Posted by Racer on April 5, 2005, at 21:39:17
In reply to Where to start? (long), posted by MidnightBlue on April 5, 2005, at 17:03:42
Oh, I've got all too much to say about all this -- and am happy to compare notes on idiot pdocs who work through the county! ('Sides, I remember Midnight Blue, so had to jump in...)
Anyway, MAOIs come with a lot of lifestyle alterations -- dietary restrictions, hypo- and hyper-tensive reactions, and a host of other potentially unpleasant things. If they work for you, and they are said to be good for atypical depression, then it's worth it. If there are alternatives that work, that might be worth investigating first -- which is likely why other pdocs hadn't brought them up.
Also, a lot of younger pdocs just plain don't know enough about them anymore! MAOIs were introduced in the 1950s, and they're "dirty" drugs -- they are the hammers of the anti-depressant world, instead of the carefully calibrated socket wrenches we have now. (How did I get onto that metaphor? NOT a good one...) They hit all of the major monoamines, rather than the more selective ADs we have now.
There are a lot of meds out there, which may be very good for you. And the programs through the drug companies are cumbersome, although that's supposed to change soon, but worth it.
And the good news: at least according to my insurance -- after ten years uninsured, by the way -- depression is not considered a preexisting condition, and therefore is not excluded. The preexisting condition exclusions have specific dxs that are excluded -- not just anything you have. For instance, the ingrown toenail that has been driving me nuts for a decade was not excluded; my arthritis is not excluded; my husband's diabetes is not excluded; etc. Check with your insurance before you give up on getting it covered.
Oh, yeah, and my husband works for a company in Texas that keeps playing PacMan -- running around gobbling other companies. I think they do it because they can have so much fun laying people off... That worry sucks a lot.
poster:Racer
thread:480305
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050404/msgs/480462.html