If I had a nickel for every time someone struggling with depression told me they don’t “believe” in antidepressants…
Let’s face it. Even with all of the information swirling around us about depression being an illness and not a weakness, even in our current and more progressive age of acknowledging how swiftly and how often depression can strike us or those we love, there still remains a powerful stigma.
I have come to realize even more prominent is the stigma connected to taking medication to treat depression.
I get it. I’m a psychotherapist and yoga instructor. I eat organic and local food as much as possible. I love to research, try out, and recommend the many natural ways to boost mood and improve overall health through nutrition, movement, breath, socializing, and mindfulness.
I’m also ready to acknowledge that for some people, some of the time, medication can be a powerful and effective force for good. If you are struggling with depression and have wondered about taking anti-depressants, here are some things to consider:
1. Medication won’t solve all your problems.
In the treatment of depression, I like to think of medication as a tool, not a cure. In some cases, using medication can help you to get out of bed, dress yourself, stop crying, and perform other normal daily activities that can feel like too much to bear for someone in a depressive state.
It can provide some of the relief you may need so you can function, and feel more ready to apply the abundant additional ways to alleviate your symptoms like moving your body and eating healthy food. It will not make all of your problems magically disappear. But it can help you clear your head enough so that you can talk about them with a skilled therapist or a trusted friend, and eventually maybe even make some decisions to change your circumstances which could be contributing to your depression.
2. Medication won’t make you feel “high.”
In the best-case scenario, it will make you feel normal. Some people have expressed concern to me that medication will alter their personalities, when in fact it is depression that changes people more often than they realize.
3. It’s not an exact science.
There is no magic pill. It’s not like you have a headache so you take one dose of aspirin and the headache is gone. There are many drugs on the market to treat depression, and as I’m sure you’ve seen on the commercials, side effects are common and varied.
When you choose to take an antidepressant, it often takes 6-8 weeks to feel the full effect. And sometimes it takes several tries of different medications to find the right one for you with the least bothersome side effects. If you decide to embark on the medication route, prepare to be patient, and know you don’t have to accept feeling uncomfortable side effects.
4. Who prescribes your medication is as important as which medication you take.
I work in a hospital and in private practice. I see people who have been prescribed antidepressants by their primary physicians, pain management doctors, OB/GYN’s, you name it. When I’m working with someone who is considering medication to treat their depression, I cannot stress enough the importance, in my opinion, of working with a psychiatrist or psychopharmacologist, someone who specializes in treating this condition. They’ll be most likely to have up to date information on possible side effects, interactions with other drugs, and can offer you a wider variety of options.
5. Adherence is key.
Deciding on a course of treatment for depression is nothing to take lightly. It is important to keep in mind that you should only take the recommended dose, when it is prescribed, every day. If you miss a dose, be sure to check in with your doctor to find out what to do. And if you want to stop, I strongly encourage my clients do so with the guidance of their prescribing physicians, rather than “cold turkey.”
I am not a doctor and I don’t prescribe. But I do work with people suffering from depression every day, and have even struggled with it myself at times. I have seen first hand the difference a medication can make when prescribed properly, and used judiciously, to help people lead happier and more productive lives.
Medication is certainly not for everyone. But there are times when I believe people are suffering needlessly while help in the form of medicine is available. Most importantly, it is perfectly acceptable to use medication as one component of a multi-faceted path to recovery from depression.
