Helping you find the right treatment for depression!

If you live with depression, you may sometimes feel no difference even after taking the medicine your doctor prescribes. Or do you feel like the medicine is causing you new problems, like dizziness, nausea, or weight gain? In fact, about half of people with depression don't respond to the first dose of medication they're given. This is very common, so don't worry. You're not alone. Let's talk about this.

It will take some time to find the right treatment for you. It takes patience. But I know how difficult it is to be patient with the symptoms of depression. But I am sure that at the end of this journey, you will find the right solution.

How do you choose the right medicine for you?

Prescribing medication for depression is not as simple as walking into a store and picking something off the shelf. "Every patient is different," says Michelle Riba, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan. "So you can't just pick a drug. You have to look at the patient's entire medical history, family history, and all that."

That's why your doctor will ask you a lot of questions before prescribing a medication.

• Has anyone in your family had depression? What medications did they take? Did they get better? I ask these questions because if a medication works for someone in your family, there's a good chance it will work for you too.
• Do you have any other mental or physical illnesses? For example, if you have a bleeding disorder, your doctor may not prescribe medications called SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) because they can slightly increase the risk of bleeding.
• Do you have a condition like Bipolar Disorder? If so, it's not a good idea to use antidepressants alone. You should start with another mood stabilizer first.

The doctor will also ask about any other medications you are already taking. This is to prevent any interactions between those medications. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, they will not prescribe medications that are inappropriate for you at that time.

Treatment process: Let's learn little by little

After you start a new medication, your doctor will check in with you at regular intervals to see how you're doing and if you're having any side effects. It's like learning as you go.

It usually takes about 6 weeks for a new medication to work. So you need to be patient. The initial side effects will gradually go away over time.

Imagine that your symptoms are a little better, but not completely better. Then the doctor may increase the dose of the medication a little. Or, switch you to another medication in the same class to see if that suits you better.

But if the first medication doesn't work, or if it causes unbearable side effects (for example, if an SSRI causes stomach upset), the doctor will next choose a medication from a completely different class.

Sometimes, adding another medication to the medication you're already taking can improve results. For example, adding a new antipsychotic medication is one option. These can start to help you feel better quickly, within a week or two. However, on the other hand, they can have a few more side effects than SSRIs or SNRIs.

Medicine alone is not enough, lifestyle is also important!

Treating depression is not much different than treating a disease like high blood pressure. While taking medication for high blood pressure, you also have to control your diet, exercise, and reduce your salt intake, right? The same goes for depression. Making some changes to your lifestyle along with medication can help a lot in the healing process.

Research has even proven how important these lifestyle changes are for people with depression.

Can genetic tests help?

Yes, this is a relatively new technology. Your genes can provide clues to finding the right medicine for you. These tests, which are done on a sample of your saliva or blood, can give your doctor an idea of ​​how your body will respond to a particular medicine, or whether you are more likely to have side effects from a particular medicine.

But these tests cannot say, "This is the medicine that will work for you 100%." ​​And they can be a bit expensive. So these tests are usually only done on patients who have tried several medications and haven't been successful.

Don't give up! Stay with treatment.

Generally, there is about a 50% chance of finding the right medicine the first time. If that doesn't work, there is about a 40% chance of the second medicine working. That means it's not a good idea to give up trying.

Sometimes, when a few medications don't work, the doctor starts thinking again, asking, "Did we make a mistake in our diagnosis? Did we miss something?"

If the depression is a bit stubborn, maybe it's time to think about other treatments.

• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): This uses magnetic waves to stimulate some inactive nerve cells in the brain.
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): A low-voltage electrical current is passed through the brain, causing a brief seizure. This causes chemical changes in the brain, resulting in rapid recovery for some people.
• Ketamine: This drug, used as an anesthetic, is now being prescribed by doctors for severe depression that does not respond to treatment.

The most important thing is to work collaboratively and openly with your doctor. Tell him or her about your experiences. That will greatly increase your chances of finding the right treatment for you quickly.