Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Peter Lee6 said:Honestly, I feel like these "medications" are nothing more than pure poison; all they really do is make you put on weight, while the big pharma companies and psychiatrists are busy raking in millions. In my opinion, psychiatry hasn't actually cured anyone—people just find their own way to recover on their own.

Peter Lee6 said:I dealt with depression once and they put me on Fevarin. I took it for about five months, but honestly, I don't feel like it did anything for me at all. Eventually, I just stopped taking it, and I guess the depression just kind of cleared up on its own later on

Melissa Fox46 said:Hey everyone... I’ve been on Sonalia for a few months now, but I honestly haven't felt any better. I finally went to vent to the doctor who prescribed the Zoloft, only to realize just now that they're both based on sertraline. The only real difference seems to be that the Zoloft is 50 mg while the other was only 25 mg. I guess I have to wonder if my doctor is just incompetent or if this switch might actually do something. What would you all suggest if the Zoloft doesn't work out? My boyfriend is taking Prozac, and a friend suggested I try Fevarin. Honestly, my doctor is pretty useless. Aside from the obvious advice to find a new physician 🙂 ... could anyone tell me which option is better? Even with everything else, I still have to take Xanax, which I suppose is a sign that nothing is working quite right... so please help me. 😕🙂

velvetsailor26 said:Look, I’ve already cycled through Celexa, then Fevarin, and then Lexapro, and honestly, none of them did a damn thing for me. At this point, I’m just exhausted by the whole process of trial and error, but I don't really have a choice because living like this isn't sustainable anymore.😢The only thing that actually hits the spot is Xanax, but there's a catch—it's still a drug, and I know I shouldn't be rushing headlong into that kind of dependency, even if it feels like the only thing providing any real relief.

Eric Jackson11 said:Seriously, you are such an inspiration!🙏
Way to go!
You should really tell everyone about your journey—how you managed to beat depression through medication and staying active with sports...

velvetsailor26 said:Honestly, I have no idea who’s actually losing their mind here. My doctor prescribed this stuff to me, and let me tell you, it hasn’t done a single thing—absolutely nothing... And from what I can gather now, it isn't even the ideal choice for dealing with panic disorders to begin with. So, I told her straight up, "Look, I don't feel any better than I did before this." Then she just pivots and hands me some Lexapro... and once again, total silence. Nothing changes. I swear, this whole field of pharmacology is such a joke. As for psychotherapy? I just don't have the energy for it. I really don't, because frankly, I'm just completely exhausted by it all.

wiredharbor18 said:I’m glad things worked out for you, though that really is quite an unusual outcome.
I actually went through a similar situation where I stopped my antidepressants abruptly, and I ended up making some pretty bad mistakes because of it. I truly hope your depressive episode wasn't too severe and that those symptoms don't come crawling back.

If I could, I'd just gently point out that depression is an incredibly heavy burden to carry. Medical professionals generally agree that it is one of the most difficult conditions a person can face. It isn't something to be taken lightly, and I think it can be hurtful to people currently in the thick of it when they hear that medication or psychiatrists are useless—because for many of us (myself included), finding the right treatment is often the only light at the end of the tunnel.

Regarding your experience with Fevarin not working; antidepressants are often a process of trial and error until you find the right fit. I'm honestly not sure why your doctor started you on Fevarin specifically; typically, doctors might start with other SSRIs, like Zoloft, for instance.

wiredharbor18 said:To look at the chemical difference: Escitalopram is the active isomer of citalopram.
The manufacturer claims that escitalopram is more effective than citalopram, and clinically speaking, that's actually been proven. However, the boost in efficacy isn't quite significant enough to justify those high price tags.
Because of that, many people just opt for a slightly higher dose of citalopram instead.
It’s a lot like when you go to a pharmacy and grab Advil instead of something like Bayer Aspirin, which shares the same generic name. In principle, you're mostly paying for the "brand name."

Generally speaking, my professional😁 opinion is that the most effective antidepressants belong to the Dual class of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. The prime representative here is VENLAFAKSIN, as it has demonstrated numerous advantages over SIPPS.
My wonderful psychiatrist has me on Citalon (previously I was on Cipralex)—and hey, she probably knows best 🤷—so if anyone here has experience with DIPPSN, please do reach out. ☕

wiredharbor18 said:Tapering off Cipralex (or most antidepressants) usually involves gradually reducing the dosage over several weeks. If you stop cold turkey, you'll likely run into milder withdrawal symptoms like dizziness, anxiety, or nausea...
The duration of treatment really depends on the individual's specific situation; that’s something your psychiatrist will determine. Unfortunately, for some people, it can be a lifelong journey (which I suspect is my case 😢).
Please, don't try to stop the medication on your own. I'm telling you this from personal experience: if you do, those episodes tend to return even more intensely.
In my case, I decided to quit on my own once I started feeling better, thinking I could just power through it with sheer willpower 😂. About two months later, everything came rushing back, and it was honestly unbearable.
I've been on antidepressants for about six years now—specifically Cipralex, which is just Citalon now.
And honestly, I feel fine. I'm functioning perfectly well.

Peter Lee6 said:Well, mine gave me Fevarin because I was feeling suicidal, and I still felt that way even after five months on it. I then spent another month on Lexapro and still had suicidal thoughts. It didn't really clear up until a year later when I started exercising, lost 45 pounds, found a job, and got a girlfriend... basically, my psychiatrist didn't actually help me with anything, even though I was paying him by the $100 hour. All he told me was to get a job and exercise, which is advice anyone could have given me. I even have a friend who was forcibly committed to a psychiatric ward for 30 days just because he got into an argument with his parents and got into a fight with his old man. I don't see the logic there; they should have just taken him to the police instead of a mental hospital.

granitefalcon26 said:I actually disagree with that. I'm no pharmacologist or psychiatrist, but there is a real difference. I'd love to save money by taking citalopram too, but when I was on 40 mg a day, I felt super anxious and had more panic attacks. 😲Since switching back to Lexapro, I've been feeling way better.👍And I only need one 10 mg dose of Lexapro a day.🙂

granitefalcon26 said:unknown

Those aren't exactly mild symptoms. Stopping antidepressants cold turkey usually triggers a massive rebound effect. It basically means those feelings of depression, anxiety, and panic can come back ten times harder than before.👍

Peter Lee6 said:Well, mine gave me Fevarin because I was feeling suicidal, and I still felt that way even after five months on it. I then spent another month on Lexapro and still had suicidal thoughts. It didn't really clear up until a year later when I started exercising, lost 45 pounds, found a job, and got a girlfriend... basically, my psychiatrist didn't actually help me with anything, even though I was paying him by the $100 hour. All he told me was to get a job and exercise, which is advice anyone could have given me. I even have a friend who was forcibly committed to a psychiatric ward for 30 days just because he got into an argument with his parents and got into a fight with his old man. I don't see the logic there; they should have just taken him to the police instead of a mental hospital.