topic Antidepressants - Do they work? in Depression

Antidepressants - Do they work?

RG4264 — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:23:23 GMT

I constantly feel under the weather; constantly tired, irritable, numb emotionally, and beginning to have thoughts of self harm.

This is mainly aimed towards those who have taken antidepressants or know people who have taken antidepressants. Do they work? Will they help me? I ask because, if I were to inform my parents (I'm below the age of 18), that will be a door I cannot close, and if they don't work, I'd have done that for nothing.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Re: Antidepressants - Do they work?

Whatsinaname — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:26:20 GMT

Everyone has very different opinions about antidepressants, so I can only speak of my experience.

I pushed back on the idea of antidepressants for years, as I felt like it was giving up. My doctor then said to me one day "Your dad takes medication to ensure he doesn't have another heart attack, do you think he is giving up?." That was like a switch that made me think differently about medication for mental health.

I have now been on them for 10-15 years.

Do they stop all anxiety and panic? No

Do they help? Absolutely

I still have panic attacks and anxiety, but they make it much easier for me to see the forest from the trees. My panic attacks are generally less intense and don't last as long.

Short answer: I think they work, but they are just one of the tools in your tool box.

Re: Antidepressants - Do they work?

audiology — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:56:30 GMT

Ok I'm going to give it to you straight - there is no hard yes or no answer to your question. The thing with antidepressant's is that there are an absolute MULTITUDE of factors that are in play when it comes to wether or not they will work for you. It really comes down to individual body chemistry - some people get lucky enoujgh that the first antidepressant they get put on works for them, others don't. Some people are medication resistant - such as myself, I have been on the never ending merry go round of trying to find the right ones that work for me for over 10 years - but I can assure you I am more the exception than the rule.

So to answer your quesiton in summary - they absolutely can and DO work - it just might take a while to find the one that works for you specifically.

Re: Antidepressants - Do they work?

therising — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:01:42 GMT

Hi RG4264

From my own experience with anti depressants, going some years back, I found one that worked amazingly well and a number of them that didn't work well at all. I definitely felt a difference with the one that worked.

I think it's important to find the reason/s for the depression we're experiencing. If we're exploring the path of medication specifically, you want to make sure you're receiving the right medication for the condition that can come with depressing side effects or factors. For example, someone could be experiencing depressing aspects of ADHD or autism or something else along those lines or maybe there's a depressing hormone imbalance going on or something else. In such cases, something that targets certain ADHD, autism or hormone challenges could be more so the way to go. I think it can pay to find a good GP who'll wonder about any possible underlying conditions leading to a depression.

With doorways or windows of opportunity, sometimes it can be about exploring a variety of them. Whether it's a doorway that leads to medication, one the leads to talking things over with a therapist, one that leads to understanding why our energy can be so low (to the point of depression) etc etc, the only way to know for sure if something works or doesn't work involves opening that door or those doors. Opening doorways is about opening our mind to possibilities. Just because we find what doesn't work, this doesn't mean we should stop opening doors.