hello, i jus been to the docters this morning, as i have been feeling
quite low and my panic attacks back, and if anything it made me
feel worse. i got quite worked up while waiting so when got into the
docter was quite teary, and was not explaining thing s great. in my
opinian, she was not very helpful, i just felt like she wasnt interested,
has anyone else had this problem? she gave me a prescription for citalopram
and for propranolol as req, i am not keen on taking an anti depressant.
i just dont know what to do?
lorna

Hi Lorna. shappy Welcome to the forum.

Honestly, I think we've all had a bad experience or two with doctors. Sometimes it's hard to express our problems clearly and sometimes it's hard for a doctor to listen to what we say and correctly 'label' it.

If you're unhappy with the treatment you got, then I suggest that you look for another doctor and get a second opinion. If you don't wish to take anti depressants, I think it's best that you let the doctor know that. Maybe say that you'd rather not take them, but if the doctor is sure that anti depressants would benefit you, then you might consider it. That way they understand that anti depressants aren't something you're too sure of taking and maybe they could suggest an alternative form of treatment.

Best advice I can give you is to be honest and straight forward with your doctor. I know it's hard to talk about certain things, but if you want to get better and receive the right help, then you need to give the doctor as much information as you possibly can.

It might be a good idea to see a therapist or someone who specializes in mental health as well, instead of a general practitioner/doctor.

Hope things work out for you.

hi ana,
thanks for replying, i think i was just angry when
i came out of the docters i seem more irratable of late.
i really dont think ill go back to see her again, even though
when i was talking to the nurses i work with, they
said if she prescribed the tablets it should be
her i see. now i am less upset, i still dont think
she really was willing to listen, on a plus though
she put me on a waiting list for CBT, which i tried
before but couldnt afford to continue. still not
made up my mind about the anti depressants, i
think am just scared incase i get bad side effects?
thanks again for your reply
lorna

You're more than welcome for the reply. shappy

It's understandable that you were frustrated. I think most people would be. We go to doctors and other people with positions such as theirs for answers and when you leave without the answers you were hoping for, it's a bit upsetting. Not to mention that it's upsetting if you figure someone's not listening to you properly and feel as if you're just wasting their time.

Anyways, I tend to agree with what the nurses told you. If you do end up taking the medication that the doctor prescribed for you, then I suggest you continue seeing her. I still don't see anything wrong with getting a second opinion, but don't stop seeing this doctor. If you'd rather not see her again, don't take the medication and discard the prescriptions.

Do you think you'd be able to see another doctor? Or are there financial issues that might make it hard for you to do so?

Glad to hear that you're on the list for CBT. Since you tried it before, did it help much? Do you think that that treatment would help enough on its own? Or would anti depressants possibly be helpful?

If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you don't want to take anti depressants? Is it just because you're fearful of bad side effects?

Side effects are a good thing to talk to your doctor about. Advise her about your concerns and see what she has to say. If you do end up taking anti depressants, it might be wise to start with as low a dosage as possible. That way, if you do react negatively to the medication, it'll hopefully be just a mild reaction.

Plenty of people take anti depressants though, and from what I've heard, the majority of them have little to no problems. Certainly nothing to worry yourself about. If you think anti depressants would help you, try and give them a try. Worse comes to worse you get taken back off the medication.