[escape_thereal_world]

Hi Jake. I'm so glad you are getting the medical attention you needed! It's incredibly frustrating to not be taken seriously when you ask for help. So I'm glad you persisted.

Medication is a very tough thing to get right the first time. I've been on medication for about 10 years. I've been on about 6 different anti-depressants. However, at times some of them did work. I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and am on other medications too. So that could be why my meds would stop working. Though it is possible that the current antidepressants you are on may not work with your body chemistry.

Try not to think negatively though. Think positive. It helps no matter if the current meds work or not. Try to imagine these will work for you. Don't look for any major changes (it takes anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending on the medication). Generally, it takes about 2-4 weeks for others to see the change in you and 4-8 weeks for you to notice a change.

It is common to have side effects the first 2-3 weeks, but they generally subside if they are not very severe side effects. I never experienced bad side effects except for one medication. So we stopped it after the first week. All the others I was on for lengthy times to see if they would work. Some didn't change anything after weeks. Others worked for months or a year. Again, my case may have been different given I have now been diagnosed Bipolar. That changes how antidepressants work alone in your body.

Just don't get overwhelmed or upset if the first medication doesn't work. Teenhelp is here for you! If you ever need to chat one-on-one, try the chat-room or feel free to message me.

You're obviously resilient for persisting in getting help. You can definitely beat your depression!