Drug info - Anti-Depressants?

[seeingred]

Can anti-depressants really help someone who is slightly depressed or has some bouts with depression? Would this become more like a dependence and in long-term would the anti-depressant be helpful or make it worse.
SWIM has been dealing with slight feelings of being down on and off...it causes swim to seek different way to alleviate it. Would an anti-depressant be worth it? Would it fix this problem or would it just continue the problem...causing mood swings and withdrawel. Swim has built up a tolerance to the feelings of depression, yet there could be something that might help....swim doesn't want anything toying with swim's emotions.
Swim recently had a dream that said that an anti-depressent pill could do so much for swim. Not to give much credit to a dream, but...Swim will try and schedual and appointment and see if a doctor thinks it's necessary. But out of curiousity, what are people's experiences in general with this sort of drug for treating depression. Swim had a relative get really sick off of prozac and ended up in the hospital for it causing an episode...in the person. Swim also tried wellbutrin for no longer than three weeks, and lexapro for no longer then a month and a half. And suddenly had to stop because it didn't even seem to be doing anything. That in and of itself is depressing. Maybe it's healthier to try and do things to alleviate stress.
The thing is, swim just saw a commercial for depression and all the symptoms she related to entirely> The chest pains, the fatigue, the motivation...well that's been getting better lately...so swim is unsure. Swim feels sometimes swim has the emotional state of a young teenager...
Swim hopes this is a good topic.
Maybe people can relate to others about anti-depressants...and their experiences. Specifically swim wonders the effects of the best anti-depressant.

PEACE
Thanks for any help, that would be great!