Depressed as a "verb"

Women's health
1

I wanted to post here a discussion on Depression. however it ended up in the Fiibromyalgia forum. It's got some info. about an event discussing depression coming up soon.

I would like to drop here for discussion a few questons just to put you all, if you like, talking about this.

Are peri and meno women being really seen/heard when they complain about feeling depressed?

Why aren't  the underlying causes properly addressed? Hormonal, nutritional, etc?

Do you know that fluoxetine has a fluor derivative that is toxic and makes you fat?

Do they tell yout the side and long terms effects of all these meds?

Do they offer you alternatives?

 

2

No I feel like I am not being heard about my symptoms of menopause. I do not think all these meds offer alternatives because it just puts you depression aside and your anxieties. 

We need to get an understanding about depression and anxieties and what really bothers us because meds cause a lot of side effects it doesn't get down to the root of the problem which therapy will 

3

Teresa,

It just depends on the doctor that you are seeing. Too many here in the states simply dispense ADs without a thought. Big Pharma in action. Doctors have little time to spend with patients so here's the big band-aid so to speak.

My original GYN tried that nonsense with me and while I did give a try for brief bit and it did help quiet the ugly feelings at the time, I knew there had to be a better way. Most do cause weight gain, as does flucuating hormones-which didn't make me too happy.

Thankfully, I found a very good Naturopathic doctor(not covered by insurance) who got me off to good start to uncover things that were easily addressed. I also had already switched GYNs, and this one is very open minded and doesn't go with mainstream all the time!

I did end up also seeing an Integrative Medicine doctor (a large clinical institution here has recently added that to their program-thankfully-insurance does coverage majority of this) and within last few months I have been put through ringer of tests and things are finally being sorted out. Not everything throwing me off kilter was perimenopausal in origin. I tended to blame everything on the bouncing hormones, come to find out while they were not helping, there are other things to look at as well. 

And yes, alternative medicine options have been offered as in my case, ADs were not the answer in the first place.

I realize not everyone can afford to shop around for a different physician but for me it was an option and I am grateful for it as I am feeling so much better. Mainstream medicine has it's place, but not for women's healthcare, it seems. At least here in the US.

Annie xx

4

I am no big fan of the use - over-use in my humble opinion - of ADs/SSRIs during Peri/Meno. All probably based on vry personal, but indirect experience of them generally.

I have been around mental health issues from a very early age. I see how they help very specific conditions. I also see the fallout of 'cold turkey' withdrawal/ weaning. Not so good.

My eldest sister (71) has L/T MH issues. Poor cow obviously picked the short straw: she was the 'quiet' one in a noisy, confident, happy family of 5 kids.

She had all the gynae issues, having a Hyste in her late 40s. Think her early years on HRT (took for 15yrs) were her best times.

I don't recall her being 'depressed' then.

But one particulraly bad time I recall asking if she was still taking HRT - "No". Made sense a she showed absolutely classic Peri/Meno symptoms at their worse.

I also understood that the meds she was then given were v.specific for her MH needs, but all the while her Peri/Meno needs were totally ignored.

I appreciate that all such meds impact on the liver and probably interacted. But I really felt her obvious 'hormonal' imbalance impacted on her 'chemical' imbalance.

Have you ever read the info sheet inside a pack of SSRIs? Chilling read! For a drug that's bandied about as 'non-addictive' and 'life changing' during Pei/Meno, but I question that.

And are we being hoodwinked to a degree because surely if by taking HRT it only 'defers' Peri/Mno symptoms, surely when withdrawing from SSRIs would do the same??

I read of many women who have taken ADs in particular for years. Will they be taking them for life, in and around their Meno?

I read recently that a study in the UK had found a vast majority of women in Peri/Meno had been prescribed ADs/SSIs without even meeting 30% of e reognised symptoms that warranted their us. I believe to.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone using these meds - for the right reasons - but I personally feel they are dished out as there is very little alternative help for women at this I'm.

Look back at our own mums: did they rely on these to get them through their Memo? I suspect very few did.

I've experienced lots of stress. I've had to cope with bereavements (and I do mean plural!) after watching loved ones pass after long, debilitating illnesses. Yes they were totally 'depressing' times. But I don't believe I have ever really been 'depressed'. For me, with a family and a Business to run, I don't think I had time to be depressed.

My sister, by stark contrast, had been a 'homemaker' and even though she was/is part of a big sociable extended family, she maybe was a little isolated socially, giving her time o manifest her own MH issues.

I'm very interested in seeing the role ADs/SSRIs will play in the newly-announced Meno Guidlines fom N.I.C.E. I feel that GPs have ha enough of not knowing enough about how to help us all at this time (which for most is as expected as menstruation and pregnancy in their lifetime) and have sent N.I.C.E a distress flare that after all these years they've only just - reluctantly - reacted to!!!

Absolutely no offence intended to any of our friends using ADs etc. These are just my views which, given my vantage point on their uses, makes me a natural sceptic.

Should be said too that I am 54, been in Peri for years. Never had a major illness in my life. Have a lifelong aversion to taking any meds, and am out currently using trad HR (just bioid'l log cream and Menopace). Best of all I have a great marriage, family and enjoy my own company!! :-)

Sx

5

Yes you're right. AD also have a major impact on the liver. I know women that took them for over 40 years. Can you believe that?

Husband died at an early age, three children, difficult to cope, take ADs for the of her life... It's just insane.  But that's how conventional medicine deals with evething. 

6

Dear Ladies.

I' ve posted some information about an event on depression that is going to take place online, for free, sometime soon.  I've no idea if its going to be interesting and valuable but I believe it might.

It was posted on another discussion and whole thing was deleted. I would like to clarify that I have no self serving interests here. None, whatsoever!

I just like to share what I think may interest people in the forum.  

Kind regards for all you. Teresa.

 

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Just let us know where we go online for the free depression stuff, I am interested in it. 

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I'll PM you the link. X.

9

Whe I say "fluor" I mean "fluoride", of course! This is the end result of using several languages at the same time. 

 

10

Dear Annie. 

Many thanks for your reply.

You’ve followed the route some/many of us would like to follow and you seem to have reached an equilibrium.  That just proves how we inwardly know what’s best for us and how much better we get when we can choose our health care.

Unfortunately alternative and even functional and integrative medicines are not a part of National Health Services in may EU countries ( I believe they are in Switzerland).  People pay higher taxes than in the US I believe, so they have comprehensive NHSs. Some people also have private insurance. But unless you’re on a really expensive insurance plan (i.e. costing many, many thousands of euros a year) they usually don’t cover alternative medicines.  It’s quite infuriating because the system is expensive for the taxpayer but doesn’t provide many of the needed answers whilst it coerces people in to following a route of “symptomatic drugs medicalization”. Good for “Big Pharma” not so for patients.

I read, search, study  “ad nauseam” to find answers and alternatives.  Then I nag my doctor’s to engage in alternative programmes (for eg.  I’m on LDN for fibromyalgia) and for the rest of the time I buy lots of supplements and do DIY treatments.  I also have an osteopath that is private (not NHS, not insurance covered) which has proven extremely valuable in certain joint problems.

Anti-depressants are a class of drugs I deeply distrust. Besides the reported side effects on the  information  leaflets there also the “phenomenon” of the “file drawer” that is the undisclosed/filed information about the research on anti-depressants side and long term  effects . Most doctors don’t even know about this (if you look for “file drawer mental health” you’ll find some info.).  What you describe happens in the US about dispensing ADs like tap water also happens here.  So it’s a system we’re all in.

I thoroughly enjoy your posts. Please continue contributing for this debate.

A warm hug. Teresa.