The prescription medicine patients receive at the pharmacy may not necessarily be their doctor’s first choice. Depending on the situation, the pharmacist may call the doctor and ask for a change to an entirely different medicine.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it could impact the health of those who are taking medicine for depression and doing well on their treatment. Doctors are concerned about this, too.

A recent survey found that

•nine out of 10 doctors polled have felt pressured to prescribe a generic antidepressant, even if it was not their first choice.

•nearly all (97 percent) have been asked to switch a patient who is doing well on one antidepressant to a different one in the same class.

One of the biggest concerns among the doctors in the survey is that for people who take medicine for mental health and are doing well on treatment, being

switched to another medicine may lead to relapse, additional side effects, a reduction in quality of care or hospitalization.

“There is no substitute for feeling well. If you are doing well on a certain medicine, stick with it. Not all medicines, including antidepressants, work the same for everyone, and not all medications have a generic counterpart,” said Dr. Roger Cadieux of the Penn State University College of Medicine.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind.

•Talk to the doctor about the treatment he or she prescribed and understand why it was recommended.

•Ask the pharmacist if the medication received is exactly what the doctor prescribed. If it isn’t, make sure to discuss the differences with the doctor before accepting it.

•Let the doctor know if the medication received has a different look or name from before.

This story is provided by State Point Media.