I don't plan to stop taking antidepressants in the foreseeable future. Depression is a health problem, and my depression is pretty much 100% biological, so I would only stop taking them if I get some other treatment that somehow fixes the problem permanently.
Now, I have considered no longer taking the
particular drug I'm currently on, because it causes weight gain, and combined with some other factors, I have gained too much weight. But I would switch to another antidepressant.
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I'm in month 3 of Lexapro and the side effects are awful. I have to take Ativan to counter the side effects and that can become addictive. I've been waiting for the side effects to fade and the Lexapro to kick in, but here I am at this crossroads where I wonder whether Lexapro is even right for me, or I need a higher dose? I'd hate to up my dosage only to increase the side effects and make my eventual taper-off more lengthy.
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It can take a while for effects to build up, which is why you often have to wait a while to see if the meds are going to have any positive results, and sometimes effects including side effects are worse at the beginning, but if the side effects are still intolerable after a couple weeks, they're probably going to stay intolerable. Raising the dose will raise the side effects.
I think you should ask for a different med at this point.