This is a rant that is a bit off the Neurontin point...sorry in advance folks but must get this off my chest!
There is
not
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a huge difference between being chemically depressed and being depressed because of serious health issues.
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; in fact there is no difference. Both 'types' are the same thing. Being depressed "because of" something results in the same chemical imbalance as the "chemically depressed" depression.
Moods change the chemistry of our bodies.Additionally, serious health issues such as cancer, heart disease, surgeries, and neurological diseases (including RSD) trigger a cascade of chemical imbalances including "chemical" depression.
I think it's fine to criticize the use of Neurontin; for one thing, it is not primarily an anti-depressant at all, it is an anti-epileptic drug, now also used for
neuropathic pain. Its off-label use for depression has been challenged, as well as some of the side effects. However, I recommend that a thoughtful dialogue about the utility of specific anti-depressants begin with an accurate understanding of the medical condition of depression itself.
One type of depression is no more 'blameworthy' than the other, nor more or less treatable by medication than the other type. As someone who has lived with depression for 20+ years, it is important to me that depression is accurately characterized within this support community.