Is It Really Depression with Dr. Philip W. Faler, ND
Video Transcription
Dave: Millions of people in midlife are prescribed antidepressants, but what if it’s not depression at all, could they be misdiagnosed?
Philip W. Faler: Sure, absolutely. Let me start by saying depression’s a real condition and many people benefit from the wonders of pharmacology in managing that. And a lot of people at 40, 45, they go into their doc and they say, “Geez, I’m tired. I’m losing interest in things I’m doing.” That’s a big one for depression. Right?
Dave: Yeah.
Philip W. Faler: “I’m irritable. I don’t feel well.” And the doc says, “Oh yeah, that sounds like depression. Here’s your SSRI.” But it’s been my observation clinically that a lot of those people are experiencing a decline in their hormones, be it a man or a woman. Men go through andropause, no different than women. And that’s when men hit that midlife crisis and they need the Corvette to try to make themselves feel better. But that’s not going to do it either for very long. It might do it for the day or the month, but it’s not going to fix it.
And then we screen their hormone and it shows up. Yeah, here’s a gal who doesn’t have any progesterone or estrogen or testosterone, which is a big one for women, just as important for women as it is for men in smaller doses. Or a fella and you test him and his testosterone’s 300. And yeah, no wonder he’s feeling depressed and loss of interest and tired easily. You give him just a nice balanced hormone reoptimization and he’s back on his game.
Dave: If you’re already later in life and you’re experiencing what you think might be depression, is that normal? Does that need to be treated?
Philip W. Faler: Well, you and I both know, Dave, life’s going to punch us in the face every now and then. There are things that we experience that might lead to a year of depression. And an SSRI might be a great thing to help carry somebody through that. But it’s often the case too, that nothing’s happened. I’ll often ask patients, “Has there been a life event? Did you go through a rough divorce or did you lose a job? Are you struggling financially?” And they’ll say, “No, everything’s fine. I just suddenly don’t feel like myself.” And that’s a big red flag to me that, hey, this person probably needs their hormone screened and let’s go ahead and get some lab work ordered and we’ll look at some possible treatment plans based on those results.
Dave: Do some people just assume that I’m supposed to feel this way? This is nature’s way of telling me I’m getting older-
Philip W. Faler: I’m getting older, yeah.
Dave: … and I don’t need extras. But extras isn’t a bad thing. People think sometimes, “Oh, you’re enhancing yourself when you shouldn’t be this way at 40.”
Philip W. Faler: Right, right. It’s sort of a bias around it and it’s not necessary. I mean, life should be enjoyable well into our 60s or 70s. If we’re going to go ahead and live that long and expand our life expectancy, there should be quality with it. And when your hormones fall off, you can ask any woman over 45, it doesn’t feel good. It’ll lead to men who look very, very irritable, snappy, even ragey. People have a misconception that giving a man testosterone will give him roid rage. Yes, in very, very excessive doses that’s true. But you want to see a grumpy man? Show me a man who’s got things to do and has low T. He’s going to be a very grumpy man. Because everything, what weighs 100 pounds feels like 1,000 pounds. Hormones play a big, big role in our stress adaptability, our ability to handle and manage stress.
So that’s one thing people will really feel is like, “I don’t know. I suddenly have anxiety and it’s new.” And I’m like, “Well, are you doing anything different?” “No, same job, same kids, same wife. It’s all the same, but suddenly I have a bunch of anxiety about it.” Usually, that’s a sign, a really good sign that, hey, check this gal or fella’s hormones and see where they’re at. And if they’re low in testosterone, that’ll explain it.
Dave: I’m sure you’ve heard it all before and it’s a lot easier for you to recognize that pretty quickly when you’re talking to somebody.
Philip W. Faler: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. That’s what I do all day long.
Dave: If you’ve ever wondered if your fatigue, your hormone shifts or mood changes were misdiagnosed, talk with Dr. Faler’s team at antiagingnorthwest.com and get the answers you’re looking for. There’s also a direct link below this video.