complicated to sum up in one answer, that's for sure! let's see... i haven't had any real bad side effects from them, but there's a couple that really suck to have withdrawls from. i've tried a few where i didn't really notice anything - good or bad. i had one that worked great for a year or so and then it seemed like it just stopped working. wierd. overall, it's been a good experience and i needed the jump-start they gave me at the time i got on some! i don't know how i would have made it through that phase of my life without them.

Once a long time ago I overdosed on Welbutrin. I took way too many and I had a full spectrum of hallucinations. I saw weird things made of shadows that I knew werent there but also things I swore existed until a day later when i snapped out of it. I woke up and my girlfriend wasnt in bed with me and instead there was a couple of people i didnt know. i was pissed. i was convinced she'd gone off with some girl i had dreamed she'd cheated on me with before i woke up. i went out to my car, there were lots of people outside even though it was 2 am, and my house was also full. i left her a really crazy voicemail about feeling rejected and hurt. then i went back inside, past the people, and there she was in bed. i was so pissed she'd snuck back in without me seeing that i woke her and asked her if she'd had fun at the club. also i saw a bottlecap in the toilet. it wasnt there. There was a strong desire to vomit, which caused a lot of dry heaving after i'd emptied my stomach. Another side effect of taking that much welbutrin is a greatly increased risk of seizures, but that didnt happen to me. Oh, and my heart rate was steadily very high all night. (I did go to the hospital by the way, they monitored me and wanted to keep me for 24 hrs but it was just in case of a seizure. we broke out.)

Another experience with Welbutrin that I think I should put on here: My girlfriend was taking it for a month or two when one weekend she became a completely different person, bent on killing herself. It was the scariest Weekend of my life. She hid razors everywhere and still has scars. She was so determined, but the worst part was that it wasnt even her in there at all. I didnt know that girl sneaking razors into bed. I couldnt sleep at night because i knew that if i did she would sneak away and die. she told me this. she left for work that saturday morning and told me she may not come home. I felt so helpless. I did everything I could. She bought a pack of heavy duty box cutters at work and brought them home to use on her arms. I even cut my own hand to show her how it feels to watch someone you love hurt themself. (crazy on my part i know but i was so scared and desperate) I still have a beautifully ugly scar from that one. I cant tell you how many times i almost had to break down the bathroom door that weekend. I had to supervise every time she used the toilet because if i didnt she WOULD cut herself. Finally she snapped out of it and just stopped wanting to cut herself. The welbutrin went down the toilet.

Man, Freaky!! I was only ever on anti-depressants for 3 days - not long enough for anything to happen. All I remember is having dreams that I SWORE were someone else's, and I was just watching them. A friend of mine had an issue with them, where EVERY single anti-depressant she tried gave her all the possible side-effects - even St. John's Wort which is supposed to have very few. It was a long struggle to find one she could take long enough for it to help her.

I was on Paxil for almost a year and I seriuosly think it made things worse. I lost any sense of reality when it came to things like money and would over react to stuff. And if I missed one I got so sick I would have to go home. I finally took myself off it because the doctor wouldn't. And not long after that I was fine.

well i have been on anti-depressants since i was 4...i started on welbutrin and i stayed on that until the age of 12...with welbutrinn i was really hyper all the time and always happy...and if i became depressed i wanted to die and tried anyway to do it... when i was 12 i was put on Buspar, and Elavil, buspar really helps my nerves to make me more calm and not erratic, and the Elavil kind of makes me depressed with no highs...so i was put of depakote, now im pretty much leveled out but if i forget a dose i become HORRIBLY depressed, and get scared to death of everything... so thats my experience...ive also taken zoloft and it kept me happy but i hated taking it..for some reason and they finally took me off of it... ive had bipolar disorder since i was 4 years old and suffer with it every day, i have horrible phobias, and comletely afraid of death and its whole process. even with my medication i still feel horrible at all times...no matter what i try but luckily i have a mom thats always there for me and the greatest fiance in this entire universe....so altogether im happy but depressed or in other words bipolar

I have been on Lovan (Prozac) for quite a few years now, and have had no problems, except for a dry mouth.

I've been on a lot of antidepressants. The only one that really worked for me is Lexapro. I never had any weird side effects--just headaches with a few of them. I can definitely tell the difference when I'm not on them though.

it took a long time to find the right ones in the right combination and the right dosage but then it actually really helped.

I've been on Paxil and Effexor (for OCD) for around 7 years and they've pretty much saved my well being. I know they can cause addiction tantamount to cocaine addiction though. Also, they zone some people out. Not me though...

I was on Lexapro for a while and it made "Mr Happy" not so happy. Found a new Doc andgot on Wellbutrin. It worked great for me and now I'm at the point where the Doc thinks I can come off it. They try to get you off the stuff in about a year. I think it's helped me regain my balance. I feel badly for those answers I read where there were problems, that's some scary stuff. It just happened to work well for me and I'm grateful.

Bad is all I can say. I wouldnt go near them after about a week 'cos I can plainly say that it scared the living shit out of me.

Well, I went through a bad period during late 2001. Too much work caused my brain to suffer some kind of chemical alteration. I went through a panic attacks, a panic disorder that was cured using anti depressants (Clonazepam and Wellbutrin). Clonazepam was for a short term period, Wellbutrin is the one I take every day. I don't have words to explain how bad it was, how awful, terrible I felt during that period. My experience with anti depressants: They were a life saver!

I've been on fluoxitine (generic Prozac) for about two years now. I was really reluctant to take a pill to address my depression, but I was at the point where I couldn't function effectively. Everything about how I observe and interact with the world around me wasn't working. I see things spacially -- the big picture, how things fit together -- and that was gone. I knew I was at the point of trying anything after I got lost going to a doctor's appointment (a place I had been before) and spent three hours driving around Los Angeles in an effort to find my way back to work. I normally have an excellent sense of direction, but even after finding where I was on a map I couldn't figure out how to get where I needed to go. After taking the Prozac I wasn't necessarily "happy", but after playing with the dosage I now feel like myself again. Part of me is flummoxed/offended/ashamed that taking the drug has such a strong affect on my personality and ability to cope, but whenever I'm tempted to quit taking it, I just remember how bad things were and the temptation passes.

I've never had to take them

I tried - it failed.

I have been on them so long that I honestly don't have a clear memory of the difference.

Worked almost instantly, releived me of anxiety, let me enjoy my life for a while and feel like a happy person with a faster working mind, but of course I had to quit because it wrecked my libido and I was scared of getting PSSD. It was Lexapro. Other side effects (that I didn't really mind though) were fast heart rate, trouble sleeping, tummy ache where I had to eat something to make it go away, and waking up in the middle of the night puking.

I was wary of starting antidepressants, but decided to go ahead about a year ago. Initially it did help, I felt less irritable and emotional. But, knowing what I know now- it was SO not worth it. I took the SSRI Prozac, which is supposed to have the fewest side effects, however I packed on 30 lbs in one year. I also began to feel more depressed than ever, so I recently decided to go off. The first 2 weeks I felt better, but now I am having almost constant brain zaps (look it up on wikipedia). Turning my eyes or head causes the annoying sensation. I also feel irritable and on edge. Plus I hate that I now have 30 lbs to lose. If I could go back in time I would have done only therapy- no drugs. I do not recommend them as they only mask the underlying problem and, as I am finding out, are very difficult to go off of. I of course recommend getting professional help for depression, and a sleeping pill is a great help for insomnia, but just say no to the antidepressants.

I hate them, they make me hazy. I only got on them to prove to a friend that I’m NOT depressed, now I have to survive six weeks of this random giddiness an general haze... its horrid, go knows how you guys did it!

Not very depressing.

A better attitude for one. More consistent and even. There are two major downsides (1) you can't forget to take them (2) decrease in sex drive.

Complete hell. It made me a robot. I can't stand being a robot.

I'm on a low dosage of celexa. It took the edge of off my irritability. No major side effects, except if I haven't taken it for a few days I get dizzy. As for children and young teens, I do know that certain anti-depressants can have the opposite effect and increase suicidal ideation. But for me, I'm very pleased with how it's helped me deal with stresses in my life.

I have taken Zoloft and Lexapro. I hated them both. They made me into a emotionless zombie.. It makes me sick just to think about those medicines. I think I'll stick to anti-anxiety medicine.

Crap! I'm on Aropax (paxil). Its horrible it makes me feel completely loony. I mean last night for no reason whatsoever I felt this incredible urge to injure myself. And if I miss a dose I feel horribly depressed. It hasn't really helped my depression much. Oh, and I also feel anxious and paranoid a lot of the time, like overboard nervous. Almost like ADD! Its crap don't ever go on it!

They have been a contributory factor in saving my life. They don't cure you, and I'm not "cured", but they can help stabilise you, particularly if you are severely ill.