Please help

[Lazz27]

I have been on Zoloft 25 mg for about 6 months now and I am wondering if I am going to have to take this medication forever or can I get off of it. Also I have recently hurt my back and am wondering if I can take an hydrocodone acetametaphine pill to help me sleep.

[Paxiled]

As to the second, that's a question for a pharmacist.  As to the first, nobody can tell you if you'll feel a need for medication forever.  It's really up to you, as the drug doesn't cure anything but it does help you live a better life.  The only known cures are ones that come spontaneously or through therapy or through lifestyle changes and hard work, and none of these is guaranteed to work but all should be tried.  The longer you take antidepressants the harder it will be for you to stop, so don't ever stop your med abruptly -- you have to taper off slowly -- and recent research shows that the brain may not be able to function normally again after being on an antidepressant for a long time for some people, but that's not a big deal for those who never found another treatment anyway though it is a pain because these meds can poop out and stop working.  This is a very individual thing, as people react differently to similar things -- we're all different.  But there are a lot of people out there functioning who were once on meds and aren't now.