Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Noah Watson32 said:First time posting here, so I’m kind of flying blind on how to even start this... I've been living on antidepressants since back in 2006. Started out on Paxil, Helex, and Sanval. Over the years, I pretty much stuck with just the Paxil. I tried tapering off a few times with my doctor, but honestly, the second we started dropping the dose, I felt like absolute trash. Plus, I put on a lot of weight. But hey, whatever, I’d basically made peace with the idea that I’d just be popping these pills for the rest of my life. Then, everything hit the fan this year. Back in February, my son—he's in elementary school—got diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Even with the Paxil, I just crumbled. Between that, a rough marriage, money troubles, and all those other everyday stressors most people deal with, I just couldn't take it. "I barely made it through" that whole hospital stretch with him. Once we finally got home, I saw my psychiatrist, and he switched me over to Effexor 35.5 plus some Helex as needed. I started the Effexor about a month ago. For the first week, I was taking one Effexor in the evening while still doing one Paxil in the morning. Now, it’s been 24 days of taking one Effexor in the morning and one at night. And look, I can't say it's going great. I’m constantly trying to force myself to get moving, but I just can't. My stomach is in knots—it feels like it's been through a blender—and my head just feels heavy. I’m spiraling a bit wondering what to do. I have to stay functional for my kids, but I feel like there's this invisible brake being pulled on me. Are these just side effects? Will it pass? Should I switch meds, or should I just grit my teeth and wait for things to get better? Maybe it’s a mistake on my part, but I try to avoid the Helex whenever I can, though I don't even know why. The only thing is, I do sleep, though I wake up twice a night to check my son's blood sugar levels. I fall back asleep, but then the mornings and the days just absolutely wreck me. I have so many responsibilities I’d love to just skip, but I have zero motivation. During the day, I can't even lie down to rest because I feel this constant restlessness. I feel so alone in this and I don't know how to help myself after all this time. The daily stress from a thousand different things just makes everything ten times harder, regardless of the meds. Sorry, I know this is a massive wall of text... please, if anyone has experience with Effexor, I really need some advice.

Hang in there. Those sound like typical side effects. A friend of mine was on Effexor and it basically brought her back to life. She used to never leave the house, couldn't do anything, and now... she's a different person. But she only takes hers in the morning.🤷

shadowbear9 said:I usually just have standard student health insurance🤷 does that even cover these things? I honestly have no idea...
...?

Just head to a local CVS or Walgreens and ask them

fadedbear92 said:Just head to a local CVS or Walgreens and ask them

And then they told me I didn't have to pay....

Hey guys,

So, here’s my deal. I really need some advice or just a little guidance from anyone who's been through this. 🙂

Back in 2009, I started on Lexapro and Xanax (1.5 tabs of Lexapro and 2x 0.25mg Xanax) because my anxiety was out of control. We're talking intense intrusive thoughts, constant panic, and heavy dissociation.
The meds worked, so after about a year, my doctor tapered me down to 1 Lexapro and 1 Xanax.
Then in 2011, I got pregnant and had to stop everything. About a month after quitting, all those symptoms came crashing back, making my entire pregnancy a total nightmare.
As soon as the baby was born, I jumped right back onto them. I've been taking 1 Lexapro and 1 Xanax daily for two years now, and I also see this amazing therapist at least once a month.
We figured out that most of what I'm dealing with stems from childhood trauma, plus smoking weed—which was always a huge trigger for my episodes. Thank God it didn't get even worse than it did.
Right now, I'm doing okay. I still get some intrusive thoughts and dissociation, especially around my period, but it's way more manageable with the meds.

But honestly? I think it's time to quit. I just don't want to be on these anymore, but I'm terrified the symptoms will come back just as hard as they did before.

Actually, yesterday when I took my dose, I felt super weird for a bit. Now I'm spiraling, wondering if these are new side effects popping up even after all this time. IS THAT EVEN A THING?

I know you're supposed to taper off slowly—like, one day half a Lexapro, the next day a full one, just easing into it.

SO PLEASE, ANYONE, HELP ME OUT OR SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE.

On one hand, I'm terrified to stop because I can't handle those brutal side effects again, especially since I have a two-year-old daughter 🙂 who needs me to be fully present, strong, and focused.
On the other hand, I'm scared of what these meds might be doing to me after taking them for so many years...

Help me please! 🙂

🙂

Has anyone here actually found success using an AP to manage anxiety? I’m starting to weigh my options and consider it... I’m well aware they can be a godsend for sleep, but when it comes to tackling the constant, gnawing dread of anxiety, I’m still largely in the dark.

Jason Vaughn482 said:Has anyone here actually found success using an AP to manage anxiety? I’m starting to weigh my options and consider it... I’m well aware they can be a godsend for sleep, but when it comes to tackling the constant, gnawing dread of anxiety, I’m still largely in the dark.

Yes, small doses of Eglonyl, around 25 or 50 mg,

Sent fr

Eric Wood7 said: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!!!!😉

It is such a relief to finally find someone in this thread who actually understands.☕

restlesstrucker15 said:Yes, small doses of Eglonyl, around 25 or 50 mg,

Sent fr

I took 50 mg of sulpiride—which is pretty much the same as Eglonyl—every morning for three weeks and didn't feel anything spectacular. I ended up quitting because it made me feel totally hungover and gave me bad chest pains (pretty sure it was my breasts). Maybe I should have stayed on it longer since people rave about it, but for me, it wasn't anything special. Still, worth a shot. We all know everyone reacts differently here.
Quick question. I've been on Calixta for about two months now. For the first month and a half, I was alternating between 7.5 and 15 mg. Since I'm gaining weight like crazy, my doctor suggested jumping to the 30 mg dose for just two weeks. She claims she’s seen cases where the 15 mg makes people gain weight while the 30 mg doesn't. Honestly, it sounds a bit ridiculous to me, but she insists her experience shows 30 mg works better for weight management. If I keep gaining weight, I plan to ditch Calixta entirely after a week and just stick to Effexor at 75 mg in the morning, maybe bumping it to 150. My doctor told me to just stop Calixta cold turkey since nothing bad will happen. Has anyone actually quit Calixta abruptly, or should I taper off? Should I drop back down to 7.5 first, or is it really safe to just stop after taking it for such a short time? I don't plan on staying on the 30 mg for more than a week. If the weight keeps coming on and I feel too groggy in the mornings, I'm not going to suffer through it for weeks. That's what the doctor said, anyway. Any advice?

restlesstrucker15 said:Yes, small doses of Eglonyl, around 25 or 50 mg,

Sent fr

I’ve been prescribed a quarter dose in both the morning and the afternoon, but honestly, I sometimes just take the full dose in the afternoon. By the time I actually get up, it’s hardly even morning anymore anyway. I don't really deal with side effects that way; it just relaxes me, makes me feel calmer, and frankly, gives my soul permission to just nap during the day. I don't quite understand why they don't recommend taking it at night, because when I do take it late, it truly settles me down and helps me sleep. Otherwise, I've been stuck in bed non-stop ever since I started this stuff... and I guess it did "improve my appetite" for me.😕

Paul Newman5 said:I took 50 mg of sulpiride—which is pretty much the same as Eglonyl—every morning for three weeks and didn't feel anything spectacular. I ended up quitting because it made me feel totally hungover and gave me bad chest pains (pretty sure it was my breasts). Maybe I should have stayed on it longer since people rave about it, but for me, it wasn't anything special. Still, worth a shot. We all know everyone reacts differently here.
Quick question. I've been on Calixta for about two months now. For the first month and a half, I was alternating between 7.5 and 15 mg. Since I'm gaining weight like crazy, my doctor suggested jumping to the 30 mg dose for just two weeks. She claims she’s seen cases where the 15 mg makes people gain weight while the 30 mg doesn't. Honestly, it sounds a bit ridiculous to me, but she insists her experience shows 30 mg works better for weight management. If I keep gaining weight, I plan to ditch Calixta entirely after a week and just stick to Effexor at 75 mg in the morning, maybe bumping it to 150. My doctor told me to just stop Calixta cold turkey since nothing bad will happen. Has anyone actually quit Calixta abruptly, or should I taper off? Should I drop back down to 7.5 first, or is it really safe to just stop after taking it for such a short time? I don't plan on staying on the 30 mg for more than a week. If the weight keeps coming on and I feel too groggy in the mornings, I'm not going to suffer through it for weeks. That's what the doctor said, anyway. Any advice?

I am writing this here in case anyone else finds it useful. My doctor makes the exact same argument to me—that the 30 mg dose would result in less nausea—though I haven't tested that theory myself yet. As for the weight gain, when I first started about two years ago, I gained maybe six pounds, but after that, it had no impact on my appetite whatsoever, much like my current situation. I eventually settled back down to my usual 130 pounds. Regarding the tapering process, I haven't encountered any issues at all; I have stopped taking it several times by simply quitting, and everything was fine. It was much like when I first started—one of those rare instances where there were virtually no side effects during initiation or discontinuation. I once just stopped one day, and that was that. That is why I actually like the medication, even if it failed to touch my anxiety. My doctor thinks the 30 mg dose will help with the anxiety and mitigate the nausea. But as I mentioned, the weight gain isn't an issue for me anymore, nor is my appetite.

shadowbear9 said:I’ve been prescribed a quarter dose in both the morning and the afternoon, but honestly, I sometimes just take the full dose in the afternoon. By the time I actually get up, it’s hardly even morning anymore anyway. I don't really deal with side effects that way; it just relaxes me, makes me feel calmer, and frankly, gives my soul permission to just nap during the day. I don't quite understand why they don't recommend taking it at night, because when I do take it late, it truly settles me down and helps me sleep. Otherwise, I've been stuck in bed non-stop ever since I started this stuff... and I guess it did "improve my appetite" for me.😕

I typically only take it when a severe crisis hits me, which happens about twice a year. During those times, I’ll take it for two or three weeks until I feel stabilized again. By "crisis," I mean those periods where both the physical and psychological symptoms hit me all at once.
To be honest, I don't particularly enjoy it. With Eglonyl, I feel somewhat indifferent toward everything, but it doesn't help me sleep, so I just endure it for a few weeks.
You see, we are all different.
As for that 30mg Calixta, I can't say for sure. However, if they are seeing positive results with other patients, it might be worth trying.

Regarding anxiety, in my experience, Lyrica works well, though it is quite expensive. You should consult your psychiatrist about it. Personally, it also boosts my mood slightly, which I don't need, so I didn't continue with it—besides, I can't sleep while on it. But as far as anxiety goes, nothing else compares.

A. Skickas fr

Jason Vaughn482 said:Has anyone here actually found success using an AP to manage anxiety? I’m starting to weigh my options and consider it... I’m well aware they can be a godsend for sleep, but when it comes to tackling the constant, gnawing dread of anxiety, I’m still largely in the dark.

Of course—low doses can work wonders for anxiety, whereas higher doses are usually more for getting some decent sleep.

fadedbear92 said:Of course—low doses can work wonders for anxiety, whereas higher doses are usually more for getting some decent sleep.

That’s the thing, isn't it? It all comes down to knowing where that line is—distinguishing a little bit from a lot. And wouldn't you agree that those higher doses also help keep the psychotic elements at bay?

Antipsychotics definitely do the trick for anxiety, and lately, doctors have been prescribing them more often than antidepressants for depressive disorders. People especially swear by Seroquel, praising it as a top-tier antipsychotic that packs a serious antidepressant punch.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:That’s the thing, isn't it? It all comes down to knowing where that line is—distinguishing a little bit from a lot. And wouldn't you agree that those higher doses also help keep the psychotic elements at bay?

It's all right there in the manual.😉

Kevin Bailey2 said:Antipsychotics definitely do the trick for anxiety, and lately, doctors have been prescribing them more often than antidepressants for depressive disorders. People especially swear by Seroquel, praising it as a top-tier antipsychotic that packs a serious antidepressant punch.

Seroquel is the real deal—it's basically our gold standard.

fadedbear92 said:Seroquel is the real deal—it's basically our gold standard.

My doctor wouldn't even write it for me... she claims she won't put psychosis in my diagnosis if I don't actually have it, and if she doesn't, then my insurance isn't going to cover it. So now I'm just stuck suffering through the Sanval and Xanax. 🤷 It’s incredibly frustrating because I can't exactly order this high-end American sleep medication online easily... three different types of hypnotics and all that nonsense. 😢 Honestly, I'm quite envious of people who have access to it.

shadowbear9 said:My doctor wouldn't even write it for me... she claims she won't put psychosis in my diagnosis if I don't actually have it, and if she doesn't, then my insurance isn't going to cover it. So now I'm just stuck suffering through the Sanval and Xanax. 🤷 It’s incredibly frustrating because I can't exactly order this high-end American sleep medication online easily... three different types of hypnotics and all that nonsense. 😢 Honestly, I'm quite envious of people who have access to it.

Once, my doctor gave me Lamictal—I was incredibly restless from Lexapro—and she wrote down bipolar disorder just because she couldn't prescribe it without that specific diagnosis. But I’m about as bipolar as the sky is the ground; it has nothing to do with me. Luckily, my primary care physician knows me well enough and understands my actual issues are mostly anxiety, so he didn't put bipolar in the system. I feel for anyone actually dealing with bipolar or psychosis—there's zero shame in it—but why label someone with psychosis when they don't have it?!

What are you guys even talking about? What kind of psychosis do you need to qualify for this medication?

I was prescribed a perfectly standard 400mg daily dose of Seroquel just to manage my depression and anxiety.
My medical records don't even show a single sign of psychosis.

Why are people spreading such misinformation?

I can't tell if people on this forum just love making things up or if they're visiting some total hack psychiatrist.
Good grief... no competent American psychiatrist is going to prescribe Sanval for anything longer than a week.

Do yourselves a favor and find a doctor who actually knows what they're doing.

Kevin Bailey2 said:What are you guys even talking about? What kind of psychosis do you need to qualify for this medication?

I was prescribed a perfectly standard 400mg daily dose of Seroquel just to manage my depression and anxiety.
My medical records don't even show a single sign of psychosis.

Why are people spreading such misinformation?

I can't tell if people on this forum just love making things up or if they're visiting some total hack psychiatrist.
Good grief... no competent American psychiatrist is going to prescribe Sanval for anything longer than a week.

Do yourselves a favor and find a doctor who actually knows what they're doing.

Just calm down for a second. Nobody is spreading misinformation; I am simply repeating what she said. Her words were basically, "I could write that prescription for you, but I’d have to note that you have psychosis," which isn't necessary at your age unless you actually have it. Besides, your doctor won't give it to you just because I say so, since all you have is insomnia... next time, I'll just go to my own psychiatrist and ask her the exact same thing... btw, I've been using Sanval for years and I've seen all kinds of psychiatrists, so it really makes it seem like our entire healthcare system is broken.😉