Is there a cheap depression medication?

[Riverrick]

I agree that you need to see a doctor. I would probably make my first appointment with a psychiatrist rather than a GP, but that's just my opinion.

If you can get into one. Around here they are hard to find and even harder to get an appointment with.

I have a lot of experience on this topic because I have Refractory Depression which is hard to treat. I'm currently on a cocktail of anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and stimulants.

This is probably more common than we think. Anyone not responding to traditional medications does need a referral to a psychiatrist because the treatment may involve a more complex approach.

Medicine isn't the only answer. Some form of talk therapy, like Cognitive Behavior Therapy, works for depression. I think you need both to fight this disease.

This is a really good point that has been overlooked in this thread. There is no absolute proof that depression is only a chemical imbalance. It could be mostly psychological in origin for all we know. Which came first, the chicken or the egg, the imbalance or the depression?

Everything in our bodies including our feelings is just a series of chemical reactions. So finding an imbalance in a depressed person should be no surprise. I'll bet my neurotransmitters change when I experience grief, stress, even joy. I don't think that finding that change means its was only a chemical problem to begin with.

Yes, drugs work but some intensive individual or group therapy can sometimes resolve underlying issues that are leaving us depressed. I know that I feel better when I talk to someone about my feelings.

 

[onetimething]

Diets, exercise, water, sex - Madonna - will do nothing in the long for someone with serious depression. Its not a lifestyle problem. Its a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated like the disease it is.

I have come to that conclusion as well after years of thinking "if I could only change (insert activity or lifestyle habit here), maybe that would help" and thinking that it was under my control, but I have come to the conclusion that it is not. As I stated earlier, I am a healthy individual. I eat relatively well, do not drink alcohol, drink gallons of water, don't smoke, lift weights, run and walk several miles a day and get plenty of sunlight. As I stated beforehand, this is something that has followed me around for years as I've tried to fix various things in my life that I felt were the root cause of it, all to no avail, and now it's been some six years and I'm just looking back at all of the time I lost out of reluctance to "cede control". To quote BoSoxFanVA:

I'm glad your taking the next step and seeking help. Don't waste anymore time because once its gone, you never get it back.

Exactly. Life is short. I've wasted far too much time trying to heal myself and just simply don't have the patience to sit around and experiment for another six years. Consiering how much time I've devoted to making life changes and natural modes of treatment, I hardly think I fall into the category of someone who pops a pill at the slightest of problems. Will medication work? I don't know, but I'll never know unless I try.

 

[JackFTwist]

I agree that you need to see a doctor. I would probably make my first appointment with a psychiatrist rather than a GP, but that's just my opinion.

I have a lot of experience on this topic because I have Refractory Depression which is hard to treat. I'm currently on a cocktail of anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and stimulants.

Cost is also a big issue. The newer drugs are expensive but they have fewer side effects.

Many doctors carry samples on hand that can help you out. Make sure you tell your doctor about your financial situation. There's way around the system.

Medicine isn't the only answer. Some form of talk therapy, like Cognitive Behavior Therapy, works for depression. I think you need both to fight this disease.

I take one generic drug, Trazodone. It's an old anti-depressant that is very sedating and it's used primarily now as a sleep agent. It's on the Wal-Mart formulary for only $4.00 for 30 pills. It works for me.

I'm glad your taking the next step and seeking help. Don't waste anymore time because once its gone, you never get it back.

Good Luck.

this is as good advice as it gets, and keep us informed, people care