Considering making an appointment

LegacyUser

Hi. I'll get straight to the point. I'm thinking of making an apponintment for the doctor this evening as i've been feeling sad and down in my self for just over a year now. I'm always snapping at people, i've lost all my confidence that i once had and i'm very insecure. I'm just not happy in myself. I'm not the person i used to be. I'm always in bad form now. I don't know if I'm depressed or not. I'm 19. For some reason though i feel like if i said this to the doctor he'll just be like, well i don't know, kind of just brush it off. maybe put it down to hormones or something.

Anyway some questions i wanted to ask was can the doctor put me on something for this, like some sort of medication or would he have to refer me to somewhere else for this?

and i know you fellow posters cant answer this, i'm kind of just thinking out loud here, but i just dont know if i even qualify for medication, you know? Like when i think of a ''depressed person'' i dont exactly think that's me.. but I know i'm just not happy. i'm wondeirng how bad do you have to be before you can be put on tablets or something. Like i really feel like i need something like that.. it's been going on for too long now. I was always a happy and bubbly person. I thought it was just a bad period i was going through when it started but i still feel the same.

Ok and the next question, if the doctor can prescribe the medication that i think i need, can i just say ''i want to go on some medication for this'' , or is it out of my hands and i just have to let him decide if i need it or not?

I hope i havent crossed the line with my questions. I understand this isnt a medical board! But i just need to know what my doctor can/can't do!

Thanks

BuffyBot

i just need to know what my doctor can/can't do!

That's why you need to see him, to be honest. There are any number of options open to your doctor, and he/she is the best person to advise you about them.

arbeitsscheuer

You can ask him to give you the contact details of a specialist, and you can then get an appointment with them... Now, it'll probably be a while before you're prescribed anything, but seriously, it's good to talk to someone who knows what the fcuk they're on about (unlike, with all due respect, a GP).

I'm seeing someone rite now, not on any medication (which used to be my solution to my depression, but it was always a short-term response, and I've realised that now).

If you really want a prescription, it is likely that the specialist will tell the GP that you need it, and if the GP's a good guy he'll give it to u. It's just a little complicated because most specialists (psychologists, therapists, counsellors) don't have the power to directly prescribe anything as they are not Drs. Psychiatrists can, but it's unlikely you'd be directly referred to one of them unless there is something seriously wrong with u.

LegacyUser

Thanks for the responses. About to go to the doc now, appointment made for half 5. Feel very nervous! SebtheBum, thanks for your comments! It has clarified somethings for me!

LegacyUser

Hi there. My advice is to see the doctor. I went through a period of manic depression and I found medication is ok but at the end of it you are either at the same place or worse. The only way I got out of it is by alot of self reflection and the knowledge that if there was anything I wanted to talk about at anytime, I could. That was my girlfriend at the time and I owe her alot. I could nearly say I owe her my life. But this is a time when you really need to find the source of or get as close to it as possible before it takes over. Talking it through is good, but the best thing is knowing you have a real friend there to listen is ten times better.

pyramuid man

Hi there. My advice is to see the doctor. I went through a period of manic depression and I found medication is ok but at the end of it you are either at the same place or worse. The only way I got out of it is by alot of self reflection and the knowledge that if there was anything I wanted to talk about at anytime, I could. That was my girlfriend at the time and I owe her alot. I could nearly say I owe her my life. But this is a time when you really need to find the source of or get as close to it as possible before it takes over. Talking it through is good, but the best thing is knowing you have a real friend there to listen is ten times better.

Esel

SebtheBum wrote:

..seriously, it's good to talk to someone who knows what the fcuk they're on about (unlike, with all due respect, a GP)..

Seriously, that is one bad generalisation. Maybe you had a bad experience with one or two GPs?

OP: Trust your GP. He/she will ask you a series of questions, which will help them make a diagnosis. If medication is warranted, it will be prescribed. Expect it to take a number of weeks (up to 8 weeks depending on how depressed you are). If you get a prescription, ask the pharmacist for further info on it. Read the Product Information Leaflet carefully. Google it to learn more.

jcoote

your gp is the only person u should go to as a counselling and mental diagnosis can be much more expensive than a visit to the doctor...he will recommend counselling or prescribe medication or offer advice whatever the case may be

LegacyUser

@OP

i feel the same as you and recently started seeing a doctor, who after a few weeks suggested medication for depression.

talk to your doctor.

LegacyUser

The way your feeling is really common, I went through the same thing, I was depressed for about 2 years before I decided to see a gp. Im going through a course of ad's, feeling better, getting on with life. Telling my parents was the hardest thing Ive ever had to do, It sounds stupid I know, It really did help to get it out, just to tell someone. I suspect allot of my friends knew and my parents recognised I was prone to bad moods ect. In the mean time Id recomend a new interest, like the gym, anything really, a break from the booze if you drink and try omega 3 oils, that can help to lift your mood. Hope that helps in some small way.

wheresthebeef

hi tweetypie,
seeing your GP was definitely the right idea. But don't get hung up on medication. Lots of times medication is not really required. Sometimes its best to speak to a Psychologist as well. Being on medication can often seem like a quick fix, but can have side effects, and you could become psychologically dependant on meds. A family member of mine spent 4 years trying to get off anti-depressants.
Depression, or mental illness is not always caused by a chemical imbalance or deficit that meds can replace. Sometimes talking, and being listened to can help you find the root of a problem. Psychiatrists have moved away from the purely medical model of mental illness, and moved to looking at mental illness from a more holistic approach taking into account a persons social, psychologyical, and physical wellbeing. So its not just all about hormones and chemicals in the brain.

I wish you the best of luck and hope you're feeling better soon,

David

LegacyUser

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate you giving me the advice and sharing your experiences.

Well I went yesterday evening, told my doctor everything and he prescribed fluoxetine for me. 20mg once a day for 6 months. Yep, I’ve googled it already and was reading up on it. Don't know why I was so anxious about going; my doctor was really good about it. Well I'll just have to see how it goes! I'm not expecting any miracles! Fingers crossed. I never knew that about the omega 3 oils...thanks and yeah i've been considering joining a gym or some sort of leisure centre..I love swimming and tennis so I should get out there and start doing some things I enjoy! Wouldn't do any harm anyway, my apatite has seemed to increase over the past couple of months! and I feel as though I’ve withdrawn myself from socializing and being with my friends and all that...so yeah I need to, well, get out a bit more really!! Yeah if this doesn’t work out for me I think the only other thing I can do is go see a psychologist.. hope it doesn't come to that but sure if it does, it does!

Thanks again.

Esel

Best of luck. Regular exercise will really help.

wheresthebeef

fluoxetine being Prozac for general informations sake

tabatha

it is suppsoe to be very good, i know someone on it and the said it has worked for them. good luck.

Esel

tweetypie wrote:

...Well I went yesterday evening, told my doctor everything and he prescribed fluoxetine for me. 20mg once a day for 6 months.... .

Just noticed this part of your post. Do you mean your doctor gave you a prescription for 6 months? I hope not. I would have thought that they would want to see you again much sooner than that, to see how you are doing.

LegacyUser

Yeah. He gave me a prescription for 6 months. He said as I was leaving to go back to him in a few weeks to let him know how I'm getting on. To be honest I was only going to go back to him if I felt the medication wasn't working. Like if everything was going well, I thought it would be strange to just go in and say ''yeah I'm getting on fine with the medication'' and well, more or less go again? Maybe I should though..

Victor

I think book an appointment in 2-4 weeks to run side-effects by him. Do not take new medication for six months and not get checked out. Even consider a second opinion. Try to keep a diary of how you a feeling.

Also make sure you read the leaflet for side-effects and make certain that you aren't compromised by them.

dbnavan

It concerns me that a doctor would perscibe prozac after 1 visit about depression, shouldnt he have refered you to to a psychiatrist first?

arbeitsscheuer

dbnavan wrote:

It concerns me that a doctor would perscibe prozac after 1 visit about depression, shouldnt he have refered you to to a psychiatrist first?

Spot on, and a 6 month prescription is way, way over the top. Doesn't make any sense to me...

Esel

SebtheBum wrote:

Spot on, and a 6 month prescription is way, way over the top. Doesn't make any sense to me...

The doctor did ask the OP to return in 2-4 weeks.

@dbnavan: Doctors deal with patients with depression every day.

tweetypie: Remember it may take longer than 4 weeks for the medication to take effect. Be sure to go back to the doctor even if you are feeling better.

dbnavan

esel wrote:

@dbnavan: Doctors deal with patients with depression every day.
.

Doesnt make everything they say right. I have first hand expeirence with loved ones, which i dont feel the need to go into. But i amnt making an uniformed statement.

http://www.lupusvic.org.au/prozac.htm

When should a doctor prescribe Prozac?

It should be prescribed when there are indications that one is significantly depressed

you telling me you can tell someone is significantly depressed after 1 visit, that probably lasted 10 minutes knowing most doctors, could be hormones, could be time of month, could be having a bad day, hell anyone could get it in that case

Esel

dbnavan wrote:

...you telling me you can tell someone is significantly depressed after 1 visit, that probably lasted 10 minutes knowing most doctors, could be hormones, could be time of month, could be having a bad day, hell anyone could get it in that case

Doctors are medical professionals. They are trained to diagnose. I am sure the vast majority of doctors do not diagnose depression lightly.

dbnavan

esel wrote:

Doctors are medical professionals. They are trained to diagnose. I am sure the vast majority of doctors do not diagnose depression lightly.

So you never heard of a wrong diagnoses, I personally could write a book on stories on misdiagnosed cases that I have heard of, I am not a doctor nor have I medical experience, and usually I do listen to a doctor but just by having general knowledge, more personal expeirence of depression then most, and being well read I can tell you most doctors would not diagnose prozac after 1 GP visit.

I am not saying dont take it, I am not saying you dont need it, I am saying you cannot significantly diagnose depression to the point of perscribing prozac after 1 diagnoses. For a start there are plenty of lower risk "pick me up" drugs available on prescription before trying prozac which is one of the hardcore depression drugs.

Mezcita

dbnavan wrote:

So you never heard of a wrong diagnoses, I personally could write a book on stories on misdiagnosed cases that I have heard of, I am not a doctor nor have I medical experience, and usually I do listen to a doctor but just by having general knowledge, more personal expeirence of depression then most, and being well read I can tell you most doctors would not diagnose prozac after 1 GP visit.

I am not saying dont take it, I am not saying you dont need it, I am saying you cannot significantly diagnose depression to the point of perscribing prozac after 1 diagnoses. For a start there are plenty of lower risk "pick me up" drugs available on prescription before trying prozac which is one of the hardcore depression drugs.

I disagree. As it has already being pointed out Doctors are trained professionals and see young people with these type of symptoms on a regular basis. I would presume that having discussed the OP's state of mind he prescribed the drug to treat the specific symptoms which the OP has been experiencing.

chuci

having a medical background and first hand exp of depression i feel that if the op hadnt needed prozac then she wouldnt have been prescribed it. though also i think that a 6 month prescription was a bit much perhaps a three month one would have been a better idea. but on the other hand the doc did ask the op to make an appoinment in bout 3-4 weeks to see how she was getting on which is pretty standard. the idea of a reflective journal was a really good idea. there is another angle to look at this with all due respect to the op perhaps we didnt get the full story as she didnt feel the need to go into detail just a gen overview of how she was feeling. doc's are trained professionals at the end of the day and do make informed descions on what to prescribe their patients.sorry for going off the point.

to the op personally i think you made a good choice to go see your doc and are looking after yourself. if you feel that counselling is necessary then discucc it with your doc i know its a daunting exp. if your worried about the cost he doc can make you and appointment or give you contact details of a public couseeling service but there may be a waiting list for this. i wish you the best of luck and hope that you will be back to yourself soon. feeel free to pm me if you want to chat or ask about meds of anything.

LundiMardi

dbnavan wrote:

It concerns me that a doctor would perscibe prozac after 1 visit about depression, shouldnt he have refered you to to a psychiatrist first?

I agree, regardless that the guy is a doctor, he fixes bones not minds (yes they aren't limited to bones i know:rolleyes:).

But seriously, prescribing prozac after one visit strikes me as very strange and stupid. Fair enough i'm no doctor but to be honest you don't have to be to think this is more than slightly worrying. Using the excuse ''but they're a doctor they see this kind of thing everyday'' is bordering on idiotic.

OP - I would highly recommend getting a second opinion, meds should be only used in the worst case scenario imo. You don't come across as suicidal from your post etc.

No offence either, but everyone gets depressed, based on your first post you're not exactly in need of ''special treatment''(sorry for my choice of words). I go through bouts of severe depression, going on medication would be the last thing i would want. It won't make it go away, it'll just cover it up, you need to find out why you're depressed and confront it head on.

My 2c

arbeitsscheuer

Having spoken to a psychiatrist about this case I can safely say that
a) 1, repeat 1 visit to a GP in no way represents enough time to diagnose a psychological illness to the point of prescribing a drug as strong as fluoxetine for no less than 6, repeat 6 months.
b) Even if it were possible that the OP told the GP something which we are unaware of which would account for the immediacy and length of the prescription, it would represent a severity of depression which would neccessitate a referral to a psychological specialist.

Yes, GP's are trained medical professionals.
No, they are not drug dispensers.

There is something seriously wrong with this GP, and I do not say that lightly.

dbnavan

At this point I think we should stop the the doc was wrong sentiment to the thread as it has been rightly pointed out we are not doctors, we do not know the full extent of the case, and it against boards regulations to hand out medical advice. However that said I personally would suggest the OP get a second opinion.

Possibly a thread discussing some doctors ease of putting pen to paper would be suitable, harmless good discussion, however when specifics ie this thread, come in to play we could be biting off more then we can chew......jesus am I sounding like a mod?

LegacyUser

Wow.. I wasn't expecting any of that! ...well I've started taking them now so I'll continue with them for now anyway. A second opinion would have to go on hold for the time being as I'm a student and can't afford it at this moment in time. I suppose when I have sufficient funds, I'll just have to go then. I'm confused now to be honest. He's been my GP since I was a baby, I was always happy with any of his diagnosis's in the past. Oh well, I'll take on board the advice anyway and go to another doctor.

Esel

Tweety,

Don't bother with the advice to go to another doctor. Trust your own. Lots of scaremongering going on here. Just keep touching base with your own doctor. You can do that by phone at no cost.

dbnavan

esel wrote:

Tweety,

Don't bother with the advice to go to another doctor. Trust your own. Lots of scaremongering going on here. Just keep touching base with your own doctor. You can do that by phone at no cost.

I take major offense to being accused of scaremongering, I pointed out factual information any of which you care to contadict go right ahead. I also said repeatly that I was not a doctor nor had I medical qualifications, i was just sharing my informed knowledge of Anti Depressive drugs. which I backed up with a link to a medical website about drug she was perscibed.

i again repeat


1. I am not a doctor
2. I am not advising not to take a perscription
3. I am merely informing of my knowledge of depression and availabilty of anti-depressive drugs.
4. There is nothing wrong with second opinions
5. I speak from experience

and.....i was the one who pointed out the charter regarding giving medical advice

meditraitor

dbnavan wrote:

I take major offense to being accused of scaremongering, I pointed out factual information any of which you care to contadict go right ahead. I also said repeatly that I was not a doctor nor had I medical qualifications, i was just sharing my informed knowledge of Anti Depressive drugs. which I backed up with a link to a medical website about drug she was perscibed.

i again repeat


1. I am not a doctor
2. I am not advising not to take a perscription
3. I am merely informing of my knowledge of depression and availabilty of anti-depressive drugs.
4. There is nothing wrong with second opinions
5. I speak from experience

and.....i was the one who pointed out the charter regarding giving medical advice

You are scaremongering.. !

meditraitor

dbnavan wrote:

So you never heard of a wrong diagnoses, I personally could write a book on stories on misdiagnosed cases that I have heard of,
I am not saying dont take it, I am not saying you dont need it, I am saying you cannot significantly diagnose depression to the point of perscribing prozac after 1 diagnoses.

dbnavan wrote:

Doesnt make everything they say right. I have first hand expeirence with loved ones, which i dont feel the need to go into. But i amnt making an uniformed statement.

scary

dbnavan

meditraitor wrote:

You are scaremongering.. !

Can you prove anything I said wrong?

If I was scaremongering I would claim to know all, i have reapeted said that my knowledge is valid and that I am just sharing my knowledge.

If I was scaremongering i would say something, due to my extensive research.........I dont think your depressed therefore dont take the drugs.

if you can prove me wrong feel free.



N.B. Wow you now how to change text color and size, what next import a picture

meditraitor

dbnavan wrote:

Can you prove anything I said wrong?

If I was scaremongering I would claim to know all, i have reapeted said that my knowledge is valid and that I am just sharing my knowledge.

If I was scaremongering i would say something, due to my extensive research.........I dont think your depressed therefore dont take the drugs.

if you can prove me wrong feel free.



N.B. Wow you now how to change text color and size, what next import a picture

I think you need to stand back for a minute here and look at your posts, they have all been negative with respect to doctors, thats what I call scaremongering!!

OP wrote:

I'm confused now to be honest. He's been my GP since I was a baby, I was always happy with any of his diagnosis's in the past. Oh well, I'll take on board the advice anyway and go to another doctor

This might entitle him to a diagnosis which requires immediate prescription of prozac....

dbnavan

meditraitor wrote:

I think you need to stand back for aminute here and look at your posts, they have all been negative with respect to doctors, thats what I call scaremongering!!

They are negitive towards this particular dr yes, not all dr's, I questioned him, which I would have a right to do if I, my wife, or my kids was being diagnosed and put on Anti D's after 1 consultantion.

If you have a problem with my conduct on this thread refer it to a mod, and be sure to refer to all of my quotes rather then what you are selctively reading.

allmixedup

tweetypie,
I saw your post, i was the same as you two weeks ago. i went to the doctor and got prescribed a/d's. In the two weeks since then going from feeling sad went to downright insane, the tablets nearly killed me. im going for a second opinion.. you should do so if you feel its right.

dbnavan

meditraitor wrote:

I think you need to stand back for a minute here and look at your posts, they have all been negative with respect to doctors, thats what I call scaremongering!!


This might entitle him to a diagnosis which requires immediate prescription of prozac....

Ok I agree with you, I was under the impression this was the first time the OP had visited her doctor about feeling low. I have the same doc since I was born does not mean I have seen her in say 2 years. Even still I am the opinion that prozac in any circumstance of depression should be considered a hardcore drug, where there could be intermediate drugs to try first

meditraitor

To the OP, best of luck,

LegacyUser

dbnavan wrote:

Ok I agree with you, I was under the impression this was the first time the OP had visited her doctor about feeling low.

Sorry, to clarify, this was the first time I talked to my doctor about feeling low. When I said he's been my GP since I was a baby, I simply ment he's always been my GP. I didn't mean that I have talked to him about depression before.

b3t4

Hi tweetypie,

Well done for going for help about this

You haven't stated that your doctor advised speaking with a counsellor or not. If she/he hasn't then I'd be a little suprised.

Also, I would be taken aback by the prescription given to you. A number of years ago I was put on a/d's. My doctor at the time gave me the lowest dosage a/d's to start me off. Starting on prozac sounds like you're going from crawling to running.

I would advise you to seek out a second opinion. I know it's expensive but this is something that is important. Ask the next doctor if there are any discounts available or could you pay half this wk and the rest the following wk.

In my family we spent 10yrs going to numerous different doctors to try and get a diagnosis for my sister. After the 10yrs we finally managed to get a doctor who knew what they were doing and she was diagnoised, spent 2wks in hospital and has been fine ever since. If anything that situation told me that doctors can be a hit and miss.

Best of luck,
A.

LegacyUser

To op - well done on goin to the doc, suffering from depression myself at mo, just out of hospital infact and feeling heaps better. Have to say tho Im a littel suprised by your prescription. a 6 month prescription for a very strong drug for a newly diagnosed illness based on one consultation? does that seem sensible to you?
I know you've seen your GP since you were a baby, Im the same with my GP but i had to see a pyschiatrist before I was put on medication. the counselling option was the first tried for me and tbh I think that helped more than any meds.

No one is questioning that op's gp isnt a good doctor but the prescription is highly unusual. GPs are very busy people and cant give the time required by a mentally ill patient or for that matter many other illness. a GP is the first step you take but is by no means the last.

OP going on 6month course of Prozac isnt going to rid you of feeling like this for life. If you trust your GP go back to him and ask him to refer you to a specialist this is what was done for me.
and finally most importantly I hope you feel better soon!

Esel

AFAIK, (and I am not a doctor, or any type of medical professional), flouxetine (=Prozac) is not 'a very strong drug'. It is the oldest drug in a family of drugs called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI).

Fluoxetine has the same efficacy as the previous family of anti-depressants (ADs), known as tricyclics, but has a less severe side-effect profile. It is effectively the first-line drug of choice for depression. If the patient has serious adverse side-effects, they will be tapered off this drug, and another AD may be prescribed -either a different SSRI or a more novel AD, or even a tricyclic.

Why do people think that GPs should not prescribe anti-depressants?

How serious does a person's situation have to be before an AD can be prescribed by a GP? Suicidal? Should a GP always ask a patient who they have diagnosed as depressed to return after a number of weeks to see if they are 'depressed enough' to warrant being prescribed an AD?

GPs see and treat patients with conditions such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other such illnesses on a regular basis. Where appropriate, they may refer these patients to a psychiatrist, qualified counsellor, psychologist or psychotherapist. Even if they do make such a referral, they may well prescribe medication in tandem.

I can agree that some GPs may not be as well-informed as others, but I genuinely feel that such GPs are in a definite minority.

Tweetypie, I hope you stick with your course of action so far.

Because some of the posts on this thread may have given you cause for concern, it may well be a good idea for you to seek a second opinion.

If you do decide to do this, please be sure to visit a doctor who has been recommended to you by someone you trust.

In the meantime, stick to your GP's advice, and don't be slow to get back to him with any concerns or questions you may have.

LegacyUser

Hey, I was in a pretty similar position doctor wise, I had known the doc all my life. What he did with me was I first had a chat about how I was feeling, I had read up on the symptoms loads of times. I had emailed aware so I was pretty sure I was depressed. Anyway he sent me off and said to come back in 2 weeks, I felt better for a few days then back to square 1, so I eventually went back and he precribed 2 months of ciprelex (SSRI) he wanted to see me again in 2 weeks to see how I was getting on, all was well appart from some headaches which passed shortly after. I didnt go and see him after the 2 weeks I just gave him a call and said all was well. I didnt want to see him again cause I felt relitively ok. The norm is usually a six month course from what he told me. I had to go back twice to get the next four months. Im at the end of my 6 month course getting ready to come off them I think it will go well. I was at a ****ty stage in my life, a quarter life crisis Didnt know what direction to take ect, found something I really like doing, things are going great. Best of luck man, You were right to see your GP about it, if you start to feel worse on the tablets be sure and let your doc know.
Glad I went to my GP, ment I could put feeling like **** on the back burner and focus on the positve stuff.

LegacyUser

imo all ADs are very strong drugs considering the side effects they create but like i said thats my opinion.
esel, I dont know if you were refering to me but I never questioned tweetypies GPs ability but GPs are extremely busy people and its easier for them to treat someone with physical systems and some, i stress *some* find it easier to prescribe drugs than effectively treat the problem. A book I have entitled "Understanding Depression" by Liz McLaren(Geddes&Grosset) devotes several pages to why although a GP should be a persons first port they may not always provide all the help needed. she states reasons such as lack of time and lack of understanding. Fluoxetine isnt often the first drug of choice, only one patient i met while in hospital was on Prozac, given to him before he was admitted and he was being taken of it.

Tweetypie if you feel you got long enough to talk to your GP and explain everything then you should feel ok about his diagnosis, you and the doctor know more about your situation then we do but to the outside observer its an unusual presciption and if youv doubts get a second professional opinion.
but theres loads to do to help yourself as well as meds so try out every option and i hope you feel better!

Victor

esel wrote:

The doctor did ask the OP to return in 2-4 weeks.

I said that. I am not a doctor.

There is concern that some doctors are happier to prescribe that to admit they don't know enough about depression and other mental health issues.

Tweety pie I imagine your doctor assumes you will have to come back as 20mg is a low dose, and it takes a process of trial and error to get the right drug and the right dosage.
I spent 2 years in councilling before my going to my gp who knew me since I was a baby and so trusted me,He talked to me for ten minutes and prescribed an unlimited prescription.Having suffered from depression myself, your sypmtons echo mine and I don't think you need to be a qualified psychologist to diagnose.
He told me that anti-depressants work by giveing you the confidence to overcome your depression yourself.And that is the best way of describing my recovery, they don't get you there by themselves but they equip you with the tools to dig yourself out.
Also if you are a student you will have access to councillors and psycharitrist free of charge on-campus.
Good luck, and keep us posted.