Is the price too much to pay?

The most commonly used prescription drugs on the market are antidepressants. In America, approximately 5% of males and 11% of females are taking antidepressants to treat their depression and eliminate suicidal thoughts.

Some commonly used antidepressant medications including Prozac

When taking any prescription drugs, a side effect commonly listed is weight gain. This is extremely prominent in antidepressants. The drug mianserin is contained in all antidepressants and has been proven to significantly increase appetite and body mass in users. This leads to more unwanted fat in the body, which can result in obesity, and thus lower the life expectancy. Although there is a definite reduction in life expectancy, the actual amount of time has yet to be determined.

That being said, depression is a serious problem and needs to be treated. Taking antidepressants to alleviate the suicidal thoughts and depression must be done, but it comes down to what is more important: feeling better about yourself and losing a few years of life, or being sad and depressed all the time and living a few years longer.