Posts by Frank Campbell

It feels like every time a player shows a bit of promise, they're immediately shuffled around to some massive club just to sit on the bench or get loaned out endlessly. Does anyone actually think these multi-year deals help a young player's development, or is it just a way to protect the club's assets?

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Oh, wait... I just realized...🙂

Exactly the same thing. A quick, straightforward answer.☕
It seems to me that Lorsilan contains lactose, but when we are talking about emotional and physical dependency, all anxiolytics pose a danger, don't they?
One shouldn't take them for longer than 6 to 8 months; you have to gradually taper down to the lowest possible dose before eventually spacing out the doses over time.
In practical terms, it is advised to use anxiolytics for a shorter duration, just to lift your mood while the Apple takes over its role.
Recently, there have been attempts to combine an anxiolytic with other properties—for instance, combining an anxiolytic and an antiepileptic into a single pill, though much of that is still in the clinical trial phase.

An Apple might spike your anxiety at first, but once it really kicks in, it works as an anti-anxiety tool too, helping smooth out social phobia...

It’s absolutely true—it's such a total lifesaver. Depression is this nasty, slippery mess, so when you finally stumble upon a medication that makes you feel like a real human being AGAIN, it doesn't feel like a burden. It feels like a miracle! :-)

I’ve been on 100mg of Zoloft for about two and a half months now.
Based on what I expected from my past experiences, I really should be feeling like a lion—totally energized and full of life—but that’s just not happening yet. ☕
I’m convinced the culprit is that awful Tegretol I was taking until just a month ago. That stuff felt like it was slowing me down and clouding my brain, making it hard to even catch my breath. 😠
Does anyone know how long it typically takes for the body to fully clear out Tegretol? I can feel my zest for life slowly returning, though it took about three weeks for the Zoloft to really kick in and show its full effect. 😕
I don't even feel the need to drink anymore because the anti-anxiety benefits from the Zoloft have clearly kicked in. 🙂
Part of me is still a little worried about mania, which probably acts like a mental brake, stopping me from fully relaxing and enjoying the wonders of modern pharmacology. 🙄
My psychiatrist is actually a psychotherapy specialist, and she almost never wants to discuss medication at all—she's incredibly brief and blunt about it. Honestly, it’s pretty frustrating.

redranger2 said:Could you please explain what those numbers mean? Are you saying that’s the total number of pills you're taking?
Are you actually taking 5 Helex tablets a day?

Wait, if Helex comes in 0.5mg doses, then what are we looking at?
That would only be 2.5mg total.

From what I understand, the maximum dose usually caps out around 5-6mg.🙄

fadedbear92 said:Yeah, I used to take it at night specifically to help me sleep—though only during those extreme bouts of anxiety. My doctor actually suggested I just stick to one pill a day.
It numbs you because it calms everything down—that's just how it works.

joooooj Tegretol Tegretol
Ziiijeeeeeev

I took 200 mg about 12 hours ago and honestly, I'm still just sitting here praying for some sleep like everyone else does

I actually think it might be better to split it up—maybe 100 mg in the morning and 100 mg at night? That way you aren't feeling like a zombie all day. I was really hoping the grogginess from one big 200 mg dose would have worn off by now, but nope, still feeling it!

I’ve been reading up on this being a next-gen mood stabilizer, and honestly, the way it works sounds fantastic. It targets depression—basically pulling you back from the brink—but unlike an AD, it doesn't send you spiraling into mania.
Older stabilizers, like carbamazepine or lithium, are great at tackling mania, but they don't really touch the depressive side, so people usually have to stack them with an AD anyway.
For me, the depressive phase of my beloved Bipolar II is a much bigger beast than any manic episode; the only time mania becomes an issue is when I'm actually on an AD. Because of that, this medication feels like it could be the perfect fit for my situation.

I tend to put a lot of faith in pharmaceutical science and the constant leaps forward in modern medicine, so I wouldn't mind playing the "guinea pig" a little bit to see how lamotrigine performs. 🙄

Does anyone here have hands-on experience with it? I know folks like Arvind are familiar with it, and I'm sure others are too... 🤷

If anyone has some insight—whether it's from your own journey or from working with patients—I would love to hear more about this drug. I want to walk into my next psych session sounding like an absolute expert so my doctor thinks I should just take her job! 😉

fadedbear92 said:@ Frank Campbell

I was taking 200 mg of Tegretol—just found my old medical records from back in the day😉

Thanks! 🙂
I’m on a similar dose, but I split it up—100 mg in the morning and 100 mg at night.
It feels like it just dulls my senses and makes me feel totally groggy, so I'd much rather just take the full 200 mg right before bed and call it a day. Do you happen to remember if you ever took the full 200 mg all at once?
Gosh, I feel like I'm badgering you...🙄
But hey, when there are a million different ways to combine things... what can you do?☕

urbanskipper4 said:I went completely out of control while I was on Prozac, and obviously, they took me off it. I even snapped verbally at two patients who hadn't even done anything wrong when I showed up for a checkup.
God knows what was going on with me back then. I would never do that today. So, I totally get where you're coming from. At least the Tegretol is keeping you steady for now.

That’s pure mania right there. There was a time when I almost started biting my coworkers and picking fights with my wife, which made me realize—thankfully in time—that I wasn't turning into a werewolf, but a manic person. Honestly, that feels even worse because people can actually spot a werewolf coming!🙂 It's this intense sensation like you're about to explode; it's physical pain, like you want to jump out of your own skin, dance around the office, scream, sing...😲

YES, the stabilizer definitely helps calm things down.
But I've been reading that the best and most modern option is lamotrigine (like the one from Pfizer's Arvind) because it helps prevent the depressive crashes. I'm going to look into it. Does anyone here have experience with it?

fadedbear92 said:you can
Tegretol acts as a stabilizer—maybe she could have eased up on the Zoloft a bit more.
I used to take Tegretol to help me sleep, while using Zoloft at a low dose as an add-on.

Wait, 5mg of Zoloft? (assuming that's what you mean by "Zoloft")
As far as I know, the smallest dose available is 50mg.
And how much Tegretol were you taking? Like 200mg? Or something else?

I really need some advice here!
After about a month on Zoloft 100 mg, I started feeling totally manic. To help balance things out, I began taking Tegretol 200 split between morning and night. It worked like a charm—honestly, Tegretol feels like a total lifesaver!
Now, since I didn't want to go cold turkey on the Zoloft, I've tapered down to 50mg a day.

Is it actually common to take Tegretol and Zoloft at the same time? It feels like one handles the depression while the other manages the mania... 🙄

I know I should be checking in with my psychiatrist, but I just can't make it to an appointment right now....

I’ve officially restarted my routine with Tegretol 200 mg per day, split into two doses.
Honestly, from what I can tell, this is hands down the most effective and easiest medication I’ve ever used. It just works!
It completely settles all that inner chaos!!! 😁

Chloe Hughes6 said:Oh, brilliant! Simply wonderful! Why don't you take a look at the previous posts on this forum and find my specific thread regarding Seroquel? It is also categorized as an antidepressant, yet the manufacturer has had to pay out $600,000,000 due to various lawsuits! The New York Times even ran a headline about a $560,000,000 settlement to "fix things" regarding Seroquel. The American commission told the Pentagon not to give it to soldiers in combat, yet they continue to provide it—and every doctor will insist it's a great antidepressant, even though it's primarily used for schizophrenia! It is one of the most frequently prescribed drugs in the world. Can you find me a single patient who has stayed on the exact same antidepressant long-term without their therapy being adjusted? These studies claiming antidepressants promote neurogenesis are nothing more than fabricated data, just like the claim that Seroquel is an antidepressant; in fact, it is banned for use as an antidepressant in Canada! Do you really think The New York Times would dare run a front-page exposé on pharmaceutical fraud if there weren't hard evidence? And can you even imagine the legal firepower of a company that earns more from that one supposed "antidepressant" than the entire annual budget of the Department of Defense? Where does all that money go? Why are posts pointing out the flaws and incompetence within psychopharmacology being deleted? My post about Seroquel is still here, but whether our colleagues above will let it stay, I cannot say.

Well, I've been on nothing but Zoloft since day one, and it’s worked like a charm for me for nine whole years!

Whenever I take 0.5mg of Xanax—whether it’s under the brand name Miser or Helix—it knocks me out so deeply that I wake up feeling light as a feather. I don't take it every day, just once in a while. During the day, I might take one or two 0.25mg doses, because if I go up to 0.5mg, I'll end up nodding off mid-afternoon!
So, my daily total usually tops out at 1mg of Xanax. Since the maximum dose is 6mg, it’s pretty clear I’m super sensitive to these meds. Honestly, I count myself lucky; it means I'm not actually in a super dark place since my body reacts so well to them.

Arthur Rivera2 said:The real issue is that I don't even know what I want. Nothing really sparks my interest anymore. Everyone else on this thread seems to have some level of experience, while I'm just stuck. I can't tell if I'm depressed, if I need to see a therapist, or if I just need someone to talk to. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive, or maybe there's a legitimate problem here that I need to start tackling.🤷

Arthur Rivera2 said:The real issue is that I don't even know what I want. Nothing really sparks my interest anymore. Everyone else on this thread seems to have some level of experience, while I'm just stuck. I can't tell if I'm depressed, if I need to see a therapist, or if I just need someone to talk to. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive, or maybe there's a legitimate problem here that I need to start tackling.🤷

I honestly think you could benefit from talking to a professional therapist. Think about it this way: you wouldn’t try to fix a cavity at home using a handheld power drill, right? It just doesn't work that way! When smart, capable people realize they're struggling to carry a heavy load, the most logical step is to reach out to a mental health expert. No one can wave a magic wand and make our problems vanish instantly, but a professional can definitely help us find the inner strength we need to tackle them head-on.
Don't be so hard on yourself! You can't carry the weight of the whole world on your own shoulders.
When you think about it, conversation is actually one of the most powerful tools we have in psychological medicine! It’s much more than just small talk; it's a fundamental part of the therapeutic process.
Get moving, reach out for a little help, and you'll see just how beautiful life can truly be!

Anthony Lopez8 said:My philosophy is quite simple: everyone should have the autonomy to take whatever they want, provided it makes them feel good.

However, you really have to weigh whether or not you actually maintain control while in that state. A textbook symptom of hypomania is when a person starts making risky decisions that could lead to negative psychosocial or physical consequences. Another issue is developing an overly hostile attitude toward others, becoming manipulative, or acting on impulse—not to mention direct harm, though I suspect that isn't happening in your case. You really ought to think deeply about whether this is truly the kind of person you want to be...

Have you ever considered taking a mood stabilizer alongside your Zoloft? As far as I understand, it won't block the positive effects of the antidepressant, but it does prevent those dangerous escalations.

I’m going to try Tegretol 100 mg oral now
I took it on its own before, but I didn't really feel much of an impact.
It also helps me use Prozac to take the edge off my restlessness, high energy, and impulsivity.

Jason Vaughn482 said:I am honestly just fed up with this Zoloft; I’m still sitting at a mere 25 mg, yet I can’t feel a single positive effect—no reduction in appetite, no lift in my mood, nothing. All I’m left with is constant nausea and this heightened, jittery nervousness... frankly, I felt much better before I ever started this stuff.

You should probably bump up the dose; 25 mg is just a tiny drop in the bucket!

Anthony Lopez8 said:That sounds fine, I suppose, but one really ought to be cautious about overshooting the mark. It is well-documented that Prozac is among the most likely SSRIs to trigger hypomania, and that isn't strictly limited to those with bipolar disorder; it happens to others as well. 😬

That’s exactly what I struggle with. Hypomania.

When I’m on Zoloft, I become talkative, a bit laid-back, predictable, bursting with energy, maybe a little intense, and incredibly active. But normally? I’m passive, unmotivated, totally lifeless, dull, irritable, and just feeling helpless...

On Zoloft, I can be a bit rough around the edges. My mood is fantastic, but my behavior often comes off as unpolished, careless, or inconsiderate toward others. I definitely get a boost of overconfidence. Still, none of it feels excessive.

With Zoloft, I feel like that mischievous kid I spent years trying to hide because I was embarrassed by how bubbly, cheerful, open, and naive he was. He's a kid full of life, ideas, strength, and willpower. I ended up burying him deep inside the shell of black depression just because it felt easier for everyone around me :-(

Back when I was on it about four years ago—taking it for seven or eight months total, finishing up with 75mg for the last three—I felt absolutely incredible. Honestly, I felt *too* good, which led me to make the mistake of quitting cold turkey. I was still riding that serotonin high for about a month after stopping, so naturally, I made a totally reckless, impulsive decision to quit my job. Well, that turned into quite the saga! ;-)

Fast forward to a year ago. After taking it for five or six months (hitting the 100mg mark for five of those), I ended up falling for a coworker, which nearly blew up my marriage. Following my psychiatrist's advice, I tapered off, and just a month later, I jumped headfirst into a new business venture. I didn't quit my day job this time, but I definitely took a massive financial leap.

Today, I tried explaining to my psychiatrist that I’m not some kind of manic person; rather, my issues tend to flare up specifically when I STOP taking my antidepressants. She just isn't hearing me. She’s really against me getting back on them. But I truly believe that a steady 50mg dose of Zoloft over the next two years would give me the stability and energy I need. I'll just be careful not to fly too close to the sun this time.

When I'm on an antidepressant, I feel like a lion—powerful, happy, and totally energized. Those silly, impulsive ideas just don't cross my mind (that whole thing with the coworker was likely just a symptom of marital stress, which we're working through). The real trouble starts once I stop. It's happened twice now, so it seems to be a pattern for me. It feels like the meds might still be working in my system for a few months after I quit, even if the intensity fades?