The strategy you described - prescribing only small doses of potentially dangerous antidepressants - is actually the one that doctors are urged to use with depressed patients. They don't always use it, since if the patient isn't actually at risk of killing themselves, it can sometimes cause problems with the doctor-patient relationship (patient resents implication that they'll kill themselves, patient inconvenienced by need for constant refills, patient feels doctor doesn't trust them, etc.).

Most people habituate to antidepressants after enough time. Sometimes, they still feel depressed while on the drugs because their effectiveness has diminished, but when they stop taking them they confuse the withdrawal effects for a return of the depression and assume that they'd feel that way without the meds. I personally think that medications should only be used as temporary aids to other forms of treatment (as 'crutches', without implying the negative connotation of that term). You've pointed out another reason not to rely on meds. to cope with a depression - they tend not to work indefinitely.

Medications help most of the people who take them; if a method works for you, use it. If you can't find a medication that works, then treatment hasn't failed - it's just become somewhat more difficult.

Hey, if nothing else, your hopeful attitude is a good sign!

I hope things improve for you...

[bows respectfully]
-Caledonian