Posts by Timothy Wood38

lonetiger98 said:So, which meds actually fall under the alprazolam umbrella? I only know xanax/Klonopin/etc.—is that all just the same stuff?

What exactly do you mean by "which ones fall under alprazolam"? I assume you're asking which specific brand-name drugs use alprazolam as their active ingredient. In that case, the ones you listed are exactly right.

Chloe Hughes6 said:It is lovely that you are feeling cheerful, but won't this be short-lived? Just as Prozac stopped working for you, isn't it likely that the same will happen with Effexor? Once the neurotransmitters become saturated, won't you find yourself back at square one? Then comes a new medication, then you feel good again until the exact same thing happens... and so it goes on and on... while the brain just keeps burning out.

Look, you're just talking nonsense and unnecessarily scaring people. Antidepressants aren't necessarily a life sentence. If you have a decent doctor who actually tailors the treatment to you, there shouldn't be any issues, even with long-term use. And this whole idea about "frying your brain"? It’s complete fiction. In fact, some studies suggest antidepressants might actually be neuroprotective and even help stimulate neurogenesis.

hollowsailor48 said:Hey everyone, I’ve been taking Pfizer, Alicia, and Valium to help me get some sleep.
Has anyone else dealt with their lips starting to tremble as a side effect?

Now, Alicia is usually taken in the morning since it tends to be more stimulating than anything else. As for the Valium, that’s primarily a hypnotic, which should be enough to knock you out. I suspect the Pfizer was prescribed to help buffer those initial side effects from the Alicia while things settle down. Just a word of caution—both Pfizer and Valium carry risks of dependency and tolerance, so you really have to watch how long you're using them. That lip trembling? It’s most likely an effect from the Alicia, especially if you just started this whole thing. Usually, most side effects taper off after three or four weeks, but if they don't... well, definitely check in with your doctor.

Has anyone here actually messed around with Aurorix (moclobemide)? It’s one of those newer MAOIs, and honestly, from what I gather, it boasts one of the cleanest side effect profiles out there. Unlike those old-school MAOIs that felt like a death sentence if you even looked at a piece of cheese, this one doesn't require you to go on some ridiculous dietary restriction marathon. The main reason you don't see it prescribed much isn't because it's bad, but mostly because doctors just aren't well-informed about it—they tend to stick to the usual SSRIs because the older class of drugs had such a nasty reputation for side effects.

For quite some time, I was running on two different SSRIs—Seroxat and Prozac—and honestly, it felt like the perfect setup for me.
I’m actually thinking about getting back on that combination because, frankly, this Prozac just isn't cutting it anymore.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I was in therapy once a week for 10 months and stayed on Paxil the whole time. Didn't help at all, honestly—it just wiped me out so hard I was sleeping 14 hours a day🙄! I think my dose was lower than yours, but my doctor never bumped up the Paxil; they just kept increasing my Xanax (eventually I was taking 2, 2, 1)!

And hey, no need for the formalities, 🙂

Honestly? I think it might be time to find a new psychiatrist. You really need to start being more active in your own treatment plan. For me, if I hit that point where the medication should have kicked in—after a reasonable amount of time—and I felt zero improvement, or even worse, things got darker... well, I’d speak up to my doctor immediately so we could pivot the therapy. But that's where the real headache begins. Fine-tuning a regimen requires constant monitoring and, frankly, an incredibly deep grasp of psychopharmacology. In my experience, you rarely run into psychiatrists who truly master that nuance. Adjusting pharmacotherapy is basically a high-stakes guessing game. Sometimes you need one specific type of drug; sometimes you need several. Sometimes it's about layering different meds from the same class. As for the Paxil, 60 mg is actually pretty standard when dealing with obsessive thoughts, which seems to be what you're navigating. And regarding that sleep issue... usually, that side effect fades away once the Paxil actually starts working effectively and you manage to keep a decent sleep hygiene routine.

Brandon Lopez6 said:Has anyone else dealt with this kind of thing? What actually worked for you, if anything?

- I’ve got this unnamed phobia hanging over me—mostly just this constant fear of being alone, without people I actually know. It doesn't matter if I'm out running errands or just sitting in my own house; I never feel safe. The symptoms are basically just non-stop looping thoughts about it, a low-grade sense of panic 24/7, and this general feeling of dread and unease.

So, has anyone actually found a pill that cleared up those feelings? (I’m still holding out hope for some kind of magic pill 🙂! Paxil didn't help one bit. Like, at all. 😢)

There is proper treatment available for anxiety disorders. Usually, it’s a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Anxiolytics serve as a temporary fix while you wait for the antidepressants to kick in, and then typically you move into therapy. A doctor might also introduce other psychotropic drugs depending on their assessment. Paxil is actually a solid medication and works quite well for anxiety disorders. How long were you taking it, and what was your dosage? For me, Paxil didn't really touch my anxiety until I hit the 60 mg mark.

Justin Rogers5 said:5 and 10 mg. I don't take it every day, but when things go south, I can't sleep a wink even with 10 mg. Once the issue is sorted, then I can sleep. For me, Zoloft is way weaker. It just knocks me out before I even realize it.🤷Seroquel didn't work the way they promised, so I quit after half a pill. Why bother if it doesn't work? Worst part is, seeing that it fails makes me scared to take Zoloft—I have no idea how those two interact.
One thing, my psychiatrist gave me Sulpiride for "stomach sensations." According to her, it’s for the stomach. Everyone raves about it, but it does nothing for me. And even though Celexa helped me back in the day, I stopped taking it two years ago because it turned on me. I was on the lowest dose and suddenly fell into a deep depression. Will it happen again?

Well, Zoloft and Sanval are essentially the same generic, which is Zolpidem. Your experience is likely just subjective. Also, Sulpiride isn't an antidepressant; it's an antipsychotic, though yes, it gets prescribed off-label for GI issues. Just don't take it too late in the day because it can be stimulating, but there aren't any contraindications with Zolpidem. As for Celexa—well, Paroxetine is actually a very solid medication. And one more thing for everyone here who goes absolutely wild during medication changes: I've been there. In my case, adjusting the dosage was the most progressive move I made. Taking 60 mg of Prozac and 60 mg of Paxil daily basically brought me back from the dead. I don't need those high doses anymore, but the lesson stuck. So, please, stop playing games with your health and find a competent psychiatrist who actually understands pharmacology.

Susan Edwards8 said:Has anyone ever tried mixing Paxil and unknown for anxiety and depression? I’ve been on both in the mornings, though I used to take the unknown in the afternoons too. My doctor pulled the second one away from me about three weeks ago. But honestly? Even with both of them, I still feel like a total nervous wreck.

I went through something similar when I first started my treatment. Usually, you phase out the unknown once the Paxil actually kicks in and starts doing its job. If the jitters are getting to be too much, maybe the dosage for the unknown needs a little tweaking. For me, I started at 100 mg three times a day before moving up to 200 mg three times a day. But honestly, for your specific diagnosis, you typically don't stay on unknown long-term; as I mentioned, it usually gets tapered off once the Paxil takes over—which usually happens around the 3 to 4-week mark. Just hang in there, try to be patient, and definitely run it by your doctor.

George Allen71 said:I’ve been posting here for a month now, weighing the pros and cons of Valdoxan... trying to decide if it's worth it... and yet, I haven't encountered a single person who actually makes sense...🙂
And besides, I don't get to pick which meds get prescribed to me... I'm not out there shopping at the pharmacy... if I were the psychiatrist, I'd know what to do...
I'll just hold out until the 25th, then I'm heading to my psych appointment. If I don't feel any real shift by then... I'm switching.

For those of you currently on Prozac... how heavy-duty is it really? How much does it actually help? I know everyone reacts differently, but I'm genuinely curious about people's real-world experiences...

I honestly don't know why, but the mere thought of taking Prozac gives me the creeps... it's just like... wow...

Well, you can't exactly expect someone on a forum to tell you which medication you should be taking and which you shouldn't. That's what your psychiatrist is for. We're just here to swap stories and opinions. As for Prozac, personally, it was the best antidepressant I had alongside Paxil, and I'm still on it. I tried Effexor, Lexapro, and Wellbutrin at max doses for at least a month, and they did absolutely nothing for me. That's just how individual it all is. Besides, I don't know what your relationship is like with your doctor. With my doctor, I can actually influence my treatment plan using real, logical arguments.

George Allen71 said:Valdoxan... I think it's day 17 now

Okay, how am I actually supposed to know if this stuff is working? How can you even tell if an antidepressant is doing its job?
As most of you know, I’ve been dealing with BPD... and right now, I'm in the middle of a really heavy depressive episode... So, honestly, how many hours of crying per day are "allowed" before I can say the medication is actually kicking in? Or am I technically not allowed to cry at all?

I'm just confused. The literature says this specific AD starts working within two weeks, which is supposedly faster than the others that take three...

Either my depression is just so incredibly severe that even this isn't enough to pull me out... or I don't know what else to call it... maybe I have one day where things feel slightly better... but even then, not even for a full day... just a few hours... and the rest of the time... it feels like I'm at my own funeral...

How do you know when an AD is functioning properly? How am I supposed to feel? Good...? Okay...? Not crying...? What exactly am I looking for????

Me? Well, back when I brought up Valdoxan to my doctor about a year ago—before it was even widely available here—she basically told me it was more of a marketing gimmick. She thought this whole "first melatonin-ergic antidepressant" thing was mostly fiction, just selling smoke, especially since we spent all this time linking depression to serotonin imbalances and suddenly melatonin is the star of the show. And honestly, all that talk about Valdoxan causing liver toxicity in some people seems a bit suspicious too. Personally, I tend to trust the tried-and-true stuff, like Prozac or Paxil, which have been on the market forever.

Justin Rogers5 said:But how much sleep are you actually getting? Like, how many hours? Honestly, if you're on 20 mg and only getting 3 or 4 hours, that's not enough. I was cleaning the house until 4 AM last night, took 10 mg right before bed, and slept until 7. Then at 7, I popped 25 mg of Xanax and drifted off again.🤷Thank God I work afternoon shifts. Woke up feeling totally wired, with this weird tension and tremors in my stomach.😲

I usually just take Ambien when I really need it, and not even regularly—just every once in a while. I actually had a bad reaction to it once and haven't touched it since. I used to have massive issues with sleeping, honestly, but setting up a decent sleep hygiene routine helped me way more than any medication ever did.

Justin Rogers5 said:Got this 10 mg unnamed for sleep, but it’s a total bust. I take one at midnight and an hour and a half later I'm still just staring into space, eyes feeling like they're full of sand, wired like I just downed a Red Bull. Then I end up taking five more just to crash for three hours.🙂The label claims it gives you 7-8 hours of sleep!🙂Last night, after tossing and turning and getting maybe ten minutes of useless sleep, I took 10 mg at midnight, then another 10 at 5 AM, and finally slept until 7:45. Why doesn't any of this stuff work for me? I guess my body isn't used to it since I don't take it every day, but honestly, reading the side effects makes me want to gag.🙂To be real, a 1 mg Xanax works better for sleeping than this hypnotic crap.🤷

Well, that's just zolpidem—basically a generic brand product. For me, only the 15-20 mg dose actually hits. 10 mg is way too low for me, too.

restlesstrucker15 said:It is truly unfortunate that there isn't an antidepressant designed specifically to target anxiety in isolation. What I mean is, I wish there were a medication that could eliminate anxiety without being classified as an anxiolytic. I often get the impression that antidepressants are much more effective at treating depression than they are at managing anxiety, even if they do work reasonably well for mitigating panic attacks. I am well aware of the standard advice regarding psychotherapy and the necessity of doing the internal work, but we cannot simply transform ourselves into entirely different people overnight. I remember once asking my therapist if she had any options—medications that aren't technically anxiolytics but could completely wipe out my anxiety and the constant mental noise. She told me no such thing exists. I am not complaining, per se; heaven knows how anxious I would be if I weren't already on an antidepressant, but sometimes one loses a bit of hope. Personally, I really dislike the feeling of being under the influence of an anxiolytic unless I am facing an actual panic attack or a full-blown crisis. However, I have grown weary of this persistent, albeit manageable, sense of anxiety that seems to surface so frequently. 🙂

From what I gather, Paxil works wonders for anxiety disorders. For me, it didn't quite fix everything with my anxiety and social phobia, but it helped. It's mostly about finding the right dose; for me, 60 mg a day was the sweet spot.

Could someone please share their experiences with Cymbalta? I’m curious about what it was like for you all, including the specific dosages you were taking at the time.
Thanks

fadedbear92 said:Have you ever tried Prazin? That's what I use to help me sleep.

Come on, flightguy... Xanax? Honestly, once she actually reads the list of side effects, there’s no way she’s touching those things. 🙄 Zane is a much better sedative; Xanax is just a bit too heavy-duty of a chemical cocktail for my taste.

Justin Rogers5 said:Honestly, I was terrified of taking four at once; I could barely bring myself to take one 5mg pill.🤷Past bad experiences with sleep meds left me paranoid. I took one 5mg pill around 11 PM, then another around 1:30 AM, and I was out cold—dreaming about shopping on eBay.🤣But every time I checked the clock at 3, 3:30, or 4, I was still awake. I had this same reaction to Zane about two years ago, though. It just stopped working entirely. Like I was taking placebos.🤷I'm not touching anything stronger. The side effects are brutal—brain fog, hallucinations, memory loss... stuff like that. I'd rather just have two tequilas and go yell at people on a forum instead.😁

Ugh, tell me about it. When I think back to those dreams and all those weird side effects... absolute nightmare. I really don't want to take anything that might trigger parasomnia. Personally, I don't take Zane every single day; I'm too worried about getting hooked. And I'm very careful about timing—I make sure I'm already tucked into bed with as few distractions as possible before I take it. I have the 10 mg capsules, so sometimes I just stick to one, sometimes I'll take two.

Justin Rogers5 said:My psychiatrist put me on Zane for sleep a while back. It actually worked—helped me drift off without any weird auditory hallucinations or feeling like my personality was shifting. But last night? Total bust. Like I was swallowing nothing at all.🤷At first, I figured she’d just handed me a placebo, but no way. I didn't sleep a wink. Took the standard 10 mg dose right before bed, but nothing happened. Just spent the whole night staring at the wall waiting for the sun to come up.🙂I react way too strongly to other meds,😁 so she cut me off.

I'm on Zane too, and personally, it works great for me without any side effects. I take 20 mg, which definitely does the trick. That's pretty much the ceiling for the dosage.

Robin Lopez2 said:I had my first psychotic episode about 12 years ago. Since then, I've cycled through Luvox, then Modem followed by Cogentin, and eventually Risperdal. Once I switched to Risperdal, things improved. About five years ago, I tried stopping the medication; I managed to hold out for six months before the psychosis returned. Since then, I've been back on 4 mg of Risperdal daily, and my psychiatrist gradually lowered the dose until I hit 1 mg, which I've been on for about two years now. I have no intention of stopping treatment again because I am certain the psychosis would come back. Perhaps I misspoke when I said the 1 mg makes me feel "stiff"—it would be more accurate to say it causes mild depression. I know I'd feel much more upbeat without that 1 mg. I'm generally against taking medication, but I have to stick with this 1 mg to prevent a relapse. Since it's such a small dose, I was wondering if there's any trick to finally getting rid of it too.

Well, maybe talk to your psychiatrist about an antidepressant? Just be totally honest with them about how you're feeling, and I'm sure you'll figure something out together. Personally, I spent two years on 10mg of Zyprexa, always paired with various antidepressants. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like you're struggling more with a lack of drive than actual depression—though, let's face it, those two often go hand in hand. There are so many options on the market these days. In my opinion, Wellbutrin might be a great fit for you. It's frequently prescribed for that loss of motivation, and from what I hear, it can even help with libido. Plus, unlike most psych meds, it doesn't typically cause weight gain. Of course, everyone reacts differently. Definitely run everything by your doctor first. Good luck.

Henry Garcia9 said:Look, sorry to burst your bubble, but some universities actually require proof that you aren't dealing with mental health issues—basically, they want to know you're mentally fit. I had to go out and grab that exact same kind of clearance just to get into my program, so honestly, I think they're doing the right thing by handling it this way.

I mean, obviously, someone living with schizophrenia couldn't be a neurosurgeon, just like a blind person wouldn't be able to perform eye surgery. It’s common sense. But that’s not really what we're debating here, is it? We’re talking about a fifteen-year-old girl showing symptoms of psychosis where even her own doctor isn't entirely certain about the diagnosis. As far as I know, every university has a responsibility to conduct medical screenings on their students. If we’re looking at the long-term implications, I can't bring myself to agree that they handled this correctly.