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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Are depression medications addictive?

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    Depression Mental Health
    I have been prescribed anti depression medication and, being a first timer, I am nervous about taking it. There seems to be many and varied experiences from this particular medication (Pristiq) and I am nervous about this. I am also nervous about coming off of this medication. I don't want to be dependant on medication for the rest of my life and I hear too often that this can become a cycle. I am also getting professional support from a psychologist and hoping that this will ultimately get me better (with a lot of work). I see the medication as a short term solution until ‘therapy’ really kicks in. Am I naive to think this? I am open to do whatever I need but being medicated from here on in is not what I would like to happen ultimately. Is there much of a comedown from AD medication and how is this managed. I realise everyone is different so response is expected to be generally speaking.
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    Grant Dempsey

    Counsellor

    With a passion to see people move forward and break free from the barriers holding them back, Grant is a highly experienced counsellor with over … View Profile

    I'm not a GP so I won't answer specifically re the medication but I will tell you what I've seen with some of my clients.

    You are depressed for a reason and the medication won't solve that, it will however enable you to cope with your activities of daily living and put you in a better space to attack the cause of your depression with the help of a counsellor or psychologist. Unfortunately what I've seen happen is;

    • people see a Psychologist/Counsellor because they are struggling,
    • they see their GP and get prescribed medication,
    • with the medication they feel better so they stop seeing their Psychologist.
    • Inevitably things get worse and they go back to their GP and up the dosage.
    Once you are in this cycle getting off the meds becomes much harder. Therefore my suggestion is keep seeing your Psychologist, even if you are feeling better. Only stop when
    • you can identify the cause of your depression,
    • can clearly recognise the signs when it is coming on,
    • have strategies and support in place to overcome the depression, and
    • have utilised those strategies on several occasions and proven they work. 
    I have had clients attend weekly for 4 weeks, then fortnightly, then monthly, then 3 monthly, 6 monthly and so on. In my opinion there are usually some deep underlying emotional issues linked to depression and you need good cognitive strategies to fight the initial battles and get back on you feet but you need to deal with those emotional issues to win the war otherwise you never really free yourself from it.

    Keep seeing your Psyc and good luck.

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