How do I get anti-depressants?

[ReginaGeorge]

I think I am depressed, I've actually thought that for a while. The hardest part isn't sadness, I'm not really sad, I'd classify it more as unhappy, the hardest part is that everything is hard.

Everything is so much harder to do or experience or feel than it should be. Even being happy and hanging out with friends is hard and it takes it toll. The only way I know how to deal with it all is by not dealing with it, and staying at home instead of going to school. Also self-harm. I did that last year, and barely passed year 11. This year it's starting again and my workload has doubled and I can't afford it in year 12.

I don't want to have a huge deal made out of this, I don't want my Mum to feel bad, or I have to be supervised, or have to go through heaps of counseling to get a diagnosis then heaps of counseling to get over it.

I just want some pills to pick me up and help me get through the school year.

How do I do that?

[workingatperfect]

Well, since you're a minor, you'll more than likely have to tell your mom. You can go to the doctor about something and ask for them. He might have samples to give you for free. That's what my school nurse suggested to me earlier in the year. But it might be hard to get that at 16. A lot of doctors are wary about giving them to minors, even with the parent's consent and all that. But they might not help, seeing as they tend to make people stop caring about stuff. A lot of people I've known that took them, it made them worse. It made school and work harder for them, and kind of turned them into zombies.

[Abyssal Echo]

Well, since you're a minor, you'll more than likely have to tell your mom. You can go to the doctor about something and ask for them. He might have samples to give you for free. That's what my school nurse suggested to me earlier in the year. But it might be hard to get that at 16. A lot of doctors are wary about giving them to minors, even with the parent's consent and all that. But they might not help, seeing as they tend to make people stop caring about stuff. A lot of people I've known that took them, it made them worse. It made school and work harder for them, and kind of turned them into zombies.

I agree with workingatperfect you'll need to talk to your parents. you prob can get samples from your family Doctor but most likely he will recomend you see a Psyc. The Psyc will be able to tell if you need to take meds or not.
I wont say meds made me worse but not sure if they are doing much to help either. I can kinda relate to the whole zombie thing mood wise.

[xmojox]

Get an appointment with your doctor and tell him or her what you said here. Please don't under any circumstances get these drugs from any other source than from your doctor. The reason for this is that there are serious potential side-effects from them, and the doctor will need to educate your parents about these. In people our age, anti-depressants can cause suicidal thoughts and even actions.

I take them every day of my life, and they do seem to help me, but it took some trial and error to figure out the right drugs for me, as everyone is different.

The place to start is with your doctor. Never be hesitant to talk to your doctor about anything.

I wish you the best.

[WalkingOnDisaster]

Ask to go to the doctor, explain to him what you wrote here, and go from there.

[joeyjorulz]

crying for no reason at the doctor helps...

[Guillermo]

crying for no reason at the doctor helps...

That's not very good advice... If you go to the doctor/psych, you should be honest with what you say and how you react. Anti-depressants aren't just a heaven-sent gift that will make everything all better. They can have serious side-effects.

[xmojox]

That's not very good advice... If you go to the doctor/psych, you should be honest with what you say and how you react. Anti-depressants aren't just a heaven-sent gift that will make everything all better. They can have serious side-effects.

I agree. Your relationship with your doctor or doctors has to be honest for it to work.

[Syvelocin]

Hit up a psychiatrist and hope they know what they're doing.

If you're really serious about anti-depressants, be sure you're in it for the long run. It's just a real commitment. My mum is fifty-four and drug stabilization is a relatively recent (within the last decade) thing for her. You may be trying drug after drug until you find something. One just won't work. One needs double the dosage before it's nice and working for you. One will make you lose your hair. One will require additional drugs to work or will need other drugs to take care of side-effects. And what no one thought to mention to me before loading me up with pills was what my mum goes through for one: her memory loss caused by the drugs she takes, and just how dramatically they can change you. In my head, meds are for the people who literally can't get through a day without the medication, and I'm sometimes in a good deal of emotional pain, but I've been unmedicated for about four years now and I get on fine. Part of me feels like life was worse when I was on meds, but I also wasn't twenty, out of school, and living on my own.

Mood stabilizers and anti-depressants combined, I had been on ten different medications, and I hated them all. Note, it isn't all bad, I'm not trying to brainwash you or anything. It's just a serious decision. Some people truly do find success with them, I just hate who I am on medication. Therapy has been infinitely more helpful for me, and I can take pride in the fact that I personally have achieved these things.

[Cicero]

First you have to go to a doctor, then he sends you to a psychologist to decide. A psychologist is the only person who can prescribe them to you.
An alternative is St. John's Wort.

[Gigablue]

First you have to go to a doctor, then he sends you to a psychologist to decide. A psychologist is the only person who can prescribe them to you.
An alternative is St. John's Wort.

I think you mean psychiatrist. Psychologists aren't medical doctors, so they can't prescribe medication. Psychiatrists are medical doctors specializing in mental illness.

On a side note, the evidence for St. John's wort isn't very good. There aren't many studies, and the few good ones show a small of nonexistent effect.

Medication works well for some people but not others. You may have to try a few different ones to find the most effective, and you should get therapy as well to get a greater effect. There are also some unpleasant side effects from antidepressants, though they usually go away after a few weeks.

In my case, antidepressants worked very well and probably saved my life. I had pretty severe depression, but got better in about a month after I started taking antidepressants. The side effects, mainly nausea and headache, were bad in the first week or two, but soon went away.

You should talk to your doctor and get a refferal to a psychiatrist. They will decide if antidepressants are right for you and which one should work best.

[Cicero]

I think you mean psychiatrist. Psychologists aren't medical doctors, so they can't prescribe medication. Psychiatrists are medical doctors specializing in mental illness.

On a side note, the evidence for St. John's wort isn't very good. There aren't many studies, and the few good ones show a small of nonexistent effect.

Medication works well for some people but not others. You may have to try a few different ones to find the most effective, and you should get therapy as well to get a greater effect. There are also some unpleasant side effects from antidepressants, though they usually go away after a few weeks.

In my case, antidepressants worked very well and probably saved my life. I had pretty severe depression, but got better in about a month after I started taking antidepressants. The side effects, mainly nausea and headache, were bad in the first week or two, but soon went away.

You should talk to your doctor and get a refferal to a psychiatrist. They will decide if antidepressants are right for you and which one should work best.

How did you feel taking them? Happy 24/7?

[Gigablue]

How did you feel taking them? Happy 24/7?

Not happy all the time. I basically returned to the way I was before I got depression. Generally fairly happy, but sad if something bad happened.