Well, I think that it all depends on the individual. Some people handle them pretty well while others don't. I'm currently on Cymbalta and it seems to work pretty well for my severe depression.

What antidepressants do is try to regulate the chemicals in your brain. A lot of times there is a chemical inbalance in the brain causing the depression or making it worse. So when you are prescribed the antidepressants the whole idea is to correct this imbalance.