Fighting alone for nearly 2 decades. Running on fumes.

LegacyUser

I don't want to go into detail here. I just want to ask a question to anyone who's been able to do it. Is is possible to get medication for, say, depression or whatever without having to give your life story in explanation for it? To just go to a doctor, request a prescription for whatever you need and just keep on trucking, as it were? I know it's "not the way" but I appreciate more experienced insight than mine nonetheless.
Many thanks.

Don Kedick

Arse of the tank. wrote: »

I don't want to go into detail here. I just want to ask a question to anyone who's been able to do it. Is is possible to get medication for, say, depression or whatever without having to give your life story in explanation for it? To just go to a doctor, request a prescription for whatever you need and just keep on trucking, as it were? I know it's "not the way" but I appreciate more experienced insight than mine nonetheless.
Many thanks.

You make an appointment with your gp or any gp. They will ask how can they help. You can say you're feeling very down and it has been going on for quite along time. They will ask you for more detail but you can tell them you don't feel comfortable getting into it. Just say that I've been thinking of getting help for a long time but I just got the courage to do it now.
From there they will discuss your options, they'll advice you to see a counseller and will ask if you feel you'd like to try the medication route. If you say yes to this they will tell you about a medication they feel that works, talk you through what it aims to do, the side effects and so on. Then they will prescribe you a light dossage in this drug and tell you to come back in a month to see how you're feeling.
After the month they will probably up the dossage, depending on what you tell them. Although you don't want to tell them much, having a good gp can be very beneficial. A good doctor will help support you and they give you a better chance of overcoming your difficulties I find.
Just book the appointment, it wont be as bad as you think it'll be in your mind.

LegacyUser

Thanks for the info mate. If I do manage to do it I just want to give as little away as possible. Cheers, I appreciate it.

iusedtoknow

No doctor that values their license is going to prescribe medication without understanding why you need it. This is not to be nasty, but doctors, no matter how rushed they are care about you and your wellbeing. My wife is one (albeit in a hospital) but the standard of care is the same

Your GP will talk to you about how long you've been feeling this way, will recommend various courses of treatment and will then probably talk about medication. As mentioned above though, they won't just prescribe and set you on your way. They will want to see you again to see how you are doing and to check the dosage levels to ensure that you are getting the benefits with the minimum level of side effects.

Everything you say to the doctor will be completely confidential, but they care - and want to help you - but in order to help you...they will need to understand why.

Rubberchikken

a doctor who is doing their job properly will want to know what's happening in your life that brought you to them for medication.
it's not prying on their part to ask if anythings going on, they should be and are, for the most part, concerned for their patients welfare.

LegacyUser

OP no Doctor is going to prescribe antidepressants just keep someone trucking along. Those medications are treatments for serious conditions and depending on the causes and type of depression different treatments are needed. There are nearly 30 different types of antidepressants so your doctor needs to be sure they are prescribing the correct one if one is needed at all and all have different side effects that your doctor will need to go through with you. Have you actually been diagnosed with depression? There are different types of depression that range from mild to Moderate to severe depression and each are treated differently. There are also anxiety conditions that are often mistaken by people as depression.

They must keep anything you tell them in the strictest confidence but if your concerned about attending a local family doctor who knows you you can go to a different doctor. You can refuse to go into details but the doctor may well tell you that can't prescribe drugs without a full history.

Also even if you do go into full detail there is no guarantee they will prescribe medication as treatment, they may offer several options including counselling or a combination of counselling and medication and they won't just keep prescribing medication indefinitely.

Neyite

Arse of the tank. wrote: »

I don't want to go into detail here. I just want to ask a question to anyone who's been able to do it. Is is possible to get medication for, say, depression or whatever without having to give your life story in explanation for it? To just go to a doctor, request a prescription for whatever you need and just keep on trucking, as it were? I know it's "not the way" but I appreciate more experienced insight than mine nonetheless.
Many thanks.

You dont have to give endless details of things in your life, but you may have to mention them -eg a bad break up /family issues /job pressures. But the doctor is more interested in assessing how these pressures are making you feel inside, so you are more talking about emotions and feelings rather than facts and details if you see what I mean.

If it helps, write it out before hand, state that you are not ready to talk about xyz but that you do want to get better and that you need help.

Whispered

I found the opposite with a gp. I went to my gp feeling very down. She immediately prescribed antidepressants having asked very few questions. I insisted I wasn't depressed. Went to a different gp who suggested doing blood tests. It turned out I have an absorption issue and need to have vit b12 injected as my body can't absorb it from food. I felt a difference after the first injection. If I hadn't gone elsewhere I'd probably be needlessly taking tablets for depression.

Sorry op I have no advice for you except what others are saying about visiting your doctor. I just wanted to give my own experience with someone being too quick to diagnose and treat depression.

LegacyUser

Thanks a lot lads, was half afraid of the answer but needed info as I hadn't gone anywhere near the thought till now. Appreciate the advice.

Kidchameleon

Op I suggest dealing with your issues via counseling and using meds to aid you with the ultimate aim of not needing meds. Using meds to keep on "trucking" is just kicking the can down the road. I have a friend who is literally addicted to his meds, if he forgets to get his precription he has severe withdrawl symptoms. I feel his doctor just doesnt care. Again, deal with your issues head on. Good luck.

Penny Tration

Kidchameleon wrote: »

Op I suggest dealing with your issues via counseling and using meds to aid you with the ultimate aim of not needing meds. Using meds to keep on "trucking" is just kicking the can down the road. I have a friend who is literally addicted to his meds, if he forgets to get his precription he has severe withdrawl symptoms. I feel his doctor just doesnt care. Again, deal with your issues head on. Good luck.

Immediately stopping pretty much any antidepressants can cause withdrawals, though, it's not because he's completely addicted.

shuffle65

Go to your doctor, you won't be asked to reveal anything you don't want to. If you need help you will get it, and antidepressants are not necessarily the answer, CBT is excellent, your GP might recommend something like that. Personally I feel it's better to address the issue than mask it with medication, but that's just my opinion/experience.

FullblownRose

Arse of the tank. wrote: »

I don't want to go into detail here. I just want to ask a question to anyone who's been able to do it. Is is possible to get medication for, say, depression or whatever without having to give your life story in explanation for it? To just go to a doctor, request a prescription for whatever you need and just keep on trucking, as it were? I know it's "not the way" but I appreciate more experienced insight than mine nonetheless.
Many thanks.

Hiya,
I know exactly what you mean and yes, you can get medication without going into details.

Explain what you believe is the illness- e.g depression, and tell the doctor whether or not you want to go down the counselling route, or try medication, or both.

You do NOT have to go into a load of details. As for it being ''not the way'' everyone's different and some people know themselves what approach works and what doesn't- for some people, talking doesn't always help and isn't always comfortable, so counselling or psychotherapy mightn't appeal.

That same worry is what put me off from asking for medication and I'm very glad I finally bit the bullet and asked.