Did you ever wonder what doctors do about antidepressant therapy for clients who are already on them?
It might interest you to know that if you have had an episode of mental ill health, requring antidepressant therapy, then it is recommended that you stay on those tablets for a further six months AFTER the depressive illness has been cured.
I have no thoughts on that. I’ve been munching them for 15 years with very few breaks for santity. When you first go on the doctor, naturally, starts you on the lowest effective (AD) dose for your height/weight. 20mg for me then.
As we sit now I am currently maxed out on the highest dose of the particular SSRI I’ve been on for 15 years. As someone with a long term depressive illness, I do not feel it has been sufficiently dealt with that I’ve ever had the chance to realistically go off the meds. So, chundle along….
Anyway, since the G.P. couldn’t legally overdose me on his own prescription, he suggested a drug combo with a second SSRI of the “oh I’m so tired; let’s just eat a pizza before bed though” variety.
So I’m only in the first week of this adjunct therapy. I can’t tell yet if it will suit me. I did say that I’d really like to be able to sleep, which is something I struggle with from the anxiety side of the depression.
I have a feeling I’m going to be setting the medical tone for the rest of my life – anti-depressants next to morning bran flakes, evening antidepressants greeting me from the bedside table.
I’ve heard they can have long term side effects too, but we haven’t got the numbers through yet for all the people who started on these drugs in the 80s, 90s and beyond.
At the moment the focus is survival, if that’s possible. At the moment I’m not thinking about anything except doing the textbook-correct moves in order to shorten or minimimise the acute suffering (subjective though it be) of a depressive episode.
Nighty night
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