How easy is it to obtain antidepressants?

[Matthew]

I'm wanting to get antidepressants. I'm considering speaking to either my GP or my gender therapist soon, trying to figure out which will be easier.

I'm wanting to get the as fast as possible and with the least amount of 'fuss' - I want to avoid referrals to general therapy or any other psychologists.

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance

[Dena]

You would be better off talking to your gender therapist about this but this is a step you should consider carefully. AD don't work well for dysphoria and come with their own set of problems. They may not produce the effect you desire and when you stop them, it can take months to get back to normal. As you have just started the blockers, it would be best if you wait a few weeks to see how the blockers effect you before starting down the path of AD. The blockers may have the desired effect without all the side effects.

[Emileeeee]

I only ever got them once, but it was from a shrink in the military. During the first appointment, he asked if I was depressed. I said yes. Instant prescription.

[Devlyn]

Big hug! Are you drinking, Matt? That can do a number on your mood and outlook. I'm speaking from experience.

Hugs, Devlyn

[Matthew]

Big hug! Are you drinking, Matt? That can do a number on your mood and outlook. I'm speaking from experience.

Hugs, Devlyn

Not a ton.  drank quite a bit tonight though, feeling fuzzy. Drinking is a last resort, I'm scred of being sober sometimes.

It helps when I need it

[Devlyn]

Booze and pills won't fix what's bugging you, they just mask it. You have to address your issues, and I know how scary that can be. Some people find that talking to a professional helps with that. Some people work out their own issues. I think you're one of the latter.

Hugs, Devlyn

[stephaniec]

alcohol is a depressant ,a GP can prescribe them

[Tysilio]

A good first step would be to discuss your feelings of depression with your therapist. Just because someone is a "gender" therapist, that doesn't mean they're unqualified to deal with other issues -- they're trained the same as other therapists, with gender as an added specialization. Your therapist can help you figure out how depressed you are, and together you can decide if anti-depressants might help. Ideally, the next step would be to see a psychiatrist --an M.D. who is trained in psychology, who has expertise figuring in which drugs may work best for a given person, and who is able to prescribe. While your GP can prescribe antidpressants, most get the bulk of their information from drug company reps -- they don't have specialized training in psychopharmacology.

It's a reasonable thing to pursue -- depression is a pretty common "side effect" of gender dysphoria, and there are lots of other causes which can coexist with dysphoria.

If you're drinking -- even occasionally -- to relieve stress or psychological pain, this is definitely something your therapist should know about. It ain't healthy at all to be doing that, and it's even less so for someone your age -- your brain is still developing, and booze can do a number on that.

Good for you for asking here, too!  Often the hardest step is just saying to someone, "I'm worried about this."

<man hug>

[Elis]

I'm from the UK and just said to my GP I feel depresses and asked for antidepressants. She gave me the prescription straight away. I thought it would be more complicated than that or she'd ask really invasive questions; but nope. So I'd just ask your GP. Hope it goes well for you; I never realised how much I needed extra help until I took them.

[Ms Grace]

Let me be direct here, you shouldn't take medication advice from anyone who isn't qualified to prescribe it. And to those people on the forum who might think they can actually suggest medication others should take... that will get your post deleted and potentially put on moderation, so don't do it.

[AnonyMs]

Anti-despressants are the first thing my psych offered me, and the second, third...

I refused every time on the basis that they won't fix my gender issues, and possibly make it harder to work out what to do. I did work out what to do, and my depression evaporated, and I know it wasn't drugs since I wasn't taking any (except HRT). The path forward became very clear to me.

I'd take them if I were suicidal, but fortunately I wasn't.

[Cindy]

Mild anti-depressants can be life changing while you are dealing with your issues. I know that you are waiting for T and once you are on that and you are dealing with your gender issues it is easy to wean you off the anti -D's.

Having therapy while you are not feeling like ratpoo is a lot easier to get through than the other way around as you and your therapist can get to the heart of the issues.

I would much rather you on anti-D's than on Mr Whisky or Mr Vodka. Not only will they damage you but they become highly dependent on depressed people and are a lot harder to get off than prescription anti-D's.

It is easier to give up booze before you are an alcoholic than after, and then you will have a choice of enjoying an occasional drink in future years rather than having the Dark Side insisting you pour the stuff down your throat. Once the Dark Side takes control, it is a bitch of the prime order to deal with.

[KarlMars]

Should be really easy. All you have to do is ask your doctor. Where I live you don't even have to see a psychiatrist.

[Felix]

I know they don't work for everybody and they can mask feelings you might need to be feeling, but antidepressants have helped me stay alive and kept me functional in do-or-die situations where I had to act like a normal person and wouldn't have been able to without the drugs.

It's very easy to obtain them. Probably too easy, but I feel like for every person who doesn't need them or should avoid them there are five who do need them or who need something they aren't getting help with.

There's very little stigma associated with antidepressants (in contrast to anxiety drugs or painkillers), so you should be able to say whatever you need to say without damaging your access to medication.

You say you want to get something fast. Tell your doctor that. If I were you I would keep it concise and straightforward - I'm having these particular problems, I would like to try medication to treat them, I feel like this is urgent. The only problem you might have (or at least that I've had) is some doctors want you to drive the bus all the way to the destination. You might be expected to pick out a drug and do your own research about side effects and be generally more proactive than most patients want to be.