Hello Acowsaysmoo: I believe this is your first posted thread here on PC. So... welcome to Psych Central.

You mentioned you started therapy & antidepressants & began feeling better. But you're now starting to feel low energy, no motivation & sadness creeping back in. You also noted you're in your 40's. (I'm 70 by the way!)

I guess what I can tell you is that what you describe is what I have experienced in my own life as well. When I would first start taking antidepressants & seeing a therapist I would feel better. But after a while I would be able to feel myself slipping backward again.

I suspect some of the initial good feeling may be due simply to the "excitement" of starting something new... of feeling like you're taking control & anticipating progress. However as the newness wears off, then so does some of the "shine", so to speak.

The other experience I had, though, was that the antidepressant I took (Cymbalta) never took my depression away entirely. What I used to like to say was that it "kept a floor under me" so that whenever I felt myself beginning to "sink" it would kick my sorry behind back up to a more manageable level. But I still had to work every day to keep myself afloat.

Is this likely a pattern you're going to experience moving forward? I can't answer that for you. I suspect it may be possible. But that's just my personal opinion. I think the only real answer may be: "time will tell." I think you just have to keep moving forward & working with the mental health professionals in your life & see how things develop.

Here's a link to an article, from Psych Central's archives, by our host Dr. John Grohol, Psy.D. on the subject of managing depression. The article also provides links to a number of additional articles on the subject:

Living with Depression: A Guide for Coping with Depressive Feelings

I hope you find PC to be of benefit.