I've also suffered from depression, and am now on meds. I can honestly say they have changed my life for the better, with no side effects (other than an initial 3 days of tiredness, which wore off).

However, there are a few caveats:

I am convinced that the placebo effect is so powerful, that if you believe the meds will harm you, they actually could. I can't back this up with science, but I think the only reason meds worked for me is because I was able to lose the negative preconceptions I had about them (same for therapy). Unfortunately, negative perception of antidepressants is so prevalent that this is very difficult (but doable).

Antidepressants shouldn't make you feel numb. Neither are they "happy pills". The goal of them is, in theory, to stop you feeling depressed _over nothing_. What they will hopefully do is bring you back to a stable normality, encompassing the entire range of normal human emotions.

Curing your depression will not automatically make you happy (but it will certainly help you on your way) – Only living a happy and fulfilling life, full of people you care about and things you enjoy, can do that.

You also need to give your body the best chance, by making sure no basic aspect of your life is severely lacking - sleep, food/drink, exercise, family/friends/social, hobbies that give you a feeling of accomplishment etc.

What risks are you referring to?

I'm taking sertraline (zoloft) now, and the only negatives I'm experiencing are slightly reduced libido and jaw clenching/grinding. I've started occasionally wearing a night guard while sleeping, and not really minding the decreased libido since dating during a global pandemic is outside of my acceptable risk tolerance.

I've also taken Lexapro and had good results with that, too.

The benefits are I was able to actually feel pleasure and enjoy things again. At my worst I was suffering from severe anhedonia -- literally finding no pleasure in any activity. Nothing I previously enjoyed brought any modicum of happiness: not food, not sex, not exercise, not work or side projects. It's a dangerous state to be in because when literally nothing in life brings joy you can slip into destructive choices.

The benefits of feeling better vastly outweighed any minor side effects of antidepressants.

There are some people, especially teenagers, who can become suicidal when taking antidepressants. But it's very rare and your psychiatrist will help you find a drug that doesn't cause those feelings.