Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Velafax is going for about $7 a box now...

Look, I know you can get Zoloft $28, Paxil $25, Wellbutrin $17, or even Librium $2.75, and honestly, the list just keeps going. If you don't want to deal with a private prescription, getting things like Zoloft or Paxil won't break the bank, and neither will Librium. Even Xanax and Misar seem to be around $7.00 depending on what your doctor writes you, plus there's a whole mountain of other stuff out there.

Thanks for the heads up! I took one Zoloft and one Lexapro 0.25 and honestly, $29 hit me all at once.
Also, my doctor wrote a date on the back of the prescription—any idea why? I just assumed they’d take it as is.

You probably ended up with a recurring prescription, so you can actually use that same thing two or three times to grab more of the same meds. Just tuck it away somewhere safe, and next time you're heading over to the CVS, just hand it to the pharmacist there.

My apologies if this topic has already been started elsewhere; I searched, but came up empty-handed, so I figured I would just ask: does anyone actually know the distinction between Missouri and Missouri SR?

I finally picked up my prescription from the psychiatrist yesterday and took my first dose today—starting at 0.25mg. I’m feeling incredibly drowsy, though I am hopeful that this lethargy will eventually subside. Has anyone else dealt with unpleasant side effects? Specifically, has anyone experienced that heavy, weighted sensation often attributed to Missouri, or perhaps significant sleep disturbances similar to what is listed in the literature?
Furthermore, what is the clinical significance of "slow-release"?
I would truly appreciate hearing about your personal experiences. Thank you!

Robert Collins2 said:You probably ended up with a recurring prescription, so you can actually use that same thing two or three times to grab more of the same meds. Just tuck it away somewhere safe, and next time you're heading over to the CVS, just hand it to the pharmacist there.

If it’s a private prescription, doesn't it stay valid for a while? Maybe a year?

And nobody seems to know anything about Q-pin. Everything I found on Google says it's for schizophrenia and treating manic mood disorders when someone feels overly hyper, needs less sleep, talks too much, has racing thoughts, or becomes excessively irritable.

😁

I’m not quite sure how I managed this, but I missed my doses yesterday evening and again this morning. 🙄

I assume I can just get back on track now? 🤔

Michael Reed45 said:I’m not quite sure how I managed this, but I missed my doses yesterday evening and again this morning. 🙄

I assume I can just get back on track now? 🤔

🙂
Why not set a recurring alarm on your phone to nudge you every time it's time for a dose? It might help until you get into a steady rhythm.

It’s only day two on Zoloft and I feel like absolute garbage. My stomach is doing somersaults... when does this part actually end?????

I'm not on Zoloft myself (I take Celexa), but the side effects usually die down after two or three weeks... unfortunately, you just have to power through it... What anxiolytic are you taking with it?
Just crossing my fingers it passes quickly 😉the first few days were the absolute worst for me

Michael Reed45 said:If it’s a private prescription, doesn't it stay valid for a while? Maybe a year?

And nobody seems to know anything about Q-pin. Everything I found on Google says it's for schizophrenia and treating manic mood disorders when someone feels overly hyper, needs less sleep, talks too much, has racing thoughts, or becomes excessively irritable.

😁

It’s gotta work. I used mine for a full year, even though the label said it was only supposed to be for six months.🙏 🤣
So, I just had a thought. Back when my doctor used to write out my prescriptions, the pharmacy always made sure to log exactly when I was picking up my meds. Obviously, they do that to keep tabs on how much stuff people are buying. But what if I went to see another psychiatrist or two, and they gave me a private prescription too? Could I actually pull that off—taking pills from multiple different prescriptions at various pharmacies around town?

Carol Hayes84 said:It’s only day two on Zoloft and I feel like absolute garbage. My stomach is doing somersaults... when does this part actually end?????

Don't go quitting right out of the gate. I made that exact same mistake back in the day. It’s gonna suck at first, honestly, but once you get through the hump, you'll feel more energized and just... great. 😉Just try to power through the side effects for a few days.

Linda Ross said:My apologies if this topic has already been started elsewhere; I searched, but came up empty-handed, so I figured I would just ask: does anyone actually know the distinction between Missouri and Missouri SR?

I finally picked up my prescription from the psychiatrist yesterday and took my first dose today—starting at 0.25mg. I’m feeling incredibly drowsy, though I am hopeful that this lethargy will eventually subside. Has anyone else dealt with unpleasant side effects? Specifically, has anyone experienced that heavy, weighted sensation often attributed to Missouri, or perhaps significant sleep disturbances similar to what is listed in the literature?
Furthermore, what is the clinical significance of "slow-release"?
I would truly appreciate hearing about your personal experiences. Thank you!

If it’s the Misur SR version, it’ll keep you under all day. It hits pretty hard.

Roger Rodriguez said:🙂
Why not set a recurring alarm on your phone to nudge you every time it's time for a dose? It might help until you get into a steady rhythm.

I don't really need an alarm. I always remember. I used to wake up at 6 AM and take them every evening too... but the one day I broke my routine, I forgot everything. 😁 Now I won't even take them until 1 PM because I slept in. 😳

Michael Reed45 said:I don't really need an alarm. I always remember. I used to wake up at 6 AM and take them every evening too... but the one day I broke my routine, I forgot everything. 😁 Now I won't even take them until 1 PM because I slept in. 😳

I never really stick to a strict schedule myself; I just take it whenever I wake up. Some days it's 7:00 AM, other days it's 3:00 PM... isn't it funny how much that can vary?😁

I have a question: I’ve been on a new medication, Alvent—it's an antidepressant and anxiolytic combo—for about two months now. I’m also taking Xanax once a day along with it, as prescribed by my psychologist. For a while, I actually felt pretty good and had plenty of energy. But for the last two weeks, I’ve felt completely drained. It doesn't matter if I'm relaxing at home or busy working; the fatigue is constant, though I notice it a bit less when I'm occupied. Even my motivation to exercise has vanished—I used to hit my stationary bike every single day. I’ve brought this up with my psychologist several times, but she hasn't offered any real solutions or changes.😢I really don't want to turn into a "zombie." I'm worried these pills are doing that to me, even though I'm on the lowest possible doses just once a day. I've considered seeing a different doctor, but I'm not sure if that would actually solve anything. Has anyone else dealt with something similar? Even though I go to psychotherapy regularly, I feel awkward telling her that I feel like she's just "pushing pills" on me. I feel like I need more support from the therapy side rather than just more medication. Does anyone have any advice?😢

bluerider512 said:I have a question: I’ve been on a new medication, Alvent—it's an antidepressant and anxiolytic combo—for about two months now. I’m also taking Xanax once a day along with it, as prescribed by my psychologist. For a while, I actually felt pretty good and had plenty of energy. But for the last two weeks, I’ve felt completely drained. It doesn't matter if I'm relaxing at home or busy working; the fatigue is constant, though I notice it a bit less when I'm occupied. Even my motivation to exercise has vanished—I used to hit my stationary bike every single day. I’ve brought this up with my psychologist several times, but she hasn't offered any real solutions or changes.😢I really don't want to turn into a "zombie." I'm worried these pills are doing that to me, even though I'm on the lowest possible doses just once a day. I've considered seeing a different doctor, but I'm not sure if that would actually solve anything. Has anyone else dealt with something similar? Even though I go to psychotherapy regularly, I feel awkward telling her that I feel like she's just "pushing pills" on me. I feel like I need more support from the therapy side rather than just more medication. Does anyone have any advice?😢

The whole point of psychotherapy is to vent and get everything out. There shouldn't be any shame in that. An antidepressant is supposed to lift you up, not drag you down. Just talk to your psychiatrist about it.😉

Nathan Kim10 said:The whole point of psychotherapy is to vent and get everything out. There shouldn't be any shame in that. An antidepressant is supposed to lift you up, not drag you down. Just talk to your psychiatrist about it.😉

I’m honestly worried she might take it the wrong way. I don't want her to feel like I'm criticizing her professional judgment or saying she's doing a bad job. To be fair, I’ve always been skeptical about medication, but when things got really heavy, I was willing to try whatever would help. My mindset was that the pills should just be a temporary bridge—a little nudge to get me through the worst of it—while I do the actual work in therapy to fix my thought patterns and reactions. If I don't change how I process things, meds won't get me very far. So, what do you think? Should I be completely blunt with her and tell her that I'm genuinely struggling right now? If you think being that transparent is the move, I'll do it. Thanks so much!😉

Carol Hayes84 said:It’s only day two on Zoloft and I feel like absolute garbage. My stomach is doing somersaults... when does this part actually end?????

Hey there.

Look, it’ll pass quickly enough. I know it feels terrible; I dealt with intense nausea and this bizarre sensation—like a hollow emptiness in my stomach and feeling completely drugged out. But I bit the bullet, pushed through it, and honestly, I feel great now.
I actually tried cutting my dose down for a bit... but ended up bumping it back up because I feel much better overall.
Just so you know, I take mine in the morning paired with Valium. My psychiatrist suggested the combo because my hands were shaking pretty badly, but everything is steady now.
Best regards!

mistyheron8 said:Do you think it’s actually okay to bump up my Zoloft dose by 25 mg on my own without checking in with my psychiatrist first? I don't have an appointment scheduled for another two weeks, and while I am currently at 50 mg, I can't help but feel like a higher dose might be necessary. I’m still worrying about everything far too much—even if things are significantly better than they used to be—and there's still this lingering anxiety that occasionally hits me so hard it spirals into thoughts of suicide for a day or so. To make matters worse, I don't actually have her direct cell number, just the contact info for her receptionist. Has anyone else here ever decided to adjust their own dosage?

Like I said, just relax.
Everything you're describing is actually pretty standard.
I've been on Zoloft for two years, and it’s great.
When I first started, I didn't really consider the side effects. During that first week, I was driving with a friend to a third friend's house—someone who was already getting on my nerves—and halfway there, a massive panic attack hit me. It was such a side effect. I told my friend, "Hey, you drive," and she was like, "No way." q q)))))))
I honestly thought I was dying. Heart racing, head spinning... I ended up rushing straight to the ER, and once I got into the exam room, things settled down.🙂
My condition has slipped a bit lately... probably because I missed two days, who knows. Plus, I had a momentary breakdown and started imagining attacks out of nowhere.

Because of that, they bumped my dose to 75mg.
Today is actually my second day back on the 75mg after two years... nothing crazy, except my jaw is locked up in the morning since I take it at night.
And of course, insomnia... I slept the first night, but the second night was a bust.
Oh well, it'll pass.
Progress to everyone "sick" enough to actually get treatment. Those who ignore their issues and refuse to deal with them...
By the time they finally see a doctor, there won't be much left to fix. I don't want it to be that way, but that's how it usually goes. Not my fault.🙂