Freaking out as Doc orders antidepressant

Three weeks ago I went to the doctor as I was coughing (which I never do) had headaches (which I never have) felt very tired, lacked appetite (incidentally this coincided with the last days of my bi annual colon cleansing using F2). He checked me out and since I had no fever and that my lungs appeared clear he let me go without ordering anything, just told me to drink a lot of liquids and be heavy on vitamin C. Since that time I must have used 5 or 6 dropperful of my homemade Super tonic 5 or 6 times a day + 2 2oz bottles of Schulze’s Echinacea. This time nothing worked. Still tired, no energy, morning headaches etc… It usually takes me no more than 2 days on Supertonic to be my old self again and this since about 6 or 7 years that I have been preparing my tinctures.
So I went back yesterday and told him that very little had changed. He listened to me and said that he was not worried about me as far as the physical symptoms were concerned but his diagnostic was that I was depressed (which is true, I have had the most stressful year of my life from a personal as well as professional point of view. I have resumed taking St john’s wort about three weeks ago.

Well to make a long story short he asked me to go on a SSRI called Lexapro. I told him that I did not want to take it as I knew that these things can mess you up pretty badly and that stopping them was also a problem. He assured me that the patients to whom he was prescribing them were thanking him. OK, so I accepted a 2 weeks supply (freebees from a drug company) but warned him that I would do my own research about it and that I was not guaranteeing that I would go ahead.
First thing coming back home researched all what I could on it and needless to say what I found totally freaked me out (symptoms include zombie like feeling, suicidal and homicidal impulses, loss of libido, loss of ability to climax, headaches, weight gain (I just lost 14 lbs since may by eliminating all wheat products, most dairy, pork items, basically Peter D’adamo’s eat right for your type diet) insomnia etc… So there is no way I am going to swallow this poison even with a loaded gun pointed at me.
But the question is what must I take as tinctures or herbs to get out of this. I am thinking about ordering some brain tonic from Uniquity, but what else should I take?
Depression has always been with me (more of a severe melancholy than a clinical depression) but this time there is a lot of hopelessness in itand a lack of desire to do anything.
FYI my diet usually looks like this: morning is a 16 oz glass of fresh vegetable juice (mainly carrots, celery, ginger kale beets and one apple + ½ teaspoon of cayenne powder + 2 table spoons of Superfood) followed by 2 or three cups of decaf green tea for the next 2 hours. Lunch can be a salad with tuna, an Ezekiel bread sandwich with arugula one slice of Mozarella and a slice of turkey breast, can also be some canned wild Alaskan salmon along with some raw spinach, you get the idea. Diner is always a hot dish with vegetables (chicken legs w spinach or sweet potatoes, salmon or grouper or halibut with fresh veggies or brown rice and red meat once a week with the only manufactured food of the week (French fries) . I never have anything sweet such as pastries etc… I recognize that I do not eat enough fresh fruits, but do so because of their Sugar content. The only oil I use is 1st cold pressed virgin olive oil and sometimes some Flax oil (in my morning drink). I drink 2 or three cups of instant coffee a week that is one or two on Saturdays and one on Sundays. I drink wine before and with diner and allow myself a bloody Mary on Sundays. I have stopped smoking 5 years ago (However I must admit that I am hooked on the Nicorette gum ever since!!!!)

From a health point of view I am taking 50 mg of a Beta blocker for mild hypertension since two years (BP with the med is a fairly constant 130/ 80) suffer from what could be a sciatica since about two years which has almost stopped my daily one hour walk (now replaced with stationary bicycle for 30 mns x 5 a week).

I am 55 and my weight is 212 lbs for a height of 6’2

I am sorry for this long post but I thought it would be necessary to include some details about me for those who would have the patience to read it and the kindness and knowledge to guide me on the right path to lift this Depression which has me very isolated from the rest of the world with little desire if any to socialize. The answer cannot and should not be a prescription for an SSRI. Once again I am leaning towards UNy’s brain tonic but is this enough?

I thank you in advance.

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