Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Brandon Mitchell said:So, antipsychotics are meant to treat psychosis, but can someone actually explain the mechanics behind how they work? Also, is it normal to feel this total lack of emotional intensity while on them? It’s like this constant emotional dullness where every single day feels identical. Nothing really excites me, and I can't even distinguish between feeling sad or happy because I don't feel either—it’s just an endless sense of emptiness. Since I've been feeling this void for two years now while on my meds, does that mean I should start tapering off, or is it time to switch to a different medication entirely? My psychiatrist keeps insisting she'll start lowering my dosage once my concentration improves, but I have no clue when that's ever going to happen since I feel exactly the same every day—neither better nor worse—and my psychotic symptoms are gone. If anyone here actually knows what they're talking about, please weigh in. Thanks in advance! (edit) Honestly, I'm starting to lose faith in psychiatrists. It feels like they just treat you like a machine to be fixed rather than actually trying to understand the quality of my life, even though I've been completely open with her. I keep telling her repeatedly that this emptiness is bothering me, but she just sticks to the same line about waiting for my focus to improve before tapering. I'm seriously considering finding a new doctor, but at the same time, switching providers after three years feels like a massive risk...

I dealt with the exact same thing. I stopped taking the antipsychotics and the problem was gone. For me, the original reason I was even on them had cleared up, so there wasn't much point in staying on them. Not sure if your situation is the same.

Carol Barrett2 said:They also tend to intensify mild depression, and depression can trigger psychosis and psychotic attacks.

Stop making stuff up that doesn't make sense. You're just spreading unnecessary panic. 🙄🙄

Carol Barrett2 said:They also tend to intensify mild depression, and depression can trigger psychosis and psychotic attacks.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I dealt with the exact same thing. I stopped taking the antipsychotics and the problem was gone. For me, the original reason I was even on them had cleared up, so there wasn't much point in staying on them. Not sure if your situation is the same.

Stop making stuff up that doesn't make sense. You're just spreading unnecessary panic. 🙄🙄

What exactly am I "making up"? Since I started taking these, they've triggered this mild depression—I feel like absolute crap because of them. And what, you're going to tell me depression doesn't lead to psychosis and psychotic attacks?
Depression and psychosis
https://www.google.com/webhp?ie=utf-...ses+psychosis+
Psychotic Depression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotic_depression

Carol Barrett2 said:What exactly am I "making up"? Since I started taking these, they've triggered this mild depression—I feel like absolute crap because of them. And what, you're going to tell me depression doesn't lead to psychosis and psychotic attacks?
Depression and psychosis
https://www.google.com/webhp?ie=utf-...ses+psychosis+
Psychotic Depression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotic_depression

So, what, antipsychotics ALWAYS cause mild depression, which ALWAYS spirals into worse depression, which ALWAYS leads to psychosis? Because that’s basically how your post read—don't take them or you'll end up psychotic.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I dealt with the exact same thing. I stopped taking the antipsychotics and the problem was gone. For me, the original reason I was even on them had cleared up, so there wasn't much point in staying on them. Not sure if your situation is the same.

Stop making stuff up that doesn't make sense. You're just spreading unnecessary panic. 🙄🙄

Yeah.

Brandon Lopez6 said:So, what, antipsychotics ALWAYS cause mild depression, which ALWAYS spirals into worse depression, which ALWAYS leads to psychosis? Because that’s basically how your post read—don't take them or you'll end up psychotic.

Look, I didn't say they always cause depression—just that they *can*. It doesn't happen to everyone.
I take my APs just so I don't end up fighting with anyone (especially my family).
My supposed "psychosis" was actually triggered by an overdose of Advil combined with elevated Morphine levels in my toxicology report.
Since I stopped taking Advil based on my doctor's advice, I wouldn't be considered Psychotic.
You don't know enough about my specific situation to claim that I'd be Psychotic if I weren't on APs.
Sometimes I forget to take them for a day or two, and I don't have any episodes—honestly, I never even had them to begin with.
My case is a bit weird—the first time I was Hospitalized, it was over these psychosomatic issues and arguing with the staff at the hospital where I was staying for liver problems—weight dropping from 175 lbs down to 140 lbs, being unable to go to the bathroom for over ten days, pain in my groin, stomach, and the fact that I hadn't slept for maybe three or four days straight because of the pain.
The second time, it was the same symptoms, but this time I just snapped. I didn't want to kill myself, but I did want God to take me, so I stood right in the middle of the street. A car didn't hit me head-on, but when I tried to step back, a car clipped me because I wasn't walking far enough onto the shoulder. I survived without broken bones or anything crazy, but I had deep wounds that should have needed stitches, and I had to try and treat them myself with creams and ointments while stuck in the psych ward.

It started with me taking way more than my prescribed dose. I was constantly high, just floating in this hazy, disconnected state... Then, out of nowhere, I decided to quit all that crap cold turkey on my own. Now? I’m dealing with insomnia, emotional instability, and this terrifying surge of aggression—this urge to hurt others, and honestly, myself too.

I was mixing heavy doses of Tramadol, Percocet, and xanax all at once.

Should I just start taking them again? I feel like I'm losing my mind without them. I don't know what to do. And if I come clean to my doctor and tell them everything, am I going to face legal trouble?

silentpuma3 said:It started with me taking way more than my prescribed dose. I was constantly high, just floating in this hazy, disconnected state... Then, out of nowhere, I decided to quit all that crap cold turkey on my own. Now? I’m dealing with insomnia, emotional instability, and this terrifying surge of aggression—this urge to hurt others, and honestly, myself too.

I was mixing heavy doses of Tramadol, Percocet, and xanax all at once.

Should I just start taking them again? I feel like I'm losing my mind without them. I don't know what to do. And if I come clean to my doctor and tell them everything, am I going to face legal trouble?

As weird as it sounds, it really all comes down to your specific diagnosis. If you're dealing with BPD, honestly, this kind of behavior isn't even news to them. ☕

Siasia said:It’s almost laughable how they just cycle through the same predictable prescriptions; it makes me think the doctors over at the local Mayo Clinic branch are truly incompetent. I have been cycled through everything from Fevarin and Eliceu to Misar, Sanval, Helex, Xanax, Mirzaten, L'Oquen, Seroquel, some generic American version of Prozac, and even Cymbalta🤦 plus this unnamed anti-epileptic medication—I’ve tried Prazine too, which was absolute garbage—and even 1mg of Seroquel, all various types of Normabela, Dormicum, Fluzepam, and Zan.🕺 Honestly, I can't even be surprised that nothing seems to touch my condition anymore. Perhaps I need Rohypnol☕ which isn't available here, or if it is, they certainly don't hand it out to anyone...

Well, they aren't exactly giving us the *same* thing every time—they are certainly experimenting—but I find myself constantly retreating to Xanax. Depending on how much of a wreck I am, I might take a measly 0.25mg or scale up to 1.5mg; it all depends on the chaos of the moment, though I haven't crossed the line into true addiction yet. I also supplement with 7.5mg of Calixte alongside Cerson or Sanval...

Has anyone here actually used Anafranil? It hasn't been manufactured locally for quite a while now, so if it gets prescribed, you usually have to source it from overseas. I think I read somewhere that you might be able to pick it up at a pharmacy in Chicago, though it wouldn't be under that specific brand name since it's imported from Germany.

Charles Wright said:Has anyone here actually used Anafranil? It hasn't been manufactured locally for quite a while now, so if it gets prescribed, you usually have to source it from overseas. I think I read somewhere that you might be able to pick it up at a pharmacy in Chicago, though it wouldn't be under that specific brand name since it's imported from Germany.

Oh, no, you've got it completely wrong.🤦
You can find Anafranil pretty much wherever you want because Pfizer produces it, provided you have a prescription.
Originally, though, it was developed by Novartis out of Switzerland.
Of course they have it in Germany—honestly, I doubt there's a single country on Earth where it's unavailable... maybe even the Ivory Coast has it.🍿

So, what exactly would you use it for?

It's essentially just a standard antidepressant that hit the market because certain patients were overly sensitive to ingredients found in other types of meds.
Basically, the whole reason this drug exists is due to patient allergies or sensitivities; nothing else!

It's a tricyclic antidepressant developed fifty years ago, and frankly, there are many better options available today.

Just one little side note—anyone who stays on those so-called tricyclic antidepressants long-term really needs to watch out for cavities.

Siasia said:I mean, how is it that they just keep handing you the exact same prescriptions? It honestly feels like the doctors over in St. Louis are completely incompetent. I’ve cycled through everything—Fevarin, Eliceu, Misar, Sanval, Helex, Xanax, Mirzaten, L Oquen, Seroquel, some local brand name version of Prozac, and even Cymbalta 🤦 and now this unnamed anti-epileptic medication too. I’ve tried Prazine—which was absolute garbage—and even Seroquel at a dose of 1, all kinds of Normabels, Dormicum, Fluzepam, Zan, 🕺 so I can’t even be surprised anymore that nothing seems to work for me. Maybe Rohypnol ☕ would do the trick, though we don't have access to that here in the States, or maybe they just won't prescribe it to anyone...

There isn't anything particularly interesting in your post, but I've decided to use you as a prime example of how NOT to take medication and how NOT to approach treatment.

Since it usually takes several months for any given medication to actually start working, I am genuinely confused—how on earth did you manage to try all of those in such a short span of time??

The list of drugs you provided includes items that many people wouldn't even associate with one another, not to mention they can be incredibly dangerous when combined.
It isn't necessarily true that the medicine doesn't "work" on you; really, it all comes down to the specific dosage within the therapy.
Admittedly, I haven't been following your specific case or what exactly you are struggling with, but if you were to provide an actual diagnosis, I truly believe things might partially resolve themselves...

Kevin Nguyen3 said:Oh, no, you've got it completely wrong.🤦
You can find Anafranil pretty much wherever you want because Pfizer produces it, provided you have a prescription.
Originally, though, it was developed by Novartis out of Switzerland.
Of course they have it in Germany—honestly, I doubt there's a single country on Earth where it's unavailable... maybe even the Ivory Coast has it.🍿

So, what exactly would you use it for?

It's essentially just a standard antidepressant that hit the market because certain patients were overly sensitive to ingredients found in other types of meds.
Basically, the whole reason this drug exists is due to patient allergies or sensitivities; nothing else!

It's a tricyclic antidepressant developed fifty years ago, and frankly, there are many better options available today.

Just one little side note—anyone who stays on those so-called tricyclic antidepressants long-term really needs to watch out for cavities.

Pfizer hasn't been producing Anafranil for quite a while now, so it's pretty much impossible to find it here in the States.

Charles Wright said:Pfizer hasn't been producing Anafranil for quite a while now, so it's pretty much impossible to find it here in the States.

So, I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who works at a pharmacy over in Detroit, and she actually walked me through the whole situation...🙂

Basically, you were right all along! Since 2012, they stopped manufacturing it here because it just wasn't commercially viable—supposedly, the margins were way too thin.

However, it *can* be imported from abroad through a pharmacy.
What does that entail? Well, you need a prescription that isn't older than a month, and your medical history can't be more recent than six months; it needs to be very specific about the therapy type (like, 100 tablets of 25 mg...).
Once you take that prescription to the pharmacy, you have to wait somewhere around a month, and back in the day, 100 tablets would cost $33, though heaven knows if that's still the case today.

You were absolutely right, and I am truly sorry; that was my mistake.🤦

But the rest of my original point stands! To really understand how much it helps you, you simply must take it for at least a month or two, following the exact dosage recommended by your doctor.
And honestly, even if you realize it's working for you, what then? Are you really going to spend the next few years traveling to Austria just to pick up your medication??

It just doesn't make any sense.

Kevin Nguyen3 said:So, I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who works at a pharmacy over in Detroit, and she actually walked me through the whole situation...🙂

Basically, you were right all along! Since 2012, they stopped manufacturing it here because it just wasn't commercially viable—supposedly, the margins were way too thin.

However, it *can* be imported from abroad through a pharmacy.
What does that entail? Well, you need a prescription that isn't older than a month, and your medical history can't be more recent than six months; it needs to be very specific about the therapy type (like, 100 tablets of 25 mg...).
Once you take that prescription to the pharmacy, you have to wait somewhere around a month, and back in the day, 100 tablets would cost $33, though heaven knows if that's still the case today.

You were absolutely right, and I am truly sorry; that was my mistake.🤦

But the rest of my original point stands! To really understand how much it helps you, you simply must take it for at least a month or two, following the exact dosage recommended by your doctor.
And honestly, even if you realize it's working for you, what then? Are you really going to spend the next few years traveling to Austria just to pick up your medication??

It just doesn't make any sense.

Anafranil can often show good results for improving mood during depression quite quickly, usually within the first two or three weeks. Because of that, alongside Ladiomil, it was frequently prescribed in hospital settings before newer generations of antidepressants—specifically the SSRIs—became the standard. The only reason it isn't available on the American market anymore is simply because it's cheap; there isn't a pharmaceutical company that finds producing Anafranil profitable enough. It's a pretty clear example of how ruthless our modern capitalist society can be. Of course, it's still available in Germany and Austria, and I've heard it's still found in "all the better pharmacies" in Canada too. It remains because it’s proven to be very effective and necessary for many patients.
I mean, since there are indications it might be prescribed to me because it's recommended for my specific case, if I found out that it actually "works" for me, I'd probably be willing to go to a lot of trouble to make sure I could get my hands on it.

Charles Wright said:Has anyone here actually used Anafranil? It hasn't been manufactured locally for quite a while now, so if it gets prescribed, you usually have to source it from overseas. I think I read somewhere that you might be able to pick it up at a pharmacy in Chicago, though it wouldn't be under that specific brand name since it's imported from Germany.

God, the misinformation floating around about getting your hands on Anafranil is unreal. I've been on it for 12 years now.

It used to be made by Pfizer. Then they stopped because the margins weren't there—it was just too cheap to bother making.

For years, I used to grab mine at a CVS over near the city center and spent a small fortune on it.

I found out recently that you can get it via prescription again. Local pharmacies usually have it in stock if you go to a standard drugstore in the suburbs. You just need to show your psychiatric history and a blue prescription. Sometimes they import it from Germany, other times from Austria.

It's pretty easy to handle. It lowered my blood pressure a bit when I first started. The main side effect that hit me was intense sweating. Now, I only sweat a little, probably because my body finally got used to it.

urbanskipper4 said:God, the misinformation floating around about getting your hands on Anafranil is unreal. I've been on it for 12 years now.

It used to be made by Pfizer. Then they stopped because the margins weren't there—it was just too cheap to bother making.

For years, I used to grab mine at a CVS over near the city center and spent a small fortune on it.

I found out recently that you can get it via prescription again. Local pharmacies usually have it in stock if you go to a standard drugstore in the suburbs. You just need to show your psychiatric history and a blue prescription. Sometimes they import it from Germany, other times from Austria.

It's pretty easy to handle. It lowered my blood pressure a bit when I first started. The main side effect that hit me was intense sweating. Now, I only sweat a little, probably because my body finally got used to it.

That’s encouraging! How many milligrams do you take daily, and how many times a day? Are you taking it along with any other pills? Thanks.

Charles Wright said:That’s encouraging! How many milligrams do you take daily, and how many times a day? Are you taking it along with any other pills? Thanks.

25 mg Anafranil, three times a day (2,2,2)
150 mg Aurorix, twice a day (1,0,1)
25 mg Lyrica, three times a day—that's my current setup (2,2,2)
I'm on it for OCD.

I somehow managed to drag myself to the 20-week mark of pregnancy, but I'm still hitting a wall...

Since Fevarin and Cipralex didn't really sit right with me in the past, my psychiatrist is suggesting I give Zoloft a shot (he says it's okay during pregnancy and supposedly has the fewest side effects)...

So, instead of spending hours digging through old forums, does anyone here actually have experience using Zoloft?

Carol Barrett2 said:Look, I didn't say they always cause depression—just that they *can*. It doesn't happen to everyone.
I take my APs just so I don't end up fighting with anyone (especially my family).
My supposed "psychosis" was actually triggered by an overdose of Advil combined with elevated Morphine levels in my toxicology report.
Since I stopped taking Advil based on my doctor's advice, I wouldn't be considered Psychotic.
You don't know enough about my specific situation to claim that I'd be Psychotic if I weren't on APs.
Sometimes I forget to take them for a day or two, and I don't have any episodes—honestly, I never even had them to begin with.
My case is a bit weird—the first time I was Hospitalized, it was over these psychosomatic issues and arguing with the staff at the hospital where I was staying for liver problems—weight dropping from 175 lbs down to 140 lbs, being unable to go to the bathroom for over ten days, pain in my groin, stomach, and the fact that I hadn't slept for maybe three or four days straight because of the pain.
The second time, it was the same symptoms, but this time I just snapped. I didn't want to kill myself, but I did want God to take me, so I stood right in the middle of the street. A car didn't hit me head-on, but when I tried to step back, a car clipped me because I wasn't walking far enough onto the shoulder. I survived without broken bones or anything crazy, but I had deep wounds that should have needed stitches, and I had to try and treat them myself with creams and ointments while stuck in the psych ward.

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, but I still think your previous post was just unnecessarily clunky and poorly written.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, but I still think your previous post was just unnecessarily clunky and poorly written.

You're kind of right, but also... not really.
Let's just pretend you actually hit the nail on the head and we're all finished here.
🙂