Even more of a failure

I saw the study in the Lancet today saying that antidepressants DO work. Now I feel like even more of a failure - I have tried so many different antidepressants and none have worked but now I feel like maybe I have given up on some of them too easily because of side effects. There are very few that I have been on for long enough to see a therapeutic effect (as my psychiatrist keeps telling me) and so now I think maybe I just gave up for really trivial reasons.

I just feel really down about this and upset with myself, probably because I am about to taper off current AD and start yet another one

In my opinion, side effects are messages from your body/mind. It is wise to consider those messages.

Apart from antidepressant medications, have they offered you talk therapy or other counselling - lifestyle, behaviour, etc.?

I agree with this post

I get terrible side effects from “medication” which ...

I also was wondering. What have they offered you aside from the usual they try to fob people off with

I try to put up with the side effects, at least for long enough to see if the drug is making any difference to my mood but I work full time and have to be able to function so initially when I started venlafaxine I put up with the vile taste in my mouth, everything tasting horrible, no appetite and nausea (at least my GP gave me something for that) but when the dose increase then gave me horrendous fatigue so I was struggling to stay awake during the day and feeling very weak and shaky I just couldn't carry on to see if the effects faded over time...

After my failed attempt at CBT last year I didn't think there was anything else available but then my psychiatrist referred me for "psychological intervention" and after an initial assessment I have just started doing some distress tolerance work (based on DBT) to try to give me alternate coping strategies to SH. I have six sessions of that and then a review and then possibly some sort of therapy for anxiety/depression, although, this being the NHS, the psychologist who did the assessment couldn't promise me anything...

I really want to hope that this will work but I'm at the point now where I don't want to let myself think that because when it doesn't I will just feel even worse. I am also slightly angry that it's taken a year for me to be offered help that was available all along (and I even asked about - very unlike me) during which time my everything has gotten so much worse to the point where I am losing the will to try to fight this any more

You're not a failure, you gave up on those meds for legitimate reasons. Meds in general can help but the majority of work is elsewhere - therapy, work, exercise.. all of these things. So I wouldn't give up too soon, even if meds aren't working too well

I’m very sorry about all this. You accurately describe the “carousel” that many “good” and “hard working and intelligent” people find themselves, in this country... through no fault of their own. I’m glad you asked about what is “available” and that they eventually listened.... it certainly appears that they tend to wait until the situation is “desperate” as judged by them before they offer any “substantive” help . I hope that you don’t “fall through the cracks” or “get lost in the “system” ... I hope I don’t..

I hope you don't either
I am very lucky to have a really good GP but even she can only refer me to the relevant people and hope for the best...