However, they do help people with depression to feel and cope better, so that they can start to enjoy life and deal with their problems effectively again. It is important to remember that, unlike many medicines you won't feel the effect of antidepressants straight away. People often don't notice any improvement in their mood for 2 or 3 weeks, although some of the other problems may improve more quickly. For instance, people often notice that they are sleeping better and feeling less anxious in the first few days. Like all medicines, antidepressants do have some side-effects, though these are usually mild and tend to wear off as the treatment goes on.
Different antidepressants have different effects.
Generally they are taken at night, so any drowsiness can then help you to sleep. However, if you feel sleepy during the day you should not drive or work with rnachinery till the effect wears off. You should avoid alcohol, though. If taken with the tablets, it can make you very sleepy. A small number of depressed people do not get better with these treatments.