There are very good reasons for anti-depressants. Here in australia 10 people kill themselves each DAY. Effexor saved my life. It had pretty F*cked up side effects. It still saved my life... and I'm NOT complaining. For me it was either the front of a train, a ward or a therepy (yes, anti-depressants do NOT cure depression, they help you get your head above water so you can live a life). If you find the side effects more debilitating than your initial problems then you probably dont have clinical depression, rather your problems are more likly to originate from your environment/circumstances. In which case cognitive therapy would be the best alternative. The problem here is that without instant diagnosis you will most likly have to try many different things before you find somthing that works.
Dont beat up the drugs, they only have two reasons to exist.

1. To make piles of money for drug companies which can then be used for R&D into newer and better drugs (which costs just about as much money).... and to make more piles of money...etc

2. (The most important point people seem to forget) To save lives and to allow people to have a life.

Paranoia will destroy ya.