician “believe” that the antidepressants work “somewhat” and the patients are stuck on antidepressant that are not the right fit for them. Many times, folx have to go up on the dose (assuming no intolerable side effects), switch to another antidepressant or add an augmentation agent if the patient is partially responding to the antidepressant of choice. Seriously, when an antidepressant works well with a person’s biochemistry, the response is robust and unmistaken. I see it often with my ADHD clients. Finding the ride medication and right dosage can definitely create a difference in one’s life. We have noticed that when people are on the wrong antidepressants then either the medication does not work at all, diagnosis could be inaccurate and unfortunately, folx are left with only side effects. Unfortunately many patients are stuck in that situation. So here’s what I’ll suggest:
If antidepressants do not work, then mood stabilizers need to be considered. Mood stabilizers when chosen properly and dosed adequately can work well to treat the underlying depression. And many people suffer from bipolar depression and get put on antidepressants by mistake because well, they only see a provider (primary care physician or psychiatrist) when they are depressed. When they are hypomanic, they do not see their providers. And unfortunately, many providers (psychiatrists and primary physicians alike) do not even screen for hypomania or mania during ANY of the patients’ visits. So please know that your counsellor or therapist is not an expert. You know you the best and talk to your GP or Psychiatrist. We are your ally’s in your journey.
The earlier the onset of depression, the most likely biochemistry is at its core. If family hx. is looked at carefully, their is some research and data that suggest that many patients have both parents and several extended family members also suffer from severe depression and severe anxiety. Genetics (and biochemistry) seems to play a strong role in early-onset depression.
When you attempt to do psychotherapy on patients who are intensely suicidal, you can clearly sense that creepy feeling that biochemistry is underlying their conditions. Ofcourse, safety planning can be helpful and putting sucide prevention interventions in place and trust me our team is trained to do that and we have many in-house trainings to support clients through their challenges.
We hope you will consider, all these points before coming to a decision by yourself as to what is right for you. We are here to support you in your journey so let’s start a conversation.
Contact us today to get the ball rolling. Your consult is FREE and on us.
