Your path seems to be the same one as mine. I was started on Lexapro and was on it for about 4 - 5 years. I put on 40 kg although back then I was sort of not eating properly and had lost a lot of weight from training 6 times a week so it is hard to say if it was Lexapro or my incorrect dieting. Regardless I put on weight and then when I tried to lose weight, it didn't let me. It was like mission impossible.
I then switched to Cymbalta at my Dr's recommendations but hang on after many years they aren't working any more and now I am stuck on them because if I don't take it the side effects are nastier then street drugs. When a heroin addict tells you he'd rather get off heroin again then cymbalta you know what time it is.
I began reading to see what my meds were doing to and for me (here is a good starting point:
https://www.cymbaltawithdrawal.com/forum/19-cymbalta-lawsuit-information-news/) as I always took the Dr's and psychologists opinion as gospel and trusted it because hang on the recommendation ain't working and it did funny things to me. It opened up a whole new chapter in my life where I decided to finally give a shit about my health. I gave up alcohol in June and it was the best thing ever. My head needed to be cleared and not fucken sedated with more junk like SSRI / SNRI. Why the Dr even recommended I take Cymbalta when he knew I was an alcoholic baffles me as those 2 are a nasty combo in comparison to other ssri's etc..End of the day the Dr can easily read something and take it as something to recommend to a patient. All he knows is what he has read and interpreted but he has not consumed the med, he has not told you oh there is this going on and this will do this etc..What sucks is he won't even tell you to sleep on it and to go and do your own research before consuming it.
My dumb fucken psychologist at the time told me to take it and she had no right to offer that opinion as she is not qualified to do so. I took up her recommendation and she said I would be on it for 6 months to sift through problems, again no fucken right to even suggest how long I would be on it for or offering me a glimpse of hope as she can't predict the future. Well 6 months passed and she knew I was an alcoholic before getting on them and well I drank more and was still depressed so kept on taking them as they made the hangovers less worse. In hindsight I hate myself now for just not going to a rehab clinic or detox instead of being ashamed to go in. After months of sobriety if there was still no progress through the psych sessions I then should of considered taking it. But before putting that single pill in my mouth I would of studied academic journals, looked at pro's and con's and long term issues and how they work with my health rather then having a Dr who doesn't care just go here's a script.
At the end of the day something I have learnt this year is that you need to accept and respect your illness. Like really be honest with yourself. I think this is a big issue with people with mental health, still not wanting to accept who they are. At some stage the fight needs to stop and once you do you can work with yourself and not rely on opinions of those who don't live in your body or mind 24 hours a day to offer the most accurate advice.