Does anyone know what age a teen needs to be , to be prescribed anti depressants from a GP? My Dr advised me last year that it needs to be by a psychiatrist and after looking into the expensive costs for a psychiatrist, I’m wanting to know the age and see if there are other ways around it.
Yes the cost is totally worth it but right now, I can’t afford the psychiatrist and my son desperately needs it for his anxiety. He is 15 soon. Wonder if the gp can prescribe at that age or if it’s no to under 18.? Any advice to help get this quicker and more affordable?
Will be asking my GP again next week but in the meantime would like to hear from others in this position, who haven’t been able to afford it. Cheapest I’ve found is $450 for initial consult.
22 Replies
I just had a quick google.
I think they can only prescribe fluoxetine and only in life threatening situations where talk therapy/CBT have failed.
It would be a long wait for a psychiatrist, so you need to at least get on a wait list somewhere. Because even if he needs to see one, he wouldn’t get in for a number of months anyway.
The reason you need a psychiatrist is that antidepressants come with huge risks. I wouldn’t really be comfortable having a GP prescribe them to an adult!
Is he seeing a psychologist? Working of cognitive approach to his anxiety?
I understand that it is expensive however can you truly put a price on health? Ask for a payment plan?
Why wouldn't you feel comfortable with a doctor prescribing some pretty basic medication that can save lives, to an adult?
You can’t pull money out of thin air
I’m very comfortable with my Dr prescribing it. The follow up and care I receive is fantastic. It’s also helped me immensely.
Done all that. His psychologist can’t prescribe. My question is regarding age. Putting a price on health , of course not but where do you suppose I pull the money from.? These reasons in my post are why I asked these questions. They will not see him with out full payment up front. I have tried several prior to getting the referral, which I have put on hold until i can seek some cheaper and quicker options.
GPS are not qualified to prescribe medication of that nature.
I know adults who have been prescribed anti depressants only to have a significant breakdown as they were given bipolar meds instead.
Antidepressants come with some significant side effects - suicidal inclination is one massive one. The young immature brain will/could be affected much more than a nutrient one.
Yes they are very qualified. They are Doctors! What are you on about lol. Stop spreading misinformation and educate yourself. There are some very mild anti depressants that have very little side effects and are fine for teenagers who are depressed.
My GP has prescribed anti depressants for me before and many others.
I can guarantee every person on anti depressants has not seen a psychiatrist.
I don't know where this info is coming from, they treat depression like everything else.
I had a nurse practitioner prescribe me anti depressants once. I even told her I wanted to try a different type to the ones I had before and she was able to do that. So obviously not as complex as you think as nurse practitioners are limited to the meds they can prescribe.
What a load of garbage. They certainly are qualified to prescribe them. It’s how I got mine and so have thousands of other people.
As someone with a person very close to me with bipolar, there is absolutely no freaking way they would prescribe anti psychotics/lithium/mood stabilisers (there's actually not one "bipolar" medication per se) instead of antidepressants. There are additional processes with certain medication, your story just doesn't add up, as someone who has advocated for someone with severe mental illness and knows the system well.
In fact, people with bipolar aren't allowed antidepressants, because they can make them manic.
What could actually happen is the other way around: A bipolar person (not yet diagnosed) is in a low state and is prescribed an anti depressant, which made them manic. It takes many years to diagnose bipolar because many bipolars are low (depressed) the majority of the time, with must less frequent manic states. However, they are all different.
Ask a private psychiatrist for a payment plan, ha, would be like finding a unicorn.
You really have no idea.
You "wouldn't feel comfortable" lol and who are you?
Someone with no medical training and clearly no experience with mental health.
It's called suicide ideation and I assume nutrient=mature?
You need to spend some time in your local mental health ward and see what the specialist psychiatrists deal with versus what the GP does and where anti depressants fall on the spectrum.
Now we are talking bipolar. Stay on track. We are talking antidepressants and believe it or not ,thousands of GP’s prescribe them daily.
I absolutely agree, was just responding to the woman who said her friend was prescribed bipolar meds.
I had a GP prescribe my then 14 year old with anti depressants. Had debilitating anxiety that stopped him leaving the house and had suicidal thoughts. Never had to see a psychiatrist but I do remember my normal GP said she wouldn't or couldn't and told me who to go to. If one GP won't then try one that specializes in mental health. Some GPs have general rules they obide by which is totally OK for them but they really should be open about it and tell you which GP to go to. Psychiatrists for children can be a very long wait list, depression in adolescence should be treated seriously it actually makes me a bit angry to see you've been told to do that. So many things wrong with our mental health system yet nothing changes. Also make an appointment with headspace if he's willing to do counseling. In my opinion if he has depression counseling is going to help him a lot more than a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists generally don't improve mental health they are there to diagnose and medicate only, you don't need a psychiatrist to diagnose depression.
This is what I think. Yes he sees a psychologist who agree medication is needed but they can’t prescribe it. I will look up some Drs who specialise in mental health. Thanks for this information. I have taken them and know the risks and side affects. It shouldn’t be so hard for teens to get, with such long waiting times and high costs for a psychiatrist. These things will prevent many teens avoiding medication when it could save their lives.
And in all honestly if I can come up with the initial cost for a first appointment, he would then have no follow up with them because i couldn’t afford to go back.
Yeah it's crazy that they've done that. I can't imagine any psychiatrist being happy to have every mental health patient referred to them, they should be a last resort if everything else doesn't work.
This is why Psychologists often communicate with and work alongside of doctors. Both can diagnose Depression and doctors are able to prescribe antidepressants. Some people never see a Psychiatrist. If your son is at severe risk I would look into CAMHS (in nsw) or attend the hospital who will most likely refer anyway. They usually link up with child psychiatrist but it is for higher risk.
The other concern I have is whether or not you are seeing any progress with his Psychologist? Remember you need to find the best fit for your son and usually they have training and excel in certain areas which may not be beneficial to him. Ask your son if he feels it is helping and if they have been working on specific goals for him. It may be a change is needed. I know a female Psychologist who referred out a young teen male to her male colleague as she felt he needed a more experienced and male Psychologist to assist with rapport. It really did change the whole dynamics and that boy recovered. Make sure you have the best fit for him and do not be afraid to change Psychologists.
Paed or psych prescribes we’ve never seen a psychiatrist
It could be that the GP is erring on the side of caution and requesting a psychiatric review to ensure the right diagnosis has been reached and appropriate medication is then prescribed. Your best bet is to find a GP that specialises in mental health issues and discuss it with them. Still get a referral to a psychiatrist so you can get your son on the waiting list in the meantime, as waiting lists are very long if you can find one with their books open. That also gives you time to start saving for it, and you can always cancel the appointment if you find a GP who will prescribe the medication.