Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Hey everyone, I’ve been on an increased dose of Zoloft for about 17 days now—one pill
and for the last two days, I've bumped it up to two pills a day.

Should I be feeling any difference by now? Any idea when it might actually kick in?
What has your experience been like?
I really don't want to switch medications since I've been on this one for years,
and my psychiatrist says this isn't some new issue, just the same old thing.

Good grief, you’ve already asked me that at least ten times... just because two things fall under the same diagnosis doesn't mean the meds are going to hit the same way. Honestly, it feels like your depression might just be hitting a whole new level of intensity right now, making everything feel even more heavy-handed than usual...

Robert Collins2 said:Good grief, you’ve already asked me that at least ten times... just because two things fall under the same diagnosis doesn't mean the meds are going to hit the same way. Honestly, it feels like your depression might just be hitting a whole new level of intensity right now, making everything feel even more heavy-handed than usual...

Fair enough, but what’s the longest wait time before things actually start working? I read somewhere that it could take up to six weeks.

So honestly, you might as well just stay home and wait out those six weeks while your irrational fears drive you absolutely insane, because clearly you don't think you need an anti-anxiety med, but I mean...

🤦

Good grief, Robert Collins2, could you dial back the intensity just a little? Honestly, maybe go grab a glass of something soothing to take the edge off. You’ve completely lost the plot here; she simply came by to ask about people's experiences, so why on earth are you launching an immediate attack?

She mentioned she takes them regularly and doesn't skip doses. 😕

My doctor also tells me every single time that we have to wait at least six weeks to see any results...

She’s basically telling me to just back off,
but I really want to know how long it actually takes to kick in.

Well, Michael Reed45, there was a certain irony to the whole thing, wouldn't you say? 🙂)) Everyone seems to claim you need about a month to see results... though, in reality, if you experience any side effects at all, they typically taper off after two weeks, and then you're meant to feel a noticeable shift after a full month. Of course, it's entirely subjective; how one reacts depends on their specific metabolism, how their body generally handles medication, and whether they possess a natural resilience or not—it truly all comes down to the individual.

Everyone reacts differently, so please don't base your expectations solely on someone else's experience. For some, they start feeling a difference in just two weeks, while for others, it might take closer to two months.
It is often suggested that you should wait about a month, which just goes to show there is no set timeline for when an antidepressant will actually kick in, right?

Brandon Lopez6 said:So, what kind of reactions are we even supposed to be feeling?? 😕

(Honestly, I'm lost here... since this part is bolded... it feels the same to me.. I just assumed it was supposed to feel like this 🤷)

I have absolutely no clue—people claim they feel better, stronger, more upbeat, mentally tougher, more satisfied... that they transition from a state of depression into a constant state of good mood (that’s a totally layman's description, obviously). In the last 16 years since I've been treating my depression, I've tried probably every antidepressant out there, except for lithium... And nothing. Zip. Zero. It's like some young kid obsessively counting every single day to make sure I take my pills at the exact same time, stressing myself out for weeks, for months... and NOTHING!

The only real reaction I ever got from antidepressants was after taking Citalon for a month and a half, when I ended up in the emergency psych ward at Mount Sinai. I was clutching a chair for dear life, begging them to just let me end it all because I couldn't take it anymore. It took an hour of arguing just to convince them I wasn't going to cut myself or jump off a 16th-story balcony before they finally agreed to outpatient treatment and handed me seven different kinds of pills big enough to kill a herd of elephants.

Mind you, I actually know what triggers my deep depressive episodes... they show up every 6, 12, or 18 months... they last for a while... they slowly fade... maybe simply no antidepressant can patch up something that is so deeply and violently torn apart.

But every time I read some crappy version of Cosmopolitan claiming "Prozac is a global miracle," I just want to scream.

Roger Rodriguez said:Everyone reacts differently, so please don't base your expectations solely on someone else's experience. For some, they start feeling a difference in just two weeks, while for others, it might take closer to two months.
It is often suggested that you should wait about a month, which just goes to show there is no set timeline for when an antidepressant will actually kick in, right?

I was taking 25 mg of Zoloft (half a pill) for a year and a half,
then I hit a rough patch, so my doctor bumped me up to 50 mg.
After 18 days of feeling absolutely nothing, she moved me up to 100.
I guess since I've been on it for years, my body just got used to the lower dose.
As of yesterday, I've been taking two pills a day.
The highest I've ever gone was 1.5 pills daily.

I really don't want to go any higher; this already feels like too much.
Hopefully, it starts helping soon.

It’s been two days since I started taking 2 Zoloft a day,
and my hands won't stop shaking. On top of that, I'm feeling super anxious and nauseous...

Is this normal?

Robert Collins2 said:Oh, wow. So what, prayer, yoga, meditation, some weird parapsychology stuff isn't doing the trick for you?

😂 😂

Dormicum? You're talking about 15 mg of benzodiazepines? That’s basically the heavy-duty stuff doctors pump into patients right before they go under for surgery.

I mean, honestly... no comment. Just do me a huge favor and stop looking my way or tagging my name, "shaman." Thanks, buddy!

I might—though I really hope not because my anxiety is through the roof—get prescribed Dormicum. For now, my doctor gave me Normabel; I took it last night, but it was a total disaster—barely slept and felt incredibly anxious. It doesn't seem like it's going to work for me, so we'll see...
And when I asked about Dormicum, she called it "heavy artillery." I actually burst out laughing, even though the situation isn't funny at all.

fadedbear92 said:I might—though I really hope not because my anxiety is through the roof—get prescribed Dormicum. For now, my doctor gave me Normabel; I took it last night, but it was a total disaster—barely slept and felt incredibly anxious. It doesn't seem like it's going to work for me, so we'll see...
And when I asked about Dormicum, she called it "heavy artillery." I actually burst out laughing, even though the situation isn't funny at all.

I personally take Dormicum. From my own experience, I know it can cause retrograde amnesia. This means you really need to get straight into bed the moment you take it.😍I'm not quite sure what she meant by "heavy artillery," but it is definitely different from Normabel; while Normabel is used for inducing anesthesia, Dormicum is primarily for insomnia. It is a very potent medication.

wanderingangler90 said:I personally take Dormicum. From my own experience, I know it can cause retrograde amnesia. This means you really need to get straight into bed the moment you take it.😍I'm not quite sure what she meant by "heavy artillery," but it is definitely different from Normabel; while Normabel is used for inducing anesthesia, Dormicum is primarily for insomnia. It is a very potent medication.

Well, she was basically thinking it's one of the strongest sleep aids out there—I actually had some right before a surgery once, and man, what a sensation... you just drift off in a matter of minutes. But she mentioned it can mess with your receptors, so she isn't keen on prescribing it unless it's absolutely necessary because she's looking at the long-term effects.

I dropped by my doctor’s office today to ask about Dormicum, only to find out she had never even heard of the drug. She pulled up her terminal—which is linked directly to their Medicare system—and discovered that this medication isn't even something you can get via a standard prescription; apparently, it is strictly reserved for patients undergoing surgery in a hospital setting. Is it any wonder that there is such a heated debate over whether general practitioners who prescribe drugs like this should face disciplinary action? After all, shouldn't such potent sedatives be restricted from being handed out just to help someone catch a few hours of sleep? What are your thoughts on this?

Linda Ross said:Good grief, Robert Collins2, could you dial back the intensity just a little? Honestly, maybe go grab a glass of something soothing to take the edge off. You’ve completely lost the plot here; she simply came by to ask about people's experiences, so why on earth are you launching an immediate attack?

Listen, don't you try to lecture me. We aren't exactly best buddies, and honestly, Larry Howard8 has already driven both God and the devil crazy with those irrational ideas and that frantic typing of his...

Robert Collins2 said:Listen, don't you try to lecture me. We aren't exactly best buddies, and honestly, Larry Howard8 has already driven both God and the devil crazy with those irrational ideas and that frantic typing of his...

That isn't fair.
It's not like I actually want to think this way...🤷

Good grief, what kind of issues are you dealing with? Honestly, there’s just no saving you. What on earth are you even reading if a girl can get under your skin simply by reposting things over and over? You really need to take a breath, maybe pop a stronger sedative, and either retreat into that little fantasy world of yours or look into checking into a facility like Sunnyvale—I suspect they’re always looking for people with nerves as frayed as yours!
Larry Howard8, don't you worry about a thing.

Linda Ross said:Good grief, what kind of issues are you dealing with? Honestly, there’s just no saving you. What on earth are you even reading if a girl can get under your skin simply by reposting things over and over? You really need to take a breath, maybe pop a stronger sedative, and either retreat into that little fantasy world of yours or look into checking into a facility like Sunnyvale—I suspect they’re always looking for people with nerves as frayed as yours!
Larry Howard8, don't you worry about a thing.

Haha, what a joke. I don't need the VA, honey. It’s pretty obvious something in my posts "stung" you since you're getting this offended. Maybe you should grab a drink to calm down and call it a night! 😁

Whatever, I honestly love you trolls. Even though you're constantly picking fights with me just to get a tiny bit of my attention, haha, I totally get it. If I were in your shoes, I'd be acting out too! Sending you a big kiss on the forehead, haha! 😁