But I had to cut it back to four. Her daughter Patty said the pills make Jones very sleepy and confused. I was having trouble sleeping a while back, Patty said. I took half of one of those pills and honestly, I slept for two days. The new, extremely effective anti-depressant are under patent, and they re very expensive, said Alicia Jahsman, Jones mental health social worker.
Some companies have indigent drug programs that they can give out drugs for cheap.
But paying for these medicine is still a big problem for many elderly patients, Jahsman said. These are addictive drugs, patients cannot go off them without serious withdrawal symptoms, Jahsman said. People who can t afford that and go off the drugs often have seizures. Depression is a common problem for many of the elderly, said JoAnne King, an administrator at the Manor of Natural Bridge, an adult care home. But area mental health services do a lot of good for her clients, King said.