Two interviews involving a psychiatrist and pharmacist

Two interviews involving a psychiatrist and pharmacist

Two interviews involving a psychiatrist and pharmacist were conducted for the benefit of the study. From the transcripts, the psychiatrist, on daily basis, treats 5-10 patients suffering from depressive disorders. The pharmacist treating depression indicated that 25-40 prescriptions are filled daily for between 25 to 40 patients with depressive disorders. The drugs mainly prescribed by the pychiatrist are Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) including Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil, and Lexapro. Accord-UK Ltd (2017), the manufacturer of Celexa (citalopram), recommends a daily dosage of 20 mg for adults. Depending on doctor’s observation, the dosage may be increased to 40 mg per day.

As both psychiatrist and pharmacist treating depression concur, Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) including Imipramine and Amitriptyline are also occasionally prescribed. Manufacturer’s information recommends amitriptyline dose for adults to be 25 mg every 12 hours. Depending on response to medicine, the dosage may be gradually increased to 150 mg per day divided into two doses (Accord-UK Ltd, 2019). From the interview, the pharmacist reveals that SSRIs and TCAs are mostly used. However, Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) such as Nardil (phenelzine) are also available. The pharmacist further explains that for SSRIs, 20-60 mg are used daily as initial dose. For Tricyclics, 25-100 mg daily dosage is administered orally and is gradually adjusted to 50-300 mg daily. Both psychiatrist and pharmacist reckon that even though older drugs are still in use, newer drugs with minimal side effects have been developed for use in the treatment of depressive disorders.