Thank you for your question. Anti-depressants and sleeping pills are prescription medications as opposed to over the counter medication.
These medications, as pointed out by Dr Israr Wong, have potential long term side effects and may be addictive. It is more important to find out the reason for the depression or your inability to sleep (medically known as insomnia).
Treating the underlying cause of a condition often leads to a more sustainable outcome and even to a potential cure.
Depression is an increasingly common symptom in a fast-paced and high pressure society like in Singapore. You should talk to your General Practitioner or a Psychiatrist if you are constantly feeling down.
Many times, counselling, good advice and a change of habit/lifestyle helps tremendously. Sharing your problems with and getting support from your family and close friends may also help you feel better.
Medications are only indicated in severe cases, and they do take time to work and have potential side effects. Hence, it is important for these medications to be prescribed by a doctor trained in treatment of depression (often a GP or Psychiatrist).
Like depression, the prevalence of insomnia is also on the rise in Singapore. There are many reasons for insomnia, ranging from poor sleeping habit or lifestyle (e.g. stress, anxiety, depression, frequent daytime napping, high caffeine intake etc) to medical conditions (e.g. nasal or sinus allergies, obstructive sleep apnoea, arthritis, gastrointestinal problems, medications etc).
Treating the underlying condition or correcting the poor sleeping habit/lifestyle is key to overcoming insomnia. You should consult your GP who will be able to help you determine the cause of your insomnia.
If you can't sleep because you have a stuffy nose or you snore a lot, your GP may refer your to an ENT Specialist to exclude nasal allergies or obstructive sleep apnoea respectively. If you can't sleep because you are stressed or depressed, then your GP may refer you to a Psychiatrist.
Hope this helps and all the best!
