Hi

Would be grateful for any input on this.

I have suffered depression/anxiety as long as I can remember-I was a long term Prozac user and have tried various ones recently, mainly Mirtazapine which I had to give up due to side effects.

But I am not coping at the moment without meds which gives me a quandary I am sure we have all faced-do I start taking the bloody pills again.

For what it's worth these are my thoughts for and against-firstly FOR-

1/ The pretty obvious one-I am not coping without them!!

2/ They do seem to take away the extreme negative feelings which perhaps gives a sufficient "lift" to deal with the problem areas in our lives?

That's pretty much it re FOR as far as I'm concerned-it's the against I am really interested in peoples views on-

1/ I know too much knowledge is a dangerous thing and the Internet can make us all into pseudo-doctors BUT there is an increasing amount of info out there from medical experts etc... who believe that there is not enough known about the LONG-TERM effects of taking these drugs, particularly whether we should really be messing with the balance of our minds/brains in such a fashion. One interesting article I read today quoted the oft stated "If you are a diabetic you take insulin" argument but went on to make the point that diabetes is fully understood by the medical profession as are the treatments. The point was that even the so called medical experts seem unsure exactly how our brains function and exactly what these meds do? So is long term use potentially dangerous?

2/ The bloody side effects!

3/ That they make us "emotionless" and just "mask" our problems.

Anyway just spoken to my GP and am going to try Cipralex so wish me luck-your thoughts would be appreciated. And I do understand it's hardly a new debate just that I am a naturally cautious individual by nature.

Thanks for reading

Gordon