Hi only
I also had an adverse reaction to an antiD (Fluoxetine) and came off them. This was almost 9 years ago. The counselling I received was utter shite (not saying all counselling is) so I decided to manage my depression myself.
What I did was first off, recognise and accept that I did have depression and, more importantly, would always have depression. I started by managing it on a daily basis but as the years have gone on, it became less and less "managing".
If I felt down/bleak in the morning, I would try and attribute it to anything OTHER than my depression. So for example, I would tell myself I felt down because I hadn't slept well or I was worried about paying xyz bill, worried about xyz aspect of my job etc. In other words, the same worry that a "regular" person might feel if they were having a bad day.
This works 99% of the time for me. It was/is important for me though to always acknowledge my depression so on some days (they got fewer and further between) I would kind of say "Ok, can't attribute it to anything today, you win today" and let it engulf me for the day.
I also talk about it to friends and family which makes it more real, less secret and further acknowledges it.
Hope this helps, obviously what works for me might not work for you/others and I hope you find a way 