Are GP's being encouraged or paid to prescribe antidepressants?

[FrolickingLemon]

Not sure if I'm being unreasonable, but here goes.

About 2 years ago a felt I had perimenopausal symptoms. Described about half a dozen or more symptoms over the phone to GP. I was almost 48 at the time. Her first answer was would I like to take an SSRI? No. I wasnt depressed. Joint pain was one of my symptoms, and apparently SSRI's can help with that. I countered that I was a sports Therapist and that many of my clients were on SSRI's for depression and anxiety, yet still they came to me with joint pain for muscle and joint pain. I also voiced my concerns about side effects and how difficult it can be to come off antidepressants. She said they were way better and safer than opiates and anti inflammatories. Still wasn't buying it.

A year later and I'm diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Was given codeine, but made to feel like shit for taking it. Like I'm some sort of drug addict. I totally get that some people get addicted to opiates, but that wasn't me.

At the same time, my Mum was absolutely shattered. Short of breath and it was getting her down. Lots of other symptoms and underlying problems. GP asks if she would like antidepressants? We visited the GP not long after this and long story short, my Mum was severely anaemic due to microscopic bleeding. Turned out to be bowel cancer. Mum had a big op just after lockdown and is recovering nicely.

I had another appointment today with GP regards to ongoing osteoarthritis pain and also further perimenipause issues (hot flushes- I'm now nearly 50) Again, she wants me to take SSRI's. I did a lot of research beforehand and read a lot of threads of MN in the menopause section. So many people say they had immediate joint pain relief from HRT. GP has said all along she is sceptical about this, but I'm edging closer to going on HRT.

But why the love of SSRI's? Sorry, this was longer than I intended. I've done family research too with regards to risks and benefits. Would be grateful for anyones personal experience.

I think it’s just because they’re a quick fix. They don’t have the time, money or resources to properly help people - you know, talk to them, look into their issues, find out what’s going on, arrange counselling or treatment or whatever else they might need - so they just fob you off with pills.

BTW I don’t have any experience of your particular medical problems but I was prescribed SSRIs for six years or so for symptoms that turned out to be related to hypothyroidism and anaemia. I was very unwell for a long time trying to get them out of my system - dizzy, nauseous, tearful, etc. I have since been offered them again for what seems to be PMDD but I said No way, never again.

They are pushing everyone to change from pain killers to anti depressants. I’m sure it helps some but others just need bloody pain killers. Some conditions are painful no matter what exercise, anti depressant or life style change

I went to the GP a few years ago with anxiety and depression, brief chat, little cry and he offered me SSRIs and a time to talk referral, they never rang and I had a repeat prescription for sertraline in my hand with no review or follow up. I ended up stopping them myself 8 months later but in theory I could have taken them indefinitely with no one checking if they were working as intended, or helping. A couple of my friends have experienced the same and are still taking them years later.

YANBU! I've got fibromyalgia and also have bad sciatica and operations on my back. I'm in pain most of the time and the only thing that helps me is cocodamol and naproxen. I've tried antidepressants for the pain and all they did was made me sleep for about 16 hours at at time and I felt really foggy when I was awake. I was very forgetful too and after about 3 months I said I couldn't take them anymore. The GP tries to get me back on them because they want to stop giving people cocodamol but to be honest they really work for me and it fills me with dread everytime they mention it. Antidepressants are nasty drugs in my opinion and don't solve everything.

You're right that they give them out for almost every condition including to a guy in my office for a recurring headache!

I wonder the same. A friend had severe Post-viral fatigue and all she got from the GP was SSRIs. She sorted it out with a naturopath in the end.

DDad has chronic pain - offered SSRIs too.

My peri-meno symptoms were passed off as depression and i was on SSRIs for years as a result. Made me very passive and dopey, Maybe that's what they want. A nation of people who don;t pester them abotu anything.

Bloody irresponsible.

@islandislandisland I think that will be the case with the guy from my office

No they are not encouraged or paid to prescribe antidepressant, but they are very strongly discouraged from prescribing some other medications that would have been possible in these situations. Pain killers for chronic pain especially. But also HRT, anxiolytics etc

Wow. Didnt expect so many quick replies.

It is genuinely worrying me that we will have a load of people addicted and finding it hard to come off AD's or even worse that they will he found to be harmful. Seems like madness to me. Hence why I asked if they are potentially getting money from the pharma that make them. (Again, I know some anti inflammatories and pain killers have been subject to this in the past)

My DH went to the doctors with flu and was diagnosed with depression and put on anti depressants - it nearly ended our marriage

You ask any man when he's wearing the dressing gown of doom and feeling sorry for himself with man flu whether he "enjoys things less than he did" or "finding it more difficult to concentrate" and I bet you'd get the same answers! (some of the standard tick box questions a GP asks before diagnosing depression and doling out the pills) 🤷‍♀️

I insisted we change GPs after this

Thank you so much for all your responses.

I know I'm perimenopausal. I know HRT has risks. But I also know so many people who have been prescribed antidepressants and had loads of side effects. Men who can no longer ejaculate, loss of libido in women etc.. but totally don't get why SSRIs are peddled as some sort of fix all without going into the side effects or risks that perhaps HRT or Painkillers may have. I feel it's a modern day problem that may explode with issues in future generations.

My Mum is pissed off with me being constantly offered them, but more so with being offered them as she felt rum down and tired, when in fact she had cancer.

I absolutely appreciate that GPs are overworked. However, my symptoms and my Mums did not warrant anti depressants.

Thinking of that, I also was offered antidepressants for non-specific fatigue / malaise symptoms - turned out in the end that I had Lyme disease.

Antidepressants aren't addictive, though. Coming off them gives you physical withdrawal symptoms but if you find yourself emotionally unwilling to stop taking them, it's likely because they were helping fix a problem.

In Invisible Women there's a statistic that I can't properly remember that women are something like 65% more likely to be prescribed anti depressants when they attend a GP appointment for a completely unrelated issue! Women are viewed as being a bit dramatic unfortunately 🤬

I was given SSRIs first rather than HRT. Surely there are many risks to not going on to HRT. I am quite annoyed about it now.

Drs absolutely do not get paid to prescribe anti depressants by pharma companies.

They are a quick fix and other drugs are actively discouraged.

@whoami24601 that's interesting as I was told by my GP that there was a one year waiting list for Rheumatologist. Yet my uncle had a sore shoulder recently and was seen in 4 weeks. I actually paid for a private Rheumatologist in Feb, but only got referred on NHS today. Thankfully my physio is onboard.

That’s because you are a woman and therefore are more likely to be hysterical.
Cue for ADs to help you calm down and magic, the symptoms will go away too.

I’m pretty sure men aren’t given ADs when they for fatigue or joint pain....

Btw I would ask any GP proposing ADs for pain etc... if said medication has been tested and validated for that use (cue. They’re not. They never are)

Btw, it gets worse as you get older too. It is again well known that anyone over 65yo is lily to be dismissed with symptoms, with everything been put under ‘old age’.
I suspect this is what happened With your mum btw.

Again ADs is just a quick to numb people to they stop complaining.

ADs do not replace the hormones your body no longer produces when you're going through the menopause. HRT has its risks but in my opinion the benefits far outweigh them. I had a similar experience but pushed for HRT. You need to be firm with your doctor about what you want.

@Questionmarknow that happened to my grandma. Breathlessness and fatigue put down to old age. Turns out she had a blood clot in her lungs. They found that out after it had killed her 😔

Back in 1997 I was prescribed AD. Still taking them now...

Again, thank you all.

Especially @Stripesgalore @Lovelivelaughcry and @chocolatesaltyballs22 @QuestionMarkNow and @emptydreamer

Also thanks to those who don't think doctors are prescribing antidepressants unnecessarily.

OP, do not allow anyone to make you feel shit for needing codeine. I have osteo too, and avoid any medications where possible, but when I'm in real pain, codeine is the only thing that helps.
As others have said, maybe GPs go to ADs as a 'fix all', but they certainly don't get any kind of kick back from it - that was all stamped out years ago when reps were stopped from giving free samples etc.
If they were doing this, it would be malpractice.