Posts by Paul Newman5

restlesstrucker15 said:It just goes to show how much everyone's experience varies. My doctor typically prescribes it for two or three weeks a year whenever I hit a major crisis point. After that, he puts me on Sulpiride at either 25 or 50 mg. For me, it creates this sensation where nothing can really get under my skin, yet I don't feel drugged or out of it. As far as side effects go, the only thing I've noticed is a complete loss of libido. It certainly helps manage my anxiety, though I do find that it tends to dull some of my other positive emotions as well. Still, it isn't anything too catastrophic.

shadowfox75 said:Your experience mirrors exactly what I went through. To be fair, I was taking Normabest and Lamal alongside him at the time, and everything felt perfectly fine. Everything changed once they switched me over to Paxil after she retired. I stayed on top of things by attending group therapy sessions and strictly following my medication schedule. Believe me, I eventually managed to taper off the Normabest without any issues while continuing with the Paxil and Lamal. Currently, I am off everything except for the Lamal. I found Eglonyl to be quite tolerable, though you can see here the specific lingering symptoms I'm dealing with due to the Paxil.

shadowfox75 said:I took Egylonyl Forte about seven or eight years ago when I was dealing with severe anxiety and depression. It worked well for me. An older psychiatrist prescribed it to me; she noted that many of her younger colleagues dismiss it in favor of newer, supposedly "better" medications. She didn't understand their reasoning, as she found the drug to be exceptionally effective in clinical practice and had seen excellent results. For me, it was great, and I was able to taper off without any issues. I didn't even experience sexual dysfunction, despite her warning me it might occur. But that is entirely individual. A prime example is those people here taking the "smart," modern drugs who suffer specifically from those side effects. That is all I have to say. Stay persistent. It worked well for me.

redcrane22 said:Usually, the standard stuff hits harder than Xanax, but Xanax lingers—it just kind of washes over you all day long.
But hey, whatever works for you 😁

Unknown, I see people are still drinking Calistoga. I tried it once and, honestly, never again. I woke up at 4 PM after my shift ended, totally oblivious to the fact that I actually had to be back at work by 7 AM. My mom was trying to shake me awake for my job, and I didn't even flinch.
What a nightmare 😁

Brandon Lopez6;48433751 said:Don't you get what "off" means and what comes with it? I don't feel like arguing, so I just said I was leaving—I didn't mean forever. Good grief. 🤣

Sorry if I have to watch my tone with you. Maybe I should call you "Ma'am," since you're clearly a more experienced, older woman who's obviously offended by casual slang. My apologies for the emotional distress caused. 👋
No need for the formalities or the polite act. And since I am older, how should I know what "off" means?
See? We can play with the same toys. It feels better already now that you've apologized. My mental anguish has instantly subsided.
Anyway, back to the topic. A little "bickering" didn't make things any easier or harder. There's no point in trading jabs until we pass out; I think you'd agree.

Brandon Lopez6 said:Maybe I am young, but I've dealt with enough anxiety to know a thing or two.

I'm one of those people who isn't exactly "doing things by the book" when it comes to treatment, but I'm not going to lie about it or make excuses.

I'm done posting here. This is getting way too personal.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Man, I am truly sorry that you interpret certain posts as if they were personal attacks or... I don't know, something aggressive?
But you know how it goes, right? You can explain something eighty-four times to certain people, and yet, they just stubbornly cling to their own views regardless.
I live with PTSD from my time in the service.
I’ve tried everything—every substance under the sun—experimenting, struggling through it all, dealing with a mountain of side effects. Even now, I still deal with them, but honestly, I just don't let it get to me anymore.
I used to think, "Wouldn't it be incredibly cool if people felt more comfortable sharing their silly little struggles more often?" I never realized that this place would feel like an exclusive "clique" where a small group has basically privatized the entire forum and won't let anyone else get a word in edgewise.
Look, if my decision to stay quiet helps anyone, fine, okay, but I highly doubt that's the case.
I suppose I might have started getting on a few people's nerves over time, but I really do try to remain objective—as much as I can, damn it.
As for medication? I know a thing or two about it. I've been through the ringer with various prescriptions... and when you talk to a doctor, you usually just get those classic, canned responses that don't actually tell you anything at all.

Brandon Lopez6 said:It sounds like you just don't trust your doctor enough to prescribe something decent. You aren't the only one feeling that way, and frankly, I'll never get why that's the mindset.

Besides, you admitted yourself that you don't even take your meds properly—you'll take one for a few days and then just quit. Sorry to burst the bubble, but there's no magic pill that's going to fix your anxiety overnight.

Jason Vaughn482 said:How did you hold up while taking Velafax, and what kind of side effects did you run into during the initial phase? Does it actually help with anxiety?

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Doctors are the ones who prescribe sleep medication, so I suppose our personal anecdotes don't carry much weight, do they?
If we are talking about pure strength, Ambien is quite powerful.
Of course, since it belongs to the benzodiazepine class, there really isn't any point in taking it long-term, is there?

rowdyorca13 said:Hey there,
I used to take Valium, but honestly, I wasn't happy with it at all. It barely helped me. It worked for the first three or four days, and then after that, basically nothing... Can anyone recommend some other sleeping pills that actually worked for you?

As for Normbal, my doctor prescribed it along with Advil after a bad traffic accident. To be honest, I didn't feel any particular effect from it. It felt almost exactly the same whether I was taking it or not, except maybe feeling a little more drowsy, so I really don't know...

Kevin Nguyen3 said:I have literally spent years experimenting with all sorts of medications—some of which aren't even available anymore—plus I had a full evaluation and a brief course of treatment while I was over in the USA. Even that didn't really do the trick.
I think I mentioned this somewhere before, but Dr. Kramarić at Mayo Clinic advised me on this specific therapy I'm on now, and finally, someone actually hit the mark. If it hadn't been him, maybe someone else would have stepped up, or maybe I'd still be stuck in this endless cycle of trial and error even today.

Blue said:
You really need to sit down with your psychiatrist and tackle the basics, like the insomnia. You can't fix the other issues if you aren't getting actual rest and letting your body recover.
Maybe suggest checking out some options from the Associated Press. Ask your doctor about trying one of those. I take Quincy and it works for me. Who knows if it'll work for you.
The best move is just having a serious talk with your psychiatrist.
Ambien might have helped when you first started therapy, but it won't do much now.
There's Ambien, which is probably the strongest hypnotic out there, acting as a sedative and anticonvulsant too.
You always have choices. No one can force anything on you, which is why we talk things through with doctors.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:I'm currently on two different antidepressants and one antipsychotic.
Not a single anxiolytic or anything like that.
And I sleep just fine.
We've touched on this a few times already, haven't we? For chronic, long-term insomnia, nothing really works unless you introduce an antipsychotic.

Jason Vaughn482 said:Perhaps all that logic holds water, but when I start an antidepressant—take Lexapro, for instance—everything just falls apart; I can't sleep, and my anxiety spikes even worse than before. Or if I try something like Paxil, it knocks me out so completely that I feel like a total zombie the next day, which then makes me reach for Xanax just to function. So, what have I actually achieved? Maybe these specific meds just don't sit right with my chemistry, but with Xanax, things always seem manageable. It seems like everyone is on something; one person takes Xanax, another takes Klonopin, but almost nobody survives on antidepressants alone... at least from what I've gathered in my research. If I could just stumble upon an antidepressant that didn't leave me needing Xanax or battling insomnia, I would be the happiest person on earth.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:I haven't been following your posts closely, so I'm not entirely sure what your specific diagnosis is, but let me tell you this: saying there is no cure is simply not true.
There is a remedy for everything! Whether it works with more or less success, or whether the effects manifest quickly or slowly... does that even matter? The core issue is that medication can alleviate all sorts of disorders. Of course, it would be ideal to incorporate some form of psychotherapy as well.
The Velafax will help you. I am speaking from memory here since I don't know your exact situation... I take 75 mg every single night, and I can't recall ever wanting to stop. Your body cannot develop a tolerance to it, so there is really no point in increasing the dose or taking it more frequently.
Your doctor likely knows very well—though, frankly, many don't—that certain combinations can lead to real success. In a worst-case scenario, adding an antipsychotic could provide immediate relief for your current state. Thank God there are heaps of them available on the market now; there was a time when you could count them on one hand!
All of these medications cause some negative side effects, whether they are mild or severe, but it remains manageable considering the weight of the illness itself.
Just give the Velafax some time... everything is going to be okay.😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:😲 That sounds pretty unprofessional to me. Based on what you've posted here, it doesn't seem like you need an ER visit at all, so I'm totally lost as to why your doctor would even say that. Not making any sense.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Yes, please, just be patient. You know, sometimes the symptoms can act completely opposite to what you'd anticipate. You might even walk away thinking you felt better before you started the medication, but that isn't the reality of it.
Wait, a strike?
As far as I am aware, there isn't any kind of strike happening in psychiatry. If I heard correctly—and I was at my own check-up just the other day, and everything seemed fine—it's all moving along. Sparrow is working away as usual... hehe, man, "normal" and "Sparrow" in the same sentence sounds so strange, doesn't it?🤣
For now, Velafax is the only thing that has truly helped me pull myself out of this rut, along with Calixt and Q-pin.No, but that's a whole different story entirely.☕

Kevin Nguyen3 said:I have been on Velafax for two, perhaps three years now. It is a long time, isn't it? One begins to wonder how the body adapts... how the system settles into this new equilibrium. Does the body adjust to the medication? Yes, it does. It finds a new normal. And does the drug work? Of course, it works. But what can one truly say about the certainty of such things? Is there a universal rule for how we react? No, I don't think so. There simply isn't. We are all fundamentally different individuals, aren't we? Every single one of us.
Is it just me, or does Velafax actually seem to work? I mean, really work? In my experience, it’s a solid medication—truly dependable. And the side effects? They're minimal. Almost negligible, really! Isn't that exactly what we all hope for when starting something new? Just a steady, reliable way to feel better without all the usual chaos.
Just have a little patience, alright? He’ll get through his portion of the therapy. It takes time, doesn't it? We can't rush the process.