If you’re having trouble making ends meet financially, chances are good that you have considered going without your antidepressant medication, especially if it is costly. Since rent/mortgage, food and utilities have to be paid, everything else becomes a lower priority. The problem is that if your health, physical or mental, suffers because your condition isn’t [...]
We have an uncomfortable relationship with any medication that alters our brain chemistry. Not only are we wary of anything that alters this chemistry (even if it’s out of whack) because we see our brain as the center of our personhood, but we also seem to think that we should be able to somehow fix [...]
Over the years, since I started my depression site, I’ve heard (read) many people say that they want to treat their depression “but without antidepressants.” I always think, “Why?” It’s just incomprehensible to me that some people have that knee-jerk reaction to medication. Oddly enough, I have to include myself in this group. At least [...]
The other day, I took an impromptu break at work to buy something to drink. “I’m just so dehydrated,” I told my boss. “My blood pressure medication does that to me – maybe yours is having the same effect.” Aha. That was probably it. Due to my elevated blood pressure, my doctor had strongly suggested [...]
1. Be clear about your reason(s) for wanting to switch antidepressants. Is it that the side effects are intolerable, or is it that you are not satisfied with the response? If you want to switch for the latter reason, you need to determine exactly what you mean and communicate that to your doctor. Did you [...]
The other day, I took an impromptu break at work to buy something to drink. “I’m just so dehydrated,” I told my boss. “My blood pressure medication does that to me – maybe yours is having the same effect.” Aha. That was probably it. Due to my elevated blood pressure, my doctor had strongly suggested [...]
A few months ago, my psychiatrist recommended that I take folic acid supplements, as they might boost the effectiveness of my antidepressants. I was surprised to hear his recommendation, as the idea was completely new to me. I had of course taken folic acid when my husband and I were trying to conceive, but didn’t [...]
