Who do I see?

[willyd340]

Hi all. Day 10 off Oxys. I'm pretty sure I need some kind of anti depressant. Badly depressed. What is the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist? Which type of doc should I see? Also, I live in Canada. How do you get an appointment with these Drs if anyone knows? Thanks a lot.

[dominosarah]

If you feel that your depression warrants an anti depressant then by all means go to the doctor.  Many people have to use them short term.  Its better than relapsing.  There are non narcotic meds that they can give you.  Let us know how you are doing     sara

[witsend0603]

I can't answer that for you... everyone deals with depression differently... have you ever had problems with depression in the past?  Some people have the mindset that anti-depressants are just gonna magically make it all go away... that's not the case.. but it DOES help some people as they may have had previous bouts with depression before using and just didn't know the signs... going to talk to a doc isn't gonna hurt you for sure and you may find it very helpful to talk to someone face to face and let them make the determination on whether you should be on something... I am not a doctor so I don't want you to take any of my advice as medical.. but it sure wouldn't hurt to talk to someone

[willyd340]

Thanks. Do u think its just a matter of waiting out the depression or is it better to see a psych? The more depressed I am, the greater the chance I'm gonna get a pill

[witsend0603]

I used to work for a psychiatrist... the average amount of time you will begn feeling a difference with most anti-depressants is 10 to 14 days.. anti-depressants work differently than other medications as they have a gradual effect ... they do not work immediately

[Trying_hard19]

Hey Willy..

In Canada, you can get an anti depressant from your family doctor..

A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor who deals with Mental Illness (Primarily) and can diagnose drugs..  

A Psychologist is a 4-5 year trained councilor..  
For talking it out .. a Psychologist is a better way to go ..

Detox Depression is pretty normal.. I was on Effexor 37.5mg  prior to detoxing and jumped it to 150mg.. (not all at once), prior to detox.

I am only on day 6, but no actual depression... (lots of other problems) ..

Go see your family doc.. he will probably write you a script for one of the new SSRI's.. However, once you do it .. you have to be careful what suppliments you take..

Valiaran Root is considered a " Medium Risk" with SSRI's
T- Lysone ??   Also not compatible with SSRI's ..

The way to find out is buy supplements at the drug store and ask the pharmacist ..


PS,.. Some Anti Depressants take longer than others to work.. for me, upping the dose on Effexor made a difference in 7 days..  I have heard that other drugs are slower, but perhaps stronger ??

A good example is the one used for smoking.. It starts to affect you in 4-5 days..

[witsend0603]

The difference is that a psychiatrist is an MD and can write scripts.. a psychologist is  PhD... they can do individual therapy and testing and bio feedback but cannot write scripts...  hope this helps you

[Radiostar55]

37 days clean for me..My NP got me on anti-dep but taking them for 3 weeks..I think they are helping.  I finally felt good around day 30   I have had some bad days but most days are better.  Only problem is they can take up to 6 weeks or longer to really help.The depression I felt at 10 day was awful, but the good news is, it only gets better  Good Luck and Keep Posting

G