Some kind of wonderful -

[kyburg]

You'll hear me rant about overmedication a lot - well, it's a sore point. Giving pills is cheap - compared to long-term talk counseling with active therapy. Trouble is, the pills stop working. Oh, you can cycle through a ton of stuff - it's out there - but the expensive, labor-intensive-with-a-real-person is where long term results lie (unless you're one of the people who truly HAVE a chemical issue, and one of the hallmarks of THAT is the pills don't stop working and you don't have to cycle, yadda ya).

Then I hear about Cymbalta. Holy chrome. This stuff is being prescribed off-label right, left and center for things OTHER than depression...and damn if it isn't doing some incredible things, mostly related to pain relief (and we all know I think that's going to be HUGE when it happens).

But for depression? *wiggles hand* Not so much. Read about coming off it and UH.

...and so many, many reports are from people who came to this medication because - you guessed it - they needed to cycle from something else.

I have to wonder about what this all about - and if the cycling is a Good Thing, or a sign that this is not the right way to treat depression, period.

Yeah, maybe I do more than wonder. Like - NO.

Here's a thought for the day - isn't it still addiction when it's legal and you don't have to worry about getting it on a daily basis? You go without and you're not going to feel good, yanno. But get your drug and everything is fine.

What makes that okay?

As for me, I'll pass. And yes, I know that's a privilege.

Comments

[elfwench.livejournal.com]

That's a lot for me to think about right now, as I'm on medication holiday and really depressed. However, I also found out I have low thyroid, so maybe Dr. H. will see what thyroid medication does for the depression, since he's the one who decided to wean me off my meds and then revisit the idea of medication tomorrow.

For myself, yes, there's something obviously chemical going on. How much is thyroid and how much is neurochemistry, who knows at this point? Therapy has never done much for me. Lexapro was a godsend, as was Celexa (which I went on only because it was cheaper) to a lesser extent. Don't know why he put me on Trazodone, but glad I'm off of it.

That's not to say that there aren't issues to deal with, but dealing with them is less effective without medication of some type.

Just so you know, though, I'm hoping that thyroid meds help the moods without the need for an actual antidepressant.

I don't know if that makes any sense.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

There are a TON of people on my FL with thyroid issues, and I think nearly all of them have weighed in with - YES - it does affect mood. Big time.

But chances are, most will prescribe an SSRI in addition to the replacment therapies - because it will make you feel better. Riiiight.