Please, please, seek professional help in this matter.
No one can possibly make an informed decision based on the opinions posted in this thread. These are anecdotal at best, and in no way applicable to the particular set of factors that dictate the appropriateness of a) choosing psychotropics as a method of treatment b) which psychotropic is the right one for any given individual.
It takes years of studying, then training under supervision, and then getting honed by experience in the field, for a licensed behavioral health provider to get an inkling of what it takes to arrive to the right diagnosis, then be able to choose which category of medications might be the best given the diagnosis and the patient (depending on age [old people metabolize drugs differently, so do renals, and people wiht liver dysfunction; and as for kids, there are few drugs approved for that group, given higher suicide risk in the beginning of the treatment], gender [sexual dysfunction], weight, metabolic problems, lifestyle, occupation, other chronic ongoing conditions, interactions with other life prolonging medications, ... etc, etc.
I've been practicing medicine for 7 years now. I know my drugs well. I know what I prescribe. I've gotten better at what I do. And yet, more often that I would like, the medications that I prescribe do not work, or have bad side effects. It is a good thing that I spend good time counseling about a chosen medication, focusing mainly on possible side effects.
It takes trial and error to get to the right medication for some people. For plain old depression first choice is usually an SSRI. If after maximizing doses of at least 2 drugs in that family is not effective, then my next step is to go to an SNRI. Then consider adding tricyclic. Then consider mood stabilizer/ new generation antipsychotic. While always trying to keep the med list to a functional minimum of substances.
I am a family doc. Given the lack of psychiatrists in my area, I have had to raise up to the needs of my population. I got out of res with my little arsenal of safe medications repertoire for the treatment of mild, at most moderate, depression and anxiety. It is now on me to treat patients with major depression and bipolar disorder because it can take them up to 9 months to get an appointment with a psychiatrist. With regards to schizophrenia, I might continue prescribing if they are stable, and if unstable, I'll pick up the phone and ask for advice from a specialist.
In my 4 years of independent practice I got better. I will not treat a bipolar for depression and totally screw them over, I hope. But I will not presume to have the feel for medication management of psych diseases that a trained psychiatrist has. I will never have that.
My advise to anyone struggling with emotional turmoil is to seek professional help. If the distress is not overbearing, find a recommended therapist. The therapist will be able to guide you through the system and refer you to a psychiatrist, preferably. If that is not available, get a family doctor. And not one fresh out of residency, if you can be picky. 5 years into unsupervised practice, that should give that provider some experience, even if they are a numbskull. As for nurse practicioners, be careful (I am talking about Family Medicine NP, not Psych NP) The base of knowledge required for them to graduate is... basic. And they get no supervised training prior to being sprung onto the world, they are supposed to be supervised by a doc, well, docs are already overwhelmed with their own practices. NPs are trained to follow algorythms. That being said, I have worked with some NPs whose practices (in terms of knowledge, common sense, documentation) are superior to MDs. But don´t ever, ever get a newbie NP (to treat mental illness)
Finally, remember that everything in life has side effects, like driving. Statistically, we are at the most danger to our lives while commuting to work every day. Psych medications are a life saver for a lot of people. I am biased, because, I know that I would not be alive without my medications. Every attempt of weaning off was catastrophic. While pregnant with my healthy children, I attempted quitting, and it always came down to the choice between an unkown potential side effect from a known to be relatively safe medication for the fetus, and my actually staying functional, as in... non suicidal, and be able to carry on with my pregnancy in the first place. For others, like my beloved parents, taking meds would add guilt and shame to the already tortured existence they live. Meds are not for everyone. There are many modalities of treatment for anxiety and depression. Meds are just one them. In the long run, it has been shown that meds work as well as psychotherapy when done exclusively of each other. Meds + psychotherapy work together better and faster than either one alone.
