I have taken so many different ones that I noticed the side effects seem to follow a pattern that is there regardless of what you take.

Odds are the first few weeks on a pill you will feel like crap. You will be tired, feel disorientated alot, and have a few other side effects. After this the side effects lessen or go away for the most part, with one or two mild ones lingering. each pill has it's own quarks, so expect to go through a few before the right anti-depressant is found for you.

Some pills are known for having few side effects to most people. Lexipro is a more mild pill, and for me Effexor has nearly no side effects. Another pill that helps people alot is Provigal although it is not an anti-depressant, I know a few people who came off there anti-depressants because the energy Provigal gave them enabled tem to make lifestyle changes.

So in the long run, if your depression is entering the deeper stages, why not give meds a trial run? You can give up a few months, for possibly a few years of control of your depression, or even a shot to see it enter remission.

One key thing to dealing with side effects, is to stay calm. If you freak out over them, you will get more upset and make them worse. If you just accept them and adapt, then you may not even notice alot of them. If any of them are too bad, call your doctor up.

As for sleeping, this is really person by person and drug by drug. Some make you tired alot, some make you unable to sleep, some make you sleep too much, but that is just the way they work. If worried ask your doctor about side effects and mention to him any sleep issues you may have.