Posts by urbanskipper4

Mark Nelson said:Hey everyone. Quick question—is it actually safe for me to try the keto diet? I’m sitting at over 175 lbs and 5'7", but I am currently on Zoloft and Seroquel. I guess I just wonder if those meds mess with things too much. Thanks in advance.

Go for it. You can definitely diet.

I've been on Seroquel myself and dealt with all that extra weight.🙂

Anyway, now that the holidays are over, I'm finally getting back on track with my diet. Fingers crossed I actually stick to it this time.
The only thing that really kills me is sugar—that stuff is my absolute downfall.🙂

ruggedskipper11 said:Question for anyone currently on it, Prozac—since we all know Pfizer isn't making it anymore (I sent them an inquiry asking why, but let's be real, I'm definitely not getting a reply) — where are you guys even getting it now? And whose stuff is it? I ended up ordering mine from Germany (the real deal, not some cheap generic version). Now, obviously, it's costing me a fortune; 100 tablets went me about $30. I have no clue if it's still on the list for insurance coverage or if I can actually get reimbursed. Or did you guys just switch to something else entirely? I haven't been able to find anything with the exact same formula.

I pick up the original Prozac at a pharmacy near Pike Place Market. They order it in from Germany.
Pfizer stopped making it because the profit margins were too thin, basically.
At least, that's what my psychiatrist told me.

One box of 100 isn't enough for my monthly dose, so I grab two boxes and end up coughing up about $293.

No tax rebates right now, but I'm keeping all my receipts just in case they ever decide to bring those back.

Honestly, I have no clue what a replacement drug would even be.
I'm really not interested in messing around with different brain chemistry or swapping meds.

fadedbear92 said:Let the others jump in if they've dealt with this—I'll just add this: Shrink once told me that after people finish their treatment, they often go out for drinks together, and she just put it bluntly: "It's at your own risk; I can't stop you."

I barely ever go out drinking. It's strictly for special occasions, and I've never had an issue.
Look, obviously mixing stuff is a bad idea, but if it's just a super rare thing...

Lisa Martinez3 said:Anyone have experience with Lexapro?
I’ve been on a half-dose for a few months now, and honestly, I haven’t felt any mental health issues for months. About two weeks ago, I decided to take matters into my own hands and started taking a half-dose every other day instead... and man, I am paying for it. The headaches, the dizziness, the nausea... it’s brutal. I know, I know, I’m being irresponsible here... but I just can’t face taking a pill every single day anymore, and the thought of actually going to see my psychiatrist makes it even worse...
Does anyone actually know what the proper tapering process looks like?

Don't try to quit cold turkey. I know people who stopped their meds on their own and ended up in the ER.

So what if you're on medication? Since when is that such a big deal? Especially if you're feeling fine right now.
Personally, I would never dream of quitting without help. Just go talk to your doctor and figure out a plan.

Look, I hate going to follow-ups too, but I do it anyway.
It's only once every month and a half. I go just to stay on top of things. It's part of being responsible so I can actually do my job without falling apart.

Is anyone else getting absolutely wrecked by the holiday blues?😢
Honestly, it’s been hitting me hard for a week straight.🙂
I keep telling myself things will feel better once the season is over, but I don't know.🤷

Plus, my PMS is starting to kick in too.
Now I can't even tell if I'm actually depressed or just hormonal. What is even happening?😢

Merry Christmas to everyone out there, whether you're on Paxil or not. 🙂

Go ahead and stuff yourselves with cookies. 😂

I’ll probably just end up gaining back every single pound I lost, then I can start the whole cycle all over again. 🙂

Got hit with a little wave of sadness today. It just popped into my head that this time last year, my ex was actually here with me for the midnight festivities. We were still together then.
Once this holiday depression lifts, it'll be gone just as fast as it showed up.

Timothy Wood38 said:I have to disagree there. In my book, Paxil is easily the best SSRI out there, right up there with Prozac. Honestly, combining 60 mg of Paxil with 80 mg of Prozac lets me function perfectly fine—not a single side effect left, though I suppose I might be a bit of a statistical anomaly. If I ever needed to get off a medication, I’d just stop cold turkey. No drama, no tapering, nothing. I’ve never had any withdrawal symptoms at all. I seem to handle just about everything without any issues regarding dependency or those nasty withdrawal effects when I quit... my only real struggle is how incredibly fast I build up a tolerance.

Look, the whole "not having trouble getting off meds" thing really comes down to how you're wired mentally.
I was on small doses of Xanax for like five years because it helped kill the anxiety and fear. When my treatment plan changed, I just stopped taking it abruptly and tossed it aside.
Didn't feel a single withdrawal symptom.

Kenneth Scott41 said:I honestly don't understand how doctors are still prescribing Paxil; I mean, in my opinion, it’s just absolute garbage.

Honestly, Paxil didn't do anything for me either. After taking it for years, I stopped feeling any effect at all. It was basically like drinking water.

feraljackal152 said:They bumped her Risperdal from 4 to 5 mg because it seemed to be working, but she's only been on it for two weeks.
She's dealing with brutal side effects from the Haldol: muscle stiffness, tremors, and a prolactin 1900.
On top of all that, she was trying to wrap up her freshman year of high school, so being around other kids was just incredibly awkward for her.

I get why she feels awkward about it. It’s stupid having to explain your business to everyone.

Back when I was taking just 2 mg of Risperdal for my OCD, I dealt with that too—feeling stiff, sluggish, and just incredibly, incredibly exhausted. My period basically vanished; I only had it twice a year, and my prolactin levels were through the roof. My thoughts felt totally blocked, which was fine for a while, but my body felt the same way. I couldn't function. Eventually, they took me off it.

Drugs like Seroquel or Geodon have a similar vibe—they don't slow you down quite as much, so you can actually get things done at work, but you still run into issues with low volume and those prolactin spikes.

Anyway, that's just what happened with me. What was a nightmare for one person might work perfectly for someone else.
Plus, it really depends on what you're actually treating.

Bradley Smith3 said:Are you on Lexapro too?
Feels like my appetite spiked just as much—and yeah, the late-night sugar binge is real.
Honestly, I can't tell if it's just PMS or what, but some days I am hungry literally every single hour.
If I don't get this under control, I'm gonna be a disaster... I know for a fact I'm pushing well over 175 lbs now.🙂

Once that hunger hits, there is zero self-control. And when the sugar cravings kick in? It's game over. I have to eat it.
Ugh, I am never going to lose the weight.

Mark Nelson said:So, officially, I've been on 200mg XR of Seroquel since late July this year. Before that, I was on Loquen for just under a month—but honestly, that's basically the same thing, 100mg. I take it right before bed, pretty late at night.

I'm not even sure if these are actual side effects. This issue has been bugging me for ages, I guess. I've just become more aware of it over the years. Even though it's always been suppressed, it's becoming a much bigger problem now, so I'm wondering if the meds are making it worse. I wouldn't change anything on my own, obviously. I'd wait to talk to my doctor first.

As for me, I take 25 mg of Seroquel in the morning, 25 mg in the afternoon, and then 100 mg at night.
The afternoon dose kind of makes me feel floaty... just a little drowsy. Not a total disaster, but still.
Anyway, I've been eating like a termite and haven't stepped on a scale in ages. Honestly, I'm too scared to even look at one.🙂 I've been snacking on sweets constantly and barely moving at all. It's bad.

Starting a diet this week. My jacket is literally bursting at the seams. I need to buy bigger clothes. I already had to grab two pairs of pants because nothing else fits. Ugh, what a nightmare!

Kenneth Scott41 said:I guess you can't really have it both ways, can you? You're trying to grab the whole pie at once. Is getting through this depression more important than being thin, or vice versa? It’s possible you’re just on the wrong medication, maybe. Perhaps it's best to just wait a while and see if the antidepressant actually starts working; if it manages to lift the depression, then that's a win. After all, you can always find a way to lose the weight later...

Man, everyone around here just picks on the same thing. It’s constant. They’re always telling me I’m fat, calling me a tank, or asking when I'm finally gonna start a diet... Then they go ahead and rip me to shreds, which just makes me eat even more.
🙂
They just won't leave me alone.😠
I told them straight up: I'll start a diet when *I* decide I'm ready.
Apparently, they don't have anything better to do with their lives.

Jonathan Edwards69 said:Honestly, I have to jump in here too—I am genuinely envious of the people who can just pop a 5mg Sanval and drift right off. For me? Not a chance. I need a full 20mg hit combined with 30mg of Calixta just to stand a shot at catching some Z's. That’s the only combo that actually works for my system. So, when I see people complaining about the 5mg dose being too much... haha, I mean, come on

Look, I’m not even stressing over the 5mg thing. I mean, I’m already on a massive cocktail of other antidepressants, for crying out loud.
I'm popping nine and a half pills a day.
I can't even begin to imagine what my liver is going to look like after years of this, let alone my stomach. Everything seems fine right now, but you never know with this stuff.
And yeah, I've put on 30 pounds. I seriously cannot deal with these damn diets mentally anymore.
Ever since I started taking these antidepressants, it feels like I'm constantly stuck on some miserable diet.

fadedbear92 said:Lucky you! Not because of the dependency, but because you actually get a full night's sleep off just 5 mg!!!😲😲😲

Man, I know I used to wake up around 4 AM sometimes, but I’d usually drift right back off in like thirty minutes to an hour if I just had the radio playing.

fadedbear92 said:The reason I even asked this is because I've used Prazina before, but I had a really scary situation happen yesterday—actually, it started brewing the night before.
Basically, I had been taking Sanval so regularly that they were basically like Tic Tacs to me—I was popping three 5 mg pills at once, so 15 mg just to get three hours of sleep, waking up, and then doing another three pills for another three hours. Naturally, when I told my doctor, she lost it! That's why she prescribed me Prazina 25 mg (or 50 mg if the 25 mg isn't enough). So, what happened? The day after all that Sanval, around 3:00 in the afternoon, I took a 25 mg Prazina—that yellow pill—and it wasn't until a few hours later, on my drive home from work, that I started feeling all "rubbery." Once I got home, I crawled into bed and was out for about two hours. Then I woke up, but I felt so incredibly lethargic that I didn't even dare touch my antidepressant or my mood stabilizer; I just fell back asleep and slept through the rest of the night (about five hours straight).
But the next morning? I couldn't wake up for the life of me. I tried splashing cold water on my face, nothing worked—I just drifted off again. I ended up calling the ER, and they just told me to drink some salt water and eat something salty. Anyway, I called my doctor, and she suggested there was probably a synergy happening between the leftover Sanval from two nights ago, the Prazina, and my regular meds. She told me to just take half a Prazina tonight—basically cutting that 25 mg dose in half. I didn't quite have the guts to do it, so I ended up being awake most of the night.
My doctor mentioned that she can't predict exactly how my brain will react; apparently, some people take much higher doses of Prazina along with other drugs and are totally fine. It's so individualistic that it's actually pretty terrifying... I'm supposed to take half a pill tonight... yikes... I don't know...😲

I'm doing alright, though. I've been on 5 mg of Valium for six months now and I'm hooked.
But I sleep peacefully through the night until morning. I usually head to bed around 10:30.

Donna Torres5 said:Emma, I'm in the exact same boat—I take the same daily dose. I even had to visit that pharmacy near the Farmers Market... honestly, it feels like Pfizer couldn't care less about how much this drug helps people; they were probably just looking for a slim profit margin anyway.
Are you taking anything else? It feels like we might be dealing with the same set of challenges.

I know they weren't making much off it—my psychiatrist told me that straight up.
I'm on Seroquel 150 mg during the day and two pieces of Aurorixa for my mood because the fallout left me feeling super depressed.
Out of everything I've tried, Seroquel has been the biggest lifesaver; it actually makes living bearable.
Seriously, I have cycled through sooooo many meds over the last 9 years.
Last time, back at the end of May, I just totally snapped, my doctor switched my prescriptions, and now things are finally manageable.
The only catch is I gained 12 lbs.
But honestly, for those 12 lbs, there is no way I am quitting Seroquel. No chance. I'm not trying to end up in a crisis.
Nobody's gonna steal my Seroquel from me either.🙂 hehe.

Regarding the medication shortages, you can't find any Anafranil at the local pharmacy anymore.

Now I have to order it from Germany, specifically through some specialty supplier near a Farmers Market. A box of 100 costs $48. And don't even get me started on the extra out-of-pocket costs since I'm already juggling so many other prescriptions.
I'm taking 6 Anafranil tablets a day. That means I need 168 per month. One box doesn't cut it, so I have to grab two right away just to stay ahead.

Honestly, it feels like being sick is just way too expensive these days.
I'm keeping all my receipts in case anyone ever decides to bring back tax credits.

gentletiger23 said:I truly didn't expect that I would find myself needing to write here... but necessity is a powerful thing, isn't it? It concerns Zyprexa. I’ve struggled with OCD for about four years now, and I honestly can't fathom why, after being on Luvox, Prozac, and Anafranil, I ended up with such a massive pile of medications. But the worst of them all? Definitely Zyprexa. Why? Well, as they say, I have what is essentially the mildest, most basic version of schizophrenia, F20.6—the simplex version, not the deluxe edition, haha! What the ICD-10 classification states is true, almost entirely... but I can't help but wonder, didn't this all stem from my severe OCD? For practically six years, I was consistently on Zyprexa 10 mg. My psychiatrist is quite pleasant, so she checked in on me once a month, then every two months, and eventually even every three. Most recently, I had been on Luvox 150 mg paired with that single 10 mg dose of Zyprexa. What breaks my heart is that while Zyprexa might actually be beneficial for those dealing with paranoia or other intense symptoms... is it really meant for a simple case like mine? Hmm... I don't think so. Just 10 mg is enough to literally turn you into a zombie. And I mean that literally. Of course, it depends on individual tolerance and physical makeup—gender, height, weight, and so on. For me, it was a constant struggle. I was sleeping twelve hours straight, from 2:00 AM to 2:00 PM, plus another three hours in the afternoon. I lost absolutely every interest I ever had. Video games! Music! Everything! Because I knew that the moment I started anything, I would just fall asleep. There was this crushing fatigue that lasted all day. And the weight gain? My appetite skyrocketed! I always looked like I had just smoked something. Besides, olanzapine is a drug, plain and simple. And I have always stood against drugs; I have never wanted to take them, nor did I ever intend to. Eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore, so exactly four months ago, I stopped taking it. Quite abruptly, I suppose. But for just a day or two, I felt this incredible sense of freedom. My mind cleared, I became much more talkative, I had more interests, and I slept significantly less—about half as much. The exhaustion vanished. It was all wonderful. There were no withdrawals or scary side effects like people warned me about. In fact, I found myself wondering: are there really no side effects to stopping so suddenly? Then, I went in for my checkup fifteen days ago, and she suspected I wasn't taking the Zyprexa. I didn't tell her I had stopped; I told her I was still taking it. But I highly doubt she believed me, because instead of the Luvox, she prescribed me one 300mg tablet of Depakote. That’s a mood stabilizer and an anti-epileptic, yet we are back to the Zyprexa issue. I hadn't taken it for three and a half months, and then, perhaps doing the stupidest thing possible, I took it again for ten days. My parents were nagging me about it; they realized I wasn't taking it. They never forced me, though. But a few days ago, I finally told them I hadn't been taking it for a long time and that I don't plan to start again. So, I stopped once more. And please forgive me, but it has completely wrecked my system. On the plus side, I am not sleeping nearly as much, but the major downside since I quit is that it takes me five hours to fall asleep! I lie down around 1:00 AM but don't drift off until 6:00 AM. Then I sleep until noon. I don't feel tired, but it is exhausting to spend five hours every single day just trying to fall asleep. It isn't exactly "insomnia." It's more like my mind is constantly planning and thinking, constantly. Tomorrow I should do this, I will say that there, I'll do this here. I'm interested in this, how does that work, what about that? Nothing unusual, really. Just thoughts, sometimes worries, sometimes love, haha! So, what now? I have a follow-up appointment in two weeks. What on earth am I supposed to do? Naturally, I will tell her. An old doctor who used to be a great conversationalist regarding treatment once told me that no one will ever force me to take medication. And looking at American law, nowhere does it say "forced medication." I find myself asking: isn't there some alternative? I was a zombie for six years, and I refuse to be one again, even if I face problems until the day I die. My GP gave me Zonadren for sleep, which surprises me given the potential interactions with antipsychotics. I tried herbal supplements, but I think I might just take the Zonadren. For three or four days, as instructed. I simply don't understand what she will say after I explain everything. Fortunately, she isn't some ancient, judgmental woman. Still, now that I am returning to Zyprexa for a third time, does it even make sense? Please, tell me. You all have more experience. I am twenty-two, so I'm not a complete fool. I always read the side effects; I spend hours reading through pages of information online. But I am no psychiatrist; I just listen to what various people think. It feels silly because every psychiatrist in the world seems to have their own unique theory. It feels like a bit of pseudo-science. It isn't a "disease," it's a disorder. It offends me when someone says, "You are sick." It doesn't offend me when they say, "You aren't normal," because that just means I'm unconventional. What kind of "illness" is it where every psychiatric patient receives a different therapy? Where there are no lab tests? We know nothing about the brain. It's all becoming so complex. What should I do? Or rather, what will she say? I have the support and authority of my parents. Just as any medication is taken at one's own responsibility, so is the decision to stop. If anyone messes up, it's on me. And no, I am not acting crazy. I simply want to live as healthily as I can while I am young, with as few chemicals as possible. I'm a vegetarian, by the way. Even a friend encouraged me to quit. I hesitated, but he gave me the extra push I needed to stop. Now, I am at a loss. No matter how you look at it, it's a lose-lose situation. And yes, I am a fool—I get used to being off it, and then I go back for ten days. Zyprexa works incredibly well as a hypnotic, though. No matter how much you think or plan, within an hour, you are deep in sleep. But then there is that 555.555... factor. So, is there a compromise? An alternative? Any advice would be very welcome!

P.S. Before anyone starts throwing those shocking emojis my way or lecturing me about what I’ve supposedly done wrong, perhaps you might consider a different perspective? Is it truly necessary to take medication for something like cancer? Of course not, yet we do it. In my own experience, I didn't find any negativity in my actual behavior—though I certainly felt it during my OCD phase—rather, the negativity stemmed entirely from the medication itself. And I know plenty of people who are prescribed as many as four pills at once; if they were actually taking them, they wouldn't be out riding their bikes for five hours a day, but would instead be completely bedridden twenty-four hours a day. So, please, do not assume that I am the only one who has decided to stop taking these. For those interested, here is some research:

Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman from Columbia University, along with several other researchers, published a government-funded study in "The New England Journal of Medicine" regarding the efficacy of certain "medications" used to treat mental disorders, comparing older generations of these drugs against newer ones. Far from proving how effective these "medications" truly are, the study revealed that out of 1,493 participating patients, 74% discontinued their "medication" before the treatment was even finished due to lack of effectiveness, unbearable side effects, or various other reasons. After 18 months of taking Zyprexa (Olanzapine, a psychiatric drug), 64% of patients had stopped using it, most frequently because it caused drowsiness, weight gain, or neurological issues such as stiffness and tremors.

Hmm, Zyprexa actually worked okay for me, but man, the weight gain and that constant, gnawing hunger were brutal. My focus was better, the depression lifted, and I slept like a baby. But it didn't touch my OCD, which is my main issue. Seroquel is working much better for me now, though I did put on 12 lbs from that one.
I gained 20 lbs from the Zyprexa.

dustytrucker02 said:Of course I agreed. But then it started—"Oh, we don't have a psychiatrist available this week." So I asked, "Fine, when can I come in next week?" And they just keep saying, "Maybe try somewhere else instead." It’s the same runaround every single time. Honestly, there's no point now anyway; I lost my job because of my "condition" (I was upfront with my employer about why I couldn't get a medical certificate immediately), so there's nobody left to cover my sick leave. My boss's reaction was basically: "You need to work with paperwork, not people—especially since you handle money. What if you say something rude to a client? It's bad for business; we'd always need someone watching over you..." Lesson learned: if you suffer from depression, you're apparently aggressive toward people and prone to burning through cash for fun. Pure primitive thinking.😲
And considering the federal government just signed that resolution on mental health protections two months ago, I am very curious to see when or if they actually intend to implement any of it.

What kind of freaking discrimination is that? I seriously can't believe it. Is it the 21st century or what??????
Are you saying if you have a mental illness, you're totally useless??????🙂
I swear, Joe is right, God knows those doctors and your boss deserve a massive F.
Karma's gonna hit them hard, mark my words. I've seen it happen more times than I can count. Everyone who ever screwed me over or bullied me ended up paying for it with their own health.

Don't let them win, you can take this to court. This is straight-up discrimination.
It's disgusting. Who is even supposed to protect us????
We're already dealing with our own illness and the struggle of living through it, and now we're expected to lose our livelihoods too? We probably work harder and push ourselves way more than some lazy person who happens to be mentally healthy.🙂

dustytrucker02 said:I didn't tell them, but before you can even get an appointment, you have to bring a clearance from your doctor stating whether you have any underlying conditions or a clean bill of health.

That is absolutely insane! That’s just not right. Your medical history is your own business, period. And look, it’s not "psychosis"—you mentioned you’re dealing with depression, if I heard you right.
Besides, there are plenty of people out there working professional jobs while managing psychosis and staying on their meds; they function just fine.
Honestly, I think you could take this to court. You should look into it.
As for me? No one is firing me. Not a chance in hell.