Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Roger Scott17 said:It’s totally possible. Seriously, listen to your doctor. Twelve days is basically nothing when you're waiting for these things to kick in.
I'm not sure which anxiolytic you're taking or what your specific limit is while pregnant, but that might help bridge the gap until the antidepressant starts doing its thing.
Just follow your medical team's lead—managing anxiety and depression during pregnancy is a whole different ballgame. People on this forum can try to help, obviously, but we can't give you the full picture because of your situation.
Also, just keep in mind that it's not just about the anxiety; you've got those pregnancy hormones throwing everything out of whack, too!
Hang in there—it'll get better once the medication settles in. Don't stress over the exact timeline; just trust that it's working. You've got this! Good luck! 👍

Thanks so much. She prescribed me Normabel, but I haven't touched it because my conscience is killing me and I'm worried about how it interacts with my Prozac. I'm just constantly spiraling, wondering when the meds will kick in or if they even will at all...

Kimberly Morris said:Thanks so much. She prescribed me Normabel, but I haven't touched it because my conscience is killing me and I'm worried about how it interacts with my Prozac. I'm just constantly spiraling, wondering when the meds will kick in or if they even will at all...

It’s gonna kick in soon, trust me.
Every single morning when you roll out of bed, just tell yourself—"Starting today, things are looking up... and every day is getting better and better."
You've gotta convince your subconscious that this medication is doing its job and helping you more every single day—don't let those old anxieties keep nagging at you!
Show your subconscious who's actually running the show here. You've totally got this! Just remember that fear is basically just a mental illusion—if you let it take the driver's seat, it’s just going to keep circling back to haunt you.
So don't throw in the towel! Believe in yourself and your ability to kick this anxiety to the curb. 👍

Roger Scott17 said:It’s gonna kick in soon, trust me.
Every single morning when you roll out of bed, just tell yourself—"Starting today, things are looking up... and every day is getting better and better."
You've gotta convince your subconscious that this medication is doing its job and helping you more every single day—don't let those old anxieties keep nagging at you!
Show your subconscious who's actually running the show here. You've totally got this! Just remember that fear is basically just a mental illusion—if you let it take the driver's seat, it’s just going to keep circling back to haunt you.
So don't throw in the towel! Believe in yourself and your ability to kick this anxiety to the curb. 👍

Ugh, seriously, I feel like I've tried everything... But when I wake up hitting a wall of panic attacks and depression, and there's this constant urge to just scream my head off... I honestly start worrying I'm losing my mind or sliding into some kind of psychosis.

Kimberly Morris said:Ugh, seriously, I feel like I've tried everything... But when I wake up hitting a wall of panic attacks and depression, and there's this constant urge to just scream my head off... I honestly start worrying I'm losing my mind or sliding into some kind of psychosis.

Listen, if you haven't slipped into psychosis by now, you aren't going to.
Your doctors would have caught those signs way earlier and adjusted your treatment plan differently if that were happening.
Seriously though—take everything you've shared here and lay it all out for your psychiatrist. They’re going to have much better tools and actual medical strategies for handling these panic attacks and social anxiety than anyone on a random internet forum ever could! Just please, don't give up on yourself—and definitely keep showing up to your therapy sessions, because I really think that's going to be the game-changer for you.

Roger Scott17 said:Listen, if you haven't slipped into psychosis by now, you aren't going to.
Your doctors would have caught those signs way earlier and adjusted your treatment plan differently if that were happening.
Seriously though—take everything you've shared here and lay it all out for your psychiatrist. They’re going to have much better tools and actual medical strategies for handling these panic attacks and social anxiety than anyone on a random internet forum ever could! Just please, don't give up on yourself—and definitely keep showing up to your therapy sessions, because I really think that's going to be the game-changer for you.

I am telling my psychiatrist all of this... It's just that I still want to hear from people who have actually been through the ringer. Maybe someone has some real-world advice on how to just survive this crap...

Brandon Lopez6 said:Starting my taper off amozyl this weekend. Right now I'm at four tablets every night, and the plan is to drop one pill per week (which is basically how I scaled up originally, adding one tablet each week). I know most antidepressants allow for a slower taper, but you just can't—and shouldn't—cold turkey amozyl. Honestly, I’m second-guessing myself already. Is dropping one a week going to be too much of a shock to the system? Should I maybe play it safer and only drop a pill every two weeks instead? Or should I stick to the seven-day window? Any advice would be huge.

Wait, why can't you go cold turkey? It's not like it's your heart or something...🤔

fadedbear92 said:Wait, why can't you go cold turkey? It's not like it's your heart or something...🤔

honestly, I have no clue.🤷

So, my mom passed away yesterday.. Usually, when stuff like this hits, I’m an absolute wreck—stomach knots, heart racing, total panic mode... But this time? I didn't feel a single thing. Just nothing.
Is it actually possible that after being on antidepressants for 12 years, I've just gone totally numb and lost the ability to feel anything at all?

Kimberly Morris said:So, my mom passed away yesterday.. Usually, when stuff like this hits, I’m an absolute wreck—stomach knots, heart racing, total panic mode... But this time? I didn't feel a single thing. Just nothing.
Is it actually possible that after being on antidepressants for 12 years, I've just gone totally numb and lost the ability to feel anything at all?

It’s possible that pregnancy hormones are acting as a sort of buffer against stress right now.
I’ve been on antidepressants for seven or eight years, and I still lose my mind with fear whenever my mother is in danger.

Jason Vaughn482 said:How many years had you been using Ambien? I would give anything to follow in your footsteps; I've been relying on it for years now and still can't seem to fall asleep without it.

I was on it for five years.

Brandon Lopez6 said:Starting my taper off amozyl this weekend. Right now I'm at four tablets every night, and the plan is to drop one pill per week (which is basically how I scaled up originally, adding one tablet each week). I know most antidepressants allow for a slower taper, but you just can't—and shouldn't—cold turkey amozyl. Honestly, I’m second-guessing myself already. Is dropping one a week going to be too much of a shock to the system? Should I maybe play it safer and only drop a pill every two weeks instead? Or should I stick to the seven-day window? Any advice would be huge.

Oh, one more thing... my Xanax was shaped like a triangle, so there wasn't a line to break it. If yours has a score mark on it, just snap it in half.

Kevin Bailey2 said:Oh, one more thing... my Xanax was shaped like a triangle, so there wasn't a line to break it. If yours has a score mark on it, just snap it in half.

Yeah, that's the one I'm on too. The triangle ones without the line.
I was supposed to start tapering down my dose yesterday, but my brain totally glitched and I took 4. Way to go, me. 🙄

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I last checked in... and now I’m back looking for some guidance. I actually found this wonderful, warm psychiatrist who is incredibly empathetic. She responds to my messages within five minutes; honestly, she’d probably pick up even if I called her at midnight. I thought I had finally found "the one," but she just isn't offering any actual solutions. Exactly nine weeks ago, she prescribed Effexor, claiming it was the perfect fit for my symptoms. It's been nine weeks and I feel absolutely no different. She just keeps telling me to be patient—that it'll kick in in a week, then another week... and here we are, nine weeks later. I feel terrible. I have this constant headache on the right side behind my ear, my neck and back are totally stiff, and I'm living in this constant, awful brain fog. I've decided it's time to get a second opinion. My concern is that I have a week-long business trip coming up in 22 days, and I am terrified because I don't know how I'll manage. I'm just so fed up with everything. Isn't there any solution out there for me? What is going on with this Effexor? Shouldn't it have started working by now? And why won't my doctor suggest an alternative? Thank you all so much for your help... I'm feeling truly hopeless right now.

copperpuma62 said:Has anyone here dealt with tapering off Effexor while switching over to Zoloft at the same time? I’m currently on 75mg of Effexor and half a 50mg pill of Zoloft... I feel like absolute garbage, my blood pressure dropped, and I'm just totally lost right now.

Hey Ivona. Why are you coming off the Effexor? I'm on 150 mg and it isn't doing anything for me. I've been on it for 9 weeks now.

Exactly... and I have one more question. I don't experience sudden attacks, nor am I feeling depressed or sad. It’s just that I feel this CONSTANT; EVERY SINGLE DAY; ALL DAY long pain, along with a lump in my throat and dizziness (brain fog). Is there anyone else out there experiencing this? Or am I truly alone in this?

Adam Chase98, sometimes those antidepressants just take forever to actually kick in.
About the dizziness, though—have you gone in for an EEG yet?

Brandon Lopez6 said:Adam Chase98, sometimes those antidepressants just take forever to actually kick in.
About the dizziness, though—have you gone in for an EEG yet?

Uh...I've done everything. It's not even true dizziness; it's more like this cloudiness or instability in my head...like I'm looking through water, if that makes any sense. I really tried giving it a chance, but it's been almost two and a half months now and there's zero progress.

Adam Chase98 said:Uh...I've done everything. It's not even true dizziness; it's more like this cloudiness or instability in my head...like I'm looking through water, if that makes any sense. I really tried giving it a chance, but it's been almost two and a half months now and there's zero progress.

I actually had some changes show up on my EEG, so they put me on an anti-seizure med, and since then, those symptoms you're talking about have totally cleared up. You asked if anyone else deals with this? Yeah, me too. It was exactly what you described.

Adam Chase98 said:Exactly... and I have one more question. I don't experience sudden attacks, nor am I feeling depressed or sad. It’s just that I feel this CONSTANT; EVERY SINGLE DAY; ALL DAY long pain, along with a lump in my throat and dizziness (brain fog). Is there anyone else out there experiencing this? Or am I truly alone in this?

Hey, I'm on it too. Did you have that lump in your throat before, or did it start once you began the Velafax? I started on 75 mg, and that "lump" was easily my most intense side effect. It’s a deeply unpleasant feeling, and the headaches were frequent. For me, things finally started to taper off after about a month and a half. Just hang in there a little longer...

electrichound3 said:Hey, I'm on it too. Did you have that lump in your throat before, or did it start once you began the Velafax? I started on 75 mg, and that "lump" was easily my most intense side effect. It’s a deeply unpleasant feeling, and the headaches were frequent. For me, things finally started to taper off after about a month and a half. Just hang in there a little longer...

Yes, the lump appeared right after I started the medication... I'm currently on 150 mg—splitting it into 75 mg in the morning and 75 mg at night. But folks, it's been 9 weeks... I just don't know!!