SSRI’s are no joke. I would try every method possible to treat depression before making that jump. And even then, don’t do it. I was put on one when I was 17 and luckily it started to cause extreme heart pain for me. I say luckily because if you get that side effect then you have to ween off it before serious damage occurs. If I’d have stayed on then I’d probably be in jail for some type of violent crime. It turned me into an absolute savage. It’s a roll of the dice. Some people get prescribed antidepressants and they claim they feel better and they become happier, more fulfilled people. Others get prescribed them and they kill their family. So to me it’s not worth the risk no matter what.
I don’t know if your against psychoactive drugs but obviously marijuana is a great antidepressant. But you have to dose it so frequently. What one day will become a practical option for those suffering major depression will be psilocybin mushrooms. Yes, magic mushrooms. The DEA has recently granted a license to scientists for the study of how magic mushrooms can treat depression and so far the results are very promising. The depression usually clears for 3-6 months and then you need to dose it again. I’ve used psychedelics to treat my depression and it does work for a long time. There’s so many options out there, including simple lifestyle changes too. But I’ve already gone on long enough.
Finally, should you mix steroids with SSRI’s? Of course not. You’d be seriously changing your body chemistry from every angle. But changing your neurotransmitters, while just crossing your fingers and hoping that’s what your body actually needs, is risky enough. Messing with your hormones at the same time is just crazy.
One last thing. In my opinion the entire idea behind why antidepressants could be necessary for some is wrong and many psychologists admit that today. The use of antidepressants comes from a blend of philosophical positivism and psychology, or in other words, it comes from the idea that all realities truths are somehow measurable mathematically. So in this case, a psychologist who has a positivist stance on mental illness would say, “Oh your depressed? Well then you must only have x-amount of dopamine in your brain and x-amount of endorphins.” But clinical depression is not an issue that has to do with insufficient amounts of neurotransmitters in most cases. There are a million factors that could play a role in someone’s depression and taking a pill that changes brain chemistry is usually not the answer.
