I'm Still Human: Understanding Depression With Kindness (Expanded Edition - 2021)

6. How long do I need to take the medicine?
Antidepressants should be taken for at least
6 months. To be more specific, it should be continued
for at least 6 months from the time that you are well
(NOT from the time you first started taking it).
When stopping, it should be done gradually
especially if you are on a high dose of antidepressants. If you are
thinking of taking antidepressants for only a few days or weeks, you
might as well forget about it – it won’t work. Antidepressants
shouldn’t be taken like panadol (only when it’s necessary). In fact, it
takes about 2-3 weeks before they work.
Besides antidepressants, your psychiatrist may sometimes
prescribe you another medicine of the benzodiazepine group, e.g.
alprazolam (xanax), midazolam (dormicum), diazepam (valium),
clonazepam (rivotril). They work immediately for sleep and
relaxation; hence also known as sleeping pills or tranquilizers.
Their advantage is immediate effect (while waiting for
antidepressants to work); the disadvantage is risk of dependence or
addiction when taken for long periods. So, it should not be
continued for more than 2-3 weeks. If you are taking it for a longer
period, ensure that your psychiatrist is aware of it and monitoring
its use.
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