I spent about 40 years resisting antidepressants, which I would periodically try when in a deep slump and drop when I felt better. It took me many years to figure out that the pits were becoming deeper and longer and that I did have an underlying chemical imbalance, as the doc said. I'm a tough customer, because I like to be self-sufficient rather than depending on any medication.

The last three or four years have been the best of my life. I finally gave in and went through many months of trying different antidepressants (ADs). I will only take one AD at a time, so that it will be very clear what its side-effects are and how well it's doing the job. Also, I'm quite aggressive about telling the doc when the dose has to be upped in order to work. After a month, if it isn't doing the job, I ask him to up it to the maximum recommended dose.

I've been quite comfortable on the AD of my choice for some time now. What's good for me, however, may not be good for others.

Tailoring the AD to the person is very important. Effexor is great for some. The smallest dose of it, however, turned me into a zombie without any human feelings . This must be what a sociopath feels like, I thought. I could have killed with a complete lack of conscience. That experience shocked me so much that I immediately returned the pills to the doctor's office. Now I have a better understanding of some of the Prozac stories I've heard.

This is the address of the web site I use to research meds. I keep it right on my desktop --- http://www.rxlist.com/ . The list also has, in the upper left hand corner, a link to the RX-BOARD
where patients discuss their experiences with various meds! This has been a very good source of information for me. I hope it's helpful to the readers here also.

Adieu