| First, stop considering and see your doctor. Make an appointment now. You may be treatable as depressed, or the two of you may conclude that some other treatment is appropriate. I'm in my late 50s. I've been taking an SSRI, generic Citalopram (Celexa) for a few months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citalopram The biggest impact on my life may be that I'm still alive, that I no longer want to or feel that I need to kill myself, that I no longer wake up every day wondering if this should be the day. This was my life just a few months ago. I wish I'd done something about this years ago. More productive? Yeah, maybe. I was still functioning when I was untreated, but I was miserable, and would obsess over any setback, real or constructed. So I'm not doing that anymore, and so I'm probably spending more time producing. Possibly more productive in the sense that I bother trying to accomplish things in my personal life that I previously discarded as impossible for me. "That'll never work." However, that's my story, not yours. We're all individuals, with our own genes and experience and environment. Drawbacks? No, not really. My libido is somewhat less distracting. Some people report no libido, some no difference. If that becomes an issue you can consult with your doctor and adjust things. I'm not more energetic, I'm not more lazy. I am still exactly who I was before. However, I'm certain that I'm more pleasant to be around. I think often depression is perceived by others as someone generally being an asshole. I used to very often find myself riding the trainwreck of an interaction, and powerless to stop it. Personally, my biggest fear was not being able to think if I took antidepressants. If anything, I think better, because I don't waste my brain on unproductive, irrational thinking. I'm not smarter, and I'm not stupider, I just don't have as many obstacles as I used to. Bottom line: you're not a doctor. You aren't going to a doctor to receive antidepressants, you're going to treat your possible depression. That treatment may include antidepressants, and/or something else. Go make your appointment. |