Meditation worked for a while for me until I realized that I was on my "high horse" so-to-speak because of it; and at such a young age very few of my cohorts employed such a tactic. Exercise is key in any malady (unless it would be physically harmful). Socialization, even if it doesn't feel good, is usually quite healthy. Joining community activities, sports teams, or clubs of another nature is a good bet. Connecting with relatives should be a relatively painless way to get out there.
Resorting to drug abuse is a dead end. Not saying you will, just wanting you to watch out for it. I've seen it ruin many lives.
Antidepressants come in many shapes and sizes. Way back when, there were only a couple, then there were only two classes (MAOIs and stimulants, the latter of which is only reserved for extreme cases nowadays [in addition to attention disorders and narcolepsy of course, the former of which it's most prescribed for]).
Anyways, your doctor will most likely (judging by the statistics) start you out on something called an SSRI. These include, but are not limited to, prozac, zoloft, paxil, celexa, luvox, and lexapro; each has a slightly different pharmacodynamic profile, or affects the brain differently, but they all work mainly by increasing the binding of a nuerotransmitter called serotonin.
SNRIs include effexor, pristiq, duoloxetine, and brintellex (this last one is new); they increase serotonin and norepinephrine, which is the second neurotrasnmitter most often targeted in cases of depression.
If an SNRI doesn't work, perhaps wellbutrin will be tried. It works by the same mechanism as the previous two classes but it functions through norepinephrine and dopamine (mostly norepinephrine), leaving out serotonin. This medication can additionally help one stop smoke tobacco (courtesy of something called nicotinic acetylcholline antagonism). It is oftentimes used in bi-polar depression, and either increases the release of or decreases the release of dopamine (proabably the latter, as there are many reports of a deadening affect on emotion). But hey, for some people it really works well.
There are various atypical antidepressants. So-called serotonergic modulators. These include mirtazepine, trazodone, and nefazodone. They are SSRIs but have some anti-pysychotic activity too. As a result of antagonism at the subtype of the 5-HT2a receptor they indirectly increase dopamine levels and control for cognitive deficits not remediated through conventional, direct increase of neurotransmission. They also induce sleep.
Lithium is the gold standard for treatment in bi-polar disorder. It has several functions which make it a unique medication, one of which is increasing the synthesis of tryptophan, which is the precursor to serotonin, the chemical most indicated in mood. Though its a bit better at treating mania than depression, lithium has helped countless people who don't respond to other, arguably more traditional medications.
If none of those work your doctor may choose to "augment" one with an atypical anti-psychotic. These include abilify (the only one licensed for this purpose), seroquel, risperdal, and invega. They work to calm the nerves (they're major tranquilizers), induce sleep, improve thought processes, and add to the anti-depressant effect.
He/she might also choose to put you on a benzodiazepine (usually if you wither had an alcohol addiction or are past your prime physical health). These drugs calm anxiety (minor tranquilizers), with one even being effective for some depression. They are very addictive though, so watch out. Many say that coming off them is worse than opiate/oid withdrawal. I can attest to that. After enver having panic attacks before, clonazepam gave me them when quitting, along with a stutter. It lasted for a shorter time than expected, but was hell.
Your doctor may opt to put you on a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, or maoi. The first choice would probably be emsam, since it carries the least amount of dietary restrictions; in fact, the lowest dose carries no such restriction. This class of drugs works to inhibit the enzymes monoamine oxidase a, monoamine oxidase b, and catechol-o-methyltrasnferase, which break down the monoamine nuerotransmitters, or oxidize them, effectively increasing their number as well as their binding to their various receptor sites. The monamine oxidase inhibitors are very old drugs. They are most effective for atypical, treatment-resistant depression. I took emsam for treatment-resistant depression and found that it worked, but it inhibited sleep; unfortunately it cause severe memory disturbances upon cessation, but that's mostly gone by now. Beware, these are very powerful chemicals.
If an MAOI doesn't work on its own your doctor might choose to prescribed an MAOI in conjunction with a stimulant. These include methylphenidate (Ritalin) and dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine). People aren't quite sure why this combination works, as stimulants lose their rewarding properties fairly quickly after extended use, but I would estimate it alleviates all but a tiny fraction of treatment-resistant cases. Chances are very low that you are even in the realm of being treatment-resistant. But its possible. On this last section I further encourage you to beware. If you've had a history of extensive drug abuse its not a good idea to be put on a stimulant. They are extremely powerful drugs only meant for the extremely responsible. They are easy to abuse and can cause paranoia, anxiety, psychosis, depression, mood swings, and a host of other ills if misused. I am only on one, but only after tons of other drugs either didn't work or stopped working. And that was after other symptoms were stabilized. Hopefully you won't need it. Thankfully, I don't especially like it, but it helps me to an invaluable extent with getting up before 2:00, being able to complete schoolwork, alleviating depression, and spurring sociability.
This is non-medical advice. Please check all claims I made with appropriate sources. I wish you well.
