Great question! So natural or at least I felt and thought some of the same things as you.

For me it's been about 15 or so years on a variety of SSRI's and then the class that Cymbalta is in. SNRI..now back to an SSRI called Pevexa. They can and do poop out, so sometimes your P doc will change doses or brands within the same class or switch classes or add/mix medications.

I've had Zoloft, Lexepro, Effexor SR, (BuSpar for anxiety). I'm so glad my family practice dr. sent me to a P doc so I felt like I was getting better treatment/meds.

The Stigma OMG. What will others think, that I'm weak or worse, "crazy"?

The Stubborness factor. I was going to pull myself up by my bootstrapes! Yeah, right! That turned out to not be a good idea when I decided to go off my meds after 12 years. I ended up walking off my job because I couldn't deal with the pressure.

The Help I get from my medication is just help, not a cure. Therapy and/or other lifestyle changes may be needed as well. My first 'talk therapist' told me once I needed to be around positive people. Who knew??? So something as simple as realizing who I was hanging with had an effect on me was eyeopening!

One thing to know about AD, if you have had a relapse before, you most likely need to stay on lifelong medication, because relapse is much more common.

Good luck with your choices. There are a lot worse things you can do to/for yourself.