Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Since we’re all talking about increased appetite and stuff like that—has anyone else actually dealt with this while taking Lexapro? My psychiatrist told me it might happen right when you start the medication, but honestly, I feel like this hunger surge is only hitting me now, like, around month eight or nine of being on it. It’s a little hard to pin down exactly, though I’m pretty certain I have a much higher drive for food than I used to... maybe it’s just because I’m not working right now and I’m stuck at home all day, so I end up eating just out of sheer boredom 🤷 😁

Linda Ross said:That is precisely what interests me, because after taking Calisthenics, I gained 5 pounds in just two weeks; if John Doe has the same effect but causes less weight gain than Calisthenics, is there any truth to that? How is your appetite?
By the way, I was prescribed it for sleep issues; I spend my days playing Star Citizen, then take John Doe before bed, but it feels strange—as if my body is settling down while my mind remains in total chaos. It is as if I am successfully sedating my physical self without ever quieting my brain, which leaves me struggling to sleep because my thoughts simply refuse to settle...🤷 how has your experience been?

Honestly, I'm probably not the best person to ask about that. My doctor actually told me she’d never seen a case quite like mine. When I first started, I was on 4 mg of Xanax, 75 mg of Effexor, and 600 mg of Loquen daily, and I had absolutely ZERO side effects. Like, nothing at all!

Now that I've scaled down to lower doses, I feel amazing. I even managed to pass my driver's license test in the meantime... though God forbid they had actually run a drug test on me... 😁

Terry Mendoza80 said:Since we’re all talking about increased appetite and stuff like that—has anyone else actually dealt with this while taking Lexapro? My psychiatrist told me it might happen right when you start the medication, but honestly, I feel like this hunger surge is only hitting me now, like, around month eight or nine of being on it. It’s a little hard to pin down exactly, though I’m pretty certain I have a much higher drive for food than I used to... maybe it’s just because I’m not working right now and I’m stuck at home all day, so I end up eating just out of sheer boredom 🤷 😁

I'm not sure how Ciprolex affects people, but I didn't start gaining weight on Paxil until after a full year. In fact, I actually lost weight during those first few months because I felt so great; food wasn't even on my mind since I was constantly out and about planning my next adventure. Then, after a year, everything changed—my appetite spiked just as my activity levels dropped, a combination that easily cost me about 20 pounds in a single year.🙂
Looking back, I used to be able to just grab a sandwich in the morning and be set until the next day... now, whenever I get hungry, it isn't just normal hunger; it's this awful, hollow sensation, like my stomach is collapsing and I have zero energy left.
Even now, I don't overeat per se; I just tend to go overboard on sweets (which I did before anyway), yet I'm still putting on weight. If you notice the scale creeping up, my advice is to start exercising and stay active. Don't obsess too much over dieting, because honestly, that won't help much if the hunger is driving you.😉

Look, I am absolutely not entertaining the idea of some ridiculous diet... sure, I’ve put on maybe 10 or 15 pounds lately and I really need to get my act together—whether that means hitting the bike trail or going for a run, honestly, anything works once the weather finally starts warming up out here 🙂

To be honest, I’m probably not the best person to ask about this. My doctor actually told me she’d never run into a case quite like mine before. When I first started, I was taking 4 mg of Ativan, 75 mg of Effexor, and 600 mg of Luvox daily, and I didn't feel a single side effect—absolutely nothing at all.

Good grief... 4 mg of Ativan? How were you even functioning?
Were you actually making it to work or getting through classes on a dose like that?
I'm just asking because, personally, even 0.5 to 1 mg completely wipes me out.

Taylor Miller10 said:Hey everyone,

I started taking Zoloft at 50mg. For the first four days, I was just taking a quarter tablet, and everything seemed fine enough.
But today, I upped it to half a pill (I’m supposed to stay at this dose for five days before moving to a full pill), and honestly, I thought I was going to lose my mind.
My doctor warned me that I might feel nauseous, but she didn't mention it would be this constant.
All day long, my stomach has been churning, I'm dizzy, and I feel completely wired—like I've been overstimulated by drugs or something.
Is this actually normal when you're first starting these things?
Because this definitely isn't how I want to feel.
I can't help but wonder if my doctor just threw this prescription at me without much thought, just because it's a standard move.
The reason I'm on this is because I've been dealing with suicidal ideation over trivial things, several panic attacks, mood swings, and extreme sensory sensitivity.
I'm also still taking 0.50mg of Klonopin; they told me it acts as a mood stabilizer and helps calm me down, which is the only thing working right now after fighting this hyperactive, nauseous sensation from the Zoloft all day.

Please, I am genuinely confused here. I really don't want to become dependent on medication, but my doctor insisted we try Zoloft because it's supposedly highly effective at managing the severe PMS symptoms I deal with.

Thanks!

That's exactly how Zoloft acts. Tell your doctor, maybe the dosage needs to be lowered a bit.

velvetsailor26 said:To be honest, I’m probably not the best person to ask about this. My doctor actually told me she’d never run into a case quite like mine before. When I first started, I was taking 4 mg of Ativan, 75 mg of Effexor, and 600 mg of Luvox daily, and I didn't feel a single side effect—absolutely nothing at all.

Good grief... 4 mg of Ativan? How were you even functioning?
Were you actually making it to work or getting through classes on a dose like that?
I'm just asking because, personally, even 0.5 to 1 mg completely wipes me out.

Look, I'm telling you, ZERO side effects. I'm down to 0.625 mg of Xanax a day now, which means I've cut it by almost eight times in just three months...

I work, I drive, I eat, I sleep—everything's normal. I guess my brain receptors are just built different or whatever, but that's it. It's not like I'm some kind of Frankenstein or a junkie... 😁

I was on Calixt for a mere two weeks before I found myself five pounds heavier; by the second day alone, my appetite had become absolutely ravenous. I have since transitioned to Loquen, and the difference is night and day—my cravings for sweets and the urge to overeat when I am not even hungry have all but vanished. Despite maintaining a rigorous daily workout routine, the weight from Calixt continued to pile on regardless, even though I only took it right before bed. Does the medication work differently depending on whether one exercises or not? Or perhaps it simply has nothing to do with activity levels at all? It seems to me that it's purely down to individual biology; personally, every medication I take tends to push me toward weight gain rather than loss, even those hypnotics people claim help them slim down. For me, however, it always works in the opposite direction. 😢

Since starting Calixta and those other pills, I've gained 18 pounds in less than two months.

18 damn pounds.

And my doctor just calmly told me it was because of them. Honestly? I felt like jumping over the desk and strangling him with my bare hands.

Honestly, I also gained an insane amount of weight in such a short window of time. My doctor just gave me one look during my last treatment and told me I should probably grab two extra pairs of pants and five more shirts before heading out for a run, since clearly losing weight isn't happening on these meds. He didn't exactly kill my spirit, though! 😠

So, I guess I’m not the only one dealing with this. Linda Ross, did you finally stop taking Calixt, and if so, what are you using as a substitute now?
SuperCrow, what exactly constitutes this "brilliant" doctor of yours—are we talking about a private psychologist or just some local GP?

Linda Ross said:So, I guess I’m not the only one dealing with this. Linda Ross, did you finally stop taking Calixt, and if so, what are you using as a substitute now?
SuperCrow, what exactly constitutes this "brilliant" doctor of yours—are we talking about a private psychologist or just some local GP?

A private psychiatrist...

Linda Ross said:So, I guess I’m not the only one dealing with this. Linda Ross, did you finally stop taking Calixt, and if so, what are you using as a substitute now?
SuperCrow, what exactly constitutes this "brilliant" doctor of yours—are we talking about a private psychologist or just some local GP?

Yes, I stopped. It wasn't just the weight gain; I was feeling terrible, so my doctor suggested switching medications...

Now I'm taking Nozinan instead. (My doctor always prescribes things that nobody else seems to use...)

Though, even the label says it can increase appetite, because I find myself constantly hungry again at night.

Don't play games with me; didn't they prescribe you a different medication entirely? And more importantly, did they even bother to warn you about that beforehand?

Linda Ross said:Don't play games with me; didn't they prescribe you a different medication entirely? And more importantly, did they even bother to warn you about that beforehand?

That's the substitute for Calixta.😕

He told me the two types of pills he gave me wouldn't increase my appetite. But as soon as I got to the pharmacy, opened the box, and checked the insert, I saw the difference. One lists decreased appetite as a side effect, but these ones specifically list increased appetite...

Michael Reed45 said:Yes, I stopped. It wasn't just the weight gain; I was feeling terrible, so my doctor suggested switching medications...

Now I'm taking Nozinan instead. (My doctor always prescribes things that nobody else seems to use...)

Though, even the label says it can increase appetite, because I find myself constantly hungry again at night.

Man, I remember taking Nozinan back when I first started my treatment. I was popping it at night along with Helix and Loquen, and let me tell you, my mouth felt absolutely trashed—like someone had shoved a handful of dry sand in there and left it... thank God psychotherapy actually helped me deal with the insomnia, so I don't even touch it at night anymore. I even managed to scale my Helix down from 4 mg a day to just a tiny 0.625 mg dose.

Kudos to you. I can barely even fall asleep on it half the time...

Look, I’ve been doing some serious work on myself lately, and honestly? I feel better than I ever have in my life. I really want you to experience that same feeling one day—that moment where you finally start actually living again instead of just existing—because trust me, getting your life back isn't some impossible mission. 🙂

sorry Betty, I missed your reply earlier. I definitely plan on researching the side effects before I pick up my prescription, especially given how unpredictable these antidepressants can be lately. That said, both Calixta and Loquen list weight gain as a frequent side effect, which is a massive concern for me since I already struggle with my weight; the last thing I need is a medication that triggers constant cravings. So far, Loquen hasn't spiked my appetite, but the sensation is incredibly strange. It takes forever to kick in, and once it finally does, I feel like I'm trapped in some sort of half-dream state. I’ll sleep, yet I never truly feel rested, waking up several times feeling completely disoriented. I usually take Starcitin during the day, whereas this is meant for bedtime—is there an antidepressant specifically designed for nighttime use that doesn't cause weight gain? To be fair, I found it much easier to fall asleep on Calixta than on Loquen, but the weight gain from that was absolutely catastrophic.

It's pretty standard for SSRIs to mess with your sleep or make insomnia even worse; the sedating antidepressant mirtazapine can be used in such cases.

You've actually got a killer article on Wikipedia here about MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER, definitely worth a quick read! 🙂