I have been under treatment for depression for many years, and I found that the tri-cyclic antidepressants, especially Tofranil Pamoate [slow-release Tofranil]300 mg at bedtime, to work best for me. Unfortunately after many years I developed an allergy to the medication and by that time, the SSRI's were the drugs of choice for depression. I do not find them to be nearly so helpful for depression. They do help, however, and this may be just a personal thing. Most of the tricyclics have the adverse effect of being too sedating, but this was minimized in the Pamoate [slow-release] version of Tofranil, I suppose because the side effects were more spread out with the slowed release, and therefore less intense. Tofranil was the first medication that I was put on for depression, and I recall that it made all the difference in the world, and that, for the first time in my life, I understood why people said "good morning" to each other! This is just a personal reaction and may not apply to the general population. billieJ