Have you ever taken anti-depressants?

Oh and to answer your question about relapse, I had my dose reduced about a year ago now and I began to regress into my old habits, so relapses can happen.

As for life being better, it is better but also worse at the same time. Better because I no longer am self-destructive and act more rationally, worse because I have to take tablets to maintain such a thing.

But you ought not to pre-empt such a scenario happening at this moment, what is important is that you seek help and do not over-worry yourself.

I'm taking medication for depression and anxiety but the most important thing is, it's prescribed by my doctor and often reviewed by my doctor.

Before anything else, book an appointment with your doctor and tell him about how you feel and allow him to discuss all the options with you. Sometimes drugs are not necessary to help overcome depression, talking and discussing why you feel the way you do can be as effective as taking any drug.

For me, I had to have medication because counselling wasn't working on it's own and my emotions were too volatile without interference.

Please consult your doctor or a professional because they will be able to help you more than we can.

I have friends who have taken everything out there. My sister in law took them. My best friend is currently on them. I took them for exactly one month and the severe paranoia they induced made it the worst month of my life. I went against medical advice and took the advice of the few friends I still trusted and stopped taking them. It was a good decision. This doesn't mean it's a good decision for everyone.

All illnesses are symptomatic of their times and society and the world. How many people do you know who've had bubonic plague? For me, none. For my relatives in the 14th and 17th centuries, quite a lot I'd imagine. Did Shakespeare write about ADHD, depression, or ADD? No. Maybe the solution isn't in drugs but in working out where we went wrong.

Yes, and I became suicidal! mental doctors are wonderful arnt they? Which I was quickly taken off of after my first episode. Started saying how alone I was and I didn't want to be on earth anymore.

OK I like to make a lot of stupid comments on this site but for once I am going to be serious.

Yes I have taken them for years and currently take them for OCD and major depression. They have really been a miracle for me my life is so much better now even though they have only given me an 80% or 90% reduction in symptoms, not 100%.

Ignore those dumbfucks who say stupid shit like "it's the medicine that's messing up your mind". They aren't fucking medical doctors, they aren't you, so they have no basis for making statements about what you are experiencing. And by saying that they are trivializing what can be very serious problems.

PLEASE do yourself a favor and see your doctor! These medicines really do work and they can really help you. But don't get frustrated if the antidepressants don't work at first, your doctor might need to try you on 3 or 4 different medicines (not at the same time lol) before he finds the one that works best for your particular brain chemistry.

As far as "relapse" goes, think about it like blood pressure medicine. As long as you take the meds your blood pressure is kept in a healthy range. If you stop taking them your blood pressure will creep back up. Same thing with psych meds, if you stop taking them, your symptoms will probably return. As with any medicine, NEVER abruptly stop taking them, talk to your doctor - you may need to "ramp down" on your dosage as opposed to just suddenly stopping your medication.

I am back on them, Yrs ago I was on them for a few yrs. I have dealt with depression for a good part of my adult life, and its not fun at all. I have been a crossdresser since age 13, Im late 40's now, A lot of very negative social attitudes and opinions exist in society. I have had friends that found out about my private life and they were pretty much anything but nice, I heard it all, fag, gay, sick or twisted, Oh AND I was told I need therapy, etc. etc. I have had other friends that I could trust and told them and they were like "Oh OK, Cool, You see anything you want to borrow just ask." Some friends are just incredible, and irreplaceable. For the haters --- Bite my ass.
I am still trying to get settled on my meds again. But yes they do help alot. If nothing else, please see a Dr. if you have no insurance try looking for places that have like testing of meds for depression. Such as this site for reference, www.summitportland.com -- It might be summitt with 2 "t"'s.

relapse depends on the type of depression you have. if it's a situational depression, once you work on the problem and get into a different situation it is usually better and you can stop taking them without much worry of relapsing. (unless you put yourself into that type of situation again).

If it is a chemical/hormonal thing you will normally relapse when you stop taking the medication.

(kinda like a schizophrenic who stops taking meds. the voice are gone as long as he takes it, but if he stops they come back. This is just an example I'm not trying to say thats what your issue is)

I'm on anti-depressants and they have helped me a lot. I would recommend though that you see a therapist as well as taking medication because whilst the anti-depressants will help to balance out the chemicals in your brain, they wont change the negative thought patterns you have probably developed. Therapy can do that. Talk with your doctor and they will discuss what medication would be best for you and refer you to a psychologist if you wish.

Take care and good luck! :)