Op should've taken a chill pill instead :p

Doctors don't necessarily know shit. I've had mine repeatedly prescribe me things that my new family doctor then vetoed- like having me on a benzodiazepine for sleeping when I've previously taken other benzo, in addition to being on xanax for anxiety.

A lot of people go to their psychiatrists (and other doctors) and request medication now. It's possible OP did that and ignored their doctor. Also possible they're going to a family practitioner to get them for insurance reasons. Chin up OP, anti depressants usually take a few tries to work at all!

It's possible they did go and see their doctor - for every person who gets this side-effect there will be 99 who don't. The doctor would have no way of knowing how op would react. It is very common for people to have to try a couple of drugs to find the one that works best for them.

Not exactly, sometimes it takes a few tries to find the medication that works best for you

It's called informing yourself. Doctors aren't necessarily trained fully in pharmacology either. Actually, OP could also consult a pharmacist for advice. It depends on the drug's mechanism of action.

But psychiatrists are. That's their whole job. They're supposed to find the right medication or treatment for your mental health. I would never go to a regular doctor for something like that, but if OP did, well that's their problem.

You're naive. It's not that simple - I had to go to my GP, simply because I quite literally don't have access to psychiatric help.

Sounds like a personal problem, not me being naive. In fact, it sounds like you're applying your own situation to everybody else. Everybody in Canada could get psychiatric help. I have mine covered by insurance. Many people get theirs covered it as well. Many pay out of pocket. You seem to be in the minority.

I live in Canada. I cannot access proper psychiatric help, because there is nothing where I live and that process also takes a lot of trial and error, which I can't do. I'm not the only one this happens to - you are naive, and our country isn't the land of resources like people seem to think.

Imagine your body didn't produce enough or perhaps too much of a certain chemical for you to function without fear, depression, or severe mood swings. Now imagine the only way to resolve that is to guess which one at random. That's how you explain medication for depression and anxiety.

Says someone who obviously has never had to rely on medication. Think about what you would say to someone with a physical ailment requiring medication and then ask yourself why you think so badly of people with less visible illnesses.

I'm so sorry OP- if you feel comfortable sharing, what medication were you prescribed? It's entirely possible that a different antidepressant may be more effective for you. You may also be interested in asking about a medication for more acute anxiety.

Anti depressants can make someone not want to kill themselves. Anxiety can also make people want to hurt themselves in other ways, by not eating due to anxiety or hurting themselves to calm down.

Like others have said - some people get side effects others don't. The doc doesn't have a crystal ball

But there are many different antidepressants. He shouldn't have put her on that one if it could've made her anxiety worse.

But how could he have predicted the future to know how it would affect the op? Not everybody who takes a medication gets 100% of the possible side effects and there's usually no way to tell who will react badly to a drug unless they've had it before.

ALL medications of this type have the chance to make things worse, thats why there are always possible side effects and if you experience them yout suppose tell your doctor and switch. the doctor cant just presribe one that doesnt have a chance of side effects, because they ALL do so that special side-effectless drug doesnt exist