Do antidepressants stop working after a while?

[dutch_tony]

Hey

I'm worrying about this: Is it true that anti-depressants will stop working after a while because the brain grows tolerant to the effects? That your brain cells get used to the drug hanging around and eventually go numb to it? So that you ever going to be depressed the rest of your life? Or does not the brain goes tolerant on antidepressants?

Anybody?

Thanks

[Mono1115]

I'm afraid antidepressants do "poop out" after a period of time for some people. It depends, and I'm not sure exactly if it's the brain growing tolerant to the chemicals or what. As far as being depressed the rest of your life...it's tough to tell. It's a chemical thing...so some people may need meds for al ong time, but I think of it like this....a diabetic needs insulin, right? So do us depressed people.

[Loon-A-TiK]

a lot of people say that their ADs poop out after awhile, so i guess it is true. it has never happened to me personally, but i'm bipolar and take a whole bunch of drugs anyway, so i wouldn't necessarily notice i don't think if my AD wasn't working anymore.

and no, your body doesn't grow dependent on ADs. your brain just doesn't utilize the chemicals in your brain in the correct way- without the drugs, it will go back to its old ways, but with the drug it will keep doing it correctly. so to that extent you are dependent- the drug will not "fix" you, you will need to probably take it for the rest of our life.