pills for depression

Two of the top anti depressants on that published Lancet report
aren’t on the nhs list .....so I got one on a private prescription which cost me £5.....cheaper than an nhs prescription! This is how ridiculous the nhs is......they do not or are not allowed to prescribe the best drugs.

From the graph it seems UK is at 4th position in Europe, with France at 5th.
The main problem could be addiction.

I was told by a gp that i can take amytriptolene for insomnia. I was prescribed these last year but didn't use them all. Not fully convinced, thoughts anyone?

Fennel, I have a friend who lived in France for many years. Her experience was very different from yours. She said they were always offered Valium for pretty much any illness that needed a doctor, because 'being ill is stressful.'!

She didn't take the Valium as she didn't need it but she was astonished at being offered Valium for something as minor as a throat infection.

Here's an article about research on antidepressant subscribing in Europe. - scroll down to near the end for the graph:
bjp.rcpsych.org/content/207/3/221

We've just moved back to England, and need to register with a doctor soon. I might ask about it.
Our GP in France was very good, very kind, but would never prescribe any psychotropic medications. Unless you were at death's door. You just had to tough it out.

Yes, apparently so. It works on your nerves, whether that be in terms of pain, or the kind of 'nerves' which would keep you awake.

Does it help you sleep better?

Amytriptyline is a useful drug, and not just for depression. I don't see that it being an old drug is relevant. Aspirin is also old but still useful, and drugs such as digoxin.

Older drugs have the benefit of having been tried-and-tested, too.

I have never been in doubt about this. I took a minute dose of dosulepin (an old-fashioned tricyclic anti-depressant) for many years to ward off migraines. When I stopped it suddenly before surgery (I do not know why - very silly of me) I suffered a sudden and severe depression. This, even though I was on such a tiny dose.

I am now on a dose that is 3 times more than the original and am thankfully well.

I have no doubt of the efficacy of this drug. It saved my life. I fear that at some point it might go off the market as it is highly toxic in overdose.

The study published today showing that all antidepressants examined performed better than placebos (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32802-7/fulltext) has been described by the Royal College of Psychiatrists as "finally putting to bed the controversy on anti-depressants".

There wasn't good info available before this, so it isn't fair to blame the NHS for guidelines in place previously.

Helping those with pains and depression. Thats what the article referred to, and what I am afflicted with

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/02/21/drugs-do-work-anti-depressants-should-given-million-britons/amp/ Link to a report on the study.

I don’t understand your comment about a modicum of common sense helping, jollyg. Helping what?

Its good for nerve pain.

I was prescribed a very small dose to take at night as a painkiller and I think that is quite common.

It is also supposed to have a "side effect" of reducing hot flushes/night sweats but didn't work for me.

Its quite a useful drug for a lot of issues.

Not an alternative as such, but as something "to get you through" if you see what I mean.

Amitriptyline is the drug they try to push on you as an alternative to HRT so I'm not surprised its popular.

I decided not to mention NHS and common sense as I think that sometimes the 2 don’t go hand in hand.
Oh! But I did.......

I think that the problem with anti depressants is that one size doesn’t ft all. Find the one that suits you and stick to it.
I guess also that if something new is touted as brilliant, they will want you to try it.....