Why you need to know this information about antidepressants.

If you struggle with depression, you need to know this and I think you might the information very interesting. My daughter-in-law, a nurse who works for a mental health facility, first told me about it last year.

I had occasion to call a pharmacist today about a prescription for antidepressants for someone. I wanted to know about whether “brain fog” can result from taking antidepressants.

She said it was a very common complaint. I told her the person’s history and asked her how we even know whether the pills are working for her or not. She informed me that the only way to know which antidepressant anyone should be on is to have a genetic test.

This is not the first time I had heard about the genetic test. I’m pretty sure it’s not covered by insurance and I have no idea how expensive it is.

But the point I want to make here is that if this is true, and I have no doubts it is, then once again, why are so many people prescribed antidepressants as a first approach to managing depression? And why isn’t insurance covering this?

So once again the logic for prescribing pills is suspect at the very least. Remember, I’m not suggesting antidepressants should never be prescribed. Besides, I remind you I’m not a doctor but I’ll bet I’ve read as much on the subject as any doctor. And I’ve yet to read an article or a book that ever encourages antidepressants alone as a way to manage depression. All legitimate studies suggest adding exercise, diet changes, and various other cognitive approaches to antidepressant treatments.

Think about that for a minute. If antidepressants were the only or the total answer, why would all these other practices be highly recommended? But it’s that way for just about every illness in general. There is almost always something more that the patient needs to do.

Here’s the link if you want to read it for yourself. There are a number of sites but I found this one from Mayo Clinic to be particularly easy to ready.

Hope you found it helpful.

God bless and have a good day.