Posted by Racer on March 8, 2007, at 13:38:42
In reply to Can You Help My Friend?, posted by Phillipa on March 7, 2007, at 21:20:13
Phillipa, depression does exacerbate physical pain -- which then exacerbates depression. The two interact with one another, and anti-depressants are used as an adjunct to other treatments for chronic pain. Cymbalta is one that's actually labelled for pain, but the TCAs were used often for pain, and sometimes still are. They're often *very* effective. Sinequan and nortriptyline come to mind as the ones I've heard most often used for pain.
My advice, if this were my friend, would be to try to find a doctor who would explain that more respectfully, and then actually prescribe something. The problem I see from your friend's note isn't that the doctor suggested the pain might be related to depression, but that he apparently did it disrespectfully. Your friend deserves better than that.
Still, it doesn't mean that the doctor is wrong about the issue. Only that he flunked "Bedside Manner" in med school.
I hope that helps.
poster:Racer
thread:739082
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070308/msgs/739291.html