Psychotropic medication discussion thread

urbanskipper4 said:Thanks, and I really hope things get better for you every single day too.
Paxil helped me a little bit, but only for a short while. I was on it for about a year and a half, then spent the next seven years on Anafranil. That one actually held steady for a long time when they had me on a combo with other meds.
Then my whole system just... collapsed. It stopped working entirely.
Man, I'd give anything to just stop taking all this junk. I'm so sick of it all. My head is just a total mess right now.
Best,

I totally believe you when you say you're fed up. Hang in there and reach out—you can always hit me up via DM.👍

here:

http://www.promente.biz/index.php?op...=40&Itemid=270

When people talk about a chronic illness, I suppose what they really mean is that there isn’t a cure—just a lifelong management plan where you're essentially treating it until the very end. That’s how my doctors at the Mayo Clinic put it when they described my condition as a chronic, recurring illness, and now, on top of all that, I’m dealing with depression too. It makes me wonder, maybe quite a bit, if this struggle is also destined to be something I'll be managing for the rest of my life...😕

One of the most frequent reasons why antidepressant treatment fails to hit the mark is either an insufficient dosage or stopping the medication far too early. I suspect this usually boils down to the side effects being too much to handle, or perhaps just a general lack of information among patients and their families about how these things actually work. Nowadays, the standard medical consensus seems to be that if you're dealing with your first depressive episode, you really ought to stay on the medication for at least a year; if it's a recurring issue, they suggest sticking with it for three to five years.

And up to five years?! You're telling me I have to pop pills every single day for that long? 😁
Oh boy, I guess I'm just a baby then, since I've only been on them for three weeks. 😁

Has anyone here actually dealt with Prozac? I’ve been stuck on this Paxil for quite a while now—sixty milligrams a day, to be exact—and honestly, I’m just not feeling any better. It feels like I'm spinning my wheels.

Kenneth Scott41 said:One of the most frequent reasons why antidepressant treatment fails to hit the mark is either an insufficient dosage or stopping the medication far too early. I suspect this usually boils down to the side effects being too much to handle, or perhaps just a general lack of information among patients and their families about how these things actually work. Nowadays, the standard medical consensus seems to be that if you're dealing with your first depressive episode, you really ought to stay on the medication for at least a year; if it's a recurring issue, they suggest sticking with it for three to five years.

And up to five years?! You're telling me I have to pop pills every single day for that long? 😁
Oh boy, I guess I'm just a baby then, since I've only been on them for three weeks. 😁

I've cycled through so many different meds. I was on them for a long time, taking the absolute maximum doses allowed. I did exactly what my doctor told me to do, trying everything from the ones that worked to the ones that absolutely trashed me.
But my OCD is just garbage. The meds only take the edge off. It's rare to find someone lucky enough to have the symptoms vanish completely. You really need to pair it with psychotherapy, though which didn't work for me. Maybe I just didn't have a good therapist. Who knows? I'm a pretty tough case to crack.
I think I'm going to start over now, maybe try a different provider. I just can't deal with dirt; my anxiety spikes so hard whenever I encounter anything filthy.
I have a severe form of OCD. It's been screwing me over for almost nine years straight. My life is a total mess because of it. Plus, I deal with depression on top of everything else.

urbanskipper4, honestly, that sounds like such a heavy burden to carry, especially when you consider the kid was only nine years old at the time!
just try to hold your ground, I suppose... don't let them get the better of you.😉

Kenneth Scott41 said:urbanskipper4, honestly, that sounds like such a heavy burden to carry, especially when you consider the kid was only nine years old at the time!
just try to hold your ground, I suppose... don't let them get the better of you.😉

Thanks for having my back. It’s tough, seriously. My kid is trying his best to help me out, giving me advice and everything, but man, it's easy to say "don't worry," "move on," or "just forget the past." Like, oh sure, I'll just wear dirty clothes and stop showering, maybe nothing will happen then, right? Then he tells me I don't even need medication. If that's the case, what's the point of Big Pharma making them at all? I know he means well—he actually listens to me—but he just doesn't get how brutal this fight really is.
Anyway, I really need to find a therapist or something because I'm stuck. I've been spinning my wheels in the exact same spot for 9 years now. Honestly, things have actually gotten worse lately. I'm on a different prescription now, so we'll see how that goes, I guess.???

urbanskipper4 said:Thanks for having my back. It’s tough, seriously. My kid is trying his best to help me out, giving me advice and everything, but man, it's easy to say "don't worry," "move on," or "just forget the past." Like, oh sure, I'll just wear dirty clothes and stop showering, maybe nothing will happen then, right? Then he tells me I don't even need medication. If that's the case, what's the point of Big Pharma making them at all? I know he means well—he actually listens to me—but he just doesn't get how brutal this fight really is.
Anyway, I really need to find a therapist or something because I'm stuck. I've been spinning my wheels in the exact same spot for 9 years now. Honestly, things have actually gotten worse lately. I'm on a different prescription now, so we'll see how that goes, I guess.???

I don't know... personally, things feel a little better on my end, though I still find myself feeling miserable and heavy with sadness almost every other day, whereas before, it was every single day.
It’s a small step, I suppose, but at least it's a step in some direction!

urbanskipper4 said:Thanks for having my back. It’s tough, seriously. My kid is trying his best to help me out, giving me advice and everything, but man, it's easy to say "don't worry," "move on," or "just forget the past." Like, oh sure, I'll just wear dirty clothes and stop showering, maybe nothing will happen then, right? Then he tells me I don't even need medication. If that's the case, what's the point of Big Pharma making them at all? I know he means well—he actually listens to me—but he just doesn't get how brutal this fight really is.
Anyway, I really need to find a therapist or something because I'm stuck. I've been spinning my wheels in the exact same spot for 9 years now. Honestly, things have actually gotten worse lately. I'm on a different prescription now, so we'll see how that goes, I guess.???

urbanskipper4, if you're up for it, shoot me a DM—my doctor is incredible at treating OCD.👍

fadedbear92 said:urbanskipper4, if you're up for it, shoot me a DM—my doctor is incredible at treating OCD.👍

Hey, looks like your inbox is totally slammed—you aren't even taking new messages. Anyway, there’s a ton going on, but honestly, health comes first, right? So, is she actually a psychoanalyst?
And how do you actually know if it’s successfully treating OCD? Did someone just tell you it works?

urbanskipper4 said:Hey, looks like your inbox is totally slammed—you aren't even taking new messages. Anyway, there’s a ton going on, but honestly, health comes first, right? So, is she actually a psychoanalyst?
And how do you actually know if it’s successfully treating OCD? Did someone just tell you it works?

is, she🤷

Honestly, I don't know about all of you, but whenever it hits me that I’m looking at a minimum two-year stretch on these ADs, I just lose it. Every single morning I wake up feeling just as miserable and pathetic as the day before, and I struggle to even imagine myself existing two years down the line. 👎

I mean, if someone like me—someone who’s already been through the psychiatric ward and now feels this overwhelming urge to go back there again (even though I know deep down I just want to be home)—is feeling this way, then I really don't know what my ??!! is anymore. 🤷

What’s the absolute minimum amount of time you have to stay on antidepressants? (Specifically Zoloft) Is a year enough...

Kenneth Scott41 said:Honestly, I don't know about all of you, but whenever it hits me that I’m looking at a minimum two-year stretch on these ADs, I just lose it. Every single morning I wake up feeling just as miserable and pathetic as the day before, and I struggle to even imagine myself existing two years down the line. 👎

I mean, if someone like me—someone who’s already been through the psychiatric ward and now feels this overwhelming urge to go back there again (even though I know deep down I just want to be home)—is feeling this way, then I really don't know what my ??!! is anymore. 🤷

Why does the idea of taking meds bother you so much? They're literally there to help us. You've only been on them for three weeks? Sometimes it takes a full three months before you actually feel the real impact. 🙂
You just gotta have patience. If one doesn't work for you, you switch to another. 🙂
I've been on mine for eight years, so what? I'm still here. And I'm alive! 🙂I spent three weeks in the psych unit once. I used to cry whenever they let me out for the weekend because I didn't want to leave. Then I'd head back from the weekend to the hospital and cry because I didn't want to go back in. Dammit, most people deal with that exact same cycle.
I totally get where you're coming from. Don't worry, it'll be fine. A dreamer said on the forum: "Everything has its beginning and its end."
I actually believe that's true. Sounds optimistic, right?
Honestly, all this bullshit needs to stop for everyone.

urbanskipper4 said:Why does the idea of taking meds bother you so much? They're literally there to help us. You've only been on them for three weeks? Sometimes it takes a full three months before you actually feel the real impact. 🙂
You just gotta have patience. If one doesn't work for you, you switch to another. 🙂
I've been on mine for eight years, so what? I'm still here. And I'm alive! 🙂I spent three weeks in the psych unit once. I used to cry whenever they let me out for the weekend because I didn't want to leave. Then I'd head back from the weekend to the hospital and cry because I didn't want to go back in. Dammit, most people deal with that exact same cycle.
I totally get where you're coming from. Don't worry, it'll be fine. A dreamer said on the forum: "Everything has its beginning and its end."
I actually believe that's true. Sounds optimistic, right?
Honestly, all this bullshit needs to stop for everyone.

And it will 🙄.

Kenneth Scott41 said:Honestly, I don't know about all of you, but whenever it hits me that I’m looking at a minimum two-year stretch on these ADs, I just lose it. Every single morning I wake up feeling just as miserable and pathetic as the day before, and I struggle to even imagine myself existing two years down the line. 👎

I mean, if someone like me—someone who’s already been through the psychiatric ward and now feels this overwhelming urge to go back there again (even though I know deep down I just want to be home)—is feeling this way, then I really don't know what my ??!! is anymore. 🤷

It could be worse... though, let's be real, it definitely could.😢

Arthur Vaughn2 said:What’s the absolute minimum amount of time you have to stay on antidepressants? (Specifically Zoloft) Is a year enough...

Ugh, I don't know. I was on Zoloft for such a short stint. Less than a month, so I honestly can't say why my doctor pulled me off it so fast. It didn't even touch me—I felt absolutely nothing from it.
But that's beside the point, it might actually work for you. We aren't all built the same way, and we don't all react to ADs the same way. Our brain chemistry isn't identical, or whatever the layman term is.
Actually, check out fadedbear92's page; they have a whole section dedicated to meds. Go study up there.
Or just ask your doctor. That's your safest bet, really.
Besides, why are you even stressing about how long you'll be on them? The main thing is that the meds actually make you feel okay.
Medications aren't supposed to kill us; they're meant to help us and get us healthy.

fadedbear92 said:It could be worse... though, let's be real, it definitely could.😢

Are you actually doing alright? Why all this whining?
I'm fine today, sure, but who knows about tomorrow? Today I'm good, tomorrow I might not be, etc.

urbanskipper4 said:Ugh, I don't know. I was on Zoloft for such a short stint. Less than a month, so I honestly can't say why my doctor pulled me off it so fast. It didn't even touch me—I felt absolutely nothing from it.
But that's beside the point, it might actually work for you. We aren't all built the same way, and we don't all react to ADs the same way. Our brain chemistry isn't identical, or whatever the layman term is.
Actually, check out fadedbear92's page; they have a whole section dedicated to meds. Go study up there.
Or just ask your doctor. That's your safest bet, really.
Besides, why are you even stressing about how long you'll be on them? The main thing is that the meds actually make you feel okay.
Medications aren't supposed to kill us; they're meant to help us and get us healthy.

Actually, I am curious about the typical duration. I've been on it for a month now and haven't felt any improvement yet. I'm not sure if it's because it's not the right fit for me, or if it just hasn't kicked in yet...