Thanks for the advice guys.I have a dr appointment tomorrow so i'll see how  i go.

i have been on anti depresants for a long time, 6 years. I have been on many different types too. zoloft was my first and it just made me sleep alot. lexapro was my second and that was good. i was on that a year. lovan was a good one too. atm i am on Valpro/eppilim (yes i do know its for epilepsy but it if foor mood stabiliser too) and i am suppost to take edronax too. i am also on a few sleepeds and xanax.

ur Q. Anti deps has worked for me. i have to be watched alot as i am bipolar and i have a tendacie that when i crash i get suicidal. my hubby also gives me my meds every night.

now each person is different and each drug is different too. some ppl are ok with prosac type meds and some arent. there are a few good sites about that are great for info. personaly i wouldnt go to the chat forums only cause i was on them and they make u feel more down.

Hi i was put on anti depressents years ago and all they did was made me sleepy, some doctors are to quick to hand them out, then you end up relying on them , they can have really bad side affects if you stop taking them , you have to slowly wean yourself of them or it will create a chemical inbalance in your brain, try not to worry to much, life has its ups and downs, life these days is so much harder than years ago, take a nice hot bath to relax, anything you like to do, i suffer with ups and downs, i think early menapause and my family relying on me to much, find something you really like to do and do it, everyone can give you advice, but you cant help feeling the way you do, it helps if you have someone to talk to, keep your chin up , Cheers

A friend of mine suffered from post natal depression. She was prescribed anti depressants and she said that they gave her the energy she needed to do things. Her symptoms where-Constant crying, lack of motivation for life, Little feeling towards loved ones, Wanting to sleep all the time, Couldn't stand being around people, Wanted to suclude self from outside world as she thought she wasn't worthy enough. I was told by her that you can be tested for depression. Via a simple blood test. The best advise i can give is to read up about depression, here is a link to the beyond blue site which can help you recognise if you have some of the symptoms and then your local doctor can treat the rest. Post natal depression and Depression are both completely different things. You don't just get depressed for no reason. Lack of support from Partners and family is a major triggar of post natal depression.  Hope these can help

www.beyondblue.org.au- Beyond Blue- The National Depression Initiative.

www.panda.org.au- Panda-Post and Antenatal Depression Association Inc.

There is a link on hte home page for beyond blue to getting a blood test done.

I consider depression to be a parenting related question.

I did read your blog and I have to say that we all have our ups and downs and that just by reading one blog, I couldn't tell you if you have depression or just going through a rough patch.

I have Bi-Polar Disorder and actually manage mine without medication. Ok, not quite, Minti is my medication! lol.  Due to a problem with blood vessels in my brain, I can't actually take any medications (really hard to explain it without the brain scans in front of me) so I have to use other methods, including social interactions like Minti, art and craft therapies, writing, and even pet therapy.  All help very much.

Not everyone responds well to anti depressants, and not every doctor is going to put you on them just because you are feeling low.  They prefer to find other coping systems first because it can take a while for some medications to work and to get dosages right.

Any time you are worried about any aspect of your health, mental well being included, it is important to discuss it with your doctor.

I've had both.

The reason why there are more than just one type of anti-depressant is because what works for one person might not work for another.

I went through a nasty stage where I had a not-so-good doctor that just kept upping the dose of the anti-depressent he had me on when it wasn't working, which made me worse, and worse, and after a period of totally losing my mind and having a nervous breakdown and winding up in hospital, I went to another doctor; who put me on a different anti-depressant, when that didn't work he tried another, and another, and eventually found one that works for me.

When you find one that works properly, it's a huge relief.

The most tricky part about anti-depresants is that they take a while to kick in properly. If after two weeks you're not feeling better then something isn't right, but a lot of people don't have the patience to give them a chance to work and give up after taking them for only a few days. Another problem many people have is they start feeling better so they think they don't need them anymore, so stop taking them cold turkey (You're better off reducing the dose gradually over time if you do have to stop them for any reason) and then they fall into a nasty emotional slump a week later.