Very touchy subject for some.
Depends on the meds and the person. Also depends on how long you take them for. Often medications such as anti depressants require 4 to 6 weeks before you can truly evaluate them.
Becoming reliant on them can also be debilitating in itself. Some side affects will not go away and the longer you are on them, the much harder it is to come off them.
Reason for being on the differ, and can only be weighed up by the individual themselves ... relying on doctors & therapists is also another debilitating factor that can and often does come into play ... just like the drugs themselves.
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Having said this ... I think Meds can and do help Psychotic patients whom are unable to function or have the capacity to balance with other methods.
In general ... I am of the opinion that society has become addicted to therapists and pills. They are too quick to accept what is handed to them without regard for the fine print, nor the implications of such a hap hazard approach.
Finding a good doctor is a must!!! It takes time to find the right medication as it does your condition and then it also takes a good patient willing to put in as much time. Just because someone is a Doctor does not make the trust worthy!!!!!! Doctors today are way way over burden and they don't have TIME ... Be very careful in this respect.
Only go down the track of Meds if you are absolutely unable to cope or function. Medication should not be used as an easy way out.
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Most anti depressants ended up making me Fat which complicated more health issues and some also made me bla ...
In the beginning others did help me to get gong again, however the dosages will need to be increased until they find "your" amount ... then causally, you will become used to that and you will have to deal with the anxieties and sadness of the real world ... again....
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Medicine will not solve such issues that make us depressed or help us come to terms with the trauma of having live in this world ... but If your life is in crisis and your unable to think straight resulting in you being unable to function outside your door or in that Job you want to keep so bad ... then by all means give it a try.
(Personal I quit the Job and any other expectation that makes me so depressed ... Much easier than becoming some drugged up individual to keep others happy or chase after some BS dream which is not my own)
You will soon work out weather the side effects are worth it or not. Be warned coming of some types of meds is agony and others can simply make you life worse than when you first went on them. Hence:
A doctor you can Trust that has time for you ... and good knowledge of the meds ... and don't expect to simply stay on them for years as a coping mechanism ... otherwise you'll most likely end up a depressed case longer than you thought ... on the meds in the coming years, afraid to come off them and with the same problems you started with ... a very depressing result on something that was supposedly going to solve the problems.
Been there done that ... best of luck.
I still used them ... but only in crisis moments and under the direction of my doctor and therapist.
Don't get trapped!!!!! 