I've always had to have a combination of therapy and medications. Without medications, the level of my depression is so severe that my thinking isn't clear. I was actually initially put on meds because it was clear that making progress in therapy was becoming increasingly difficult because of the severity of the depression. Medications lift enough of that depression that I am more able to think clearly and work through therapy more effectively.

I have never had any trouble feeling like meds changed who I am in any way other than to make me less depressed and anxious (which is a change I will take any day). Some people have trouble, especially initially, with some side effects such as drowsiness that may make them feel different, but that usually clears up once the body adjusts. If not, there are many different meds to try and they all work a little bit differently. Patients who have bipolar disorder will often complain about feeling "dull" because their meds work to prevent the manias and hypomanias that they, in a way, enjoy, yet those highs aren't particularly a healthy even though they may feel good.