Do anti-depressants work?

If you see a reputable doctor and make sure that they are willing to work with you to find the right anti-depressant for you (that's why there are lots of different ones, some work better than others for people), then yes, they can not only literally save your life, but make it worth living. Be careful when you first start taking them though, and be aware that they don't work straight away. Make sure you go back and see the Dr if you start feeling worse(just means you haven't found the right one for you yet). I've battled depression for nearly 40 years, and the 18 years I've been on a good anti depressant that works for me have been great, the 9 months I was on one that wasn't right for me were hell.
Have patience, and faith that it will get better. If you want to send me a message on here and talk via email, feel free, unfortunately I don't have instant messenging as I only have internet access some of the time, but I am here if you want to talk, I"ve had decades of experience living with this.
Simon

BEFORE taking anti-depressants, try to establish what is causing your depression. This could be anything from lack of social stimulus (not getting out enough), diet (eating $h!t), not enough exercise, Sleep Apnea (sleep/breathing disorder), a collection of bad experiences (deaths, disasters, bad relationships, republicans in power), or it could be the chemicals in your brain.

In other words a simple set of changes in your life could get you out of depression. These changes may take time and a HUGE amount of will power. But they can be amazingly effective.

Doctors DO over prescribe anti-depressants. Couple this with the exhausting effects of depression and allow for the VERY human trait of resisting change (for the better) and you will more then likely end up taking anti-depressants.

But if you do, might I suggest you use them only as means to an end, rather then a life long commitment. For example, begin taking the pills as prescribed. Allow the two to six weeks for them to BEGIN taking effect then as you begin to feel better and some will power returns, use this energy and time to make changes in your life so as to improve your chances of getting back off the pills.

In other words, work with your depression and the tablets to find permanent "cures " rather then accepting a life long dependency on the drugs.

Finally if it is a chemical imbalance in the brain it may end up being your fate to continue taking the darn things for the rest of your life. However I believe that such issues can be dealt with by other means...some controversial but effective nonetheless.

it depends on why you are taking them sometimes they sometime they dont, i have on and off them for years, its hard to tell if they really work.

Ive survived so far without them, even through some hard depression. I pulled myself up, unfortunately without anybody's help, not that I would have expected anybody's help I don't blame nobody except myself for being depressed. Its a condition that is pointless and leaves you useless, I don't know what it is, I think its just something you have to outgrow, and you have to know how to stave it off when you recognize it coming on.

They work if you are properly diagnosed! Depression is not a diagnosis, but a symptom of a deeper lying physical issue that causes mental instability. Unfortunately, doctors like to treat depression like they treat the common cold and the patient winds up the victim of Prozac when really all they need is light medication to level out their hormones! Some just need to change their diet or up their vitamin B intake, which provides natural energy and better cognitive function.

Yes they work. But you may have to try several to find one that works well for you. There are several different kinds of anti-depressants, and they work by tweaking different chemical levels in your brain/body. So one med might work great for me and my chemisty, but not work for you.

depressions may be of manier reasons... so its depend on how it can be treated.. for if it is possible to treat the person with the help of psychiatric then one should not take anti depressants... family and friends can be useful to get the person to the normal condition....

yeah i guess they do. the only problem is.. they ARE addictive. the best way to treat depression is to get help, by counsellors, phsycologists and such... anti-depressants are life-long. if you try and come off them, you'll end up 10 times worse.

I really do think they work, but it depends on what kind of depression you have. If it's situation related, it might be harder to rely on medication. I am taking medication because there is an imbalance of chemicals in my brain. I don't know if they are actually helping or not, but I have also recently taken up excersicing. (A little excersize goes a long way) And I'm feeling a lot better since my last doctor visit. Talk with your doctor to find out what might be best for you.

They work for me. I have a chemical imbalance and have had clinical depression. But it has to be the right anti-depressant for the person.

yes/no In my mind its mind over matter! How strong willed youare to overcome issue at hand is my thoughts.

Depends. I think it's more important to try to fight it without any medicine, and if it doesn't work, you should maybe consult your doctor. It also depends on whether it's a chemical imbalance in your brain or if it's just caused by an emotional event.

My sister takes zoloft for depression it helps a lot.

I would express your concerns to your doctor. Your doctor is there to help you and heal you.

Before I turned to God, I took them for a short period, and they didn't make me feel happy - they just stopped me from feeling as much.

FYI -

Here is a link to a quiz to see if you should consider taking anti-depressants:
http://www.healthyplace.com/depression/seriousness-of-depression/antidepressant-quiz/menu-id-68/

Here is a link to an anti-depressant list :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_antidepressants

I would only take them if you HAVE to. They affect people differently. There are many kinds and many dosages.
Not not mix them with certain other meds.

I took zoloft for about six months. I believe it saved my life.

yes they do work but they take quite some time to get into the system and do their job. also, not every antidepressant works for every person. find a good shrink and they will be able to explain things better for you and figure out the best course of treatment for you symptoms.

They work but having many side effects. So be very careful.

I don't want to repeat what everyone else has said, so here is my experience.

Years ago, I was on 3 different medications over the course of the year, trying to find one that would work. I was on Zoloft, Paxil, and one other one whose name escapes me... none of them really made me feel any different.

Eventually I was put on Effexor and that made ALL the difference. At the time though, there was no generic, so it was very expensive. This was a couple of years ago though, so things may have changed.