Psychotropic medication discussion thread

redtiger35 said:I’m currently on 15 mg of Lexapro, plus 0.5 mg of Ativan and 0.5 mg of Klonopin at night because I’m trying to wean myself off the Ativan. Honestly, I have to admit that these meds are basically my lifeline. I’ve been on Escitalopram for over a year now, and the biggest win has been the massive drop in my anxiety, phobias, and panic attacks—like, HUGE improvement there—whereas the depression hasn't budged as much. It's still definitely there, just with fewer suicidal thoughts hanging around. The meds pretty much keep me at some kind of semi-functional baseline so I can actually get through the day. My libido has definitely taken a hit, but if I really want to 😁 🤷 I seriously can, though I haven't felt genuinely "horny" in forever—I don't even remember when it was last. Not that I really care about my sex drive right now, since I'm mostly just focused on surviving day-to-day. (I mean, for someone dealing with major depression, a lower libido or putting on a little weight feels like the least of my worries.) I have gained some weight, sure, but my appetite is great and I sleep like a baby. I see my psychiatrist about once a month now because I can't really afford more than that, though twice a month would probably be the sweet spot for me. Psychotherapy is such a huge deal, and honestly, I don't think anyone should be relying on medication without consistent, ongoing therapy to back it up.

God, help us all.

redtiger35 said:Hmm... yeah, that’s what I was prescribed too, mostly because I’ve straight-up become a Xanax junkie, and honestly, I can only take your word for it on tapering off the Klonopin—I’m definitely no expert here. It’s actually kind of hard to wrap my head around when I read this stuff because Klonopin feels pretty weak to me; I can always tell the difference between it and Xanax, which is the one I know I can rely on whenever I really need to chill out or pass out.

Back when I first started, I asked around about how Klonopin works, and everyone just chimed in saying it hits way lighter than Xanax or that it’s just weaker overall. But hey, that's just info, right? I trust my psychiatrist completely and I’m taking everything exactly as prescribed, so I’m really just sharing my own experience. For me, Klonopin definitely feels weaker; when I first started taking it, I barely felt a thing, and zero side effects. To be honest, I haven't had any major issues with any of the meds they've put me on.

How long were you on the Klonopin and what kind of doses are we talking? Since I built up a tolerance to Xanax, I actually started bumping up my doses on my own, so now I’ve got the Klonopin with instructions to slowly taper down the Xanax until I'm totally off it.

Also, how did the Klonopin stack up against xanax for you?

Kevin Bailey2 said:Rivotril is "weaker" in the sense that you don't get that high, drugged-out feeling (which, if I'm being honest, I actually liked sometimes with Xanax 😛 😁). But it actually works more intensely. It clears the fog in your head without you even realizing it's happening. It hits my motor skills, too. Without it, I'm a total klutz. As soon as I realize I'm struggling to even hold a glass, I'll take a quarter—like half a milligram.

Normally, I'm at the max daily dose: 6mg a day split into three 2mg doses. But I usually break those down differently depending on how I feel. Sometimes I'll take a full dose in the morning, sometimes a half in the afternoon, sometimes just a tiny bit.
My psychiatrist actually suggested this approach—just adjusting based on how I'm feeling.

With Xanax, I used to feel totally wasted... basically non-functional.
Rivotril is more like a stabilizer; it almost lifts my mood. I can't even put it into words. On Xanax, I could do nothing but sit there and smoke cigarette after cigarette...
If I have housework to do, I make sure to take Rivotril so it can steady my brain. Again, hard to describe. Once it kicks in, I just look around the apartment, see where things belong, and clean up the mess without any stress or agitation.

Kevin Bailey2 said:Rivotril is "weaker" in the sense that you don't get that high, drugged-out feeling (which, if I'm being honest, I actually liked sometimes with Xanax 😛 😁). But it actually works more intensely. It clears the fog in your head without you even realizing it's happening. It hits my motor skills, too. Without it, I'm a total klutz. As soon as I realize I'm struggling to even hold a glass, I'll take a quarter—like half a milligram.

Normally, I'm at the max daily dose: 6mg a day split into three 2mg doses. But I usually break those down differently depending on how I feel. Sometimes I'll take a full dose in the morning, sometimes a half in the afternoon, sometimes just a tiny bit.
My psychiatrist actually suggested this approach—just adjusting based on how I'm feeling.

With Xanax, I used to feel totally wasted... basically non-functional.
Rivotril is more like a stabilizer; it almost lifts my mood. I can't even put it into words. On Xanax, I could do nothing but sit there and smoke cigarette after cigarette...
If I have housework to do, I make sure to take Rivotril so it can steady my brain. Again, hard to describe. Once it kicks in, I just look around the apartment, see where things belong, and clean up the mess without any stress or agitation.

redcrane22 said:I'm curious, though—how does all this affect your role as a mom?
Do you ever worry that your child might notice, or that you won't be able to be fully present when you're doing things with them?

redtiger35 said:fadedbear92, have you ever actually tried tapering off Clonazepam and dealt with something similar to what Kevin Bailey2 went through?

redtiger35 said:fadedbear92, have you ever actually tried tapering off Clonazepam and dealt with something similar to what Kevin Bailey2 went through?

Harold Harris20 said:Hey there

Has anyone here heard anything about that new drug Azolar for treating things like Schizophrenia?
I'd love to hear whatever you guys know!

Larry Lewis said:As for me, I just quit my Klonopin cold turkey—I was on the 2 mg pills—and honestly, I felt absolutely nothing.

I suppose everyone’s biology is wired differently. It’s one of those things where some people can step off Effexor without even blinking, whereas for me... well, the Effexor [ venlafaxin ] Withdrawal and Brain Zaps were an absolute nightmare.

fadedbear92 said:Don't even bring up Effexor, brother!!!😲😲😲

Larry Lewis said:What kind of mess are you dealing with?🙂
I swear—honestly, I mean it—if these pills don't end up making us even more unstable than we already are, I don't know what will.😕

fadedbear92 said:I've mentioned this before—it absolutely wrecked my sleep. I ended up on three weeks of medical leave because I could barely close my eyes. Even the heavy-duty sedatives they give you before surgery at the hospital wouldn't knock me out for more than an hour. Eventually, my doctor put me on Tegretol, which was a lifesaver back then, but my system really needed time to flush all that junk out.
It helps some people with depression, sure, but for me, it felt like pure speed.😲

Larry Lewis said:When I was dealing with Effexor [ venlafaxin ] Withdrawal and Brain Zaps, I felt these literal electrical jolts lashing through my brain. I posted about this ages ago, and looking back, it seems like a lot of people went through the exact same thing. You're just walking down the street in Chicago, minding your own goddamn business, when suddenly—BAM—this shock hits you every single minute. I honestly couldn't believe it was happening. It passed after a few days, but man... it was like my brain was giving itself constant electroshock therapy.

As for that comment about speed—all I’ll say is, back when I was using it in... unconventional ways with my old crew of misfits, I can confirm it definitely hits. But pssssst, 🙂

ironrider11 said:Effexor [venlafaxin] Withdrawal and Brain Zaps