healthtalkonline.org) part of a new series of narrative on experiences of using medicines and aimed to examine people’s experience of taking antidepressants. This paper focuses on treatment initiation. 38 people

with experience of LY2606368 taking antidepressants were interviewed. The study was approved by the UK Multi Centre Research Ethics Committee. A UK wide maximum variation sample was sought. The sample was obtained via doctors, support groups, social media and newsletters. Interviews were audio or video recorded, transcribed and returned to the participant for review. Emerging themes were identified using a ‘modified grounded theory’ approach and checked by each researcher and by members of the advisory panel. It took time before people began to feel AZD0530 supplier any benefits and they commonly experienced side effects. Sometimes people needed to try several different antidepressants before they found one that worked. It was important to have realistic

ideas for the first few weeks. Andrew’s doctor had pre-warned him that ‘you may just find that you’re fine but it may make you feel a little bit odd at first’ so he had an idea about what to expect. Talking to the doctor helped Stephen to keep in mind that it could take a while to notice any improvements in mood ‘I knew that if I took a tablet that day I wasn’t going to feel better tomorrow… it would take several weeks before it started to have any effect’. Some people noticed immediate benefit, and experience few, if any side effects. Sometimes being proactive and starting to ‘tackle the problem’ was enough to help people feel more positive. Several people noticed a gradual ‘lifting’ of their mood which could be ‘hard to pinpoint’. Roisin had tried a number of antidepressants that didn’t seem to make a difference, but when she began taking one that did suit her said she began to feel ‘almost normal’ after a few weeks. Lou described how her depression subsided after a few weeks of taking a new antidepressant, but overall

she said the medicine made her feel numb and distant. Overall, although there were benefits, many Diflunisal people were left feeling detached. Some people said they took time off from work to help them cope with their initial reaction to an antidepressant. Several people had found that varying the time of day when they took the antidepressant could help with the sleep related problems, or make other side effects such as nausea more bearable. Some people found that initial side effects continued, or the antidepressant didn’t seem to have a beneficial effect even after several weeks or months. The sample was chosen to represent a broad and diverse range of experiences, rather than to be numerically representative. Although people need a lot of support when starting antidepressants, none of the interviewees mentioned that they had received any support from a pharmacist during treatment initiation.