Being the other side of The Pond, we have different names for a lot of anti-depressants, so I'll be more general and talk a little of the basic types we use.

Most SSRI's are fairly side-effect free, and do a very good job - IF they suit you as an individual. That isn't always the case, be it to do with side effects or simply lack of efficacy.

SNRI's can be almost as good in all ways, but some have a worse side-effect profile than others.

Tri-cyclics are the older type, relatively rarely used these days due to some quite unpleasant (and long lasting) side effects, but they can sometimes be the best when it comes to alleviating the depressive symptoms.

MAOI's aren't used here very often, and have major dietary implications too (NO Chocolate, for example!!)

So, them's the basics. As to what you might want to try - well, how about nothing? As a rule, our service will recommend treatment for 12-18 months then gradually step down to zero, to find out if the symptoms are actually still there. Might sound a bit daft, but until you are drug-free, you won't really know! It may also be more useful (and cheaper, too) to go down another route, such as specific counselling using the "5 areas" approach or similar. I can dig out a link or two for that, if you're interested - or you can look yourself; it's called "SPIRIT - a 5 areas approach" by Dr Chris Williams. Ideally, you should work in conjunction with a trained person who is part of a team (hence the name) but you can do it yourself if you have other support.

Good luck!

DM xx

__________________
The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind