Antidepressants are medicines that can help to treat depression or anxiety in some people. Doctors also prescribe them for other health conditions, so the name antidepressants can be confusing.

Antidepressants do not cure depression or anxiety. They can help lessen symptoms you might have, so you can start to feel better.

There are different groups of antidepressants. The active ingredients that make them work are different.

Learn more about your antidepressant medicine by using the online Healthdirect Medicines tool.

We don’t know for certain how antidepressants work. For many decades these medicines were thought to change the balance of some of the brain chemicals linked with mood and anxiety, and bring them back to ‘normal’ levels. However, this is not the full story. For example, for most people, there are weeks or months between when they start taking an antidepressant and when they notice an improvement in their symptoms. This delay means symptom relief is much more than just fixing an imbalance of chemicals.

The reasons for your depression or anxiety will be different to someone else. What might work for you, may not be what someone else needs. These conditions are complex. Biology, life events, even where a person lives or works can all affect their mental health. There are many treatments and choices available that work well to help people manage their depression or anxiety. Not all of them are medicines.

Antidepressants may be helpful for some people. Research shows these medicines are more likely to work when depression or anxiety are at a moderate or severe level. Research also shows that combining medicines with psychological therapy is likely to have the best chance at making you feel better and stay well. Other actions that you can try while also taking an antidepressant are making social connections, getting enough rest, eating foods that are good for you, drinking water, or finding ways to be active and move your body.

Antidepressants are not always the first choice for treating depression or anxiety. There are many things to think about when deciding how to take care of your mental health. Having support and making changes that help you manage your everyday activities are important. Some people find making social connections can help. Other ways to help can be getting enough rest, eating foods that can help support good health, drinking water, or finding ways to be active and move your body.

You might find Depression or anxiety later in life: getting back to feeling well helpful for talking with your health professional about what might work best for you.

Points to know:

• If you use an antidepressant you won’t feel better straight away, and these medicines do not work for everyone. Most people with depression begin to feel better 2 to 4 weeks after starting an antidepressant but it can take up to 6 to 8 weeks to notice a change. It may take longer for people with anxiety.
• An antidepressant that works for someone else may not work for you. Even if you both have depression or anxiety.
• Combining psychological therapies, social connections and positive lifestyle changes with an antidepressant can help people recover and stay well for longer than just taking medicines alone.
• Most people only need to take an antidepressant for 6 to 12 months once they are feeling better. Others may need to take them for longer.

Make sure you and your doctor agree on a plan for when to check your progress and when to talk about stopping the antidepressant.

You might find this information useful, to help you talk with your health professional about when is the best time to stop or reduce your antidepressant medicine – My Antidepressant Deprescribing Plan.

There is no simple answer to this question. Research on antidepressant medicines shows:

• they do not help everyone who takes them
• if they do work, the results are different for each person
• some people have improvements within a few months, others may need longer (but this is something your doctor will talk about with you)
• some people need to try several different antidepressants before they find one that helps
• some people had good results even though they were taking a placebo (fake) medicine. This shows that some people get better on their own without needing antidepressants.

If you think an antidepressant may be helpful for your situation, the best thing you can do is talk with your health professional about the different options available.

Most antidepressants come in tablet or capsule forms, and some come as a liquid. They work best if you take them every day. Try not to skip or miss a day.

To help you remember:

• Take them at the same time each day. For example, when you brush your teeth or when you have breakfast. It depends on what time of day you have been advised to take them.
• Set a reminder on your phone, or use a Post-it note in a place you see every day, like on the fridge or the bathroom mirror.
• If you take a number of medicines, ask your pharmacist about pill boxes, ‘dosette packs’ and other ways to help keep track.

Any medicine can have unwanted results (side effects), including medicines made from natural or herbal products. If antidepressants are a choice for you, make sure to ask your health professional about possible side effects.

Side effects can be different for the different types of antidepressants. You might feel some side effects are easier to deal with than others. This can help you and your doctor choose what antidepressant to try.

Some side effects are common and happen to many people who take antidepressants. Other side effects are rare. Most people who take an antidepressant will have at least one side effect. People who take the same medicine can have different side effects.

It is important to learn about all the side effects that a medicine can have. Your doctor or pharmacist should tell you what to expect. They may have tips on how to deal with them. If you become worried about a side effect, talk with your doctor. They may lower the amount of medicine you take or talk about trying a different type of antidepressant.

Some side effects go away, others do not.

Antidepressant side effects that may go away the longer you take the medicine:

• feeling like throwing up
• feeling unsteady or dizzy
• changes to heartbeat (more common for older adults).

Other side effects that can last long-term are:

• trouble sleeping
• weight gain
• low sex drive or problems having sex.

Depression and anxiety are conditions that need time to heal. Most people keep taking an antidepressant for 6 to 12 months after they have started feeling better. Other people need to take them for longer.

Your treatment will depend on:

• the condition the antidepressant is treating
• other things you are doing to help your mental and physical health
• other medicines you might be taking
• other health conditions you might also have.

Make sure you have a plan to check in with your doctor while you are taking the antidepressant. This helps them to know if the antidepressant is working. You can also talk about side effects or other things that are worrying you.

If you do take an antidepressant, try doing other things at the same time to help. These can include:

• making social connections
• looking after your health
• getting enough rest
• having good support
• using psychological therapies.

If you and your doctor agree to stop your antidepressants it will not be straight away. You will need to take lower and lower amounts over several weeks or months. Doing it this way lowers the chances that you will end up feeling:

• nervous, anxious or irritable
• unsteady or dizzy
• shock-like sensations or ‘zaps’
• like you are getting the flu
• like you need to throw up

My Antidepressant Deprescribing Plan is a take-home form that your doctor or pharmacist can fill in to help plan how you will stop your antidepressant.

If you are not sure if this is something you want or need to do, Do I still need my antidepressant? has some questions you can use to talk with your doctor about stopping your antidepressant.