Posts by Paul Newman5

Jason Vaughn482 said:Well, it's easy for you to say when you aren't crawling out of bed at 1 PM; then you have the luxury of spacing them out. Personally, I take a 0.25mg dose at 5 AM just to drift back to sleep, then a 0.5mg dose at 11 AM, followed by another 0.5mg around 5 PM, and then I finally pass out for the night.
I'm starting to feel the exact same way about these meds.

Matthew White4 said:f 33.2, f 41.2
For the most part, I managed to juggle everything alongside my job. It's totally doable. You shouldn't spiral just because of some nasty side effect; it's not like we're going to drop dead from it. I used to see my psychiatrist about every two weeks, though if a specific med was making me feel like garbage, I’d just show up unannounced. I mean, it's literally her job to monitor how I'm doing.
She could usually tell how I was feeling better than I could myself, and she'd adjust my meds accordingly based on that.
Nowadays, I'm functioning perfectly on my current meds. Honestly? I accept it—and I'd happily take them for the rest of my life. Every once in a while, anxiety tries to creep back in, but the second I feel it coming, I just pop 0.5 mg of Xanax... and there it is, the little lifesaver. I know it'll pass. Sometimes a depressive episode hits me out of nowhere, so I'll take a little extra Xanax or maybe some Ambien to sleep it off, but hey, it passes...
I don't have any trouble speaking my mind or disagreeing anymore. I joke around with everyone, I'll strike up a conversation with a complete stranger, and nobody feels "above" me anymore—we're all just people. If something bugs me, I say it. I don't stress or obsess over what other people think of me; I just do my thing. If I mess up, I own it. I’ve become genuinely happy at my core!
I'm not some mindless zombie; I still have emotions, and I still have choices. I refuse to stay angry. I don't waste a single second on negative people. At work, I'm polite, social, and I'll even listen to the idiots—you can learn something from anyone if you try. My patience is basically infinite now. And finally, I actually love myself, and I actually like the world...
I wish the same for you. Don't give up, keep fighting!

Matthew White4 said:Magdalena, listen, I’ve been through the absolute ringer since back in 2006—starting with Zoloft, then moving through Prozac, Wellbutrin, Prazosin, Lexapro, Celexa, Anafranil, Ludiomil... honestly, I can't even keep track of the whole laundry list anymore.
But after all that trial and error, I finally landed on Effexor XR 150 mg, starting with those tiny 37.5 mg doses in the morning, and now? It’s freaking perfect.
Don't let it get you down; you're going to find that one specific med that actually lets you function like a normal human being, you just can't give up on the process.

It’s just like when you have a killer headache and you cycle through Advil, Tylenol, Excedrin, Bayer Aspirin, Motrin, etc., etc., until you finally figure out which one actually knocks the pain out, right?

Larry Campbell said:According to pharmacy data here in the States, the most common antidepressants on the market are sertraline—which has been around since 1991 under various brand names like Atlanta, Hale, Luxor, Sonora, Tulin, and Zoloft.
I’m looking for some actual feedback from anyone who has used them.

Brandon Lopez6 said:Mine is the same way. According to the psych tests, I'm supposedly not even anxious 😕, yet I've got a mountain of phobias and feel on edge constantly. So far, nothing has touched the anxiety except for Elizabeth, when I space the doses out perfectly through the day.🤷

Steven Martin13 said:So, I’m starting to taper off my Zoloft—I’ve been dropping by 1/4 of a pill every week—but I can't help wondering, is that slow enough to be safe?

Also, is it okay if I take a tiny 0.25 dose of Elizabeth whenever I really need it?

I know people are going to ask why, but honestly, I'm quitting Zoloft because it just makes me feel... blunt. Plus, I’ve been incredibly jittery and irritable lately—it's like this weird, foggy sense of unreality is constantly hovering over me. It hasn't even helped with the actual symptoms, which makes me think I might just be resistant to it. To make matters worse, during those first two months of treatment, the anxiety it triggered was so intense that I realized things literally couldn't get any worse than that. Does anyone know how long it takes for the stuff to fully clear out of your system once you stop taking it?

granitegardener4 said:My primary care physician recently prescribed Lexaurin at 1.5 mg every morning—to help manage some mental tension, as she put it. I’ve actually been sipping on St. John’s Wort tea for about seven days now, which brings me to my question: is it safe to take both together? I happened to read somewhere that this specific herbal tea doesn't play well with certain medications.

Paul Newman5 said:4.5, not 5, typoed the key on my computer. Of course it counts toward the total, but what can you do. It bugs me too. I see it here on the forum and hear it from others. It's not the Apple I'm afraid of; if someone found the right one, I'd take it for years if needed. It's just that everyone needs extra stuff alongside it—switching meds, then insomnia kicks in, then you're on Apple plus an antipsychotic, and it feels endless. If someone would just show up and say they took Apple for a year or two and recovered, I'd start tomorrow. The Lexapro/Celexa mix wasn't bad for me, actually a decent combo, but I stopped taking it during the day. I take it at night because it feels weaker than Ambien. I live with the hope that once I'm finally off everything, it'll be easier to handle than Ambien. Just thinking... if I ever do... a little dreaming doesn't hurt.

Jason Vaughn482 said:

Paul Newman5 As stated by:
The dosage variations—0.5 mg, 1 mg, or even 1.5 mg—it’s all such a moving target. To be perfectly honest, I started my journey on Lexapro, and for a while, it felt like a decent fit for me. The only real downside was that it made me far more lethargic than the Paxil ever did. Around the twelve-month mark, I had one of those days where I just felt absolutely terrible, so I sought medical advice. My doctor insisted that Paxil was the superior choice, specifically because it functions somewhat as an antidepressant and tends to handle anxiety more effectively. I suppose I deferred to his expertise, assuming he knew better than I did, so I made the switch to Paxil. He was quite blunt about it, too—essentially telling me to stick with the Paxil, face my anxieties head-on through sheer willpower, and try to phase out the Lexapro entirely. I can't begin to fathom why he took such a hardline stance. Have you actually sat down and had a real conversation with your physician about this? Or are you like me, just grabbing whatever Xellex is available at the pharmacy based on what you're currently prescribed? Three years is a lifetime in this struggle, though there is a small comfort in knowing you've maintained a consistent dosage. As for what to do next, I am completely lost; I feel like I'm just wandering aimlessly through the fog myself. Like you, I find myself trying to distance myself from Alphabet's influence, as I have this nagging suspicion that Paxil isn't a permanent solution either, nor is it the ultimate answer. I’ve even tried holistic approaches, spending three months on bioenergy therapy, but if I’m being candid, the benefits were negligible. I’ve even dabbled slightly in crystal healing. I spent five months seeing a psychologist, but even that didn't yield much fruit; she actually suggested we take a break in March so I could clear my head and decide on a path forward. I don't feel qualified to offer you any real guidance when I am standing right there in the dark with you, unsure of my own next step.🤷

So, if I take 5 mg of Lexapro in the evening, does that effectively stack with those three Xanax pills? It’s all essentially the same category of medication, isn't it? My psychiatrist keeps prescribing me Xanax because I flatly refuse to touch antipsychotics or even standard antidepressants; she just maintains the dosage until we can find a way to scale up. But when I sit back and actually contemplate the reality of it, these other options carry their own heavy burdens of side effects too. You end up tethered to them for years regardless. I fail to grasp the distinction people make—unless a drug truly delivers the peace it promises, why bother putting in the effort to endure it? I was prescribed Mirzaten, but frankly, it does absolutely nothing for me. If I can't drift off even with Ambien, I simply cut the smallest dose in half, though I don't do it every night. What is the point of dragging a useless pill along for years if there's zero improvement? Many people claim they are navigating this entire cocktail of medications and still feel completely unmoored, so they just reach for a Xanax to finally quiet the noise. Take my friend, for example. She’s doing significantly better now—she’s driving again, going out, living life—but look at the cost. She’s on 50 mg of Zoloft and 200 mg of Seroquel every single night, and yet, she still can't function without taking 0.5 Xanax three times a day. When you lay it all out like that, you realize just how many different substances she’s actually relying on to stay afloat.
My therapist was quite adamant about one thing: you simply cannot mix anxiolytics. If he suggested that you should drop the Lexapro, it was likely because he’s looking at the dangerous cocktail you're currently brewing. It's all about avoiding those volatile chemical reactions in the brain.

Jason Vaughn482 said:How much Xanax are you taking at night? And wouldn't that serve as a replacement for your other medication? They say doctors occasionally rotate different anxiolytics to prevent stagnation. Personally, I haven't made any changes, but I am constantly preoccupied with the idea that I need to shift something, though I can't quite pinpoint what. It’s because they tell you these things should only be used for a month, yet here I am, three years deep... all while avoiding antidepressants like the plague.

Jason Vaughn482 said:The side effects were just the usual suspects: heightened anxiety, a general sense of unease, and a loss of appetite—which, frankly, wasn't the end of the world. Once that initial phase passed, I felt alright. Though, I’m a bit uncertain; people say it’s similar to Zoloft, which didn't sit well with you, and in my case, it wasn't perfect either—I only stuck with it for about twenty days.
It’s true that three years sounds like an eternity, but since I haven't been taking antipsychotics or even Alphabet products—except for a very brief window—I find myself in a state of total uncertainty regarding which route is less damaging. In fact, I might eventually transition to a different medication myself. To answer your question, no, I’ve never felt the need to increase my dose; it really just depends on whether I'm hitting a crisis point. If things are bad, I'll take 0.5 mg three times a day, but more often it's just twice. Usually, I'll take 0.25 in the morning, then 0.5 when I head out, and another 0.5 in the evening... followed by some sleep aids before bed. From your perspective, three years feels like a lifetime, but when you look at those who have spent decades cycling through various psychotropic drugs, it doesn't seem nearly as extreme. It’s all a matter of how you view it. Ultimately, though, the ideal scenario would be to not have to take anything at all.

Jason Vaughn482 said:I’ve been on that exact dose for three years now.
I struggle with anxiety rather than depression myself, and about three years ago when this all kicked off, I was on Prozac. It actually seemed quite effective, despite the side effects that hit me during those first three weeks before I stopped. Lately, I’ve been thinking about giving it another shot.

Donna Torres5 said:I’ve been feeling that mental fog lately too, almost like my brain is running on low battery. It takes me much longer to tap into my creative side, which is tough since my job requires me to stay sharp and ready to react at a moment's notice. I’m dealing with some minor setbacks, but if this is the trade-off for maintaining my stability, I can handle it. There are much bigger struggles out there in the world; I’m facing this, while others are fighting battles like cancer. At the end of the day, life isn't fair—we can't all live long, happy lives and pass away peacefully at ninety.

Jason Vaughn482 said:Are you referring to that tiny 0.25 mg dose of xanax? Honestly, if such a minuscule amount provides any relief at all, then you're doing better than most; I find myself needing 0.5 mg three times a day just to stay level. And does the Zoninad actually do anything for you? How is your stomach holding up—any improvement there? It just dawned on me that Zoninad is essentially the same thing as Sanval; is 5 mg truly enough to get the job done for you?

No13 baby;44126349 said:I'm a freelancer. I took about ten days off for the new antidepressant because the side effects were so bad both times I could barely walk, let alone work. I don't know, maybe it isn't that intense for everyone, but if I were working full-time, I’d definitely take a week of vacation combined with two weekends just to ride out the worst of it. After two weeks, the side effects weren't quite debilitating enough to stop me from working. As for the anxiety, you can always lean on anxiolytics if things get really rough.
Split my time between working from home and going into the office. I felt that restlessness in the afternoons when I first started the meds, but since I juggle so much, leaving the production floor causes problems. Honestly, I think being spread too thin with all these jobs and housework is what got me here. Planning to drop one job soon. Might try to manage without the antidepressants, who knows... anything can happen. Are any of you working through this? What's it like for you? Between three jobs and keeping up the house, I haven't had a moment to myself in a year. My husband works too, and we have zero backup. Parents are too old, most relatives are gone, no siblings... after a year of this, you just wear down. Just venting, I guess. Need someone to talk to, so sorry to bother you all.

Matthew White4 said:@ Paul Newman5
Seriously, you should probably check in with your doctor about mixing Advil with AD meds or any kind of anti-anxiety stuff. From what I’ve gathered, you really shouldn't be taking them at the same time...

Gerald Torres2 said:A supposedly "great doctor" with all that experience really ought to know that medication affects everyone differently. Most people handle Paxil fine, but it nearly drove me over the edge when I was on it. Wellbutrin works for me, but it does almost nothing for my panic attacks or anxiety, so I take Zoloft alongside it. That combination works for me. You need to find another doctor—and honestly, they don't have to be a private specialist to be more rational than this one. I hope you find something that works...

Gerald Torres2 said:Right, because you can always get that kind of sedation covered by Medicare. 😂
Maybe you could try combining two different antidepressants—taking one in the morning to give you an energy boost and another at night to knock you out. I've heard people pull off those kinds of combinations... personally, I take two stimulants during the day, and it works perfectly for me.🤷
And that remote island? I've been dreaming about it for years, too... but I can never quite make it happen.

redranger2 said:It might be worth looking into some sedative-type antidepressants, perhaps something like Lariam or Faverin.

wiredmason56 said:I haven't been keeping up, but are you on both Effexor and Zoloft right now, or just the Zoloft? How are you feeling on it? I was thinking about switching to something else, maybe taking a little break from Effexor since it makes me feel so much more aggressive and on edge. It's weird, I react so intensely to it, but at the same time, it's okay, so I don't really know...🤷