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| Product name- |
Generic name |
Price (USD) |
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| Stablon 12.5 mg, 30 tabs |
Tianeptine |
$48.00 |
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| Sigban SR 150 mg, 60 tabs |
Bupropion |
$129.00 |
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| Hydroxyzine 10 mg, 50 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$18.00 |
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| Hydroxyzine 10 mg, 150 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$39.00 |
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| Hydroxyzine 10 mg, 100 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$31.00 |
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| Frext 100 mg, 30 tabs |
Fluvoxamine Maleate |
$84.00 |
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| Flunil 20 mg, 60 tabs |
Fluoxetine |
$69.00 |
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| Efexor XR 75 mg, 28 tabs |
Venlafaxine |
$139.00 |
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| Dormirax 25 mg, 300 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$129.00 $99.00 |
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| Dormirax 25 mg, 200 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$99.00 |
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| Dormirax 25 mg, 100 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$59.00 |
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| Buspin 5 mg, 60 tabs |
Buspirone |
$79.00 |
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| Buspin 10 mg, 60 tabs |
Buspirone |
$99.00 |
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| Atarax 25 mg, 75 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$63.00 |
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| Atarax 25 mg, 50 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$45.00 |
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| Atarax 25 mg, 25 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$24.00 |
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| Atarax 25 mg, 100 tabs |
Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride |
$79.00 $49.00 |
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Depression explained
The word 'depression' causes much confusion. It is often used to describe
when someone is feeling 'low', 'miserable', 'in a mood', or having 'got out
of bed on the wrong side'. However, doctors use the word in two different
ways. They can use it to describe the symptom of a 'low mood', or to refer
to a specific illness i.e. a 'depressive illness'. This factsheet, and
indeed the Depression Community itself, relates to depression - the illness.
This confusion is made all the worse because it is often difficult to tell
the difference between feeling gloomy and having a depressive illness.
Doctors make a diagnosis of depression after assessing the severity of the
low mood, other associated symptoms and the duration of the problem.
Depression is very common. Almost anybody can develop the illness; it is
certainly NOT a sign of weakness. Depression is also treatable. You may need
to see a doctor, but there are things you can do yourself or things you can
do to help somebody suffering from the illness. What you cannot do is 'PULL
YOURSELF TOGETHER' - no matter whether this is what you think you should be
able to do, or what other people tell you to do.
People who have experienced an episode of depression are at risk of
developing another in the future. A small proportion may experience an
episode of depression as part of a bipolar affective disorder (manic
depression) that is characterised by episodes of both low and high moods.
Who gets depressed?
Depression is very common
Between 5 and 10 per cent of the population are suffering from the illness
to some extent at any one time.
Over a lifetime you have a 20 per cent, or one in five, chance of having an
episode of depression.
Women are twice as likely to get depression as men.
Bipolar affective disorder is less common than depressive illness with a
life-time risk of around one to two per cent. Men and women are equally
affected.
Getting depression is NOT a sign of weakness. There are no particular
'personality types' that are more at risk than others. However, some risk
factors have been identified, these include inherited (genetic) factors,
such as having parents or grandparents who have suffered from depression and
non-genetic factors such as the death of a parent when you were young.
What causes depression?
We do not fully understand the causes of depression.
Genes or early life experiences may make some people vulnerable.
Stressful life events, such as losing a job or a relationship ending, may
trigger an episode of depression.
Depression can be triggered by some physical illnesses, drug treatments and
recreational drugs.
It is often impossible to identify a 'cause' in many people and this can be
distressing for people who want to understand the reasons why they are ill.
However depression, like any illness, can strike for no apparent reason.
It is clear that there are definite changes in the way the brain works when
a person is depressed:
Modern brain scans that can look at how 'hard' the brain is working have
shown that some areas of the brain (such as at the front) are not working as
well as normal.
Depressed patients have higher than normal levels of stress hormones.
Various chemical systems in the brain may not be working correctly including
one known as the serotonin or 5-HT system.
Antidepressants may help to reverse these changes.
Symptoms of depression
Stress can lead to you to feeling 'down' and 'miserable'. What is different
about a depressive illness is that these feelings last for weeks or months,
rather than days. In addition to feeling low most or all of the time, many
other symptoms can occur in depressive illness (though not everybody has
every one). These include:
Being unable to gain pleasure from activities that normally would be
pleasurable.
Losing interest in normal activities, hobbies and everyday life.
Feeling tired all of the time and having no energy.
Difficulty sleeping or waking early in the morning (though some feel that
they can't get out of bed and 'face the world').
Having a poor appetite, no interest in food and losing weight (though some
people overeat and put on weight - 'comfort eating').
Losing interest in sex.
Finding it difficult to concentrate and think straight.
Feeling restless, tense and anxious.
Being irritable.
Losing self-confidence.
Avoiding other people.
Finding it harder than usual to make decisions.
Feeling useless and inadequate - 'a waste of space'.
Feeling guilty about who you are and what you have done.
Feeling hopeless - that nothing will make things better.
Thinking about suicide - this is very common. If you feel this way, talk to
somebody about it. If you think somebody else might be thinking this way,
ask them about it - IT WILL NOT MAKE THEM MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
How is depression diagnosed?
Unfortunately there is no brain scan or blood test that can be used to
diagnose when a person has a depressive illness. The diagnosis can only be
made from the symptoms. Generally speaking a diagnosis of depression will be
made if a person has a persistently low mood that significantly influences
their everyday life and has been present for two weeks or more, and there
are also three or four or more other symptoms of depression.
Who treats people with depression?
General practitioners (GPs), most commonly help treat people with
depression.
Patients may also be seen by counselors, who are often attached to GP
surgeries.
If the diagnosis is unclear, or the person is particularly ill, the GP may
refer the patient to a psychiatrist.
Patients may be referred to community psychiatric nurses (CPNs) by their GP
or psychiatrist.
People suffering from depression may also be seen by psychotherapists.
Treatments for depression
Sometimes when we are going through a 'bad patch' in our life, it is enough
to talk through our problems with a friend or relative. However, this may
not be enough and we may need to seek professional help. The important thing
to remember about depression is that it is treatable. There are many
different types of treatment. These include medication and talking therapies
(psychotherapy).
Psychotherapy
There are many different forms of psychotherapy.
Simply talking to somebody or your doctor about your problems is a form of
psychotherapy and can help greatly.
It is far better to talk about your problems than 'bottling-up' your
emotions.
More formal psychotherapy includes counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy
(CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and dynamic psychotherapy or
psychoanalysis. To read more about treatments click here.
As a general rule psychotherapies are as effective as medication for the
treatment of mild depression. However, for more severe illnesses, medication
is likely to be needed but this may be supplemented with psychotherapy.
Exactly which type of therapy a doctor recommends depends on the particular
problems a patient is suffering from, the views of the patient and local
availability of psychotherapy. There is little evidence to suggest that one
form of therapy is better than another.
Medication
Antidepressant medication helps to correct the 'low' mood and other symptoms
experienced during depression; they are NOT 'happy pills'.
Antidepressants do not change your personality.
Antidepressants are NOT addictive.
In the last few years there has been an explosion of new antidepressant
medications. The main advantage of these new drugs is that they have fewer
side effects than older drugs and so are more pleasant to take. Your doctor
will choose which medication to prescribe for you based on the side effects
of the drugs and your particular symptoms. We do not fully understand how
antidepressants work. However, they appear to act on chemicals in the brain
to correct the abnormalities which cause the illness.
When taking medication it is important to remember:
To take your medication regularly.
You are unlikely to see any improvement in your symptoms for two or three
weeks after starting the medication.
Once you have started to respond, you should slowly improve over several
weeks.
Current World Health Organisation guidelines recommend that patients
continue to take their medication for six months after having recovered.
This is to prevent a recurrence of the illness when the medication is
stopped.
Antidepressants are effective for both treating episodes of depression and
also for preventing further episodes of illness. Some patients who have had
severe and/or many episodes of illness are therefore recommended to take
medication for a long time.
Stopping to take medication once you feel well is a common cause of a return
of the symptoms of depression. You should therefore only stop after
discussion with your doctor.
Generally coming off antidepressants is not a problem, though usually you
should gradually reduce the dose of the medication over three or four weeks
rather than stopping abruptly.
What happens if you do not respond to treatment?
Some people unfortunately do not get better with simple straightforward
treatments. It might be that they need to try a higher dose or different
antidepressants, or that a combination of medication and psychotherapy would
be helpful. It may be necessary for these people to be referred to a
psychiatrist for more specialized help. The psychiatrist will want to talk
about the problems the person is suffering, and find out about background
information such as work and family, previous health or emotional problems
and current medication. The psychiatrist may then recommend different
treatments. Rarely, it might be necessary for the person to be admitted to
hospital if the depression is very severe. This is only necessary in about 1
in 100 patients with depression.
ECT (electroconvulsive therapy)
Most people do not like the idea of ECT. It is a treatment that is reserved
only for patients who have severe depression, for which it is highly effective and can work faster than medication. It involves having a brief
anaesthetic that sends the person to sleep for 5-10 minutes. While asleep, a
muscle-relaxing drug is given and a small electric current is passed through
the brain for a fraction of a second. Once the person has woken, it takes
half an hour or so to get over the effects of the anaesthetic. ECT is only
given under the close supervision of an anaesthetist, a psychiatrist and
nursing staff. Most commonly, ECT is administered twice a week and around
6-10 treatments are necessary to treat the depression, though an effect may
be seen after the first one or two treatments. There is no evidence that
properly administered ECT damages the brain in any way.
What to do if you are depressed
Talk to people about how you feel. Don't bottle things up. It is NOT a sign
of weakness to get help for your problems, in the same way that it would not
be to get medical help for a broken leg or a chest infection.
Although you may not be able to do the things you normally would (such as
work), try to keep active as much as you can. Lying in bed or sitting
thinking about your problems can make them seem worse. Taking physical
exercise can also help depression and keep your mind off your worries.
Do not increase your alcohol intake to try and 'drown your sorrows' or help
you sleep better. Alcohol will only make the depression worse and harder to
treat.
If you are having problems sleeping, try not to lie in bed thinking about
your problems and anxieties. Do something to take your mind off your worries
such as reading or listening to the radio.
Always remember that you are suffering from an illness. It is not you being
weak, and you can NOT simply 'pull yourself together'. Your illness is
treatable. You are also NOT ALONE. Depression is extremely common.
What to do if you know somebody who is depressed
Sometimes people are not aware that they are depressed. This particularly
happens when the depression comes on slowly. In addition many people
suffering from depression blame themselves for not coping as they normally
would, rather than thinking there might be some illness that has caused them
to be this way. The illness can make a person think that it would be a sign
of weakness to seek help for their difficulties. If you think that this has
happened to somebody, you should try to talk to him or her about it. Also
try to remember:
Listening can really help
Avoid saying, 'pull your self together' or other remarks that make the
person think that it is their fault that they are ill.
If the person's problems do not sort themselves out in a week or so, suggest
that the person seek professional help. Remind the person that this is not a
sign of weakness or of being a failure.
Don't nag the person or try to get them to do what they normally would.
Remember they are suffering from an illness.
Remind the person that they have an illness, that it is not their fault, and
that they will get better no matter how hopeless they feel.
Try to help them avoid resorting to alcohol, which does not help the
situation.
If the person talks of harming himself or committing suicide, take this
seriously. Insist that they see a doctor. Remember that it does NOT increase
the chances of a person committing suicide to talk to them about it. |
