Posts by Kevin Bailey2

Amy is a brutal drug. Seriously, it’s dangerous and pretty toxic. It left me completely out of commission—I did nothing but eat and sleep all day.

Luckily, my doctor didn't have me on it daily. He just prescribed it as needed to help dull the side effects from Valerie and Prosper. Mostly just for when I couldn't catch any sleep or something.

Jason Vaughn482 said:Does anyone happen to know if it’s actually possible to have an AD sent over from overseas via the postal service?

If it isn't available here in the States but you have a valid prescription, they usually just ship it to the main pharmacy in Washington, D.C., and you pick it up there.

A friend of mine was complaining about that Calixta too—it totally trashes your hormones.
She was on it for about a year, and things just kept spiraling downhill. It got so bad she actually attempted suicide, and they had to completely overhaul her treatment while she was in the hospital.

It’s a weird phenomenon how certain sedatives can actually have the exact opposite effect on some people—instead of chilling them out, they end up wired or even hyperactive.

The brain is a hilarious thing.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:But in the end, it all boils down to that "maybe another medication might work" scenario, which is so unfortunate. By the time a doctor finally tracks down that alternative, we've been fundamentally changed by the struggle.
We're talking about permanent changes to this or that part of us. And yet, hitting that perfect medication feels impossible.
The truth is, we can be quite timid when it comes to looking a doctor in the eye and saying, "Hey, man, let's please move away from this medication..." instead, we act like ninjas or some kind of phantom, fighting silently.
When you add it all up, you just take the pills and pray to God that things start working... and just like that, years fly by in vain.
Then, boom—everything starts all over again. It isn't easy, and it certainly isn't simple.😢

I've always worked with my psychiatrists, but I was never some obedient little puppy. I told them straight up what was killing me. I did my own homework on the meds and swapped stories with plenty of other patients. Based on that, I negotiated my way through treatment with my doctors.

Ashley Morales said:Hey guys,

So, here’s my deal. I really need some advice or just a little guidance from anyone who's been through this. 🙂

Back in 2009, I started on Lexapro and Xanax (1.5 tabs of Lexapro and 2x 0.25mg Xanax) because my anxiety was out of control. We're talking intense intrusive thoughts, constant panic, and heavy dissociation.
The meds worked, so after about a year, my doctor tapered me down to 1 Lexapro and 1 Xanax.
Then in 2011, I got pregnant and had to stop everything. About a month after quitting, all those symptoms came crashing back, making my entire pregnancy a total nightmare.
As soon as the baby was born, I jumped right back onto them. I've been taking 1 Lexapro and 1 Xanax daily for two years now, and I also see this amazing therapist at least once a month.
We figured out that most of what I'm dealing with stems from childhood trauma, plus smoking weed—which was always a huge trigger for my episodes. Thank God it didn't get even worse than it did.
Right now, I'm doing okay. I still get some intrusive thoughts and dissociation, especially around my period, but it's way more manageable with the meds.

But honestly? I think it's time to quit. I just don't want to be on these anymore, but I'm terrified the symptoms will come back just as hard as they did before.

Actually, yesterday when I took my dose, I felt super weird for a bit. Now I'm spiraling, wondering if these are new side effects popping up even after all this time. IS THAT EVEN A THING?

I know you're supposed to taper off slowly—like, one day half a Lexapro, the next day a full one, just easing into it.

SO PLEASE, ANYONE, HELP ME OUT OR SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE.

On one hand, I'm terrified to stop because I can't handle those brutal side effects again, especially since I have a two-year-old daughter 🙂 who needs me to be fully present, strong, and focused.
On the other hand, I'm scared of what these meds might be doing to me after taking them for so many years...

Help me please! 🙂

🙂

If you want to stop taking medication, do it under professional supervision.
If you can take some time off work and leave your kid with someone... check yourself into a facility like Massachusetts General Hospital or a similar psychiatric unit for observation. They might put you in intensive care for a few hours or maybe a couple of days initially. There, a psychiatrist will evaluate whether you're actually ready to taper off. If they decide you still need the meds after hearing your situation, they won't even ask if you want to stop—they'll just insist. You can't just say "I don't want these anymore" without considering what that does to your mental and physical state. If they determine you don't need them, the professionals will handle it. You'll get 24/7 support and supervision, so you can just focus on getting better.

I wouldn't recommend the rehab ward.

Paul Newman5 said:We're talking about what we actually went through, not spreading rumors. I see the psychiatrist I have available because I can't drive across the whole country just to switch doctors every single week. If you have the luxury to shop around, good for you, since your old posts make it pretty clear you can afford better care.
We weren't attacking you, so it’s not cool to call us liars or our doctors hacks. I was just sharing my own experience, and I wasn't even talking to you—I was talking to someone else. You tend to act pretty condescending on this forum, which isn't great. Based on what I've read, you think you know everything—won't take anything that causes weight gain, won't take meds for longer than a week, all that.

If you were dealing with serious heart issues, would walking to a specialist in a bigger city even be an issue for you?

Paul Newman5 said:We're talking about what we actually went through, not spreading rumors. I see the psychiatrist I have available because I can't drive across the whole country just to switch doctors every single week. If you have the luxury to shop around, good for you, since your old posts make it pretty clear you can afford better care.
We weren't attacking you, so it’s not cool to call us liars or our doctors hacks. I was just sharing my own experience, and I wasn't even talking to you—I was talking to someone else. You tend to act pretty condescending on this forum, which isn't great. Based on what I've read, you think you know everything—won't take anything that causes weight gain, won't take meds for longer than a week, all that.

There are millions of drugs on the market. A patient just needs to work with their doctor to find the right fit—the one that actually works for them. You have to remember that everyone is different; no two bodies react to the same medication in the exact same way.
For instance, a friend of mine put on 65 pounds while on Seroquel.
Me? On Seroquel, I was still 20 pounds underweight for my height.

Of course I'm not taking something that causes massive weight gain. Here’s why:
1. There's no reason to. There's always another psych med out there that could help without causing pathological weight gain as a side effect.
2. What's the point of treating depression if I end up developing diabetes?

I don't think I'm being arrogant. I'm just weighing the consequences. I look at the pros and cons of a drug versus the illness before I swallow anything.
At the end of the day, this is my life and my health we're talking about. It's not like I'm picking out floor tiles for my living room.

shadowbear9 said:Just calm down for a second. Nobody is spreading misinformation; I am simply repeating what she said. Her words were basically, "I could write that prescription for you, but I’d have to note that you have psychosis," which isn't necessary at your age unless you actually have it. Besides, your doctor won't give it to you just because I say so, since all you have is insomnia... next time, I'll just go to my own psychiatrist and ask her the exact same thing... btw, I've been using Sanval for years and I've seen all kinds of psychiatrists, so it really makes it seem like our entire healthcare system is broken.😉

You’ve seen all kinds of psychiatrists. It just seems like you haven't run into one who actually knows what they're doing.

Whoever decided you should be on Sanval for years needs to be fired immediately. Seriously.
Especially if you're still in that younger stage of life, like you mentioned.

Sanval doesn't actually fix why you can't sleep. It doesn't give you real, restorative rest, either. Honestly? It’s just brain poison.
Don't even get me started on Xanax or Helex.

Trust me, you wouldn't be the first or the last person to get handed an antipsychotic just because... Insomnia. It’s the worst..

I'm not going to tone it down. There are a ton of people reading this forum who actually need the help.
Look, everyone who posts here carries their own weight for what they say. You're responsible for your own words.
When you tell me you’ve been on Sanval for years, I feel like I have an obligation to tell everyone else reading this: psychiatrists like yours should probably have their medical licenses revoked.
Man, listen... your psychiatrist is treating you exactly like a GP would prescribe Lupocet for pneumonia. Just handing it out and letting you take it... for years. It’s a total disaster.

What are you guys even talking about? What kind of psychosis do you need to qualify for this medication?

I was prescribed a perfectly standard 400mg daily dose of Seroquel just to manage my depression and anxiety.
My medical records don't even show a single sign of psychosis.

Why are people spreading such misinformation?

I can't tell if people on this forum just love making things up or if they're visiting some total hack psychiatrist.
Good grief... no competent American psychiatrist is going to prescribe Sanval for anything longer than a week.

Do yourselves a favor and find a doctor who actually knows what they're doing.

Antipsychotics definitely do the trick for anxiety, and lately, doctors have been prescribing them more often than antidepressants for depressive disorders. People especially swear by Seroquel, praising it as a top-tier antipsychotic that packs a serious antidepressant punch.

Jason Sanchez3 said:Yeah, but everyone here makes it sound so casual, like taking meds is just part of a normal routine...

How long do people actually stay on them, and when do you finally stop?

Personally, I look at myself as someone dealing with a chronic condition—depression, anxiety, that whole spectrum. I’m pretty convinced I’ll be on medication for the rest of my life because, let’s face it, mental health isn't like taking an antibiotic where you finish a course and kill off some bacteria. It doesn't work like that. Once you stop antidepressants, you usually slide right back into that same dark hole. I don't know a single person who went off their meds and is now living completely symptom-free. Some people can stomach the symptoms; I can't. I just can't.
Life before meds was honestly disgusting. Everything felt heavy, and I was constantly gripped by fears that didn't even make sense. Why would I put myself through that stress if the pills actually work? There's no reason to suffer unnecessarily.

I can't afford to still be terrified of the dark or scared to be alone in my apartment or home alone with my kid.
Plus, if I passed those anxieties down to my child, we'd just be creating another cycle of mental illness. It feels better to "sacrifice" a bit and stick to my prescription so my kid doesn't have to deal with this crap. To be honest, if my mom had been on medication while I was growing up, I probably wouldn't be on them today. She passed all her stress and fear onto me when I was little, and that was way too much weight for a kid to carry.

I see zero downside to being on medication for life if I'm not dealing with side effects.
I haven't gained weight, my blood sugar is fine, my cholesterol is good... I’m healthy as a horse. My thyroid is steady, liver is great... and that's after a year and a half on them.
I get my checkups regularly, and if my body is doing fine, why would I stop? Why would I go back to feeling like a terrified little girl trapped in a 25-year-old's body?

I won't. These meds work for me. They help. People take medication for all sorts of physical ailments for their entire lives, but psychotropic drugs are still such a taboo topic in America. Honestly? I don't care. If I feel good, that's what matters. My body, my call.

Look, Seroquel was honestly the only thing that kept me from acting on suicidal thoughts. But the XR version is the real game changer. The regular stuff wasn't bad, but since I only took it at night, it would wear off by morning. Sometimes I'd take it during the day when things got really dark just to stay level. I’m pretty much immune to standard anti-anxiety meds—I could drink rain from Jesus's hands and feel nothing. Even with Xanax, I'm basically untouchable.

I remember being in the psych ward... First, they slapped me with Haldol, and the next day my jaw started cramping like crazy and my tongue actually swelled up. A medic gave me an Akineton injection and man, it felt like stepping into paradise. After that, I was constantly begging them for more injections... Haha... It was a total tragicomedy. I even found it funny when they'd check to see if we swallowed our pills. After a few days, they stopped bothering to check me because I was always being a smartass, asking for "refills"... Lol... Or I'd just snark at them, like, "Seriously? This is it? You guys are cheap..."... 🙂
The facility I was at in the city was absolute madness 😛
All those assholes just dropped my Rivotril from 6 mg down to 1 mg. Whatever. It's actually better this way. At least I don't feel totally drugged out like I used to.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:No. Please, just don't go suggesting pills that might actually make her feel even worse than she does right now.
Seroquel is a heavy hitter; I mean, is it even possible for someone to sleep for 20 hours straight without ever waking up? Because it happens... it really does.
Seroquel is intended for schizophrenia.
For anything else? It isn't the right tool for the job.
Qpin is a much milder option and generally easier to tolerate, though you have to remember the dosages aren't comparable.
A 200 mg dose of Qpin is significantly lighter than taking 100 mg of Seroquel.
She has a doctor, doesn't she? So let them decide what they think is best.

I'm not sure what you mean by "trick"... maybe I'm just slow, but out of all the antipsychotics I've tried, 25mg of Seroquel worked best for me. It's true that in the beginning, even 25mg would knock me out for 24 hours... but after about a week, things leveled out. Eventually, I didn't even feel that initial wave hitting me before bed; I'd just close my eyes and drift off immediately.

Regarding Loquen and Seroquel... I personally felt Loquen was much milder, even though I took it before switching to Seroquel. And they're technically the same med.
Doesn't matter.

Seroquel XR is a different beast entirely. At 500mg, I didn't even recognize myself. 300mg... I could manage that somehow. For me, 150mg seems to be the sweet spot—just enough.
And, yeah... obviously... any changes to therapy absolutely have to happen in consultation with a psychiatrist.

Jason Vaughn482 said:Which AP would be considered the mildest option for anxiety or perhaps as a sleep aid to replace Ambien, assuming it doesn't come with debilitating side effects or a laundry list of required lab tests? They always seem to suggest 25-50 mg of Prazosin to me; is that truly the gentlest option, or is there something else?
I'm mostly asking about sleep options for when I can no longer rely on Ambien.

Seroquel at 25 to 50 mg.

Jack Johnson47 said:So, it’s day four of me messing around with this combo—Ozempic, Nurtec, and Prasilax... man, what a ride. That very first night when I knocked back the Nurtec and the Prasilax? I was absolutely wiped out. Like, straight to dreamland, super heavy sleeper, totally out of it... though, waking up for my shift the next morning was a bit of a struggle, let me tell you.
But honestly, that was just the first time! Since then, I haven't had any trouble drifting off, even if I am still tossing and turning a couple of times throughout the night. As far as side effects go, the one thing I’m positive about is how insanely dry my mouth gets—it's constant. And, uh, twice now my heart has been doing this crazy racing thing... I can't tell if that's actually a reaction to the meds or if I'm just totally stressing myself out over nothing 🤷

With Prozac, the side effects can be pretty unpredictable at first. It’s hard to pin down exactly how they'll hit you.
One minute you might deal with insomnia for a few days, and then suddenly you're feeling drowsy all afternoon. That dry mouth is almost certainly from the Prazina... just keep some gum on you and drink plenty of water.

Side effects and just *imagining* you have them are two very similar things.
Some people won't even look at the warning labels on their meds because they believe in the power of suggestion. They figure if they read about a specific side effect, they'll somehow end up experiencing it. 😁

You're only on day four. I'm not sure how your doctor has you taking the Normabel... is it just at night?
Usually, doctors prescribe anxiolytics at the start of treatment to help smooth out the transition—basically, you take them as needed. So, if your heart starts racing, you take the Normabel or Xanax, or whatever else you were prescribed, to calm things down.

Gary Diaz3 said:I've been taking it for four years now. To be fair, it’s the first and only anxiolytic I’ve used, if you don't count a very brief stint with Xanax. Under normal circumstances, when life is relatively calm, this dosage is perfectly sufficient for me. There were even a few times when I ran out unexpectedly, and it didn't cause any major issues. However, on days when I'm feeling particularly jittery or overwhelmed, it feels like this dose just doesn't cut it.

On those high-anxiety days, even 8 milligrams isn't going to cut it.

Gary Diaz3 said:Yeah, I take 0.5 mg three times a day.

I don't know. I was just talking to someone recently who deals with some pretty rough neurological issues from a car accident. You have to focus really hard just to follow what he’s saying, and his movements remind me of Parkinson’s. That’s how we ended up talking about Klonopin.
He told me he takes one milligram a day.
And here I am, with zero neurological issues, taking 6 milligrams a day just because my psychiatrist suggested it. The guy couldn't believe it.

Now I'm sitting here wondering... damn... how much am I actually taking...

How long have you been on it? Why do you feel like it isn't enough? How does it even work for you—or how did it work back when you felt like you had "enough"?
Maybe it's just not the right med for you. Maybe you need something else entirely.

Gary Diaz3 said:I'm curious about what people think regarding a daily dose of 1.5 mg of Klonopin. To me, it feels like it might be a bit on the low side.

How are you taking it? You doing three half-milligram doses or what?

I usually take Seroquel 25mg at night. For a while, it was strong enough to carry me through the next day, but I guess my body just got used to it. Now, the anxiety is back to messing with me during the day.

Things like Lexapro or various herbal supplements? Forget about them. They’re useless to me. I've been there.

I take Klonopin as a stabilizer, but it doesn't actually touch my anxiety—it helps with other stuff instead.

I figured out that Seroquel (an antipsychotic) is actually pretty heavy-duty against anxiety, so I started taking it on my own during the day when I felt totally overwhelmed for no reason. And honestly? It worked.

Now I'm stuck wondering if I should even tell my psychiatrist... that I basically discovered this trick myself... 😁
If I explain this to her, is she going to bump me up to 2x25mg?

Larry Lewis said:All I know is that whenever I've had to switch from one antipsychotic to another, there hasn't been a single hiccup. I've cycled through maybe five or six different ones over the years of my treatment.

There's a massive difference between switching meds and just quitting them altogether.