Posts by Peter Wilson2

frozenangler82 said:I had the exact same experience when I first started Effexor. If you can, try to push through this initial phase. It might sound a bit silly, but I found that Quick crackers actually helped with the nausea—they have ginger in them, which is great for the stomach. I was sleeping an absurd amount too, but that eventually levels out. I still sleep quite a bit, and the arrival of spring hasn't helped my energy levels much, but things are definitely better. Hang in there. 🙂

My whole life is just slipping away while I sit around waiting for one doctor after another... and then the psychiatrist has the nerve to tell me to just "be patient"... give me a break.🙂

fadedbear92 said:Have you noticed anything else besides these nasty side effects? If there hasn't been any actual improvement—just the discomfort—you really need to reach out to the doctor who prescribed it... you'll have to taper off slowly, otherwise, things could get pretty ugly. It took me three weeks, just dropping by a quarter tablet at a time. By the way, have you been dealing with insomnia since you started taking it?

I'm one of those people who sleeps way too much, and honestly, it feels like I'm sleeping even more now. Up until this point, I thought I could handle just about anything—Lexapro, Paxil, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Anafranil, Xanax, God knows what else, I can't even remember it all—but this stuff? Good grief, not this.

Bradley Smith3 said:Maybe try eating some breakfast before you take it...
Just hang in there a bit longer, then talk to your psychiatrist—don't go messing with your meds on your own.

Yeah, I read somewhere that taking it on an empty stomach is better, but honestly, it doesn't matter because I feel like garbage. This nausea is unreal. I've never dealt with anything like this before. I tried calling my doctor, but of course, I can't get through to anyone. It’s like I have to drive two hours just to get to his office, only for him to scribble something down and tell me to come back in a month. It's absolutely infuriating.

I feel absolutely terrible on Velafax. It’s a physical struggle—just constant nausea. I’ve been on it for about twenty days now, and honestly, I’d swap it out in a heartbeat.

Is there actually anyone out there who feels like Velafax actually did them a favor?

Has anyone here ever tried Anafranil?

Jose Martin7 said:Hey everyone! So, I’ve been dealing with OCD for quite a long time now. There is just one thing I can't stop wondering about... I guess I'm curious if any of you experienced a significant blow to the head during your childhood or perhaps later on? I am really trying to pinpoint a potential root cause for everything, and since I can't find anything obvious, it crossed my mind that maybe there's a connection. I actually had a pretty nasty hit to the head when I was a kid—thankfully, it wasn't a concussion, but it was definitely hard enough to crack my forehead wide open. 🙂 Please, if you have any thoughts or experiences, let me know...

I wouldn't bet on that. Honestly, that theory sounds a bit ridiculous to me. Very few of us can actually pinpoint what caused this in the first place. In my experience, it felt more like an escape mechanism—like instead of running toward something positive, I ended up retreating into an illness.

Seriously, what is wrong with you obsessive freaks?🙂

Rebecca Bennett41 said:I have a question. If, for example, I am constantly tidying up and organizing things, but if too much stuff accumulates—or if the mess just becomes overwhelming—then I end up creating an even larger mess than before.
Does this have any connection to this disorder?

I've definitely been there. I’m always cleaning, washing, tidying everything up—but once the pileup hits a certain point, I just spiral. I get incredibly anxious, thinking I've completely lost control, spiraling into thoughts like "How could I let it get this bad?" or "I'm such a failure." Instead of being able to just take a breath and systematically fix the place, I just lose my mind, get furious, and end up making an even bigger disaster in the middle of the chaos.

Casey Torres7 said:Great, here's another "member" for the club. I really want to know how your families—your people at home—actually deal with this? Do they even have a clue what's going on? My parents drive me absolutely insane because they just think I have a bad attitude... they haven't a prayer that there's something else entirely behind it. 😢

I totally get you; it was the exact same story for me, and honestly, I think it’s the case for most people dealing with this disorder. Eventually, I just gave up trying to explain it to them. Now, the only people I actually talk about this with are folks who truly understand—people right here on this forum—and, of course, my psychiatrist. But man, I spent so many days just lost in tears. My mom would snap at me whenever I was stuck in a loop washing my hands or taking endless showers, telling me she couldn't afford the water and soap bill, or just screaming, "Stop it! Your hands are clean already!"

Just keep pushing forward, and seriously, if you haven't already, go see a professional!

loneraven6 said:I think I’m starting to see the signs of an OCD struggle creeping in... Nothing massive, just subtle stuff. Like, maybe I'm brushing my teeth a bit more often than necessary. 😂
Then there are these other little habits, like constantly rearranging things on my desk just to get them perfectly aligned. Honestly, I can't tell if this is actually a disorder or if I'm just a perfectionist. But let's be real—the line between being a perfectionist and having actual OCD is paper-thin. 🙄

At this stage, I'd say those are just your "perfectionist quirks." As long as you're living your life normally, crushing it at your job, hanging out with friends, and you're just... leveling out your desk items without feeling an intense physical or mental urge to do it, then it seems manageable. That's just my two cents, anyway.

Now that I’ve finally stumbled upon this incredible thread, it’s like a ghost town in here. Where did everyone go? Is it actually possible that you all just magically recovered? N O W A Y ! I’ve been struggling with this for six years straight, cycling through endless different medications, and my sleep is still absolutely non-existent.

If an OBGYN loses a patient during childbirth, they’re held accountable immediately. That's just how things work. But when does a psychiatrist actually take responsibility for their patients? They just toss out prescriptions like candy—one pill after another—as if that solves everything. Then, the second a patient takes their own life, suddenly everyone acts surprised and washes their hands of it.

James Kelly9 said:Meds just make you gain weight and wreck your health—they mess up your bloodwork (like Lexapro) and totally kill your sex drive. Plus, once you try to get off stuff like Zyprexa, your sleep schedule is basically trashed

Honestly, screw the psychiatrist when they’re handing these out like candy without even checking if you actually need them

I'm right there with you. I've cycled through everything from Prozac to Zoloft and various antipsychotics, and it always felt like an endless cycle of constant hunger and cravings. Even the Zyprexa I'm on now totally ruins my ability to sleep. It's way easier for them to just scribble a prescription and wave goodbye in five minutes than to actually sit down and put in the work to talk to us.

[QUOTE=Rebecca Bennett41;21083297]Zoloft doesn't cause weight gain. If anything, it’s the opposite. You can eat whatever you want and it won't matter much.
Right now, I'm mixing Anafranil with alcohol without any issues. It doesn't affect me at all.[/QUOTE

It's quite the opposite for me; I'm constantly struggling with my weight even though I'm taking Zoloft. There really aren't any universal rules when it comes to these things.[/QUOTE]

Kenneth Scott41 said:Psychotherapy is such a vital component—having those hour-long sessions with a professional makes all the difference. That’s why I make sure to see a private psychiatrist; believe me, it’s money well spent!

I spent a whole year doing private CBT for my OCD, basically pouring everything I owned into it. Now, I really need to start psychotherapy again, but the truth is, I'm completely tapped out. Asking my parents for help isn't even an option because they just don't get it.😢

Kenneth Scott41 said:Zoloft paired with Zyprexa? That sounds like a recipe for just completely numbing the brain. I wonder how long you've been on that regimen? A friend of mine is on Zyprexa right now, and before that, he was cycling through Celexa and I think Paxil, and he complains about that same insatiable appetite all the time. It’s strange, because with my Zoloft, it feels almost like the opposite... I don't really have an appetite at all (some people even suggest Zoloft can lead to a loss of appetite). When I see posts from people saying they've been on antidepressants for five years, I can't help but feel like that seems like such an incredibly long time to be medicated...😲

I've been on the Zoloft-Zyprexa-Sulpiride combo for about six months now. As for the antidepressants themselves, I've definitely been on them for at least five or six years, and looking back, they haven't really done much for me. Since starting these meds, it feels like I can't even take a full, deep breath of life anymore. I think the doctors and psychiatrists bear a lot of the blame here; I spent all those years without ever receiving any decent psychotherapy, and frankly, I'm disappointed.

Kenneth Scott41 said:Has anyone here actually dealt with Zyprexa before? I'm also wondering—if you could even compare them that way—which one carries more weight, Zoloft or Zyprexa?

I’m currently on both Zoloft and Zyprexa to manage my OCD, so I can't really give you a definitive answer on which is "stronger." Neither one has messed with my physical health directly, but if there's a downside, it's definitely the hunger. Whether it's Zoloft, Zyprexa, Paxil, or Lexapro, they all seem to trigger this relentless urge to eat.🤷