Not only does it take time to get an accurate depression diagnosis, but finding the right medication to treat depression can be a complicated, delicate process. About 30% of depressed patients who take antidepressant medications may not improve at all. This may be because of a person’s particular psychological or biological makeup, or because the drug has too many side effects to continue taking it.

Someone may have a serious medical problem, such as heart disease or liver or kidney disease, that makes some antidepressants unsafe. A doctor could choose an ineffective antidepressant, or a dose that’s too low, or not prescribe it for at least six weeks at the highest dose tolerable -- leading to a failure of treatment.

As you approach taking antidepressants to treat depression, it is important to keep these three points in mind:

Only 30% of people with depression go into full remission after taking their first course of antidepressants. That’s according to a 2006 study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Those who got better were more likely to be taking slightly higher doses for longer periods than other people.
Some antidepressants work better for certain individuals than others. It's not uncommon to try a few different depression medicines during treatment.
Some people need more than one depression medicine.

Working with your doctor, you can try to "optimize" your depression medicines by finding the right dose of the right antidepressants that best relieve your symptoms.

What is an antidepressant?

Antidepressants, in combination with psychotherapy, are often the first treatment that people get for depression. If one antidepressant doesn't work well, you might try another drug of the same class -- which can have different side effects -- or a different class of depression medicines altogether. Your doctor might also try changing the dose. In some cases, your doctor might recommend combining two different antidepressants.

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