Hi MKal. Depression is definitely a pickle to deal with - especially off of medications. I was on almost every anti depressant you could think of since I was in 4th grade. It took me almost 20 years to find out that I was that small percentage that gained more suicidal ideation when taking them - so I took myself off and while I still struggle with depression pretty bad, it has not gone back to how bad it was when I was on the medication. So, if you even for a moment feel worse while taking anti depressants, my opinion would be to talk to your doctor to discontinue and/or start something different.
As you stated, they all affect us differently, but whenever someone asks about anti depressants I always throw out my worst experience in case they begin to feel something similar. I was on Effexor (or Venlafaxine depending on the brand) and it was by far the worst thing in the world to come off of. While I was on it, I felt no change what-so-ever, even after time and upping the dosage. So I was taken off of it... I felt SO hopeless that I could not get off the couch, I had NO emotion, NO energy and I had this constant "zap" throughout my nervous system (happened every 20 seconds or so) and it was HELL to get off. That is just a small something I share because people I know have had similar experiences with it as well.
Lastly, have you looked into any natural medicine options? I've been meaning to see a Naturopathic Doctor but have not had time. If you're worried about taking medication in general, or even on an "as needed" basis, I think this may be a positive option for you.
Best of luck. God Bless!

I have tried several antidepressants with bad side effects. I finally tried Paxil though, and it helps a lot and I have had no side effects. So it is all about finding what works for you.

Thank you, friends. Your advice gives me more ammunition in this fight of mine.

It's been my experience that most anti depressant medication are SSRI's which have to be taken at least once a day. Prescribing them is not an exact science. Doctors have to often try diffent ones at different dosages to see what works and what doesn't.

I had been on medication for most of my adult life. The last one I was on was Pristiq which, at the time was one of the newer medications. It got rid of horrible feelings of loss and isolation and I never had to have the initial 50 miligram dose increased. I was on it for many years.

Recently, I began studying a new type of spirituality and was able to generate, what my brain was lacking so I stopped taking them.

Hope this helps,

God Bless

A lady at work is menopausal and on an antidepressant. She was crying a lot, now less so. :)

Hi there I too am menopausal and have found that since I started the change I am also very depressed as in sad not so much angry. Have to say anti-depressants have saved my life. Without them I would have thrown in the towel so to speak years ago. yes you do have to take them every day and it will probably be a 3-4 weeks before you see an improvement in your mood. But stick with it and it will definitely help.

hugs

Manda xx