Jun 15 2008
Tips on taking medication for depression
There was recently a very good article from the Mayo Clinic on taking medication for depression (see News section of www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com ) As highlighted in my last entry, the average doctor does not have great skills in managing mood disorders and we often feel tempted to take things into our own hands when we perceive a medication is not working or there are bad side effects.
Always consult your doctor
I have learnt through bitter experience that it is always better to consult a doctor when stopping or altering the dosage of a medication. There can be very unpleasant side effects if a medication is stopped suddently. I have also experienced the situation where a medication doesn’t appear to be working at a lower dosage, only to have it work well once the dose is increased.
First rule of recovery
The first rule of recovery is to get an accurate diagnosis from a competent mood disorder doctor. They then will be able to determine if antidepressant medication is warranted and prescribe the variant which has the most probability of working.
In my last Blog entry I highlighted the advantages of MAP, a new diagnostic tool from the Blackdog Institute. This week I noticed a new computerised treatment aid for depression being developed in Texas (see News section of www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com) Anything that can aid the average doctor in being a better diagnostician and treater of depression has to be a good thing.
If you have any personal stories about going off depression medication abruptly, I would love to hear them.
Kind Regards
Graeme
