I still don't get it. Are you saying that people get depressed because of a chemical inbalance even if everything is going great in their life? That's the first I ever heard of this. I always thought when people get depressed that there is a reason for it, so I figured curing what caused the depression in the first place alleviates the need for drugs. Also, given the side effects mentioned here, to me it seems like taking antidepressants would give you even more problems and reasons to be depressed. Now I can understand taking drugs for a condition like schizophrenia where you'll literally go off the deep end if you don't, but this new trend of prescribing drugs to deal with all sorts of other psychological conditions seems ill-advised at best. Most behavoiral conditions have a root cause not related to a chemical inbalance, even if the condition ultimately manifests itself as a chemical inbalance. To me using drugs to treat them is like pouring something to clot blood on an open wound instead of simply stitching the wound closing. You may stop the bleeding, but you're not getting at the root cause.
I'm not suggesting anyone stop taking their drugs based on my advice. Rather, I'm suggesting that they carefully examine their life and remove whatever may be causing them to be depressed, and then consult an MD about stopping the drugs for a while to see if they really don't need them. It may be good to err on the side of caution, but from where I stand it seems like everyone and his brother is on some sort of drug to alleviate one psychological condition or another. I've even seen a commercial for a drug to help "social anxiety disorder". Again, I don't get it, just as I don't get it why people eat food that they know disagrees with them, and then they take drugs to cope. If something is unpleasant or otherwise causes problems, just avoid it. Few things in life that can't be avoided outside of death and taxes.
P.S. I've also known people who were on these types of drugs. To me as a layman they seemed zombified for lack of a better word. Sure they were able to get on with life once on the drug, but it seems the drug took most of the highs and lows out that really make life worth living. I have an aunt who never had problems with depression until she discovered her husband was cheating on her. Now she's totally dependent on antidepressants and goes off the deep end if she stops taking them. My possibly incorrect layman's assessment of her situation is that the drugs let her avoid coping with her problem initially, and as a result she completely lost the ability to cope with anything. She would have done much better with cognitive therapy of some sort but it seems that has fallen out of vogue since giving a pill is so much easier.
Sorry if I'm coming off as a little harsh, but our "a pill to cure everything" culture is one of my pet peeves.