What pharmaceutical companies don't want you to know about depression. Plus how I helped a friend..

I'm not sure if this will address the OP or not but I thought I'd share as I've spent most my life studying psychology and then psychopharm in school and outside of (but I am no MD so anything I say should not be taken seriously ). Plus, and more importantly, I'm a patient whose been diagnosed with general, social, and panic disorder, agoraphobia, depression, ADD/ADHD, and also chronic pain. As you can imagine I've been given a lot of different meds in my life. All of my "diagnoses" have been around since I was 3yrs old.

Some ended up being true to this day - Hip dysplasia, agoraphobia, and all of the anxiety disorders; some didn't - ADD/ADHD and the depression were misdiagnosed as it was truly my anxiety disorders manifesting into symptoms of both. Of course there have been points in my life where depression, attention issues, and hyperactivity have existed (especially as a kid!), but was it anything someone with a "normally wired brain" wouldn't experience? I doubt it considering what I experienced.

My first concern is obviously the over diagnosis and treatment of children who are just being children (I was on methylphenidate and multiple SSRI's by the time I was 6). From that point on I was continuously mistreated, both for my chronic pain and psychological disorders until about 3-4 years ago... that's over 20 years of Primary physicians, Surgeons, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, RN's, NP's, ect. being wrong all while throwing every class of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, stimulants or amphetamines, and NSAID's at me. My diagnoses are quite complex, both with my pain and psychological, so I can partially understand.

I want to say first that anti-depressant medication (or any of the meds I listed above) DOES work for some people. They have saved many lives. BUT as I mentioned before they have continued to constantly be overused and over prescribed to anyone with a minor "at-home" problem or patients who exhibit symptoms that may match the DSM criteria but may stem from another disorder.

Also, a lot of things regarding diet, water, supplements, herbs, vitamins, ect., that have been posted so far in this thread are absolutely true. Medication is not just a magical fix; one's life, diet, exercise, activities, and thoughts must also change. There are MANY herbal treatments for disorders that work better then medications from Pharma by a long shot. For those who have been diagnosed ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, memory issues, or any mood disorder - might want to look into Nootropics. You'll find some of your standard "Big-Pharma" meds there but also many herbs, supplements, foods and other alternatives.

For example, it wasn't until about 4 years ago I finally found a fantastic psychiatrist. He had and is still having me do blood tests for random things if new or old symptoms appear/worsen. I had been on many anxiolytics (benzodiazpines) for my anxiety disorders before but if it wasn't for this Doc and I testing the many different drugs and dosages I would not be able to leave my house. So, even though there are risks (addiction being one) it is a type of drug that has saved my life. Also he spent the first 3 years acting as a therapist in a way as well, just listening to me rant and providing insight. That was until recently when I got the appropriate therapist for my issues (which by the way has helped even more than the medication, in some instances).

I will say though that he understands that I absolutely will not take any SSRI or the like for my anxiety due to side-effects and the fact that they simply do not work. Although, sometimes he has tried to suggest other things; anti-psychotics, other classes of anti-depressants , and other drugs that would constitute off-label use of the drugs for my disorders. So don't think I do not understand he is also looking to make money with certain drugs. I just simply say no and we move on.

Regarding my chronic pain, I was finally treated as someone who needed narcotics so I could walk, sleep, and try and live a somewhat normal life.... this was only 3 years ago. So again I suffered most my life. Understanding the risks of addiction, tolerance, dependency, etc. (just as with Benzo's) I started the pain medication and it turned my life around.

Basically I just wanted to share my story and chime in with the fact that many medications do in fact work very well for certain people... it just might take 20+ years to finally get it right and honestly, that's not okay haha. Hopefully most people don't have to experience 20+ years of ridiculousness like I have but it seems to be more of a trend with the unacceptable handing out of drugs without even spending 5 minutes with a patient. Also, I wanted to emphasize how important diet, exercise, vitamins, and supplements can be. And let's not forget therapy!

Sorry for the very long read I hope it can help even a little,

changetheworld

I agree too often different drugs are suggested, while the actual problem lies somewhere else. It is like taking painkillers - it makes the problem seemingly dissappear, although it does not cure it.

For me personally, couple of years ago, there was a similar problem. At the end it came out the reason lied behind too high hemoglobine levels. I was smoking too much back then and the hemoglobin levels had gone very high (192 g/l). It had caused tiredness which lead to stress and depression. My doctor suggested me some expensive pills, although my friend suggested me some simple things that had helped him with same problem. I usually take different pharmaceuticals if I truly need them, so I decided to trust my friend and it helped

1) I cut down on coffee, which takes water out of body
2) I drank much more water
3) I added more foods with iron (red meat, liver, beans) to my diet
4) I cut down on smoking

Worked like magic

Originally posted by Bluesma
reply to post by rickymouse

 

You may be right. But what always makes me question the theory that all depression is caused by diet is that you see people who eat in all sorts of ways and still are not depressed.

There is more to it, I suspect.

It depends what your parents ate and what type of work they did in the past. If your ancestors were miners, you will need different foods than someone who were clergy men in history. Changes in genetics happen when people are exposed to certain metals for a while and this is passed on to their offspring. It is very complex and even though I know a little of how it works from studying a lot of research, it is almost a trial and error remedy to fix it. We eat different than our parents, this is because the western diet is changing too fast, incorporating new foods with misconceptions that they are good for everyone. Too much change in the food chain too fast often caused by rumors started by testing that was sponsored by business men who profit by the deception. There is a tug of war between the agricultural organizations, they have gotten out of hand with promoting products grown by their members.

reply to post by rickymouse


LOL! LIke I said, you might be right- it soudns reasonable that these problems exist.

But I don't think you could convince me that sometimes people do not have valid reasons to be depressed.
Sometimes they are simply in an abusive relationship, a boring job, an isolated living situation, and whether it is diet or medicines, they both serve to ignore and invalidate the situation that is the cause!

I find it almost humorous how nobody in the US seems to have it even enter into mind that if you're depressed, it might mean you have to actually do something other than "consume something" (pill, mineral, plant, or other).

It doesn't have to be "either or"; Sometimes there truly is a chemical imbalance in the brain that comes with a legitimate diagnosis of depression and then there are many times patients could have a multitude of reasons to be "down" or "depressed", like you said - childhood, abuse, parents, family, community, bullying, ect. I'd say the latter are the cases that are overly and incorrectly medicated where therapy might be a better option but there are times when medication is appropriate for those cases as well depending on the severity.

reply to post by Bluesma


The only blood testing a psychiatrist uses is to monitor the chemicals he is prescribing in the patient. When a person takes something like Lithium, for example, routine blood tests are used to monitor the lithium levels as well as the thyroid ( which lithium is known to cause major problems to ).

Your statement that the first thing a psychiatrist does is bloodwork? Go see a psychiatrist and test that theory, they have no blood test for any of their diagnoses or to lead to any treatment.

Also, you mention chemical imbalances in the brain, can you cite a diagnoses or even one case where these imbalance has been monitored and used to treat a patient? This idea of chemical imbalances is an obscure observation that has been made into a fact that psychiatry uses to explain all it's patients, it is not a method of practice that is used in any shape or form. More so, it's used to give students and pschiatrists something to believe their work is based on.

www.bbc.co.uk...

"Absurd drug laws hinder research"

reply to post by indigothefish


Yes, my psychiatrist that I had as a teen took blood for testing on our first appointment.

The results showed chemical imbalances, and he prescribed antidepressants. We did not have any in depth conversation. This is common practice for psychiatrists. It is common practice for them to feel that an appropriate treatment be started and underway before further therapy begins.

You must be thinking of psychotherapists, psychologists, or psychoanalysts...?

My mother was a psychotherapist and clinical psychologist, my father is a psychoanalyst, and of course all their entourage are in the mental health field. The differences in the approaches by these different branches, I am pretty familiar with. (though the right to prescribe medicine is changing now , and opening to psychologists, it is still true that a psychiatrist is first an MD, who then chooses a specialization in mental illness)

reply to post by CJCrawley


Please, as much as I appreciate criticism. I will not stand for blind hate. How many of the links presented here did you read? The papers I listed come out of major research institutions and people with Phds. Do you know how much chemistry most pre-meds have? Do you know how much doctors are taught about nutrition? 1-4 weeks for most of them.

Do you know if there is a baseline for Serotonin? Norepinephrine? Who tests for it? No-one. Some health care professionals will prescribe you stuff based on the symptoms you tell them without even a blood test. I could walk in to a doctors office and list the correct symptoms and walk out with a prescription. Do you know FDA funded by big pharma and they have an incentive to approve drugs? How about funding works? Have you ever been at a major research university and seen how funding works?

No one here is claiming that they have the magic pill. There is literally none. Every person is different, some people have genes that inhibit uptake of B, D vitamins, minerals. There are forums out there dedicated to people taking these tests. Do you keep on adding gas to your car when you know there is something wrong with the engine? That is the same thing going on here. You are free to take your pills and be happy but try having an open mind.

reply to post by changetheworld


I sympathize with what you have had to go through. You have had it rough, and I really couldn't imagine a life like yours.
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

Magnificent Mind at Any Age: Natural Ways to Unleash Your Brain's Maximum Potential
www.amazon.com...
Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance
www.amazon.com...

Maybe you could convince your doctor to write you a test covered by Insurance?
www.spectracell.com...
My mom had a test Asia and it was probably a much simpler test than this. These guys have mixed reviews however since you have tried everything under the sun, one more test couldn't hurt if you can afford it. Anyway good luck.

Originally posted by Bluesma
reply to post by indigothefish

 

Yes, my psychiatrist that I had as a teen took blood for testing on our first appointment.

The results showed chemical imbalances, and he prescribed antidepressants. We did not have any in depth conversation. This is common practice for psychiatrists. It is common practice for them to feel that an appropriate treatment be started and underway before further therapy begins.

You must be thinking of psychotherapists, psychologists, or psychoanalysts...?

My mother was a psychotherapist and clinical psychologist, my father is a psychoanalyst, and of course all their entourage are in the mental health field. The differences in the approaches by these different branches, I am pretty familiar with. (though the right to prescribe medicine is changing now , and opening to psychologists, it is still true that a psychiatrist is first an MD, who then chooses a specialization in mental illness)

I am in the process of listening to what you have to say in order to see wether it is proven or refuted. I'd like to lean from what you have to say.

What did he test for? What were the results? Can you support your claims?

The companies don't want you to know anything about depression because they themselves no nothing of what really causes it. The purpose of the company is to sell a chemical without a true mechanism of action which requires life long treatment.

I have always been a huge believer in natural remedies, and have cured many of my own problems without ever stepping into a doctors office. I currently take only about 4-5 supplements and it costs me roughly 75 bucks every three months. I don't really know of anyone who goes to the doctor on a regular basis that has health that is on par with me.