Antidepressant age?

[Callwaiting]

Does anybody know the minimum age for being able to get antidepressants?
What do you have to do to have access to them, like go to a counseller or something?

Please don't tell me why I shouldn't take antidepressants or anything, I'd just like to know the minimum age when you don't need to have your parents involved.

[Avalikia]

Antidepressants are prescription medications, and like any prescription they can only be prescribed by a doctor (e.g. your general practitioner or a psychiatrist). The age at which they can be prescribed without your parent's consent depends on the laws where you live (sometimes it's up to the doctor to decide), but generally anything you talk to your doctor about when your parents aren't there is considered confidential so it wouldn't hurt to just ask about it. They'd be able to answer your question, any others you may have, and determine whether or not it's appropriate for your situation or if there's something else that would help instead of or in addition to antidepressant medication.

[thesphinx]

For Anti-Depressants I am almost positive (at least where I live) you would have to be 18 to get on them by your self.
Why not talk to your parents about it?

[BlackenedSilver]

Im sure that here, you have to be 16 to pick up ANY prescription from the doctor without your parents present.
But that maybe different in other places, I think its just when you finish Complusory (Arrgghh Spelling sorry) Education.

[nachtspiegel]

As far as being prescribed anti-depressants, you can get them as early as your doctor feels the need. To pick them up, it varies from place to place.

Here, you can pick up your medications at any age if you have your insurance card and you forge your parent's signature. It really isn't looked into.

[Callwaiting]

For Anti-Depressants I am almost positive (at least where I live) you would have to be 18 to get on them by your self.
Why not talk to your parents about it?

It's a long story, I just can't tell them.

This is really irritating, I'll have to buy them through a friend now :mad:.

[Atonement]

I would NOT buy them through a friend. YOu need a doctor to monitor your dosages if you want to be on anti depressants. If it is that serious of a problem, you need to talk to an adult whether it be a counselor or your parents, just talk to someone. Remember that drugs are only a tool to good health, not a cure. So even with drugs, you will still need counseling and therapy if you want to get better.

[Avalikia]

Buying them from a friend is definately not a good idea. Antidepressants can be very complicated - it took me and my psychiatrist three tries before we found an antidepressant that both worked and didn't cause side effects worse than the depression. Even then it took us a few months to then find the proper dosage - and I was under the care of an expert. It's definately not something to mess around with. I mean, these things mess with your brain chemistry - a good thing if you need it, a bad thing if you don't know what you're doing. For all you know, whatever your friend is taking could have the exact opposite effect on you, which I know from experience is definately possible (sufficeth to say, my brother and I definately do not have similar brains). I'm not trying to scare you off here, but it is really important for anyone using antidepressants to use them properly.

[thesphinx]

Ok here is the thing, if you don't go through a doctor you risk seriously screwing up your head.
Anti-Depressants when taken wrong can cause extreme depression and make the whole situation a lot worse.
Why can't you tell your parents?

[byee]

Antidepressants are prescription medications, and like any prescription they can only be prescribed by a doctor (e.g. your general practitioner or a psychiatrist). The age at which they can be prescribed without your parent's consent depends on the laws where you live (sometimes it's up to the doctor to decide), but generally anything you talk to your doctor about when your parents aren't there is considered confidential so it wouldn't hurt to just ask about it. They'd be able to answer your question, any others you may have, and determine whether or not it's appropriate for your situation or if there's something else that would help instead of or in addition to antidepressant medication.

Agree, agree, agree. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Antidepressants are very powerful medications that should ONLY be prescribed and monitored by a physician. DO NOT 'get' them from any other source! If you are so unhappy that you're desperate enough to actually contemplate this, then use that acknowledgement to tell an adult and go thru proper channels to get properly assessed and treated!