Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Has anyone here tried that new schizophrenia med that hit the US market about two months ago?
I finally managed to get my psychiatrist to prescribe it—had to fight tooth and nail because Zyprexa, Everbio, Risperdal, and Seroquel made me pack on over 90 pounds.
So far, I haven't noticed any side effects other than some mild drowsiness (which I don't even really feel), though apparently, people with heart conditions should stay away from it.
It doesn't cause weight gain at all; in fact, it actually kills my appetite so much that I’ve already dropped 11 pounds in just seven days. I'm still taking Zeldox 120 mg on the side.

I don't know much about that specific medication... but I've been through the ringer with Zyprexa and everything else you mentioned. Honestly? I put on 30 pounds. And that wasn't even my biggest issue—since Zyprexa is relatively newer, I also ended up with high blood sugar. My doctors actually had to pull me off it because of that. It’s not just me, either; there are hundreds of thousands of people worldwide filing lawsuits over Zyprexa. In my opinion, it might be "fine" for some, but it hits your entire system—we're talking things like elevated liver enzymes and stuff like that. If it's absolutely necessary, then okay, fine... but if you have an alternative, skip it. You should probably do some digging online regarding Zeldox, too... I'm sure there are already issues popping up with that one. Actually, at places like the Mayo Clinic, they sometimes give out long-acting Zyprexa injections on an experimental basis, and patients get paid around $1333 a month for participating. Even with the older drugs, things can still feel pretty experimental. I just want to warn you to be really careful with these newer meds—so much gets swept under the rug or outright lied about.
As for me, I personally react terribly to psychotropic drugs. Not that I'm exactly the gold standard for everyone, though! For most of my experiences, the side effects were way more intense than any actual improvement in my condition.
Risperdal... caused sexual dysfunction for me.
Everbio... gave me nothing but nausea and vomiting.
Zyprexa... it's alright, I guess, but there's a massive risk of weight gain and developing diabetes.
I honestly don't know if it's worth dealing with all that unless you absolutely have to take it.
All in all, just try to weigh which one is the lesser of two evils.
Hang in there... all the best.

Those injections you mentioned regarding Zyprexa are the Zyprexa i.m. or Consta shots—long-acting versions for patients who struggle with daily pills or just refuse to take them. One shot lasts an entire month because it slowly releases from the muscle into your bloodstream. Honestly, they hurt LIKE HELL, and they haven't hit the US market yet.
I actually participated in a clinical trial myself (not for the money) for Abilify to treat schizophrenia. It's used all over the US already, but back then, it wasn't available here. The study worked by splitting people up: 33% got a 10mg dose, 33% got 5mg, and the last 33% got nothing but a plain old sugar pill.
I realized it was nothing more than exploiting patients and gambling with our health just to boost pharmaceutical data, so I QUIT.

By the way, Zyprexa causes diabetes in about 37% of cases, so if you ask me, that drug is extremely dangerous.
What medications are you on right now, Eric Wood7?

After a ton of testing and trial-and-error with different medications, my doctors finally concluded that I just react really poorly to pretty much any psychotropic drugs. Moderate doses don't seem to do anything for me at all—they just leave me dealing with brutal side effects... The one that worked best was Zyprexa, and that’s what I stayed on for the longest stretch. Honestly, I felt like I was fighting the meds more than the actual issues, so I’ve been completely off everything for about nine months now. Overall, I'm doing great!! Sure, I have my ups and downs—but that happens whether I'm medicated or not. Besides, I don't have schizophrenia, so I can still manage certain things on my own through sheer willpower... though if I ever totally lose it, I'll just take some Phenergan to take the edge off...😎 😎
So yeah, I try to avoid medication whenever I possibly can!!! I mean, why bother taking them if they aren't actually helping me feel better?!!!!
Best regards!!!! Quick question: do you need to go before a medical review board to get prescribed Zoloft?? I absolutely hate those meetings with my whole heart!!!!😉

Zoloft isn't even officially listed in the drug registry yet; they won't have it on there until next year.
A single box of Zoloft goes for $267 and since I need four boxes every month, you're looking at $1067 just for that one medication alone.

Man, I know it’s a lot... but hey, if it actually helps you feel better, then go for it. At the end of the day, your health has to come first. I ended up having to pay out of pocket for my Zyprexa too—those folks at the insurance board really gave me the runaround, so I just couldn't deal with the headache of fighting them anymore. The price is still the same per $267 box... and honestly, even that felt like a massive hit to my wallet. 🙄
Anyway, take care and hang in there!

Hi everyone.
I was wondering if anyone here has experience using Celexa for depression. Does it actually tend to have fewer side effects compared to other antidepressants on the market?

"For everyone else out there—please, seriously, go talk to your own doctor or pharmacist about any side effects or contraindications"🙂

I started psychotherapy a few weeks ago after battling anxiety for about two and a half years now. Currently, I'm taking 0.25 mg of Lexapro twice a day—once at noon and again in the evening. My psychiatrist decided to add Zoloft to the mix, but man, that first dose was rough. I felt absolutely terrible all day; just restless and on edge, like I was waiting for a panic attack to hit at any second. Naturally, I skipped it the next day. When I called my doctor, she told me to try just taking a half dose instead, saying this kind of jitteriness is pretty standard while the body adjusts to Zoloft. She mentioned it could drag on for up to two weeks before things level out.
Is that actually how it works?
It also trips me out a bit that Zoloft is technically an antidepressant, since I’m not even depressed.😕

I had a similar experience where Zoloft caused some pretty intense side effects—though, looking back, that might just be because I was at my absolute lowest point when I started it. Honestly, I stopped taking it after the third pill; it felt significantly worse than just being unmedicated. If you check out the anxiety threads, you'll see a wide range of experiences with Zoloft... there are people who dealt with constant nausea but pushed through it, and it sounds like it actually ended up helping them in the long run. As for me, I’ve switched over to Celexa and haven't felt any side effects at all. I don't think you should have to settle for feeling subpar—why struggle through it if there's a better option out there? That said, if the side effects are manageable, it might be worth sticking it out just like your psychiatrist advised.

It's a bit confusing to me that Zoloft is classified as an antidepressant when I don't even feel depressed.😕

At first, I thought maybe my doctor hadn't quite grasped what I was going through and assumed I was depressed too, but then I learned that anxiety and depression often go hand in hand. So, I'm taking the medication and just hoping for the best.

Can you actually feel the Lexapro kicking in? I started on 0.25, just one pill at night about two months ago... and honestly, I felt it almost immediately. Now I’ve bumped up to 0.5, taking it maybe every other day, but I’m feeling absolutely nothing. My doctor told me Lexapro is one of those things you can take "as needed," whereas Zoloft is something you have to stay consistent with every single day to see results. But, man, I've read so much horror stuff online about Zoloft that I'm just staying far away from it. Even though my psychiatrist keeps telling me it's actually great and she hears nothing but success stories from patients... I don't know, I'm still not touching it.

I'm dealing with anxiety and depression, plus some paranoid personality disorder stuff too...

Lexapro works wonders for me. I was basically a zombie for the first week, but once things leveled out, it really started doing its job. I honestly can't complain about it, but it’s not a silver bullet. It keeps me chill enough at home that I don't spiral thinking about whether my boss is going to be a jerk or not (though, let's be real, some days are just rougher than others), but the second I actually have to leave the house—which is my absolute Achilles' heel—that anxiety kicks right back in. That's why I still need a little cocktail therapy to get through it all.

Honestly, Zoloft is pretty solid; you probably won't even deal with any side effects once things settle down.

George Ramos64 said:Zoloft is amazing... (blah blah blah)

You can't just walk in here and claim Zoloft is "amazing" as if that applies to everyone.
If you have any actual examples where it worked wonders—whether it was your own experience, a parent's, a grandparent's, or anyone else's—that's fine, but it doesn't mean it's a magic bullet for everybody.
In my case, it certainly wasn't a success, and it might not work for her either.
At the end of the day, we all react differently to medication.

(No hard feelings)

Look, I’m not saying this is some kind of magic bullet that works for everyone just because it worked for me. What I mean is that the side effects are usually pretty mild and they tend to clear up fast—even for people who eventually have to switch to a different antidepressant because their first one didn't quite hit the mark.🙂

Just wondering, purely for my own info since I'm kind of an outsider here... how does it actually work when you decide to start taking meds (for anxiety or depression)?
I've definitely had some really rough patches in my life—long stretches of depression that lasted months. I was sleeping all day, just had zero motivation for anything, and even dealt with panic attacks... but somehow, I always managed to pull myself through on my own.

It usually reaches a breaking point where you finally decide to reach out for help because you just can't fight everything you've listed on your own anymore.
For instance, you might start with your primary care physician, who writes a referral based on their own assessment. From there, you head to see a psychiatrist and lay everything out for them, hoping they'll figure out what's going on. Honestly, though, I think those specialists are often overrated; there are some out there who seem to prescribe medication like they’re playing doctor, handing them out left and right without much thought... 👍

Tyler Ortiz6 said:I started psychotherapy a few weeks ago (after fighting anxiety for two and a half years now) and I'm taking 0.25 mg of Lexapro once a day (split—half at noon and half in the evening). My psychiatrist prescribed Zoloft and I gave it a shot, but man, I felt absolutely terrible that day—just restless all day long, like I was waiting for a panic attack to hit at any second—so I didn't take it the next day. I called my doctor and she told me to try taking just a half dose instead, saying it’s a normal reaction while the body adjusts to Zoloft, and that this feeling might last up to two weeks until things settle down.
Is that actually how it works?
It confuses me a bit because Zoloft is an antidepressant, but I'm not depressed.😕

Well, anxiety and depression are often tangled up together—it can be really hard to tell if someone is purely anxious or if there's some underlying depression masking itself as anxiety.
Zoloft, Paxil, and those other modern SSRIs are used all the time for situations where anxiety and depression show up together.

The medication takes time to "kick in"—meaning its full effect usually doesn't start for about 15 days—and
in the meantime, you were given an anxiolytic like Lexapro, which your doctor will likely phase out soon enough since it's generally contraindicated to use it alongside that group of antidepressants.
Maybe Zoloft just isn't your thing. Maybe you'll need something else entirely. There are so many questions and so few answers, and I know you're feeling impatient. 😎

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?

There’s also that other route—just don't take the meds at all 🙂

Look, these drugs aren't nearly as terrifying as you've made them out to be in your head. There really isn't any reason to be scared.

I mean, honestly, I know plenty of people who have been on multiple psychotropic medications their entire lives and still live to be ninety.

I personally know quite a few of them.

Maybe you should look into psychoanalysis or some actual psychotherapy, though—but here in the US, you won't find much of that through the public system unless you're actually hospitalized; otherwise, you're looking at private practice.

As for the medication, you just keep taking it for as long as your psychiatrist tells you to. You stop when they say you're ready to stop.