how effective are antidepressants?

Answer 1

They can be very effective indeed. They do take a few weeks to 'kick in', so you won't feel better after the first day or two, but in my experience they are like a life raft; they won't make everything better but they will help you get a better perspective on life, thus enabling you to sort out whatever problems you are experiencing.

Answer 2

Antidepressents can be extremly helpful in most cases. If you find the right ones they will not make you feel drugged out, they can be incredible. But they can take a while to get into your system. Most medication will have some side effects and that will have to be discussed with your doc. If a few small short term side effects worry you then maybe you should reevaluate you need for meds. Most side effects will disapear in two to four weeks.

There are some that work faster than others. It may be good to start with a fast acting medication while your body is getting adjusted to a better long term one. Therapy should deffinatly be part of your recovery process as well. Antidepressents are not to "mask" any problem, but to help adjust upset chemical balances in the brain. By doing this you can regain a healthy thought process that should improve quality of life and you decission making process when dealing with problems.

Answer 3

Very effective! The problem with anti-depressants is that some people just take the drugs and think this alone will work but in reality and fact you have to address the problem at hand. You can take all the anti-depressants that you want and they may make you feel better temporarly, but the truth is that whatever is eating at you will still be there waiting to eat at you again, they will either up your dose when your systems becomes immune to it or switch you to something else but the problem is still there and it is just being covered up, the most effective is anit-depressants with therapy, address the problems so that issues will no longer be issues and if they are you can better handle them. I have been in therapy most of my life and even though I still have very real and true issues I face every day, I am able to better control the depression that is caused by this and I would not be able to control it as well as I do if I did not have the therapy that I've had. I can now control it instead of it controlling me. I am happy to say I am not on perminate anti-depressants and I do very well compaired to times when I were younger and lacked the knowledge of therapy and relaxation techniques that I have now.

Best of luck to you!

Answer 4

Antidepressants are really effective do just what they say on the label, but there are many side affects. The worst two in my view is the weight gain and the headaches.

Answer 5

Antidepressants are a chemically induced lobotomy. They kill all the bad feelings, but also kill all the good ----be careful and do not use them for more than 6 months if you are thinking about it. Sometimes it is the only way to get over a problem, but should be used only as a short-term solution.

Answer 6

Antidepressants alone are only minimally effective for most. It's when you combine medication AND therapy that you'll get the best results! That way you're not just "masking the problem," as someone suggested. Part of the reason you need both is 1) your body is experiencing a chemical imbalance, making it harder for you to function (meaning making it harder to get to the root of the problem) and 2) once the chemical imbalance is fixed medicinally, therapy can help you get back on track and teach you coping mechanisms.

Answer 7

Antidepressants can be very effective for major depressive disorder (clinical depression) and sometimes for other conditions including anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and even chronic pain and migraine prevention. However, they are not effective for situational depression, which is when you feel depressed because of things going on in your life. They might make you feel a bit better in that situation, but can't resolve the things that are happening and causing you to feel depressed over them.

Answer 8

They all do the job but some are better than others and all have side effects. The most effective one for me is Zispin 30mg which has no unpleasant side effects. The max dose is 45 mg. These are excellent and the only side effect is ones thinking is a bit clouded. However I have talked to other people who don't have this side effect. Hope it works for you.

Answer 9

They can be real effective, if they find the right one for you. And you may find that if they find the right one, that you may just have a short depression that can be taken care of really in a short time. Cause sometimes people don't need to be on it long, and they will get over their depression, and go on living a very happy life.

Answer 10

for a short term fix and to get you out of that really bad stage where you cant even get out of bed and face the world, they can be very good

however you also need to concentrate on what's making you so unhappy and make sure you get referred by your doctor for some kind of therapy or psychological assessment (personally I would suggest cognitive behavioural therapy, but whatever suits you). Dont just rely on the anti-depressants - they address the symptons, sometimes, but not always the cause.

Exercise is extremely effective in improving your mood and well-being, even more so than anti-depressants are.

Good luck, there is a way out of it x