CKLD - ADs/SRRIs are appropriate treatment if prescribed for the right reasons. If you read my posts, I often suggest to ladies suffering with terrible anxiety, that HRT alone is often not enough to control this and an SRRI alongside HRT may be appropriate.
Too many women go to their GPs in a terrible state due to lack of sleep, burst into tears and the GPs will often jump to the conclusion they are depressed without going through the proper diagnosis procedures. A 10 min appointment is not enough to really get to the bottom of why a women is feeling so anxious or possibly depressed but lack of sleep and constant flushes are highly likely to be the cause when meno symptoms hit. If GPs were given a list of key questions to ascertain whether ADs and/or HRT are appropriate this might help matters. A history of anxiety or depression should also be taken into account, however, if a women says she cannot sleep because of night sweats and gets numerous flushes throughout the day that trigger anxious feelings, then setting out the clear options of HRT or possibly ADs/SRRIs should be offered, highlighting the benefits, side effects and risks of both treatments, then she can make a better informed choice. The days of routinely offering ADs/SRRIs should be behind us now - these drugs should be offered with caution.
If you read the original post on this thread, Barefoot is getting some rather nasty side effects from the ADs she has been given. My response in suggesting she has been given the wrong treatment for her meno symptoms is based on the clear advice on the NICE guidelines. Did Barefoot's GP tell her that there would be some nasty side effects that may effect her ability to function well and that coming off this AD would involve a slow withdrawal and possibly a return of symptoms? Did the GP explain that meno symptoms should normally be treated with HRT unless there are medical reasons for not doing so? Also, if HRT doesn't suit you can easily stop it - whereas ADs should not be stopped cold turkey.
When I was prescribed ADs back in my 30s when I was peri meno and got very depressed due to problems in my life at the time, my lovely local pharmacist took time to print off the info on side effects and advised me to really think carefully about whether to take them - I had young children and he knew I needed to drive and be functioning at a reasonable level. There have been many cases of people reacting very badly to ADs and in fact the side effects tipping them over the edge. I think I can actually give a very good example:
A man in my street became very anxious to a degree that his wife took him to casualty. He was given something to help - I assume some AD of some sort and sent home. In the middle of the night he woke, became extremely agitated, chased his wife around the house, grabbed a hammer and on the doorstep of their house struck her on the head and killed her. Now we will never truly know what tipped him over the edge - it had been a happy marriage and she was a calm and rational women, however, he got off with manslaughter on the basis that he was not of sound mind and I do wonder if he had had a bad reaction to the drug he had been given.
There was also a case on the news recently about a women who had just started an SRRI and suddenly went missing in the night, her husband and friends explaining this was completely out of character.
I feel very strongly that we should keep an open mind about any treatment and also keep in mind that GPs are under a great deal of pressure so simply cannot keep up to date on treatments or give the time to each patient to always give appropriate treatment.
CKLD - I know you are a great advocate of pharmacists; I went to see my favourite pharmacist yesterday for advice about the headaches I have been getting. He took my blood pressure and gave me so much time to talk through my options. We were interrupted by a phone call from an elderly lady, he supplies her regular prescriptions so knows her well, and she was clearly questioning something the GP had given her - I heard him tell her to get back in the touch with the GPs as they had given her the wrong type of drugs.
We are hear to share our experiences and views, so we should all respect this.
Barefoot - I would seriously consider HRT - read up all the info on this site to get clued up. The ADs you have been given may be OK for a short fix but they won't do any good for your bones and heart but HRT certainly can - HRT is not just for flushes and night sweats. The dry mouth and feeling of being ‘spaced out' can often linger with this AD which is not a good thing in the long term.
DG xxx
