Ha! I suppose my comparison to the buying of milk had mostly to do with the preponderance of care shown by so many people along the way that goes into making sure no one need drink something that will make them sick, representing what I think is more care than often goes into the dispensing of psychiatric drugs once FDA approval is received and they're off to the races! My last pdoc I'd selected solely on the basis that I hoped a man of his age (I don't know exactly but over 70) would not kneejerk so easily towards pharmaceutical solutions, although I was not completely opposed to them as a possibility at the time. I just wanted someone who would lean towards more holistic solutions, and I incorrectly assumed that a man of that age would know better that throwing drugs at problems doesn't need to be one's first line of defense. But, he strongly advocated for me to take an antidepressant (and an SNRI at that.. ugh..), and prescribed them on my very first visit, despite my already being on a complicated combination of migraine medication including anti-seizures. Adding the SNRI deeply impacted the psychological and physiological load for me, and I believe was ultimately responsible for turning what might only have been a one-year major depressive episode into the 5 year episode it ended up being, especially with him pushing for me to keep taking them, "give them a chance", even when months and months on them were only causing me worse anguish and hellatious physical distress. (To be honest, lost time counted in years is the closest to death I've ever felt. I was in a psychological near-coma from which I am still brushing away cobwebs.)

I love how you brought up the adage "never go to the supermarket hungry", Dechan.. so completely and sadly apt. I feel as though throwing myself into the psychiatric system when I was at my most vulnerable is approximately the worst decision I have ever made in my life.. which is irony of tragic proportions, because I would never have sought out therapy while spiritually well.

I'm quite worried for your friend.. I got brain zaps when I finally took myself off the SNRI (fairly unceremoniously .. never wanted to touch the stuff again and to hell with the titration), but to be so dependent that I got zaps just for taking an AD a couple of hours late would drive me completely batty. I am supportive of my friends who take them though, whom I generally tell "I'm so glad it works for you", but feel almost apologetic when sharing any part of my own experience with them. Like being a sober person talking to someone who drinks regularly, you don't want to go on about how great sobriety is, when they're hooked and maybe don't even consciously think of themselves that way..

Believe me, I wish they worked for me just as great as the doc-tors are so fond of saying they will. I'd double my dosage and campaign for it in the streets.