Does anyone here take them? If so, do they work well for you, or have they simply turned you into an emotionless zombie? And what other side effects have you experienced? I was put on Zoloft recently, and aside from being doubtful as to whether or not it'll work (I also hate the idea of resorting to meds for correcting my fucked up brain chemistry), I'm really concerned about gaining weight. I'm preoccupied with maintaining a low weight and I feel like gaining weight as a side effect would only make me feel worse.
Anyway, yeah. Such a fun topic!
I have taken St John's Wort, and found it helpful, but it is very mild. I guess it depends on how severe the depression is? Not everyone gets all the side effects, and i know people who drugs for depression have really helped them. You also might not need to be on them for long. I think they usually start with 6 months to make sure that they are working properly, but if it does work, you might just need them to lift you out of the worst of it. I hope they help... its such a horrible thing to suffer from. But don't be afraid to take them, if you really don't like how they make you feel, you can go back to the doctor and talk about a different option.
I am bipolar and have been on Prozac for over 20 years. Anti-depressants do not turn you into an emotionless zombie. There are anti-depressants that do not cause weight gain.
A long time ago I was prescribed transquillers for migraine. After taking them for a while, I noticed that the medicine made me very slow in that I could think of what to say but it took a while for the mouth to say it. I stopped taking the medicine immediately.
One of my former classmates was given ritalin (which is technically an anti-depressant, even if it is primarily used to 'treat' ADHD). No weight gain or anything like that, but it was absolutely noticeable when he had or hadn't taken his meds. I wouldn't say it made him into a zombie, but it certainly made him much more bland and more than a little apathetic.