Posts by Jason Vaughn482

restlesstrucker15 said:Goodness, please go see a psychiatrist; you have me genuinely concerned. Looking back at our conversation, I really think you shouldn't be mixing Cerson and Sanval. I am actually reaching out to the community here for some advice. If getting an appointment with a doctor isn't an option right now, I would personally rather taper off the Seroquel and just stick with Sanval if necessary, because this current combination feels a bit overwhelming.

Skickas FR

Why is it unsafe to combine Sanval and Cerner? To be perfectly honest, I find myself in a similar predicament, as I am currently prescribed both, though I make a point of never taking them simultaneously. Instead, I stagger them—perhaps I'll take the Sanval for about fifteen days, then switch over to the Cerner for a period, or sometimes even shorter intervals. Is that actually alright?

Michael Hill2 said:Are you taking Mirzaten at that dose for depression, anxiety, or what?

At that dosage, it stops acting like a sedative compared to the smaller doses. When you're under 7.5 mg, it doesn't even touch the neurotransmitters; it just hits the histamine receptors to sedate you, kind of like a really heavy dose of Benadryl.

If Mirzaten isn't vital for your actual antidepressant needs, you could try taking a tiny amount—half or a quarter tablet—and it should knock you out. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but that's just how it works. Personally, I sleep on a sixth of a Mirzaten, half a Vegga, and I think someone else here, maybe Zvnox, takes it too. 😉

True, though I'd also throw Sanval or Cerner into the mix...

Robin Hernandez8 said:Right now, I’m hanging on by a thread with a mix of 100 Q-Pin, 60 Remeron, 10 Sanval, and 5 Cerson.

I honestly feel like I’m running out of options... even this specific combination is probably going to stop working for me in about a week.
What I really need is just a few months of stability without having to go through a detox, but man, that feels totally impossible right now!
Just one single night without my meds? It's absolute hell.

Wait, you're taking all of that just to get some sleep???? Good grief, 60 mg of Mirtazapine? Who on earth prescribed a dosage like that? And then there's everything else on top of it!🤦🤦

shadowbear9 said:You've got Cerson->fluzepam->xan->dormicum

I've listed them in order of strength, at least according to my experience—though, honestly, nothing worked for me except Sanval. As for the dormicum, I'm either too terrified to try it or I just can't afford it right now.

As for my own experience, none of those do a lick of good for me. I’ve been on Sanval for a long stretch, but now I’m in the thick of tapering off, so I’ve switched to Cerson instead. While it felt completely useless when I first started, I suppose I can feel it finally beginning to take hold, even if it's a struggle; I'm currently running 10 mg alongside 7.5 mg of Calixte...

Michael Hill2 said:I've become a pro at it :-D

I don't just split the tablet in half; I slice it into three horizontal strips, and then I take each of those little pieces and split them again. 😁

Trust me, Jason Vaughn482, if I stopped taking it right now, I'd have the exact same withdrawal symptoms as someone on a full dose. From everything I've read online, it's actually harder to get off the tiny doses than the big ones.

I take Ad Fevarin alongside my Mirzaten, and honestly, we're getting along great—it's been a happy little marriage for six months now. 🙂

And every two weeks, I treat myself to half a xanax like some junkie with a white powder habit. For me, that xanax feeling is just peak existence—that pure peace, warmth, and silence, followed by a blissful sleep about 20 minutes later. Aw, just beautiful. 🙂

I know you mentioned before that xanax doesn't work that way for you. 😉

Honestly, I never had any issues; I took 15 mg of Mirzaten for six months and simply stopped, feeling absolutely nothing afterward. A few months down the line, I started again, though at half the dosage, because I realized I couldn't drift off with just Ambien... so even now, sometimes I take it, sometimes I don't; if I manage to fall asleep naturally, I skip it. I didn't experience any side effects at the beginning, nor when I quit... absolutely nothing at all...
For me, xanax serves as a stabilizer to calm me down whenever I feel agitated; some days I take 1.5 mg, and other days, like today, I don't take a single pill. I've been doing this for three years now and haven't developed any tolerance whatsoever... though, frankly, I feel perfectly fine today having taken nothing at all.

Michael Hill2 said:I’ve been taking about 1/6 of a Mirzaten tablet just to help me sleep for a few months, and I definitely did my homework before starting.

Based on everything I've read, those immune issues you're talking about—which could point to something serious like leukopenia (low white blood cell count)—usually pop up right at the start, like within the first month of taking Mirzaten. If that happens, you're supposed to stop immediately.

Since you've been on it for much longer than that, I honestly don't think your allergic rhinitis is linked to the Mirzaten.

The kind of leukopenia associated with this medication usually comes with a high fever, a sore throat, mouth sores, and stuff like that.

So, regarding that specific concern, I think you can breathe easy.😉

Honestly, I always considered myself the absolute worst when it comes to obsessing over medications, but if you’ve done a deep dive into the data just for a 1/6th dose of Mirzaten, then I feel much better; there's really no way that tiny amount could hurt you. But how on earth do you even manage to cut it up? I struggle enough just trying to split a 15 mg pill in half, yet you’re essentially splitting a half of a half, right? Are you taking anything else alongside it?

Justin Rogers5 said:Anyone here been on Mirzaten for the long haul, like 2 years or more?
I started getting these brutal headaches about three months in. I read somewhere that taking Mirzaten can mess with your immune system, and honestly, I’ve been fighting this sinus infection for almost six months now. Just wondering if Mirzaten is actually the reason I can't shake these constant infections—the sore throats, fevers, headaches, all that junk.

I’ve been taking it for three years, though I take frequent little breaks and don't actually stick to the prescribed 15mg dose.
Instead, I only take half of that, strictly to help with sleep. My head often aches, but that’s been an issue since way before I started this, mostly because my cervical spine is absolutely shot, but I haven't dealt with any infections. I haven't even gained much weight—maybe just five or six pounds—and I never felt terrible from it, not even at the beginning, aside from that heavy "hangover" feeling in the morning. My only real anxiety is that since it's a newer antidepressant, it might not be fully studied yet; I’d hate to get settled in only to realize I have to toss the whole thing out just to get a decent night's sleep. If it’s causing those specific symptoms for you, you really ought to tell your doctor to pull you off it. How long have you been on it, and what dosage are we talking about?

shadowbear9 said:It is the same for me. They offered me Mirtazapine or Seroquel several times, but I told them absolutely not because those drugs make me gain an abnormal amount of weight. They keep trying new things on me, but honestly, why should I? Even they don't seem to know which one will work best for me. At that point, who wants to gamble with their health? Eventually, I suppose I'll run out of options...

Well, Xanax equals Miller equals Ativan equals Alprazolam. It is all essentially the same medication; it just so happens that I find Ativan tastes bitter and I hate swallowing it, so I prefer taking Miller instead, even though both are listed on my medical record...
So, does anyone want to tell me which antidepressant is a bit stronger so I can try it? I have been through Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, now Effexor, Mirtazapine, and none of them have actually cured me...

Some people suggest Effexor, though I haven't personally ventured down that path yet.

shadowbear9 said:Well, in my experience, that isn't necessarily true. I've been treated by several different doctors, and I know for a fact that I've requested specific brands before. For instance, I asked for Ambien and received it. When I needed something for anxiety, they’d suggest Xanax, but I’d refuse because it tastes terrible and ask for Ativan instead. I’ve requested Mirataz, declined taking Prozac again, turned down Lexapro, and specifically mentioned that Amyzol worked best for me, which led to it being added back to my treatment plan. I even requested Quetiapine and eventually got it after a while. I suppose it might be possible to ask for a slightly stronger Ad by name, too, though I don't happen to know all the specific names off the top of my head...

I find myself in the exact same boat; I seem to get whatever medication I request. My therapist already understands my boundaries regarding certain drugs, so she doesn't even bother suggesting them anymore, yet when I ask for something new, she provides it without hesitation. I have to wonder, though—is Miller truly superior to Xanax, and is there any meaningful synergy between the two? Honestly, I feel as though I’ve earned a PhD in pharmacology at this point, and I don't just mean psychotropics. It’s a necessary precaution because these professionals rarely take the time to cross-reference your current prescriptions against things like blood pressure or blood sugar levels; they just hand over the script. Consequently, I’ve taken it upon myself to conduct my own exhaustive research into every interaction and contraindication...

restlesstrucker15 said:I feel like a total zombie because of them, much like how I feel with Seroquel or Q-pin. My psychiatrist claims I'm just overly sensitive to these medications. When I take 7.5 mg of Calixta, I don't really start feeling like myself again until about 3 PM; with 12.5 mg of Seroquel, I'm out of the fog closer to 6 PM. Until then, I'm basically a shell of a person. Lower doses don't actually put me to sleep, they just leave me feeling hungover until noon.
And it isn't as if I'm taking some antidepressant that's supposed to be stimulating, like Lexapro.

Skickas FR

I actually slept until 11:00 this morning, which felt like a total impossibility. I took 10 mg of Cerson and 7.5 mg of Calixte... Calixte used to absolutely floor me in the past, but that isn't the case anymore; as long as I can get a strong cup of coffee in my system, I can manage to function. That is, provided I haven't spent the night tossing and turning until 3:00 AM—if I can actually drift off by 1:00 AM at the latest, that is...

restlesstrucker15 said:It is a strange feeling—I am sleeping, but it doesn't feel like true rest anymore. I have been relying on two Sanval tablets just to get through, which is a temporary fix at best. I know I eventually need to see a psychiatrist, though I find myself hesitating because my lower back pain has become quite debilitating lately. During my last appointment, the doctor was adamant that I shouldn't tolerate Calixta or Seroquel, but she also noted that since my pain levels are currently so high, she isn't entirely sure what would be safe to prescribe right now. Since I am out on medical leave from work, I might have a little more leeway to experiment with antipsychotics if she decides they are necessary, provided they don't interfere too much with my recovery. That said, the pharmacist gave me a stern warning about mixing my antidepressants with certain pain medications, as both can elevate serotonin levels, and frankly, I have no desire to deal with the mental fog or instability that comes from such a chemical cocktail.

Skickas FR

Why don't you tolerate Calixta, specifically? In what sense does it fail you? For me, nothing seems to work anymore—not even Sanval. I just lie there tossing and turning from 10 PM until 2 AM, struggling to drift off, and in the meantime, I find myself bingeing on whatever I can get my hands on, especially sweets... if I could just fall asleep instantly, I wouldn't be doing that.

It appears you have provided a single word that does not contain any substantive content to rewrite. Please provide the full text you wish for me to transform, and I will apply the requested persona, stylistic restructuring, and entity substitutions immediately. As if I haven't heard this exact refrain a thousand times before, echoing through the halls of every disillusioned soul from New York to Los Angeles. It’s the same tired narrative, isn't it? Like watching a rerun of a noir film where you already know the detective is going to lose the case despite his best efforts. People love to wrap their grievances in these sweeping, dramatic statements, as if the sheer weight of their cynicism could somehow alter the inevitable trajectory of things. It’s all quite predictable, really—a repetitive cycle of complaint that offers no novelty, only the stale scent of old arguments being dusted off for another round.
To function like a coherent human being rather than some shambling, mindless zombie wandering through a fog, I require a solid seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. Anything less than that threshold, and I am effectively useless—just a hollowed-out shell of a person drifting aimlessly through the day.😲

I find myself standing in exactly the same position, staring at the very same reality. 👍 So, does Q-pin actually let you sleep through the night without interruption? And more importantly, does it touch anxiety at all? Honestly, I’ve turned it down more times than I can count, but I’m starting to think I might finally have to give it a shot. A close friend of mine has been on it for years—we're talking about an eight-year stretch—and she takes about 150 to 200 mg of Seroquel at night. It was nothing short of a total metamorphosis for her; she used to struggle with debilitating agoraphobia, just completely unable to face the world, but now she’s functioning like a regular person again. She drives, she goes out, she lives. Of course, she’s also on an antidepressant and keeps some xanax on hand for when things get heavy, but the transformation is undeniable.

restlesstrucker15 said:Stay away from Halcion. Here’s the thing: I’m likely facing surgery soon, and I happened to meet a guy online in another thread who mentioned he specializes in anesthesiology. I asked him, "Look, I'm on antidepressants, Xanax, or Normabell, and I've been taking Valium for a really long time—who is actually going to put me under?" He just brushed it off, saying, "What does all that matter compared to our Halcion and some other stuff I can't quite recall." When I told him I had been on Halcion for almost a year, he didn't seem happy about that at all; he just muttered that his colleagues would find a way to manage it.
So please, don't do it. Honestly, it seems like he only uses it briefly, and I have no idea why they even prescribe it for long-term use.
I don't see why anyone would use it like that. Perhaps in some strange case where someone doesn't have a psychological issue but simply cannot sleep due to some shock, and Valium isn't working, so they give them that for a week or two just to get some rest. Personally, I think it should be banned for sleep aid.

Skickas fr

And what are you using to sleep now? If you're even sleeping at all...🥱

fadedbear92 said:Well, your doctor will have to make that call for you.
And anyway, Valium is really just meant to help you drift off, not to keep you asleep through the night—that's probably where the Calixte does more of the heavy lifting for you.🤔

But for me, the struggle is precisely that initial transition into sleep. Once I finally cross that threshold, I tend to sleep for ages—sometimes until 9 or 10 in the morning... my mind just won't stop racing before I hit the pillow...
I find myself physically unable to schedule even the simplest appointments if they happen before 10 AM—take a routine blood draw, for instance. My doctor actually suggested I get a referral for hospital-based testing because they accept patients until 11 AM, but for everything else in my life, I always end up booking things around 11 or noon...
She actually tried to suggest an AP to me once, but I’ve always been stubborn enough to decline, so she eventually gave up on the idea; however, if things don't improve, I suppose I'll have to reconsider my stance.

Michael Hill2 said:I know some antipsychotics help with insomnia—like taking a low dose of Seroquel.

Another option is a tiny dose of Calixta. It’s originally an antidepressant, but if you take half a pill or less, it just hits the histamine receptors and knocks you right out. Personally, I get a solid 8 hours of sleep from it.

For the first two or three weeks, Calixta (Mirzaten) makes you feel drowsy or slightly sedated during the day, but that wears off. After that, I don't feel sluggish anymore; I just sleep soundly without waking up.

My main issues are anxiety, mild OCD, and insomnia. I usually take Fevarin as my primary antidepressant and about 1/6 of a Mirzaten pill to sleep. So far, it works pretty well.😉

That might work for you, but we aren't all cut from the same cloth; for me, Calixta only helped during the initial stages when I could drift off within thirty minutes, but now, after several years, I actually need 10 mg of San Francisco, which equates to roughly 7.5 mg of Calixta... anything less than that just doesn't touch the sides. And that's assuming I haven't had a grueling day—like yesterday, which was mentally exhausting—because last night, even with 15 mg of Calixta and 15 mg of Cersona, I couldn't catch a wink of sleep. I was tossing and turning from 10 PM until 3 AM, getting up at least five times to scavenge for sweets just to cope. Today, I am absolutely exhausted. It goes to show that every body reacts differently, and honestly, I'm no expert on whether it's wise to officially start relying on antipsychotics just to get some rest.

urbanskipper4 said:Jason Vaughn482, can you actually get San Francisco on a private prescription? Like, which one—the blue or the black kind?

What should I take instead of San Francisco? Anyone got any suggestions? Just curious, though I am definitely seeing my psychiatrist regardless. Peace to everyone.

You can get it in 5mg or 10mg doses.
Otherwise, you can get Cerston on a standard prescription, which is covered by insurance.

urbanskipper4 said:My primary care doctor is driving me absolutely insane. She’s refusing to let me stay on my sleep meds anymore, saying I can only take them for three weeks max. I’ve been on 10 mg doses for four years straight. Now, I’ve got just enough left to try tapering down to 5 mg so I can finally get off this stuff. To make matters worse, my psychiatrist told me to just switch over to 0.25 mg of Xanax because she claims there isn't anything else she can give me. Honestly? Xanax does nothing for me. I honestly can't even remember the last time I actually slept through the night. I struggle to drift off, then I’m wide awake again after three hours, and then I’m staring at the ceiling for another two or three. 😵There has to be something out there that actually works for sleeping. This whole situation is a total nightmare. 🙂

I'm navigating the exact same labyrinth. My doctor refuses to give me any more Ambien unless I pay out-of-pocket for a private prescription. I've been stuck on 10 mg for four years, yet now they're trying to hand me Cerson at 5 mg, which is useless—I need the full 10 mg just to shut my brain down. In a perfect world, I’d love to kick both the Ambien and the Cerson habit, but I'm staring at a void where the solution should be. I take xanax during the day, but it provides zero help when night falls. To make matters worse, the headaches have become relentless lately; I find myself reaching for Excedrin first thing in the morning just to function.

There is also something called Ambien Zoloft—wait, no, I mean something like Lunesta—that might knock you out initially, though the effectiveness seems to wane over time... and there's another hypnotic medication floating around somewhere, I can't recall the name right now, maybe someone else here knows.

Brandon Lopez6 said:Anyway, I’m still with you on the Klonopin thing.

Man, if we could just sit down and grab a cold Budweiser... things would feel a whole lot more manageable, wouldn't they? haha🙂
I used to be able to stack these things up quite easily, but lately, I just can't find the energy to even try...

Michael Hill2 said:Yeah, with Xanax 🙂

I was taking it for sleep for a little over two months. My whole saga with psych meds actually started because of insomnia about six months ago.

Turns out, the insomnia was the least of my problems—it was all being driven by anxiety. So, I got prescribed Paxil and started psychotherapy.

But during those first two months on Paxil, I was still dealing with intense fear about whether I’d actually be able to fall asleep. I’d take 0.5 Xanax before bed and then another 0.5 if I woke up in the middle of the night. It was a total mess; I was barely scraping together four hours of sleep a night during that first month.

After that, I could manage to fall asleep on my own, but I’d still wake up during the night, so I’d definitely take 0.25 Xanax, and that’s how the second month went.

My shrink was definitely not happy about me being on Xanax for sleep for such a long stretch. He scared the life out of me with horror stories about how bad benzos are—addiction, brain damage, and all that good stuff. So, he swapped my Xanax for a low dose of another antidepressant, Calixto, which I’m taking now to sleep, and I’m sleeping just fine.

I don't take Xanax anymore—well, maybe a 0.25 here and there, maybe once every two weeks if I figure I won't get at least seven hours of sleep (which is what Calixto requires), then I'll take half a pill and sleep like a baby.

I’m really glad my doctor basically banned me from using Xanax, because it would be so easy to get hooked on that amazing feeling it gives. For me, twenty minutes after taking it, all my worries and thoughts just vanish, leaving nothing but this beautiful, warm, relaxed silence before drifting off. Ah, I shouldn't even think about it. 🙂

Reading this makes me reflect; you see, I’ve been on Xanax for years, yet I have never experienced that sense of bliss, that profound silence, or whatever blissful state you describe. For me, if I am agitated or panicking, taking Xanax simply makes me feel "normal" again... it doesn't actually help with sleep, so I also take a little Calix, along with some Melatonin, which means my insomnia is much more pronounced than yours, but the downside is that I find it impossible to wake up in the morning...

shadowbear9 said:Could someone please be polite enough to actually answer my questions regarding Coaxil and Seroquel? I need to know how they work, what kind of side effects to expect, when they kick in, and just how potent they really are. I was prescribed them because of a MASSIVE depressive episode involving psychotic features—though, if I’m being honest, that label feels like a bit of an exaggeration since you can't exactly get Quetiapine just for dealing with insomnia and depression...

I feel absolutely terrible right now. I’ve started having those "dark thoughts," as the doctors call them, and I am honestly desperate enough to try anything. Which medication is the strongest? Which one is actually going to pull me out of this? I just can't keep going on like this...

Coaxil is a relatively mild antidepressant and doesn't typically carry heavy side effects; if it isn't cutting through the fog for you, you're going to have to look into something more aggressive. I don't know what specific dosage you've been assigned, but I know the standard routine is three times a day.