Posts by Kenneth Scott41

I’ve recently started taking Seroquel, though I hadn't realized just how incredibly widespread its use actually is☕

Posts are getting harder to come by lately. I suppose people are either out enjoying the coast or things are just going smoothly for them, but if I had to guess, I can already see this thread heating up again right before the winter chill sets in.

Has anyone here actually tried using those Fentanyl Patches for pain management?
I’ve heard they’re incredibly versatile and straightforward to use, though I suppose the price tag is quite steep...

It honestly warms my heart to see more people making the switch to Effexor. I know I might sound like a broken record, and I apologize if I’m being a bit tedious about it, but I truly believe this medication has been my greatest ally, and it continues to be🙂

I really blew it this time. I can't help but think back to this one psychiatrist who once told me that everything is just happening inside my own head.
Ever since then, whenever I find myself stuck in a rough patch or just feeling generally miserable, I tend to drift back to his
words.😉

I suppose I should probably start by saying that I don't claim to have all the answers, but I've been sitting here thinking about this for quite some time now. It seems to me that we often overlook the subtle complexities of how these things actually play out in our daily lives. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, or perhaps I'm just seeing patterns where others see nothing at all, but there's a certain weight to these situations that I think warrants a bit more scrutiny than we usually give them. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that everything is rarely as simple as it appears on the surface, and if we aren't careful, we might find ourselves caught off guard by the very things we thought we understood.

wiredmason56 said:So, what are you taking the Seroquel for? Is it just for insomnia or something else? Personally, I try to stay away from antipsychotics if I can help it. A friend once gave me some Prozac to help when I couldn't sleep—she promised I'd sleep like a baby, and honestly, it worked.🙂

I take it primarily to steady my nerves and stave off those inevitable withdrawal spikes—those frantic, desperate cravings that tend to crawl in when things get rough. It doesn't really have much of a sedative effect on me, I suppose; it’s more about keeping the edge off than actually knocking me out.

Listen, if you’re already taking something for anxiety—an anxiolytic, if we’re being technical—please, I beg you, try to choose the option that is least damaging to your system. And how do we even decide that? Well, everything follows a certain logic, whether it’s based on potency or some other metric, and I suppose these medications are often categorized by their mechanism of action or just their sheer strength, which is really what matters here.
Who actually cares about how they're sorted alphabetically? What really matters is how they stack up in terms of potency. Personally, I’ve experimented with almost every type of anxiolytic out there, ranging from the milder stuff to Xanax, Lorazepam, Bromazepam, Diazepam, Oxazepam, and I could go on forever without listing them all. I have a temperament that is, frankly, very prone to addiction, so whenever a new pill hits the market, I feel this compulsion to try it—especially if it's a benzo... ah, those sweet benzos.😁 They’ve done quite a bit of damage to my life, though I suppose they helped at times too.
What I mean is that specifically that much-touted Xanax—whether it's under a brand name or generic—works "sweetest." It provides that instant kill for tremors and anxiety, but that pleasant sensation only lasts about two hours, which makes it incredibly dangerous. You see, when something helps a person that quickly—and we’re talking about a profound sense of comfort and relaxation—it starts to feel like a little diamond for the soul. That’s precisely why people start escalating their doses without even realizing it, or maybe they just think, "Eh, it doesn't matter if I take one extra... it's not like it's a big deal." But tolerance builds. Eventually, one pill isn't enough anymore, and you find yourself needing two or three just to chase that same feeling you got when a single dose used to do the trick.
It’s easy to get lost in that labyrinth. I guess I've written quite a bit about this without even thinking, because the words just flow since I've lived through it all. I’ve been addicted, I’ve gone through the withdrawals, and I know exactly what I'm talking about. So, if anyone is struggling, needs advice, or finds themselves in the exact same position I was in, please feel free to send me a private message.

As I mentioned earlier, the primary culprit when it comes to building tolerance and eventually falling into addiction is Xanax (generic alprazolam).

In my view, the best option is Diazepam. History has proven its utility in countless cases.
The generic name is Diazepam, though it might be sold under names like Ativan, Valium, or several others depending on where you are.
Back in the 70s, when this medication first started seeing widespread use, it was even available in liquid form. It was actually administered to heroin addicts just to help stabilize and calm them down. That should tell you something; if a drug can provide relief to a heavy-duty addict, it carries a certain weight. It gives Diazepam a level of credibility that puts it at the top of the hierarchy regarding efficacy.
Diazepam is fundamentally different from its counterpart, Xanax. While Xanax focuses on wiping out tremors and tension, Diazepam relaxes the entire body. It has this pervasive relaxing effect on both the physical body and the mind that Xanax just lacks. Furthermore, its effects last much, much longer; its half-life is roughly 24 hours. So, by every parameter and statistical measure, Diazepam is significantly more effective, and crucially, it isn't nearly as addictive as that foolish Xanax. Ugh, I could probably go on for another two hours about how it works, but I don't want to bore everyone... I just want people to recognize the difference and always, always choose Diazepam over alprazolam (Xanax).

So, people, please, choose wisely. Go with Diazepam, whether it's branded as Ativan or Valium—you won't go wrong. 😉

mistycrane19 said:I’ve been sipping on 15mg of Praxiten for a few years now. It was my replacement for Apaurin—which I was miserably addicted to before seeking professional help to detox... though my psychiatrist told me this struggle was inevitable. She was right. I’ve been through seven different circles of hell with that experience... and then came the Praxiten. God 😠
.
It started classically: mornings and evenings... then eventually afternoons when needed, then mid-shift doses... until I managed to push myself up to 4 pills a day. That’s a hell of a lot. I was either constantly nodding off or just straight-up sleeping...

So, relatively recently, I decided to take matters into my own hands and start tapering off "therapy." Dropping from 4 to 3 was a massive leap. For about three weeks, I felt the void left by that one missing pill, but I pushed through... then I dropped to 2. I felt that one, too. The usual suspects: headaches, lethargy, irritability... by noon I hate myself, and by the afternoon I hate the rest of the world. That dragged on for another 3-4 weeks...

-Then I summoned the strength to move down to 1.5... basically half a Praxiten in the morning, half in the afternoon, and half at night... and even that hit me pretty hard.

And just a week ago, I moved down to 1 mg of Praxiten... half in the morning and half at night... and this is fucking brutal. My head feels like it's exploding, my arms feel heavy, and I can feel every single bone in my body—and I am not exaggerating. Whether there's sleep or not, if there is, the nightmares are so vivid I can't tell if I'm dreaming or awake... plus the excessive sweating... it’s a total nightmare on the N100 level.

Basically, I also cut out Cipralex, which I actually liked, reducing that therapy by 50% as well. I’m doing all of this on my own without my psychiatrist knowing... though it wouldn't really matter if she did, since I’m stuck at home 808 miles... :/

The night before last, a brutal crisis hit me. I ended up taking half a Praxiten, which wasn't the plan, but I just couldn't take it anymore...

I tip my hat to you! People who haven't been addicted to Paxil or other types of benzos have no idea what kind of hell this is. That withdrawal can easily be compared to methadone withdrawal. I've been through both, and I can tell you that the Xanax withdrawal was literally killing my brain. It's hard to explain how it feels to someone else, but that withdrawal is "dry," and you feel like an ice cube because you're shivering constantly and your nose won't stop running, plus those intense muscle tremors and stiffness because your body is used to the anxiolytic and suddenly it isn't, so your whole system is basically in a state of shock and cramping!
Diazepam is often used as a bridge while you're weaning off Xanax. Generally, at a major hospital like Mayo Clinic, the maximum inpatient dose of Diazepam is only 30mg, which is three 10mg tablets.🙂
That's why I remember clearly what Dr. Quincy told me, and I try not to exceed 30mg of Normabas a day, though sometimes I do end up taking 4 tablets, but I feel at peace because I finally got rid of that stupid Xanax that wrecked my nerves and my brain.

Larry Lewis said:How long does it actually take for an antipsychotic to really kick in and start doing its job?

So, here’s the deal—I was recently prescribed 300mg of Seroquel XR, and out of nowhere, over the last few days, I’ve been feeling... well, almost completely sane. I’ve been on it for about 20 days now, so I’m sitting here wondering if it’s actually the medication or just some strange cosmic fluke. Either way, this sudden shift caught me totally off guard. I feel more stable—those intrusive thoughts have either weakened significantly or vanished entirely—and the nightmares have finally stopped. For once, I’m actually in a decent mood. I just find myself praying this lasts—that I don't slide right back into that exhausting cycle of merely surviving instead of actually living my life.

It’s genuinely good to hear that Seroquel is making a difference for someone. You’re on a pretty high dose, I suppose, but then again... the most important thing is that you're feeling better. Personally, I take 100mg of Seroquel, which seems to be just about right for me—not too little, but not overwhelming either. 😉
For me, this medication has been incredibly helpful, and I truly believe it's one of the most effective antipsychotics out there. It's hard to imagine anything better.

I’ve been staying consistent with my Velafax, which honestly helps me quite a bit, and they also added Seroquel to my regimen; it’s actually a really effective medication, though I suppose the downside is that I feel hungry all the time.😁
The most critical part for me is that I’m on 30mg of Xanax daily—well, it used to be Normabel.
That diazepam really does the trick... it feels significantly better than alprazolam, which I suspect just ends up wrecking your brain.

heavy doses of Seroquel😁

Is anyone here currently taking 1mg Xanax?

I feel like I’m hitting a brick wall with my doctors lately. It’s incredibly frustrating because they just keep prescribing these standard acetaminophen or tramadol pills for my pain, and honestly, I don't feel a single thing from them. 🙂 The reality is that I’m on methadone every day—which is morphine-based—so we’re talking about a completely different tier of potency compared to basic tramadol. It’s just simple logic, really; my system is calibrated to something much stronger, so these weaker options are practically placebo at this point. If I actually want some relief, I need something like morphine tablets—specifically MST. But apparently, my doctors have this misguided idea that morphine is only for end-of-life care or extreme trauma, as if you only need it when someone is literally ripping your fingernails out. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I can't figure out if I'm just failing to communicate effectively, or if there's some underlying bias where they think certain people shouldn't have access to these types of medications. Who knows? 🙂 I wish I could just hand them one methadone pill and one tramadol pill side-by-side so they could witness the massive gap in efficacy for themselves. They probably wouldn't even feel the tramadol! 🙂

Eric Jackson11 said:Is anyone else here taking Mirtazapine?
It’s actually working pretty WELL for me! I just hope the feeling lasts...

So, your drug of choice is an antidepressant? 😁
There are plenty of much better options out there... stuff that genuinely transports you into this kaleidoscopic dreamscape... where it feels like you're just floating through life...😉

fadedbear92 said:See? It just goes to show that even the worst days eventually pass...

Yeah, I suppose you're right about that. It’s just that on those particularly rough days, I occasionally find myself saying or doing things so incredibly foolish that I have to stop and wonder, "Wait, was that actually me? Did I really just say that?"

I seem to recall you mentioning that you've been on antidepressants for quite a while now, and I was wondering if that's something people just stay on for the rest of their lives? I ask because I've found an Effexor dose that works for me, but I get this nagging feeling that if I were to miss my pills for even two days, I might just completely fall apart...

I think I've finally found my 🙂 and honestly, I’m feeling pretty good about it. I guess there's no more need for all this endless trial and error.

wiredmason56 said:So, my doctor wrote me a script for Effexor instead of Wellbutrin, claiming they were basically the same thing, just made by different companies. 😕 I mean, she clearly doesn't get it at all, because Effexor works on serotonin and norepinephrine, while the other one hits norepinephrine and dopamine. They are two completely different beasts; she's totally lost it. 😂 Anyway, I finally took a dose after a long break and now my jaw is twitching a bit, my pupils are dilated, and I feel all restless... kind of like how Kenneth Scott41 felt on Cymbalta. 🤷

I eventually gave up on Wellbutrin altogether... and I tried Cymbalta for about three weeks before switching back to Effexor. Why? Because I didn't feel even the slightest bit of change on Cymbalta. Not one single thing changed.
It was almost as if I were just swallowing air!

After cycling through all those lighter antidepressants and even some of the heavier hitters like Effexor or Wellbutrin, I feel like I’ve somehow looped right back to square one. I honestly tried a mountain of different ADs, but none of them ever hit the mark quite like Effexor did. I suppose some people might think I'm just talking nonsense, but I really did give Cymbalta a fair shot, and it didn't do anything for me—I didn't feel a single thing 🤷
.
If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that after testing almost every option out there, I finally found my match, and that's Effexor! 🙂

Hey, redpilot37, if you're lurking here, just know that this Effexor is as vital to me as a steady supply of Hep C meds 😁 yeah, sure... as if anyone would believe that.
Because without it, life is just one long, exhausting stretch of misery.

Chloe Garcia10 said:So, I started taking half of my 10 mg Alice dose this morning.
I’ve already had to run to the bathroom three times with diarrhea, and honestly, the dizziness is hitting me way harder than usual.
I'm assuming these are just the side effects kicking in.
Has anyone else dealt with Alice before?

My experience has been nothing but positive, 😁
even back when I remember... honestly, everything was a solid 5 out of 5, without any negative side effects at all.

Seroxat is easily the worst medication out there.😛