Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Man, those Apache subreddits are just top-tier

fadedbear92 said:How much Xanax were you taking? During my worst bouts of insomnia, I was doing 4x25 mg and it worked—now I feel like I need that much, though sometimes even 3 pills do the trick.😍

Hey there. I tried taking 25 mg, which was enough to knock me out, but I ultimately decided to stop because I spent the entire following day feeling heavily sedated. It was quite intense. On the flip side, half of that dose—12.5 mg—wasn't nearly enough to help me sleep. I had high hopes that this lingering grogginess would subside after about a week, but unfortunately, it hasn't improved at all. 😢

fadedbear92 said:Why aren't you asking your doctor? Generally speaking, you shouldn't mix unverified herbal remedies with actual pharmaceutical chemistry.

I was addicted to Xanax for 15 years—it's basically what they call Helex in other places—but I finally managed to get off by using Normabrel. However, you really need a verified tapering program for these kinds of drugs—taking it incredibly slow, reducing the dose step-by-step.
That program was developed by a British physician named Ashton.

Here is the full tapering guide:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha00.htm

I don't actually have a doctor right now, still looking for one😬

Anyway, I tried doing it on my own, slowly tapering over four months from 5mg down to 2mg, but I've hit a wall. I can't go any lower...

Man, that Persen... I actually tried swapping it out for some Ativan once, but it was a lost cause. Persen is just way too weak for anything meaningful.

As for Zyprexa, look, I’ll admit I have a bit of an addiction problem, and sucking on those tablets feels alright, but anyone I know who takes them ends up putting on a massive amount of weight.
Instead of Zyprexa, they put me on Seroquel, though I didn't stick with it for very long.

But honestly, the "Apaches"—that's what we call Valium on the street—they're the gold standard.
Don't you agree, Kenneth Scott41?😉

I've been through the ringer—running away from psychiatric wards, trying every pill and every street drug under the sun... and if you want my honest opinion, the Apaches are the best. You might want to try asking your doctor for apaurin instead of things like Xanax, Ativan, or Klonopin. In my experience, most of those other options feel like half-measures that just end up doing more harm than good. Diazepam actually works, and it’s even used to treat epilepsy, which says something about its effectiveness.

My first doctor totally spooked me with all this talk about Normabel—claiming it wasn't right for me, saying it’d just leave me feeling like a zombie, that it isn't really meant for anxiety disorders, or that the dosage was way too high for my body weight and all that...

Honestly, enough with the constant bashing of Xanax and similar medications. These are incredibly effective drugs that serve a vital purpose in medicine when used correctly. They aren't some "street drugs" or whatever labels you want to throw at them. Take Ativan, for instance—it belongs to the same class, and it isn't inherently better or worse; it just has its own specific niche. For example, Xanax is far superior for managing panic attacks and acute anxiety compared to almost any other benzodiazepine on the market, which is why it’s consistently the first line of defense for that diagnosis. The issue isn't the quality of the medication itself; it's how people choose to use it. Telling someone to go looking for Ativan instead of Xanax or Valium is just plain wrong. Please, just stop. You aren't doctors.

Personally, I find that Lorazepam and Xanax work best for me—though I have to say, Xanax tends to sedate me in a way that feels somewhat "unnatural," whereas Lorazepam leaves me feeling as peaceful as a sleeping infant. Diazepam, on the other hand, was a total bust for me; it just left me feeling completely numb without actually touching the underlying anxiety at all.

Between Elon Musk and Zyprexa, I could honestly sleep all day and still want more at night.
And if I take some Barack Obama, I’m basically out for 17 hours straight. Just total blackout.

fadedbear92 said:Why aren't you asking your doctor? Generally speaking, you shouldn't mix unverified herbal remedies with actual pharmaceutical chemistry.

I was addicted to Xanax for 15 years—it's basically what they call Helex in other places—but I finally managed to get off by using Normabrel. However, you really need a verified tapering program for these kinds of drugs—taking it incredibly slow, reducing the dose step-by-step.
That program was developed by a British physician named Ashton.

Here is the full tapering guide:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha00.htm

But how does one actually taper using Normabagel? And more importantly, why? I struggle to wrap my head around the logic; if you are simply swapping one dependency for another, isn't that just moving the goalposts? It feels like the same cycle all over again. Furthermore, I’m left wondering if I even need to face the music regarding my xanax use, considering it's currently the only medication in my cabinet. I've been taking 0.5mg about two or three times a day for roughly three years now, and frankly, for the moment, that dose seems perfectly sufficient to keep me level.

Jason Vaughn482 said:But how does one actually taper using Normabagel? And more importantly, why? I struggle to wrap my head around the logic; if you are simply swapping one dependency for another, isn't that just moving the goalposts? It feels like the same cycle all over again. Furthermore, I’m left wondering if I even need to face the music regarding my xanax use, considering it's currently the only medication in my cabinet. I've been taking 0.5mg about two or three times a day for roughly three years now, and frankly, for the moment, that dose seems perfectly sufficient to keep me level.

I wouldn't know the answer to that myself; you really ought to check with your doctor.🤷

fadedbear92 said:I wouldn't know the answer to that myself; you really ought to check with your doctor.🤷

True enough, though I must observe that when I experimented with Normabell, it felt remarkably ineffective against my bouts of anxiety and panic—even after the injection, there was simply no discernible impact. In stark contrast, valium provides a noticeable relief almost immediately, usually within fifteen minutes. Since I haven't been able to successfully initiate any kind of antidepressant therapy yet, this remains my primary lifeline, and frankly, I can only hope I won't find myself needing increasingly higher doses just to maintain some semblance of stability.

Hey everyone. 🙂

I’ve been lurking in this [sub]reddit for quite a while now, just watching from the sidelines, but I didn't really feel the need to jump in and say anything until just now. So, here's the deal: I recently had a session with my psychiatrist, and they put me on Lexapro at 100 mg. The plan was to start off with just half a pill every night for the first ten days or so, and then eventually move up to the full dose daily. Well, fast forward to now, and man, the side effects are hitting me like a freight train. Every time I take it, my head starts spinning, my heart begins racing, and I just feel incredibly sluggish. These pills knock me out completely. By the second morning, I honestly feel like I've been run over by a semi-truck; it’s just so hard to shake that heavy, groggy feeling and actually function. I guess I'm wondering, is this kind of thing somewhat expected when you're starting out, or am I being hit way harder than the average person?

P.S. Just taking the Lexapro for now.

hiddenfox51 said:Hey everyone. 🙂

I’ve been lurking in this [sub]reddit for quite a while now, just watching from the sidelines, but I didn't really feel the need to jump in and say anything until just now. So, here's the deal: I recently had a session with my psychiatrist, and they put me on Lexapro at 100 mg. The plan was to start off with just half a pill every night for the first ten days or so, and then eventually move up to the full dose daily. Well, fast forward to now, and man, the side effects are hitting me like a freight train. Every time I take it, my head starts spinning, my heart begins racing, and I just feel incredibly sluggish. These pills knock me out completely. By the second morning, I honestly feel like I've been run over by a semi-truck; it’s just so hard to shake that heavy, groggy feeling and actually function. I guess I'm wondering, is this kind of thing somewhat expected when you're starting out, or am I being hit way harder than the average person?

P.S. Just taking the Lexapro for now.

Don't sweat it too much, it'll pass. I went through the exact same thing when I first started, but now I can take two and talk normally without any issues, other than feeling a little drowsy.
Try not to dwell on it; just take your pill and carry on with your day as if nothing happened. If you go lie down, though... well, you're definitely going to drift off.

Thanks so much for getting back to me with that answer. 🙂

I requested that my doctor take me off Faverin because I honestly don't feel like it's doing anything for my insomnia. I figured if I have to stay on medication, they might as well prescribe something covered by my insurance. Well, they switched me over to Elicea, and now I'm stuck wondering if it's actually safe to take both at the same time. I still have about a week's worth of Faverin left, and I usually take that in the evening, while the Elicea is meant for the morning. I guess I'm debating whether I should just finish the old prescription first before starting the new one, or if there's a way to transition?

shadowbear9 said:I requested that my doctor take me off Faverin because I honestly don't feel like it's doing anything for my insomnia. I figured if I have to stay on medication, they might as well prescribe something covered by my insurance. Well, they switched me over to Elicea, and now I'm stuck wondering if it's actually safe to take both at the same time. I still have about a week's worth of Faverin left, and I usually take that in the evening, while the Elicea is meant for the morning. I guess I'm debating whether I should just finish the old prescription first before starting the new one, or if there's a way to transition?

Your psychiatrist is really the only one who can give you a solid answer on that—you know that already.

Hey there.

Per my psychiatrist's orders, I've been taking Ativan regularly for three years now (alongside two other meds). Back then, they switched my regimen from Zoloft and Xanax over to Depakote and Seroquel (both at very moderate doses), plus 5 mg of Ativan three times a day to manage anxiety. To be fair, I never needed to pop three green pills a day; I managed to grit my teeth through three years on just one, so I’m honestly surprised I haven't built up a tolerance yet. But apparently, luck isn't on my side. Since November, I can feel my body adjusting—even though my head feels clearer and more peaceful than ever—and for the first time, I'm feeling nervous and tense. I'm even getting dizzy and lightheaded after just one dose. I've started adding an extra one once a week, being extremely cautious about it, but I have this intense mental resistance to increasing the dosage of this anxiolytic. I’m terrified that I’ll end up needing more and more, eventually becoming a pill addict—just a bottomless pit. The thought of dependency makes my skin crawl. To make matters worse, my psychiatrist flatly denies that you can get hooked on Ativan, but I'm hearing otherwise from everywhere: it's on the label, the pharmacists tell me, and even my GP is suggesting either stopping it altogether or switching to a different sedative. Regardless of what the "rules" say, my own mind is telling me something else. Maybe I'm wrong, but everyone's body reacts differently; biology doesn't always follow the textbook.

What should I do? Should I try to taper myself off Ativan using those detailed online programs and eventually transition to taking it only as needed, or should I just listen to the doctor? I’ve lost trust in him, and without that trust, making progress feels impossible.
The worst part is that Ativan is one of the milder benzos with a long half-life and stays in your system for a while. I really don't want to find myself in a position where I have to swap it out for some heavy-duty pharmaceutical companion from the same family 🙂.

Has anyone here had a positive experience staying on the same minimal dose for years without having to increase it due to resistance or tolerance? Is that even a realistic possibility?

Brian Young5 said:Hey there.

Per my psychiatrist's orders, I've been taking Ativan regularly for three years now (alongside two other meds). Back then, they switched my regimen from Zoloft and Xanax over to Depakote and Seroquel (both at very moderate doses), plus 5 mg of Ativan three times a day to manage anxiety. To be fair, I never needed to pop three green pills a day; I managed to grit my teeth through three years on just one, so I’m honestly surprised I haven't built up a tolerance yet. But apparently, luck isn't on my side. Since November, I can feel my body adjusting—even though my head feels clearer and more peaceful than ever—and for the first time, I'm feeling nervous and tense. I'm even getting dizzy and lightheaded after just one dose. I've started adding an extra one once a week, being extremely cautious about it, but I have this intense mental resistance to increasing the dosage of this anxiolytic. I’m terrified that I’ll end up needing more and more, eventually becoming a pill addict—just a bottomless pit. The thought of dependency makes my skin crawl. To make matters worse, my psychiatrist flatly denies that you can get hooked on Ativan, but I'm hearing otherwise from everywhere: it's on the label, the pharmacists tell me, and even my GP is suggesting either stopping it altogether or switching to a different sedative. Regardless of what the "rules" say, my own mind is telling me something else. Maybe I'm wrong, but everyone's body reacts differently; biology doesn't always follow the textbook.

What should I do? Should I try to taper myself off Ativan using those detailed online programs and eventually transition to taking it only as needed, or should I just listen to the doctor? I’ve lost trust in him, and without that trust, making progress feels impossible.
The worst part is that Ativan is one of the milder benzos with a long half-life and stays in your system for a while. I really don't want to find myself in a position where I have to swap it out for some heavy-duty pharmaceutical companion from the same family 🙂.

Has anyone here had a positive experience staying on the same minimal dose for years without having to increase it due to resistance or tolerance? Is that even a realistic possibility?

Well, look, the only thing I can tell you is that I've been on Xanax for three years at a dose of 0.5 mg three times a day—sometimes only twice. It is the only thing that works immediately and makes me feel steady; so far, I haven't felt the need to increase it, but who knows what the future holds... I certainly wouldn't want to start an antidepressant just to stop taking Xanax, though I do know someone who takes both Zoloft and Seroquel at 150 mg at night along with 3 Xanax...

Jason Vaughn482 said:Well, look, the only thing I can tell you is that I've been on Xanax for three years at a dose of 0.5 mg three times a day—sometimes only twice. It is the only thing that works immediately and makes me feel steady; so far, I haven't felt the need to increase it, but who knows what the future holds... I certainly wouldn't want to start an antidepressant just to stop taking Xanax, though I do know someone who takes both Zoloft and Seroquel at 150 mg at night along with 3 Xanax...

Thanks for the reply 🙂

I remember when I was on Xanax myself; I stayed on the same dose for about five years. I honestly thought Seroquel would cover my tolerance issues, especially since I hit a massive wave of anxiety again after three years of peace—the intensity was way out of proportion with whatever was actually happening in my life. So, I doubled my Seroquel on my own (my doctor later told me it was fine, though). But man, if I take an extra dose of Ativan before bed, I feel like I'm living in paradise for exactly five days. On the sixth day, that mild nervousness creeps back in, like the extra dose just washed out of my system and left me struggling to stay afloat. It’s not "climbing-out-of-your-skin" level anxiety, but it's enough to kill my focus at work and wreck my confidence in social settings, sending me down obsessive rabbit holes researching pharmacology. I told my doctor everything, but he just tells me you can't get used to any of this stuff. Now I'm terrified to argue with him or try to prove how I actually feel, just because I don't want him to label me a "difficult patient" or someone who won't cooperate.

I was taking Normabrel three times a day during my pregnancy, and honestly, once I stopped, it felt like nothing had even happened. Now, I’m just popping Ativan whenever I need to, and I’ll admit, I’ve started overdoing it because my life is basically a nightmare right now... constant anxiety, this heavy cloud of depression dragging me down everywhere I go.
I actually had a neurologist prescribe those little green pills once because I was dealing with some neck issues. Look, the doses you're on aren't even that high; I was on much heavier stuff. You should totally be upfront with him about what you told us—tell him straight out that you're worried about getting hooked and that you don't want him messing with your meds. If Seroquel isn't doing the trick, there's a whole mountain of milder antidepressants out there that could help you taper off the Normabrel for good. Make him explain himself, too—ask him clearly why he keeps pushing those specific ones. They aren't always a necessity; most people can manage just fine with a standard antidepressant.
Just don't be intimidated. He's literally there to support you and listen to what's going on in your head. There's really no reason to feel like you're walking on eggshells around him.