Should you take medication? Probably Not

any of the clients who come to the counselling centre where I work have already tried counselling in some form; usually through sessions offered by the NHS. In most cases, NHS therapy is cognitive-behavioural and time-limited, sometimes to 6-12 sessions. People finish their course of therapy, find their problems still exist, and eventually find their way to a service where they pay for their own therapy.
By the time they reach us, many people are already taking some sort of medication, usually for anxiety or depression, or for symptoms such as sleeplessness and panic.
My initial training took place in the US, where most medical care is privatised and patients can choose to visit a psychologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist or counsellor withouot first seeing a general practitioner or any other sort of physician. (That's assuming they can afford any help at all, which many, unfortunately, cannot.) 
But in the UK, the way to be referred to a NHS-approved psychological therapy is to first consult your GP. Most GPs know next to nothing about psychology: they receive very little training in matters of the mind, even their own mind--and they're allocated perhaps ten minutes in which to meet, speak to and diagnose a patient. They are trained to prescribe drugs, and the pharmaceutical companies deluge them with marketing materials--medicine is Big Business. And don't forget mile-long waiting lists for psychological therapy in the NHS. What's a GP to do with a patient whose suffering stems from non-physical causes?
When you put together the lack of education in matters of the mind, the lack of time, the pressure of seeing too many patients, the physcians' inability to even take care of themselves at work-- and then add in the easy availability of drugs--it's easy to see why many GPs, when faced with an unhappy patient, reach for the prescription pad. And, as it's the only possibility of quick relief, and it's being recommended by a medical expert, many patients accept medication.
The trouble is, most of the time, what's causing the problem isn't helped, except perhaps superficially and temporarily, by drugs. Sometimes, drugs make the problems worse.  And drugs have side effects that create additional problems, sometimes major ones. 
There are very few psychological problems for which medication is the answer, and these problems are severe. Schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder are two conditions in which the use of drugs may be warranted--but not always even then.  In fact, there is evidence that even severe psychiatric disorders can be worsened by medications, particularly as medications may not be right for the individual. But because the patient is considered mentally ill, prescribers may not be willing to listen to the patient who says, "The medication makes me sick, dopey, unable to think straight. I don't sleep properly; I have new symptoms (which may be found in the list of side effects provided with the medication).  
There is also a big problem with how people are prescribed drugs based on their race, age and gender. Prejudice shows up in the overmedication of women, people who aren't "white", aren't British (or from whatever country they're currently in), and the elderly. basically, if you are a member of a group that is socially marginalised, you are more likely to be medicated, often wrongly so.
My take on medication is, if it's an emergency, take it. In an emergency,  if your life is in danger, it's any port in a storm. Otherwise, be very, very careful; even wary, of drugs.
That said, a course of sertraline once helped (I believe) to save my life.  I had been brought so low by a longterm depression that, after more than a year of struggling with it, I finaly told someone of my desperation. But I also can't swear that it wasn't the kind listening and active helping of the therapist I turned to, who helped me find my way to a prescribing psychiatrist, that turned me around. Her loving acceptance and guidance put a light back in my world and gave me hope. She brought me the energy of hope, I took the pills, started therapy as well, and I recovered. Who can say what it was that saved me? If I had been able to buy the pills direct from a vending machine, would I have had the hope to take them? Would I have found the strength to undertake therapy for my woes, without someone strong and kind, standing in my corner?
So, if your back is to the wall, and you think taking medication might help, try it. But most psychological problems don't occur from chemical imbalance: most of our psychology is related to how we are in the world. Difficult childhood experiences, traumatic events, failures and regrets, cruel inner critics, miserable families, loneliness, unhappy love relationships--these are the basis of psychological troubles. You can drug yourself all you want, but being sleepy, hyper-alert, or stoned won't fix problems that arise from our relations, past and present, with other people. If you're taking an anti-anxiety pill to help because your workplace is supporting a nasty bully who's making your life miserable, it's therapy that's going to make a difference, not amitriptyline.
Therapy helps to find the source of the pain, and helps you make the decisions about changes you want to make in order to live a more fulfilling life.  Finding a good therapist gives you an immediate resource: someone who will listen to you, who finds your situation important and who wants to help. Research shows that the type of therapy isn't all that important--and there are so many brands these days, it's nearly impossible to sort them all out anyway--what's important is the relationship. If you feel your therapist cares, that matters. Everything else follows from that.
You may find low cost therapy at a local counselling centre: some run on grants, and many use the services of young counsellors who are still in training, who see clients and attend supervision with experienced counsellors. Unless something very specific is going on with you, a less-experienced counsellor can be as helpful as one who's been in practice a long time--remember, you're looking for someone who can listen to you with attention and care.  
Can't get therapy? If you've been added to a year-long waiting list and can't afford private therapy (or can't find a therapist), you still have options. Self-help has never been more available or more useful. World-class psychotherapists give online talks, lead meditations and provide resources and exercises that will help if you will do them. (The hardest part of self-help is actually DOING the things that will help!) Youtube is a stellar source of great self-help. Like anything internet, do consider the source! Look for someone with professional credibility; with an education in therapy, philosophy or analysis; who has written books, given talks. I always recommend Dr. Rick Hanson's Youtube talks and meditations, and if you go to Kristen Neff's website, there are exercises and meditations on self-compassion. These are only two of a multitude of experienced professionals who make it part of their ethos to help for free. There's even an anti-therapist online who I follow: her show is called Crappy Childhood Fairy, and I hope it won't annoy her to know that I think she's a great narrative therapist.
When we're overwhelmed or scared, or too ill to manage even simple things, medication can seem like a simple solution to a hopeless situation. And GPs may pressure you to take medication--its the only thing they can provide, and they want to help you even as they're ushing you briskly out the door. Perhaps if you are experiencing really difficult symptoms, ruling out medication could be a mistake. But if you're concerned, get a second opinion: don't just take the first tablets your GP offers. Look up their uses, dosages and side effects before committing yourself. Consider alternatives.
 You might even consider whether something you're taking as normal is affecting your wellbeing--such as caffeine intake (notorious for causing insomnia, and raising anxiety), or sugar, or alcohol which can both create mood swings. You might experiment with changing your diet, or trying herbal remedies such as St. John;s Wort or the Bach Rescue Remedy for anxiety or depression.  Exercise and music are two "natural" remedies for depression and anxiety. Connecting with good friends is another.
Gardening, believe it or not, is extremely helpful to people experiencing even severe mental illness (and to just about everyone else). There's a new branch of wellness called "social prescribing", where people are put into groups that do gardening, dance, singing, walking in nature, swimming--all of which have been shown to contribute to our happiness and reduce depression and anxiety.
Tablets might seem like a quick fix, but better living isn't really accomplished through chemistry. Connecting, with someone helpful and caring, with resources and practices, with new ways of interacting and with interesting activities, with finding meaning and purpose are the ways we turn our lives from suffering into thriving.