Psychotropic medication discussion thread

So, what’s the deal with everyone on Lorraine? I’m curious to hear how it actually works for you guys when you're dealing with panic attacks or that constant sense of dread. I’ve been taking it for my own anxiety, and honestly, it’s hit or miss—sometimes it helps, and other times... well, not so much.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Jason Vaughn482, I honestly don't know what wise advice I could possibly offer you that you haven't already realized.
Every single anxiolytic triggers some level of dependency, whether you feel it or not.
The real trouble starts when you reach a certain dosage and realize you aren't getting the result you expected—whether that's sleep or just feeling calm.
What do you do then?
Naturally, everyone just bumps up the dose because they want the effect. But in doing so, they are also ramping up the addiction.
Everything seems fine until the moment you have to stop the treatment; then, everything goes completely sideways.
It is classic withdrawal, much like coming off drugs.
I support taking medication as needed, but taking it every single day for months on end? Not so much.
I know, because I have been there myself.
For you, the only real solution is finding the right antipsychotic, specifically the one you were prescribed.
If I recall correctly, your doctor recommended somewhere between 25 and 50 mg.
That shouldn't cause dependency, and your body shouldn't develop a tolerance to it. If you follow the recommendation, there shouldn't be any issues.
And it might actually help.
Try tapering off the Ambien slowly and gradually. And maybe increase your Prazines dose to 50 mg.
If nothing changes after that, then it's best to sit down with your psychiatrist.

Well, it’s not quite that simple. For me, even tiny doses of antipsychotics turn me into a total zombie—well, except during my absolute worst crises, when I can actually handle a bit more, but luckily that's been super rare lately.
The only thing they do for me is help me sleep, but I can't even take them at night unless I know I have 8 or 9 hours to spare, otherwise I can barely function the next day. Everything feels slow and foggy, and I just can't think. It's hard to even describe how awful that feels; I can barely make it through the day. Plus, it's tough to find that much time for sleep with everything else going on. Sanval is basically garbage—it leaves me waking up in a panic every few hours. And I've definitely been taking too many anxiolytics for way too long. Honestly, I'm just sick of these meds. I just want to function like a normal person.😢

Melissa Sanchez59 said:Well, it’s not quite that simple. For me, even tiny doses of antipsychotics turn me into a total zombie—well, except during my absolute worst crises, when I can actually handle a bit more, but luckily that's been super rare lately.
The only thing they do for me is help me sleep, but I can't even take them at night unless I know I have 8 or 9 hours to spare, otherwise I can barely function the next day. Everything feels slow and foggy, and I just can't think. It's hard to even describe how awful that feels; I can barely make it through the day. Plus, it's tough to find that much time for sleep with everything else going on. Sanval is basically garbage—it leaves me waking up in a panic every few hours. And I've definitely been taking too many anxiolytics for way too long. Honestly, I'm just sick of these meds. I just want to function like a normal person.😢

Are you taking Coaxil, or did I misremember? I completely agree that Sanval is trash, but I haven't been able to find a viable alternative, and my insomnia is relentless.🙂

Melissa Sanchez59 said:Well, it’s not quite that simple. For me, even tiny doses of antipsychotics turn me into a total zombie—well, except during my absolute worst crises, when I can actually handle a bit more, but luckily that's been super rare lately.
The only thing they do for me is help me sleep, but I can't even take them at night unless I know I have 8 or 9 hours to spare, otherwise I can barely function the next day. Everything feels slow and foggy, and I just can't think. It's hard to even describe how awful that feels; I can barely make it through the day. Plus, it's tough to find that much time for sleep with everything else going on. Sanval is basically garbage—it leaves me waking up in a panic every few hours. And I've definitely been taking too many anxiolytics for way too long. Honestly, I'm just sick of these meds. I just want to function like a normal person.😢

APs don't cause addiction, and they work wonders in small doses, especially for sleep.
I honestly think if you were taking a small, consistent dose of an AP specifically for sleep, your body would eventually adjust and you wouldn't feel like a zombie.
And I'll say it again: APs aren't addictive, but those anxiolytics? They're the dangerous ones in that regard.

Edit: Definitely check in with your doctor about it.

Larry Lewis said:APs don't cause addiction, and they work wonders in small doses, especially for sleep.
I honestly think if you were taking a small, consistent dose of an AP specifically for sleep, your body would eventually adjust and you wouldn't feel like a zombie.
And I'll say it again: APs aren't addictive, but those anxiolytics? They're the dangerous ones in that regard.

Edit: Definitely check in with your doctor about it.

Well, I actually was taking them regularly back when I could afford to get that much sleep every night. I mean, everything feels fine once I manage to get 8 or 9 hours—otherwise, it’s just a total disaster. I already know all that other stuff, though, so no worries there.

@Jason Vaughn482 I'm not taking Coaxil.

Melissa Sanchez59 said:Well, I actually was taking them regularly back when I could afford to get that much sleep every night. I mean, everything feels fine once I manage to get 8 or 9 hours—otherwise, it’s just a total disaster. I already know all that other stuff, though, so no worries there.

@Jason Vaughn482 I'm not taking Coaxil.

Hmm... well, I spent quite a bit of time on various antipsychotics during my working years, and honestly? I still managed to drag myself out of bed simply because I knew I had to be up.
Sure, those drugs tend to dull your edge—they definitely cloud things—but you still have your own willpower and discipline to fall back on.

Larry Lewis said:Hmm... well, I spent quite a bit of time on various antipsychotics during my working years, and honestly? I still managed to drag myself out of bed simply because I knew I had to be up.
Sure, those drugs tend to dull your edge—they definitely cloud things—but you still have your own willpower and discipline to fall back on.

Well, look at you now—you've gone and embarrassed both your boss and the whole station.😁
Where exactly is this "willpower" and "discipline" coming from... the bottom of a bottle at a dive bar?
The reality is simple: you need to take your medication earlier, and that's the whole story.
As for me, I’m done for the night after 10 PM... because once I take my pills, I’m out for the count.🙄

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Well, look at you now—you've gone and embarrassed both your boss and the whole station.😁
Where exactly is this "willpower" and "discipline" coming from... the bottom of a bottle at a dive bar?
The reality is simple: you need to take your medication earlier, and that's the whole story.
As for me, I’m done for the night after 10 PM... because once I take my pills, I’m out for the count.🙄

I didn't blow it. For two years straight, I held down the job—hitting the sack around midnight and dragging myself out of bed by 6:30 AM every single morning. It was brutal, sure, and I lived off caffeine, but I showed up. And honestly, I don't need to bring up my diagnosis just to justify it—it wasn't like I was spending my evenings on some "manly" session of AP therapy.

What, is every person dealing with schizophrenia supposed to just quit their job because the medication makes them a zombie in the morning? That's ridiculous.

Of course I was sleepy, and yeah, I was usually in a foul mood until about 10 AM, but I had to work. Period. You just grit your teeth and deal with it.

Larry Lewis said:I didn't blow it. For two years straight, I held down the job—hitting the sack around midnight and dragging myself out of bed by 6:30 AM every single morning. It was brutal, sure, and I lived off caffeine, but I showed up. And honestly, I don't need to bring up my diagnosis just to justify it—it wasn't like I was spending my evenings on some "manly" session of AP therapy.

What, is every person dealing with schizophrenia supposed to just quit their job because the medication makes them a zombie in the morning? That's ridiculous.

Of course I was sleepy, and yeah, I was usually in a foul mood until about 10 AM, but I had to work. Period. You just grit your teeth and deal with it.

Did you ever stop to wonder why I can manage while so many others end up passing out from these meds?
A huge number of people rely on APs just to get some sleep.
But you? You take them because of your actual diagnosis.
For them, the effect is hit-or-miss, totally inconsistent; but for you, they work exactly the way they are supposed to.
You handle them better because your body processes them differently than someone who doesn't have psychosis—any kind of psychosis.
Sure, it’s an extreme way to knock yourself out, but sometimes there isn't any other option.
That right there is proof that an AP isn't a "one size fits all" solution, and you shouldn't play games with them. I'm talking to those people who skip their anxiety meds and jump straight to APs without thinking.
I take them too, and for a few hours after, I'm basically a houseplant. Just sleeping. And I've been doing it that way for years, damn it.😢

I’ve been finding it absolutely impossible to drag myself out of bed in the morning ever since I started taking sleep aids. At first, I was under the impression it was the Calixte supplement, but I’ve come to realize that even after I cut that out entirely, I still can't manage to roll out of bed before 9:00 AM. Since I’m not currently working, I suppose it isn't the catastrophe it would be for someone else, so I can let it slide for now... though, truth be told, I ended up knocking back half a dose of Calixte last night and finally managed to get some decent sleep.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Did you ever stop to wonder why I can manage while so many others end up passing out from these meds?
A huge number of people rely on APs just to get some sleep.
But you? You take them because of your actual diagnosis.
For them, the effect is hit-or-miss, totally inconsistent; but for you, they work exactly the way they are supposed to.
You handle them better because your body processes them differently than someone who doesn't have psychosis—any kind of psychosis.
Sure, it’s an extreme way to knock yourself out, but sometimes there isn't any other option.
That right there is proof that an AP isn't a "one size fits all" solution, and you shouldn't play games with them. I'm talking to those people who skip their anxiety meds and jump straight to APs without thinking.
I take them too, and for a few hours after, I'm basically a houseplant. Just sleeping. And I've been doing it that way for years, damn it.😢

Oh, they work alright, alright—what do you think happens when I try to roll out of bed on a day off? It’s a massive struggle. These things try to drag me under like a freight train, tempting me to just sleep the whole day away, but I refuse to give in.

Larry Lewis said:APs don't cause addiction, and they work wonders in small doses, especially for sleep.
I honestly think if you were taking a small, consistent dose of an AP specifically for sleep, your body would eventually adjust and you wouldn't feel like a zombie.
And I'll say it again: APs aren't addictive, but those anxiolytics? They're the dangerous ones in that regard.

Edit: Definitely check in with your doctor about it.

What specific APs have you all tried in low doses to help with sleep? Personally, none of them seem to work for me; even a tiny dose of Quazepam—maybe half of a 25mg pill—doesn't do the trick. Eventually, my psychiatrist and I decided to stop trying, so now I just find myself attempting to self-medicate, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. (And just to be clear, an AD isn't going to fix my insomnia, as I've been on one for about three years now; while it works well for me generally, the insomnia became its own issue because I developed a habit of relying on hypnotics. To avoid any misunderstanding, please note that everything, including the Dormicum, was strictly prescribed by my physician.)

I thought I should share this experience as well. For years, I have been struggling with panic attacks and anxiety-depression. My panic attacks were more or less managed through my antidepressants—everything was fine, except for those occasional crises where I’d feel more anxious, though the depression itself was almost non-existent. I attend regular psychotherapy and work on myself as much as I can, but there always remained this lingering sense of anxiety that was incredibly difficult to shake. Usually, I don't touch Xanax; I only take it very rarely when a panic attack hits me particularly hard.

Then, due to a completely unrelated issue of a neurological nature, I was prescribed Lyrica. Since I started taking it, there hasn't been even a trace of anxiety left, and unlike other anxiolytics, I don't feel that heavy sense of sedation after taking it. My psychiatrist mentioned that it's a newer medication approved for generalized anxiety disorder, and it's also used for epilepsy and neuropathy because of its analgesic effects. It seems far superior to Xanax because it doesn't lead to dependency, though you have to take it for a week or two before you feel the effect since it isn't instantaneous. For me, this was the missing link in my antidepressant regimen. I actually take a very low dose, just 50 mg, even though the instructions suggest at least 150 mg. As for side effects, I've noticed a decreased libido (which might pass, similar to what happened with my AD), and it does give me energy, though I don't feel "wired"—likely because my dosage is quite low. I figured I'd share this since people don't talk about it enough.

Just a heads-up: it isn't covered by Medicare. You can get coverage, but only if you are being treated for epilepsy, even though the drug is officially approved for the conditions I described.

restlesstrucker15 said:I thought I should share this experience as well. For years, I have been struggling with panic attacks and anxiety-depression. My panic attacks were more or less managed through my antidepressants—everything was fine, except for those occasional crises where I’d feel more anxious, though the depression itself was almost non-existent. I attend regular psychotherapy and work on myself as much as I can, but there always remained this lingering sense of anxiety that was incredibly difficult to shake. Usually, I don't touch Xanax; I only take it very rarely when a panic attack hits me particularly hard.

Then, due to a completely unrelated issue of a neurological nature, I was prescribed Lyrica. Since I started taking it, there hasn't been even a trace of anxiety left, and unlike other anxiolytics, I don't feel that heavy sense of sedation after taking it. My psychiatrist mentioned that it's a newer medication approved for generalized anxiety disorder, and it's also used for epilepsy and neuropathy because of its analgesic effects. It seems far superior to Xanax because it doesn't lead to dependency, though you have to take it for a week or two before you feel the effect since it isn't instantaneous. For me, this was the missing link in my antidepressant regimen. I actually take a very low dose, just 50 mg, even though the instructions suggest at least 150 mg. As for side effects, I've noticed a decreased libido (which might pass, similar to what happened with my AD), and it does give me energy, though I don't feel "wired"—likely because my dosage is quite low. I figured I'd share this since people don't talk about it enough.

Just a heads-up: it isn't covered by Medicare. You can get coverage, but only if you are being treated for epilepsy, even though the drug is officially approved for the conditions I described.

Lyrica isn't exactly ancient history—it came out around 2007, if I recall correctly—but its primary specialty is actually treating temporal lobe epilepsy.
So, you were prescribed Lyrica to supplement your current treatment plan, right?
As for the drop in libido or just a general shift in how you feel sexually... well, that’s one of the uglier side effects of this medication. Honestly, I have my doubts about whether that will ever level out over time.
The reason you aren't feeling that crushing weight of anxiety is because the Lyrica is doing its job for your Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
You're on what seems to be a very low dose, which is fine. The most important thing is that it's actually working for you.😉

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Lyrica isn't exactly ancient history—it came out around 2007, if I recall correctly—but its primary specialty is actually treating temporal lobe epilepsy.
So, you were prescribed Lyrica to supplement your current treatment plan, right?
As for the drop in libido or just a general shift in how you feel sexually... well, that’s one of the uglier side effects of this medication. Honestly, I have my doubts about whether that will ever level out over time.
The reason you aren't feeling that crushing weight of anxiety is because the Lyrica is doing its job for your Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
You're on what seems to be a very low dose, which is fine. The most important thing is that it's actually working for you.😉

Yes, everything you mentioned is correct.🙂
And look, I'm setting aside the libido and the Lyric issue for a moment; it isn't that I can't function without them, I just wanted to share my experience. My psychiatrist basically said, "Keep taking it for another three weeks and we'll see if your libido returns." Maybe it will, maybe it won't.

However, I know people on this forum have been posting about struggling with anxiety and failing to find the right antidepressant. Since long-term anxiolytics aren't always the ideal solution, they should definitely ask their psychiatrist how this specific medication might fit into their own condition and overall treatment plan.

Skickas fr

Larry Lewis said:Hmm... well, I spent quite a bit of time on various antipsychotics during my working years, and honestly? I still managed to drag myself out of bed simply because I knew I had to be up.
Sure, those drugs tend to dull your edge—they definitely cloud things—but you still have your own willpower and discipline to fall back on.

I think you misunderstood me—not really. Of course I get up and go to work, but the issue isn't just that I'm sleepy. It's more like I'm completely slowed down and my brain feels totally blunt. I just can't think. I don't know how to put it, everything is just... foggy? I can barely make even the simplest logical connections...

So, if I see that I won't be able to get enough sleep, I'd rather just nap for a couple of hours on something milder, then just power through the next day with coffee to stay somewhat functional. Because, honestly, I'm just sleep-deprived. What I'm talking about isn't just being tired—it's much worse than that.

I get up at 6:30 AM. If I want to try and sleep, I have to take an AP by 8:30. By 9:00, I'm already feeling totally drugged, and by 10:00 at the latest, I've passed out. So, you can probably imagine that sometimes I just have way too much going on and I can't exactly afford to sleep that much every single day.

Melissa Sanchez59 said:I think you misunderstood me—not really. Of course I get up and go to work, but the issue isn't just that I'm sleepy. It's more like I'm completely slowed down and my brain feels totally blunt. I just can't think. I don't know how to put it, everything is just... foggy? I can barely make even the simplest logical connections...

So, if I see that I won't be able to get enough sleep, I'd rather just nap for a couple of hours on something milder, then just power through the next day with coffee to stay somewhat functional. Because, honestly, I'm just sleep-deprived. What I'm talking about isn't just being tired—it's much worse than that.

I get up at 6:30 AM. If I want to try and sleep, I have to take an AP by 8:30. By 9:00, I'm already feeling totally drugged, and by 10:00 at the latest, I've passed out. So, you can probably imagine that sometimes I just have way too much going on and I can't exactly afford to sleep that much every single day.

Oh, absolutely—it's not as simple as just taking a pill and calling it a day. I struggle with this too sometimes; like, if I wanted to go to a concert or something, I know I couldn't take my medication afterward because I wouldn't be able to wake up in the morning. So instead, I just stay up all night reading.
And then I just make my own life miserable the next day.
The only way out is to take a smaller dose of that Associated Press you're using... I can't recall the exact name right now...
The caffeine will kill you😁, well, not literally, but the coffee can spike your anxiety, and then everything just goes to hell.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Oh, absolutely—it's not as simple as just taking a pill and calling it a day. I struggle with this too sometimes; like, if I wanted to go to a concert or something, I know I couldn't take my medication afterward because I wouldn't be able to wake up in the morning. So instead, I just stay up all night reading.
And then I just make my own life miserable the next day.
The only way out is to take a smaller dose of that Associated Press you're using... I can't recall the exact name right now...
The caffeine will kill you😁, well, not literally, but the coffee can spike your anxiety, and then everything just goes to hell.

I'm on Lexapro. The thing is, it seems to hit me even with just one pill (25 mg). I'm pretty petite and have low blood pressure, so maybe that's why.

I'm actually okay with coffee😁 When I'm going through a really rough patch, I'll have one in the morning just to feel human again, but after that, no way. But when I'm feeling relatively alright, I can sip it all day long... It's the opposite with the Associated Press stuff—when I'm feeling low, I can take them all day, but when I'm doing well, even just one 😁
knocks me out.

Melissa Sanchez59 said:I think you misunderstood me—not really. Of course I get up and go to work, but the issue isn't just that I'm sleepy. It's more like I'm completely slowed down and my brain feels totally blunt. I just can't think. I don't know how to put it, everything is just... foggy? I can barely make even the simplest logical connections...

So, if I see that I won't be able to get enough sleep, I'd rather just nap for a couple of hours on something milder, then just power through the next day with coffee to stay somewhat functional. Because, honestly, I'm just sleep-deprived. What I'm talking about isn't just being tired—it's much worse than that.

I get up at 6:30 AM. If I want to try and sleep, I have to take an AP by 8:30. By 9:00, I'm already feeling totally drugged, and by 10:00 at the latest, I've passed out. So, you can probably imagine that sometimes I just have way too much going on and I can't exactly afford to sleep that much every single day.

Poor thing. Honestly, pretty much everyone feels that way, even those who aren't on medication. I suppose that's why we've all become so fragile lately—we're just mentally ill-equipped for this modern grind.

You're being a bit much—I guess you just don't want to see my point.