Posted by calamityjane on July 27, 2007, at 19:40:57
In reply to Re: was this doc causing my dads depression to worsen?, posted by linkadge on July 26, 2007, at 8:56:31
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> Its really hard to say without knowing exact context and history of his illness. If his first symptom of depression appeared a year before, then it would seem very crazy to be on these meds and be having shock treatments.
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> ECT, (even back then I believe) was usually reserved for treatment resistant patients. You say he had prior ECT treatments? If your father has a history of severe treatment resistant depression, then taking these meds may not be terrably unheard of.
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> Was your father in chronic pain? Did he have other illnesses, requiring the pain medication?
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> Treatment resistant patients tend to accumulate the medications over the years. It is often not that the doctor prescribes them all at once, but that they are slowly added over time to combat severe forms of depression.
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> Stimulants such as dexidrine are often used as augmenting agents.
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> I'm sure you are factoring in the severarity of your fathers illness, should find enough information to quantify that.
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> I hope you find the answers you're looking for.
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> Linkadge
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>Thanks Link -
yes, first symptoms supposedly appeared just one year before. he went in for a rectal surgery, and when he came out was depressed. I am not sure, but I am thinking it is possible that he attempted suicide before ever being seen by psychiatrist - but I am in process of finding that out and should know by next week sometime.March 28, 1984 was the date of his first experience with the doctor. By 1985 he was attempting suicide all the time, in and out of psych hospital, and even a trip to NIMH in Maryland, where he stayed for a couple of weeks.
There was no chronic pain - the pain meds were somthing he got hooked on after his rectal surgery - Other than the pain of depression, there was no other circumstance making the pain meds necessary....
maybe he talked the doc into giving them to him, though. that is a possibility. I know how people that like meds can be. I am sure he could have been convincing.
With that said, the doc should not have given him the pain meds, in my opinion, no matter how hard he begged.
again, i have no proof he even requested the pain med - just me guessing about what happened.
poster:calamityjane
thread:772017
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070719/msgs/772422.html