Q: my wife is 38 and we have just dicovered that she is starting menapause(and not taking well at all)she now hates her job not happy in our relationship (all my fault)
and no longer talking to the kids. The boys an myself have taken reponsibilatys for anything that we have done wrong. She is not taking any medication for any of her symtoms if we can get her to take somthing will this make life easier for any or all of us


A: I can't really tell you whether "taking something" is going to be helpful or whether it is going to be like throwing gasoline on a fire. Psychiatric drug prescription is a process of trial and error. Sometimes the outcome is positive and other times the outcome is a downhill spiral as one med after the next is tried with various side effects and various levels of withdrawal when the drugs are switched. While family doctors hand these out to anyone who is unhappy, I tend to reserve the prescription of psychiatric medications for people who are the most seriously ill. A good first stop would be a family therapy with all of you together.

Stuart Shipko, MD (Psychiatrist/Neurologist)
Founder and Medical Director of PDI -
The Panic Disorders Institute
Author of Surviving Panic Disorder: What You Need To Know

Information provided by Dr. Shipko is general in nature and should not be construed as a substitute for a visit to and examination by your own personal physician.
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