They're like any other tool--benefits and drawbacks. No medication is perfect, certainly. I don't take them if I don't have to.
Many people (especially NTs unfamiliar with mental illness) have the idea that "just take your meds and you'll be fine", like they're antibiotics for strep throat or something; but that's not the case, not with conditions that involve thoughts and actions as well as brain chemicals. Medication isn't supposed to be the main part of your plan, but many people (and many doctors) think it is. It can certainly be a major part of your treatment, especially with the psychotic disorders, but by itself the only thing you will get is marginal management, if that. You've got to learn how to live your life, too, and medication can't teach you anything.
