It’s awful. I honestly can't tell if this is coming from tapering off my previous antidepressant or if it's the Valdoxan. I just don't know.
Physically... I'm dealing with dizziness... it feels like I have an internal fever... like I'm burning up on the inside but nothing will break through to the surface... it feels as though my brain is spinning on its own axis... if I move my head even slightly too fast, it feels like everything inside is going to turn into mush.
Psychically... well, that's harder to pin down... is it the medication or just life hitting me all at once? To be honest, external factors have been hitting me hard. A massive shock recently has made it impossible to be objective about what's causing what. Mostly, I'm experiencing bouts of hysterical crying, deep depression, and daily suicidal ideation... plus constant outbursts and threats toward everyone around me. I have absolutely no control over my emotions right now... I suppose it might not be the Valdoxan, but how am I ever supposed to know for sure???
Justin Rogers5 said:No clue. Went once and that was enough for me. Same here—my doctor prescribes four or five different meds😲 like I’m some kind of lost cause. I just shove them in a drawer.🤷Especially after reading the side effects.
How does one even define what a good female doctor looks like? I know a few. There are actually some great ones over at the Mayo Clinic... personally, I've come across two who are truly wonderful. One is my own physician... and I run into the other during my shifts in the ER... if anyone needs a recommendation... just ask.
I started taking Ad Valdoxan on Friday, so I've only been on it for four days now. It hasn't kicked in yet, though of course an antidepressant usually takes two to three weeks to start working (even if the label says Vladoxan can show effects within just one week of therapy). To anyone else starting their meds: please don't lose hope.... transitioning from my last antidepressant to this new one... it's been a nightmare. Waking up in the middle of the night... the depression is catastrophic, involving hysterical crying fits that last for hours... and these terrible mood swings where I flip from sadness to rage to happiness in an instant (though I am also taking the stabilizer Lamal). This morning, on day four, it feels like things are maybe a tiny bit easier. I'm not giving up; I'm fighting through it and hoping for the best. Switching antidepressants... this transition period... oh boy... it's just pure misery.... how do you all handle changing medications?
driftinggull21 said:It is difficult to say for certain right now; perhaps you are projecting and interpreting reality through those very projections. 🤷
Haha... look, I have both a bachelor's and a master's degree... and I still have absolutely no clue what that's supposed to mean... goodness. I am embarrassed for you.
driftinggull21 said:Melatonin is intended to help regulate sleep cycles, regardless of a specific diagnosis.
I don't actually have any trouble sleeping. When my psychiatrist asked if I had issues with my sleep patterns, I told her no, because I sleep quite regularly. However, she prescribed it to me yesterday due to severe depression. She noted in my chart that I'm dealing with oscillatory mood, decreased willpower and drive, along with projectivity and interpretativity. What does all that last part even mean? She also mentioned my weight and said this might help with that, too. I can't remember every single detail of what was said because I was at the psychiatric ER yesterday in a really terrible state. She decided to take me off the medication I've been on for a year and a half since the depression just isn't lifting. Thank you so much for your answers. They really mean a lot to me.
driftinggull21 said:There aren't many patients on Valdoxan yet. It’s still on the supplemental list, meaning you have to pay a significant portion out of pocket because Medicare doesn't cover the full cost. That said, it belongs to a newer generation of ADs and should theoretically work faster with fewer side effects than traditional ADs. Hopefully, it works for you.
One more thing... I was reading up on it and how it relates to melatonin and the pineal gland... I don't quite grasp the mechanism behind the melatonin part. Do you know how it affects mood, specifically regarding my diagnosis of F60.3 and F33.2? I get how the other ADs work by targeting serotonin and dopamine... but this whole melatonin connection... would it be like that feeling you get after a session at a tanning salon? Like you just feel slightly better somehow... it's a silly comparison, but I'm trying to wrap my head around the logic. Thanks.
driftinggull21 said:There aren't many patients on Valdoxan yet. It’s still on the supplemental list, meaning you have to pay a significant portion out of pocket because Medicare doesn't cover the full cost. That said, it belongs to a newer generation of ADs and should theoretically work faster with fewer side effects than traditional ADs. Hopefully, it works for you.
Thanks, Scarlett. I really wish I could hear from someone who is actually taking it. I know it's rare... but I was holding out hope. I also realize how individualistic things are with ADs... I honestly don't know what to expect. But anyway, I'll post an update later so you all know how it affects me... who knows, maybe it'll help someone else too. Why does everyone get so skinny on Prozac? If only it could help me drop these pounds I put on from Zyprexa...
Look, I’m no psychologist or psychiatrist, but I can certainly offer my two cents. In my opinion, she’s manipulating everyone here by using these temper tantrums; it’s pretty obvious she’s figured out that acting out is the quickest way to get exactly what she wants. From where I’m standing, the right move would be for her to learn how to manage her own behavior. That starts with people setting firm boundaries—clearly communicating what is acceptable and what isn't. To be honest, this whole situation feels less like adult drama and more like a toddler having a meltdown. You know the type—when you tell a kid they can't have a new toy and they just start flailing their arms and kicking the floor while screaming at the top of their lungs. I have no idea what her upbringing was like, but based on everything being said here, she seems to be struggling with emotional regulation and a real lack of self-awareness regarding herself and those around her. There is actually a great book about establishing healthy boundaries by Jasper Hull titled "This Is Me, Who Are You?" It focuses on teaching adults how to set limits with children in a constructive, kind way that helps build a child's personality rather than crushing it. Regardless, I really think seeking professional help would be a wise step. Being emotionally immature isn't necessarily a crisis in itself, but when it starts hurting her and everyone else in her life, then you definitely have a problem that needs addressing. It might not even require a psychiatrist; perhaps some standard psychotherapy would be enough to unpack these patterns and work toward some much-needed stability.
I’m currently on gaps... honestly, I don't even feel like I need them anymore, so I’ve scaled back from three down to just one... but I'm doing great on them. Okay, one antipsychotic... otherwise, things are steady; I always used to be able to fall asleep from an evening dose of Xanax... as for everything else... nothing much happened.
Dana Hayes3 said:Yeah, I took the first one and waited about 20 minutes, but nothing happened. So I took a second, then about 10 minutes after that, I took a third. I hadn't touched any alcohol at all, either. This was Tuesday night and the effect is still lingering.😲
Look, I’m not a doctor and I don't really know much about pharmacology, but that sounds like a massive amount to me. I honestly don't think it's a good idea to start self-medicating like this, especially with this specific type of medication. You mentioned waiting 20 minutes, but some of these drugs actually take up to three weeks to reach their full effect. This isn't something you should play around with. Please, go talk to a medical professional. People on this forum can't give you actual medical advice; we can only share our own stories and personal experiences. A doctor needs to be the one prescribing your meds.
Dana Hayes3 said:You see, I actually went out of my way to ask in that psychopharmacology thread how those specific therapies work and if anyone had any real-world experience with them. Instead, all I got was a bunch of people acting like experts, spouting nonsense that didn't make a lick of sense. So, on Tuesday right before heading out, I decided to take three 200mg doses of Eglonyl, and man, I am still feeling it. It’s like I’ve been living in a dream state for the last two days... it was honestly pretty gross. 🙂 😠 This stuff is heavy; I can practically feel it frying my brain. And what am I supposed to do? Walk into a psychiatrist's office and admit how easily I can spiral? If I tell them that, they’ll just hand me some even more intense prescription or something even harder, and I am telling you now—absolutely NOT happening!
Three 200mg doses??????
I've been on therapy for a year at most, and I only take two 10mg doses.
Okay, it's not the exact same medication... but 200 mg?????
I’m asking for someone with actual expertise to step in and explain to this guy what psychiatric medications actually are. I am standing firmly behind everything > wrote... the woman really gave it her all. These aren't exactly candy when you're just craving a little sugar. We have people here dealing with serious disorders and clinical diagnoses... individuals who rely on their prescribed medication just to stabilize their lives enough to function, and more often than not, just to survive at all. If you don't grasp the gravity of this, you really shouldn't be trolling. You don't truly understand something until you've experienced it firsthand—what these types of drugs are designed to do and why anyone would ever need to take them.
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, Zyprexa caused some major weight gain for me. They switched me over to Zeldox... which just made me sleep all day... so now my doctor has put me on a break from antipsychotics altogether.
Since starting my antidepressants, I've been strictly on Elsie. I haven't had any side effects and I'm tolerating it well, but I can't help feeling like the antidepressant should be doing more to lift my mood. My test results confirm that I'm still struggling with pretty heavy depression. I've just been reading through other people's experiences with different medications so I can be proactive when I talk to my psychiatrist. I want to be able to speak up immediately if she suggests something else, rather than having to suffer through another month of trial and error.
I'm definitely not an expert on pharmacology—that's not my field at all. I just try my best to stay consistent and take everything exactly as prescribed. Honestly, though, I've become a bit fearful because my past experiences with antipsychotics were so rough.
I have to wonder, though... if someone is prescribed an antidepressant that is perfectly suited for their specific condition, does the depression actually just vanish? What is it supposed to feel like when an antidepressant is actually working effectively???? I've lived with being in a dark place for so long—feeling depressed, dealing with suicidal thoughts, feeling frustrated and angry at everything—that I don't even know what "normal" is supposed to feel like anymore. Am I supposed to feel happy once the meds kick in? I honestly have no clue.
I honestly don't trust doctors anymore My psychiatrist kept trying to convince me that Zyprexa wouldn't cause weight gain... yeah, right. No chance. Back then, I wasn't even in any state to be digging around online or checking in on the forums; I was doing incredibly poorly. Now that I can finally manage it, I'm asking. To be honest, I just don't believe anyone anymore, especially not medical professionals.
I really don't want to walk into my psychiatrist's office and start listing out every little thing I'm feeling... it’s not like I’m just picking up groceries. I honestly thought she would pick up on things herself... but fine, I guess I'll have to be the one to bring it up. Can you actually expect side effects from an antidepressant, like extreme drowsiness or maybe an increased appetite? I already know what to look for with antipsychotics—I've experienced those firsthand—but I'm curious about antidepressants. Which one is more potent than Elsie, and how do they typically affect you in terms of side effects? I realize everyone reacts differently, but I can't afford to take something that completely wipes me out; I have a job to maintain and I need to function normally. Because of the delay with Seroquel and waiting a whole month for my doctor to send over the prescription, I almost lost my job. I feel like psychiatrists should show a bit more care when switching a patient to a stronger medication—especially when the side effects are well-documented—by perhaps ordering the refill earlier so we can monitor how the body adjusts. My doctor didn't do that; she scheduled my next script for a month out. I actually stopped taking them on my own because I genuinely thought I was dying, and then she just snapped at me for stopping them without permission! I can't even call her to ask questions because she shuts me down immediately... she brings up my BPD diagnosis and starts setting "boundaries"... even though I've only called her twice in the last year, and both times were serious issues regarding my medication.
I was on Zeldox for about two weeks... I was prescribed it to replace Zyprexa because the side effects from that were just devastating... But Zeldox? It completely drained my life force... I’d show up to work at eight, and by nine, I was heading straight back home to sleep... I couldn't even keep my eyes open; I spent the entire time sleeping, and whenever I actually was awake... I felt like a walking corpse.
I was also prescribed Lamictal as a stabilizer, but I find the whole thing a bit strange. The very first time I received it, they started me right away on the 200 mg dose. From talking to other people, I've heard they start much lower, like at 50 mg... so I don't quite understand why my psychiatrist jumped straight to such a high dose of 200 mg for me? It feels a little odd.
I'm also curious about what everyone thinks regarding AT&T. I've been taking Elise for over a year now, at 2 AM. I've noticed that I am still feeling incredibly depressed, especially lately. I just cry so, so much. I underwent psychological testing last week, and they didn't even indicate a depressive shift. It feels to me like that AT&T should be working a bit better to suppress the crying and this general state. Is it necessary to switch the AT&T?
No pill causes weight gain all on its own, but something like Zyprexa can definitely trigger a massive increase in appetite. Did you actually tell your doctor about the history of bulimia? It honestly surprises me that they’d prescribe Zyprexa as an antipsychotic given those eating disorder struggles...
Melissa Campbell3 said:Does Zyprexa (olanzapine from a different manufacturer) cause weight gain regardless of what you eat? Like, will you put on pounds even if you aren't eating anything?😲 I’m honestly lost here since I just started taking these yesterday. It’s a huge concern for me because I struggle with bulimia, and gaining more weight feels like it would just push me completely over the edge.😢 I'm just feeling really overwhelmed by everything right now.
Increased appetite is pretty much the hallmark side effect of Zyprexa. Personally, I gained a massive amount of weight from it. My entire existence revolved around what I was going to eat next. It became my whole world... I would find myself eating three separate breakfasts. It was awful. On top of the weight, I dealt with intense tremors in my legs, so they ended up putting me on Aketon too. My legs also used to swell up really badly. Once I finally got off the medication... the difference was night and day. All those side effects just vanished. Just see how it affects you specifically. If you're worried about the scale moving, I'd suggest finding some kind of physical activity... assuming you actually have the energy for it and aren't feeling too sedated. Keep in mind, it takes about three weeks for Zyprexa to fully kick in.