Psychotropic medication discussion thread

granitefalcon26 said:It talks about depression resulting from schizophrenia or appearing as a side effect during antipsychotic treatment, which could be it.
That’s not quite what I meant. It's pretty obvious people are going to feel depressed once they find out what they're dealing with.
😉

First things first: for the umpteenth time: schizophrenia. If you're struggling, at least try to spell it right. Not that I know... 🤣

Second: with sch (another imprecise term, though commonly used), you get these so-called negative symptoms, which include depressive episodes. Mood swings are incredibly common with this condition anyway, even if they don't fit neatly into one specific clinical category... because of that, doctors often prescribe supplemental meds—antidepressants, anxiolytics, sleep aids, and so on. Depression isn't necessarily a side effect of antipsychotics, since those tend to partially blunt the emotional spectrum. People often overlook the possibility of a co-occurring depressive syndrome because the primary schizophrenia symptoms are just so much more prominent. Also, Risperdal and its generics are essentially the same thing, just different manufacturers... let's not get too philosophical about whether a psychiatrist made the right call or not; that's for the patient to decide based on their own reality...

Kenneth Scott41 said:I initially started on Zoloft, but I found it just wasn't a good fit for my system, so my doctor decided to switch things up. I've transitioned over to Paxil now, which has actually been quite effective and seems to be helping me significantly, though there is this one persistent issue that’s been weighing on my mind. I find myself wondering about it quite often... essentially, it comes down to a complete lack of sexual interest and some issues with impotence.

That’s a pretty common side effect with fluvoxamine. You might want to look into Lexapro (escitalopram). Patients usually have great results, and it doesn't typically mess with your sex life as much...

Honestly, you people are out of your minds—you're essentially choosing to dose yourselves with these chemical toxins that trigger a sort of cognitive lobotomy, dulling your wits and leaving you with nothing but side effects

Do yourself a favor and watch this film

http://www.megavideo.com/?d=DHM44A08

Or perhaps this one

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...99239524875493

Yeah, honestly, these meds are absolute garbage. I can't even function like a normal human being anymore on this antidepressant. It’s like... I’m just totally blocked from feeling any kind of excitement—it's impossible to actually get interested in anything. I’ve been feeling like a literal houseplant for seven months straight now... and on top of that, I’m constantly exhausted and stuck in this depressive rut because of it. No emotions, zero motivation for anything. And sex? Yeah, that's a total zero. When I'm off them, I feel like my actual self again... but since they're prescribed, what am I supposed to do? I'm barely hanging in there, but what's the move? I know deep down this stuff is junk—I can feel it in my bones—but what's the alternative? Probably just quitting this crap altogether...

cosmictinker21 said:That’s a pretty common side effect with fluvoxamine. You might want to look into Lexapro (escitalopram). Patients usually have great results, and it doesn't typically mess with your sex life as much...

I actually started out on the Zoloft 🤣 and, if I'm being honest, I felt significantly worse on that than I did on the Luvox. With the Luvox, everything else feels fine and I suppose I'm doing alright, aside from the whole sexual dysfunction issue...

Kenneth Scott41 said:I actually started out on the Zoloft 🤣 and, if I'm being honest, I felt significantly worse on that than I did on the Luvox. With the Luvox, everything else feels fine and I suppose I'm doing alright, aside from the whole sexual dysfunction issue...

That’s strange. I guess you're the exception then...🤣

I have a bit of an off-topic question here, though I suppose it all ties back to psychology and chemistry in the end.

Could anyone point me toward a more detailed article explaining the exact functions of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and acetylcholine? I tried digging through Wikipedia, but I found myself feeling rather unsatisfied with their explanations. I’m left with this impression that serotonin exists to keep us calm, deeply content, and easygoing, whereas dopamine seems to drive a person toward a state of pure mania. Of course, I don't truly believe it works quite that simply, as nature wouldn't reasonably engineer us with substances designed solely to make us lose our minds—unless, perhaps, we are discussing psychiatric conditions where the brain undergoes some sort of chemical imbalance similar to an LSD trip. But then again, that falls under the realm of psychiatry. Regardless, if anyone has a good resource, please let me know. I even browsed an American medical site dedicated specifically to pharmacology, but I can't recall the name, and even there, my curiosity wasn't fully satisfied.

To start things off: grab a standard psychiatry textbook. After that, dive into neurobiochemistry—I’d also suggest picking up a decent anatomy atlas for the central nervous system. Maybe search for "neurotransmitters" specifically; you might actually stumble onto something useful there. Or, honestly, just wander into a University bookstore or a local Barnes & Noble and see what catches your eye...

Walter Williams33 said:Honestly, you people are out of your minds—you're essentially choosing to dose yourselves with these chemical toxins that trigger a sort of cognitive lobotomy, dulling your wits and leaving you with nothing but side effects

Do yourself a favor and watch this film

http://www.megavideo.com/?d=DHM44A08

Or perhaps this one

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...99239524875493

honestly, without that "lobotomy," half of you wouldn't even be standing, or you'd be stuck in a state hospital somewhere...

cosmictinker21 said:To start things off: grab a standard psychiatry textbook. After that, dive into neurobiochemistry—I’d also suggest picking up a decent anatomy atlas for the central nervous system. Maybe search for "neurotransmitters" specifically; you might actually stumble onto something useful there. Or, honestly, just wander into a University bookstore or a local Barnes & Noble and see what catches your eye...

In my small town, there isn't a single academic bookstore to be found; we have nothing more than one tiny little bookshop and a stationery store, and even that place might shutter its doors once the autumn months set in.

cosmictinker21 said:That’s a pretty common side effect with fluvoxamine. You might want to look into Lexapro (escitalopram). Patients usually have great results, and it doesn't typically mess with your sex life as much...

Honestly, though, I'd leave the medical stuff to the pros. Like, let a psychiatrist handle the prescription.😁

Kenneth Scott41 said:I actually started out on the Zoloft 🤣 and, if I'm being honest, I felt significantly worse on that than I did on the Luvox. With the Luvox, everything else feels fine and I suppose I'm doing alright, aside from the whole sexual dysfunction issue...

Look, don't take everyone else's advice here as gospel. Medicine isn't math. We aren't all built the same way, and everyone reacts to antidepressants differently.👍

cosmictinker21 said:First things first: for the umpteenth time: schizophrenia. If you're struggling, at least try to spell it right. Not that I know... 🤣

Second: with sch (another imprecise term, though commonly used), you get these so-called negative symptoms, which include depressive episodes. Mood swings are incredibly common with this condition anyway, even if they don't fit neatly into one specific clinical category... because of that, doctors often prescribe supplemental meds—antidepressants, anxiolytics, sleep aids, and so on. Depression isn't necessarily a side effect of antipsychotics, since those tend to partially blunt the emotional spectrum. People often overlook the possibility of a co-occurring depressive syndrome because the primary schizophrenia symptoms are just so much more prominent. Also, Risperdal and its generics are essentially the same thing, just different manufacturers... let's not get too philosophical about whether a psychiatrist made the right call or not; that's for the patient to decide based on their own reality...

Look, it's pretty clear you aren't exactly an expert in medicine or psychiatry.🤣
You should probably do a little reading on how antipsychotics work before making such vague claims.
Here’s that link from Wikipedia again so you can catch up. It’s written in plain English. Hopefully, it makes sense this time.😁
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postschizophrenic_depression

ruggedlynx30 said:Yeah, honestly, these meds are absolute garbage. I can't even function like a normal human being anymore on this antidepressant. It’s like... I’m just totally blocked from feeling any kind of excitement—it's impossible to actually get interested in anything. I’ve been feeling like a literal houseplant for seven months straight now... and on top of that, I’m constantly exhausted and stuck in this depressive rut because of it. No emotions, zero motivation for anything. And sex? Yeah, that's a total zero. When I'm off them, I feel like my actual self again... but since they're prescribed, what am I supposed to do? I'm barely hanging in there, but what's the move? I know deep down this stuff is junk—I can feel it in my bones—but what's the alternative? Probably just quitting this crap altogether...

I am genuinely concerned that you might be the only individual capable of determining the correct course of action. If we are discussing a temporary psychotic episode rather than a diagnosed case of schizophrenia, I would likely choose to discontinue the AP. However, I would certainly not wish for any harm to come to you simply because you followed my guidance. Ultimately, are you not the only one who can truly decide what is best for your own life?

I’ve been dealing with some seriously weird headspace shifts whenever I try to cut back on the AP. It’s like, one day I’m totally wired—just buzzing with this crazy energy that makes sleep impossible—and then the very next day, I’m just completely wiped out... Like, zero percent battery left. I'm probably gonna have to try tapering off more gradually instead of just going cold turkey.

granitefalcon26 said:Look, it's pretty clear you aren't exactly an expert in medicine or psychiatry.🤣
You should probably do a little reading on how antipsychotics work before making such vague claims.
Here’s that link from Wikipedia again so you can catch up. It’s written in plain English. Hopefully, it makes sense this time.😁
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postschizophrenic_depression

Honey, nobody learns actual medicine from Wikipedia...

There exist certain medications that function halfway as antidepressants and halfway as antipsychotics. While it is certainly plausible for an individual to exhibit symptoms of both schizophrenia and depression, one must consider whether we are actually looking at schizophrenia acting as the primary underlying condition.

Is it not similarly possible to find individuals who present with both schizophrenia and mania?

ruggedlynx30 said:I’ve been dealing with some seriously weird headspace shifts whenever I try to cut back on the AP. It’s like, one day I’m totally wired—just buzzing with this crazy energy that makes sleep impossible—and then the very next day, I’m just completely wiped out... Like, zero percent battery left. I'm probably gonna have to try tapering off more gradually instead of just going cold turkey.

Look, dinko, if your current treatment isn't hitting the mark, you should definitely reach out to your psychiatrist and lay it all out for them. There are way newer antipsychotics available now compared to the old stuff like Fluphenazine—options that come with way fewer side effects. Just please don't go rogue and stop your medication on your own; that's basically an open invitation for a new episode, and that's the last thing you need right now. You and your doctor can work together to dial in the right med and the right dosage. Honestly, that kind of fine-tuning is totally doable these days. Hang in there!

granitefalcon26 said:Fevrier is an antidepressant, while Risperdal is an antipsychotic. That's a pretty odd combo, especially since you mentioned she was previously on Moditen.
Moditen and Risperdal are typically used for chronic schizophrenia. I'm a bit confused why she'd be on Fevrier too.🤷
There isn't any set rule for when someone moves from pills to injections. Some patients end up using both. It really all comes down to how the patient responds to the treatment.
One more thing: "schizophrenic depression" isn't actually a thing. It’s either depression or schizophrenia.

So, based on what you know, should Fever and Risset even be taken together? Do you happen to know why, or what kind of side effects might occur with that combination? I'm also wondering if anyone else has been prescribed this specific combo by their psychiatrist and what your experiences have been, assuming this isn't just an isolated case. Thanks.

I suppose there’s a certain irony to these pills; they certainly offer some relief, but I can't help feeling they do just as much harm as good. It feels like every time you try to fix one issue, you end up inadvertently sabotaging another part of your health. Personally, I don't think anyone should be reaching for something like Viagra in their thirties, especially since I spent five years dealing with the side effects of Zoloft.😠: