I was at my first CBT session today and I was starting my CBT book and I asked the clinical nurse about antidepressants, obviously she couldn't prescribe them for me and she said that if I want them, I'll have to ask my GP, I've been feeling really ****ty because of tutors annoying the hell out of me, they don't give a **** about me, should I book an appointment and ask my GP to prescribe them?

Are you actually depressed or is this just temporary from whatever tutor/school related stuff you have going on? Antidepressants take 6-8 weeks to start working fully so you should only start one if you've been depressed for a long time and it's out of your control.

I started an antidepressant (Wellbutrin) in January, didn't help at all + awful side effects, so now I'm starting another one and the whole process starts over again.

But antidepressants and anxiolytics are very different, so it depends on if you're actually depressed or have anxiety. A benzo like Xanax will work immediately...

I had positive effects with my antidepressant (celexa). The only side effect I had was an upset stomach for a week or two when I started the medication. I took it for about 9 months before I was able to get off of it.

Yes. For me personally it is a matter of being able to get out of bed and function day-to-day when taking them. It is sometimes a very lengthy process of trial and error to find exactly what will work for you because there is no hereditary or medical predisposition of which will have the best affect on a person.

I am eager to hear what anyone has to say on the subject

I am specially concerned about Xanax-like meds and just meds creating dependency on the consumer

Also yeah I have heard of the awful side effects.

I would say yes if you feel you are unable to manage.

There are many different types of medication available though and not everybody reacts well to each one. It's kind of murky waters. You are messing with your brain chemistry. You have to work closely with your doctor and be honest and try and find something that works.

My doctors have offered me SSRI prescriptions in the past and I chose not to start the course but a number of my friends do. The main thing I would say is that you do become essentially reliant on the drug. You cannot just come off it easily, lol.

No, I've been depressed since January when my great aunt died, I just can't seem to get out of it, I took two days off college last week and took a day off on Wednesday because I couldn't be assed going in, the tutors are making it worse for me, demanding and demanding work, if they knew the way I was feeling, they don't give two ***** about me, my tutor even said to me "Stop stressing" I have a load of coursework to hand in but I couldn't give two ***** about it. I have social anxiety as well which makes it worse.

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If you're actually clinically depressed though, yes. I take Celexa and it's worked wonders, and I didn't have any side effects.

I was prescribed low dose of Paxil (an SSRI/antidepressant) for a year for social anxiety, and I can't say it really did anything for my mood or the anxiety. The only positive was that it helped me focus. It gave me headaches so I'd skip a few days when got too bad. Went off it when I started school again and the withdrawal symptoms were uncomfortable and lasted like 2-3 weeks. The worst part was this weird sensation in my head that's hard to describe (I googled it and I guess they're called brain zaps) when I went up and down the stairs.

Anyway, they were ridiculously easy to get (I went to my brother's sports medicine doctor, not even my GP), all I had to do was take her a note from my therapist, the doctor asked me a few questions, that was it. Kinda different from your situation because I felt like the whole thing was being forced on me, so not a positive experience. So to actually get to the question, I would only recommend meds if you feel your day to day functionality is severely impaired without them. Be aware that finding the right medication and dosage can be a long process, and don't stick with something that doesn't work for a year like I did, lol

I guess it's a tough call, because it has only been a couple months and it seems like the main causes are the current stresses of your tutors and the passing of your great aunt (which death is a valid reason and cause for depression, not always long lasting). Like others have said, it can be a long process of trial and error which may end up taking longer than the natural ending of your current stresses. Ultimately, you need to talk to a psychiatrist or someone who can refer you to one like a psychologist or therapist; you shouldn't just go to a GP because they'll just prescribe you their favorite antidepressant and keep cycling them until you find one that works for you, but antidepressants work best when coupled with counseling, or you might not even need one. I'm assuming your college has some kind of mental health services, if you talk to them they will surely work something out with your tutors.

Side note, but many antidepressants are used for both depression and anxiety, so an SSRI or SNRI will take care of both. If you have always had social anxiety, that would just be more reason to start one... but be prepared to wait at least 6 weeks until you start feeling any better.

That's not quite true. Doctors often look at what's worked for your parents/siblings (if they've used them) and try to prescribe those first. There are several genes that have been implicated in the efficacy of certain antidepressants, so it makes sense.

It's still largely a crapshoot though.

They can only help you, a little by a little, get out of your depression. 90% of the work is dependent on you and nothing else.

So I'd say yes, as long as you want to change.

Personally, 2 months of gym with a bite of dark chocolate or some coffee every other day helped me more than 8 months of medication.

I also can't seem to get over the death of my grandmother who died last January, I was extremely close to her and she was an amazing woman, she would do anything for anyone. And she did so much to help other people, she also volunteered with St. Vincent De Paul which was a brilliant thing and she was a follower of God, she would go to church every Sunday and would say prayers every night, she loved God so much.

if u really need them they can make life livable but if ur just going through something then no they wont help at all

antidepressants don't do anything. no psych meds actually do anything. it's all placebo effects

If you're able to, you should comsider seeing a therapist and joining a support group - in addition to taking anti-depressants if you and your GP believes that is best. Having a stable support system could make all the difference.