> You absolutely should avoid them if you can help it. The issue is knowing whether you can "tough it out". Will you make it through without medication? Will y

> You absolutely should avoid them if you can help it. The issue is knowing whether you can "tough it out". Will you make it through without medication? Will you make it through in a reasonable time frame? It's a valid point, but I don't think it's a good idea to judge that for yourself. It's very similar to anti-biotics. It's a good idea to avoid them in general and not take them when you don't need to or when they won't do anything. But it's a terrible idea to want to make that call if you don't have the training. And it's a bad idea to figure "ah, I'm better, I'll just drop these now" after a day or two. I personally believe that the "zombie-like state" is blown out of proportion, and I'm certain that even with side-effects, anti-depressants are still much nicer than going through a major depressive episode.