Pam - usually we keep someone on ADs for at least a year - and then if their depression returns as they go off, start them back on for at least another six months. I know finances are an issue for you, but have you looked into Canadian pharmacies, or asked your doctor if they get any free samples that would defray your cost? It doesn't sound like you are ready to come off them yet.
If you still feel you must go off them - wean down very slowly. My daughter's psychiatrist says, when she goes off her Prozac a year from now, that we will only decrease her dosage by 10 mg per month (she takes 70). If you are down to the lowest dose pill, try taking it every other day for a while before you stop. Also, fish oil supplements are shown to increase the effectiveness of ADs, so why not take some fish oil, a good multivitamin, and an extra B complex? Exercise every day and get plenty of sunshine or buy a lamp like the kind they use to treat seasonal affective disorder.
