Hi, I'm 23 and have been suffering with depression for about 2 years now.

Lots of people take life long medication for all sorts of ailments - diabetes, epilepsy, heart problems ...... and depression is no different.  It's an illness.  If you need the meds, then why not.

I used to take 20mg and eventually reduced to 10mg which suited me for years, and eventually reduced to 5mg - again I was perfectly well on this dose.

When you're back to feeling well again and do decide you'd rather be meds free, then another alternative is a natural SSRI called 5-HTP which is bought over the counter.  Also need to take l-tyrosine along with it.  You can't take 5-HTP when you're taking Citalopram - they're not to be mixed.  I took 5-HTP and l-tyrosine for a year and felt really well on them, but sadly had to restart Citalopram when the stress on family illness became to much for me to cope with.  I'm now back down to 5mg which I've taken for around 7 months now, and will stop at the end of the year and go back onto 5-HTP.

I need meds, as I sink into a hole without anything.

So when you're feeling back on top, maybe consider trying something like that.

K x

The fact that I can even bring myself to comment shows me my cloud is lifting..at least for today! I was on cit back  in 2013 for 6 months. It would only havebeen3 if myGP had her way. I was very good on it! A different cloud....I posted a lot about the slow years withdrawal if you look back.  The same issue happened to me 6 weeks after my final 1.25 mg dose...so I took a herbal tablet my GP had recommended in the first instance before cit, but I had dismissed .. I think it did help but both my parents then died and although I coped fantastically through all that I fell by the wayside. My GP then gave me a leaflet on minds matters type of thing and I have referred myself for it for a wellbeing workshop starting in April to help with the overthinking/ruminating/anxiety etc. I just need a push My jury's out on if you need to continue medication long term, i thought the same myself at one point and posted I had chemical imbalance ...and indeed my personality is to worry and my mother had ECT and all sorts of drugs in the 50/60s which affected my younger sibling. I have been were you are and still am sometimes but am determined to try work this through for my own self with self help and doing it for me.

As a health professional myself I see so many people just put on medication..and I think that can be a knee jerk reaction. No judgement on this for anyone, I just think I will work hard at helping myself and try this  self management   Take care