to be scared of taking anti-depressants?

[qo]

Recently started on 20mg of prozac daily for a bout of crippling depression - unable to get out of bed, sleep problems, anxiety, onset of agoraphobia,severe lack of motivation, unwillingness to communicate. I could go on but you get the gist.

I've always been wary of taking AD's and in previous bouts of depression I've managed to help myself with positive thinking, excercise, forward planning etc.

This time has been different though, and I found myself unable to pull myself out of it, as it was affecting my kids lives I decided I had no option but to try AD's, at least for their sake.

I've been on them about 2 weeks and I think they might be starting to help just a little, but I'm starting to become anxious & worried about taking them.

My main concerns are -

1. am I going to damage my body's ability to produce it's own serotonin? I'm unsure of long-term effects and have read conflicting reports.
2. am I doing more harm than good by suppressing my feelings rather than working them through? (I start face to face counselling on the 11th July) 3)anti-depressants will not remove the root causes of my depression
3. I'm not sure of my anxiety about taking them is real or symptomatic of the depression.

I've thought about taking one every other day, would that work? Anybody else feel like this about AD's and what did you do to overcome it?

Ssri's dont make your brain produce seratonin they stop it from
absorbing it back in so quickly. So it can't really stop you producing your own because it doesn't affect that.
There are side affects when you stop taking them but that's not addiction. Don't stop until you feel in control of your anxiety/depression because that will be horrible. But if you are feeling in control then going down slowly in mg's of meds will minimise the side affects. Many people go off them no probs. but don't worry if your on them for years while you have therapy etc only stop when you are actually ready, I've known so many ppl just pick up and drop them and this doesn't help, it makes you feel worse.

Stopping quickly without reducing slowly usually makes you feel dire, yes side effects but krum is right, that's not addiction.

My advice is to take the tablets as prescribed and use them as a means to an end - ie they help you while you are dealing with the causes of the depression.

Most mental illness is a combo if physical and social. Use the drugs to fix the physical and the talking therapy the social.