Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Kyle Nelson2 said:Just get yourself to the gym and start doing some cardio... every single day...
and I guess after maybe a month at most, you'll start feeling a whole lot better.

Not necessarily.
I tried that.
My job is physically demanding enough as it is. On top of that, I started going for bike rides every evening.
It didn't change a thing regarding my sleep: I couldn't fall asleep, I was waking up at 4 AM, or I was tossing and turning all night long.
Eventually, I was just burnt out—exhausted without actually getting any rest.
I didn't start feeling human again until I spent a month on Celexa. That one month was the only time I actually rested. I'm off it now, and while my sleep is better than it used to be, it's still not quite where it needs to be.

I’ll take 5 mg of Xanax when I’m truly hitting a wall and just can't drift off... It works well enough because by the second day, I'm back to my usual self and can function without any issues.
Besides, Xanax (or Norvasc) acts more as a muscle relaxant anyway; it essentially just eases all that physical tension.

Is Ambien basically like drinking... I took half a pill and was out like a light, but my friend took a whole one just to get some rest and slept like a baby... and he’s always struggled with insomnia.

David Kern14 said:what a load of garbage

I'm just asking because I know some people shouldn't be drinking alcohol while they're on certain medications—like Advil, for instance.

Yeah, you're right—I read somewhere that you shouldn't take that active ingredient alongside other meds, especially since it's based on St. John's Wort...

but valerian should be fine...

Anyone here taking Lennon? Just curious about when you guys dose it and how much you're actually on. Also—has anyone dealt with any weight gain?

Actually, I stopped taking that stuff ages ago... just couldn't deal with the side effects. It was too much...🙏Total relief... but then this insane hunger hits that just won't quit. I've put on like 45 pounds in just two months... plus the constant drowsiness. It’s like everything is spinning... some nights I can barely even find my way to the bathroom without making a mess everywhere... then there's the twitching and just total dysfunction down there... yeah...

I’ve actually switched to just taking half of a 100 mg pill at night. When I was doing the full dose every day, I felt exactly like you—just totally wiped out. One night, I actually ended up face-planting on the floor just trying to make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night. It completely knocks the wind out of you. Plus, I put on 55 pounds in just five months. Absolute madness.

I mean, that stuff is one of the heaviest hitters out there. It’s such a powerful, broad-spectrum antipsychotic... honestly, it trips me out how some psychiatrists just toss it around like it's nothing. Just one time, my dose—since I was on a cocktail of other meds along with that Lennon—was like... 100mg in the morning...
Taking 100mg in the afternoon... hmmm...
Taking 300mg at night... just riding that heavy wave from the pills along with everything else...

Maria Gomez6 said:Hi everyone.
I was wondering if anyone here has experience using Celexa for depression. Does it actually tend to have fewer side effects compared to other antidepressants on the market?

I've been on it for a few months now after cycling through a bunch of different antidepressants. Honestly, I haven't hit any major side effects and it seems fine. Sadly, none of the meds did much for me until I started messing around with my dosage on my own.
Good luck🙂

I’ve been on Celexa for about two years now. It’s alright. It didn't really kick in at first, but much like Zachary Bishop5, I ended up doing most of the heavy lifting myself. I managed to quit smoking and cut out the alcohol entirely. Right now, I’m in the process of tapering off, so for the last three months, I’ve just been taking half my usual dose. In another three months, I plan to drop down to a quarter. There are occasionally stretches where I run out of my prescription—my doctor is on vacation and I can't get a refill immediately—so I end up going without it for three or four days. Honestly, the dizziness is absolutely infuriating!

Anyway, good luck to everyone!

Here’s a little bit of my personal experience with Celexa. I’ve been on it for about thirteen months now, and honestly? It has been a total lifesaver in every sense of the word. I was struggling with severe panic attacks and depression—it was rough. I actually tried Zoloft first, but it just wasn't doing anything for me, so my doctor switched me over to Celexa. If there is one thing I learned, it’s that you have to be patient—it took a solid seven weeks before I really started feeling the effects—but once it kicked in? Total game changer! It even feels like it has shifted my entire personality for the better. For instance, my job requires me to speak in front of groups from time to time, which, if you had asked me a year ago, would have been an absolutely impossible mission for me. Now, I handle everything without breaking a sweat—meetings, one-on-ones, negotiations, debates... you name it. That's really all there is to say. Sending good vibes, and if you have any more questions at all, please feel free to ask!

Hi everyone—I’m 22 years old. About two years ago, I was prescribed Paxil, primarily to manage panic attacks, but I stopped taking it after my very first pack because I didn't realize I was supposed to continue the course. Since then, things have been mostly manageable; if I felt a surge of anxiety, I’d just take some Xanax and everything would settle down. However, lately, I haven't been doing very well... I have some Lexapro at home that I tried taking for just a few days as a preventative measure, but it didn't sit right with me, so I stopped since I was feeling relatively okay at the time. To be clear, I actually attempted the Lexapro nearly a year ago. Yesterday, I took just a quarter of a pill after lunch (previously I had been taking it in the morning and it made me feel terrible), and I didn't experience horrible nausea until this morning. Today, I took another quarter. My plan is to gradually increase to half a tablet after about a week. I didn't reach out to my psychiatrist this time because she had originally prescribed this specific medication herself. Will these nauseous feelings eventually subside? Is it even possible for such a tiny dose to cause such intense side effects? Or should I just try to push through it? Please, I really need some advice... I have to head back to college in a month, and I am terrified of being in this state when classes start. I've already taken a full year off... help me please.

David Bishop4 said:Hi everyone—I’m 22 years old. About two years ago, I was prescribed Paxil, primarily to manage panic attacks, but I stopped taking it after my very first pack because I didn't realize I was supposed to continue the course. Since then, things have been mostly manageable; if I felt a surge of anxiety, I’d just take some Xanax and everything would settle down. However, lately, I haven't been doing very well... I have some Lexapro at home that I tried taking for just a few days as a preventative measure, but it didn't sit right with me, so I stopped since I was feeling relatively okay at the time. To be clear, I actually attempted the Lexapro nearly a year ago. Yesterday, I took just a quarter of a pill after lunch (previously I had been taking it in the morning and it made me feel terrible), and I didn't experience horrible nausea until this morning. Today, I took another quarter. My plan is to gradually increase to half a tablet after about a week. I didn't reach out to my psychiatrist this time because she had originally prescribed this specific medication herself. Will these nauseous feelings eventually subside? Is it even possible for such a tiny dose to cause such intense side effects? Or should I just try to push through it? Please, I really need some advice... I have to head back to college in a month, and I am terrified of being in this state when classes start. I've already taken a full year off... help me please.

It is quite unclear whether you are currently taking Lexapro under medical supervision or if you are simply deciding to self-medicate. If you are acting on your own, you absolutely must notify your psychiatrist immediately; they need to guide you through the entire process and monitor how your body reacts to the medication. Looking back, you have made several significant errors—antidepressants aren't something you take "preventatively" as you suggest, but rather a medication intended to be taken for at least nine months to a year, or even longer, and tapering off must always be done gradually and methodically, never abruptly. And you should never deviate from the plan without a doctor's oversight.
The psychiatrist is the only one qualified to decide when it is appropriate for you to stop the medication, whether that occurs in one year or two.

Ultimately, the most dangerous thing you can do is stop an antidepressant the moment you notice the first sign of improvement—that is precisely when symptoms tend to relapse, often more severely than they were before treatment began.

With Lexapro, the standard approach is often starting with a quarter tablet for the first three or four days. After those initial days, you might move to half a tablet. You can certainly remain at a half-dose for longer if the side effects are intense. Then, you might transition from half to a quarter for another few days before finally moving to a full 10 mg tablet. At that point, you really ought to consult your psychiatrist to report how you feel on the 10 mg dose so they can determine if adjustments are necessary. You simply cannot play games with antidepressants; it isn't something to mess around with. Furthermore, it is generally advisable to supplement with B vitamins while on an antidepressant.

I actually stopped my first course after just a month because my psychiatrist failed to mention that I needed to stay on it for at least six months. Now, I’ve gone back to taking Cipralex, which was previously prescribed by my doctor, but it didn't seem to agree with me at first; she had instructed me to take a half tablet first thing in the morning, but that wasn't working. I am attempting the Cipralex again since I haven't been feeling my best lately, though this time I am taking just a quarter of a tablet after lunch instead. My only real issue is some nausea that lasts for about two or three hours. Does this mean the antidepressant isn't right for me, or should I just be patient and wait it out? Also, I am currently on birth control—could there be any interaction there?

I’ve been on Lexapro (10mg) for just over a month now, and honestly, it feels like I’m taking nothing at all. I haven't dealt with any side effects—which is a relief—but I’m not seeing much of an actual improvement either, aside from feeling less empty and finding a bit of enjoyment in things again. I was actually considering just stopping altogether, but then I read that you really need to stick with it for at least nine months. To be perfectly candid, I’ve always been quite skeptical about these kinds of medications. I went through two different ones before settling on this one, and I still find myself dealing with these massive mood swings—which, if I'm being honest, feel even more intense than they did before I started medication. It’s reached a point where I felt like my moods could actually land me in some serious trouble. So, I am seriously contemplating whether the meds themselves are causing this volatility and if I should just quit cold turkey. Has anyone else found themselves in a similar spot?

It isn’t that I was taking them just as a precaution, per se; rather, my psychiatrist advised me that since I stopped after only one box, I really ought to restart the antidepressants, even though I was actually feeling quite well at the time. Also, I hadn't heard before that one should take B vitamins alongside antidepressants. Thank you so much for sharing that information.

electricorca13 said:So, here’s the situation: I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder quite a while ago. For a long stretch, Paxil actually worked well for me. But after my seven-year relationship fell apart, things took a turn for the worse. My doctor switched me over to Celexa. He advised against jumping straight from one to the other, so I waited ten days after stopping the Paxil before starting the new stuff.
To be specific, I’ve been on 10 mg of Celexa since last Friday—not even a full week yet. Everywhere I look online, people are talking about those initial side effects: the sweating, the insomnia, all of it.
I have no intention of giving up on it. Both my doctor and most people I've talked to say this is totally normal for this medication and that most folks feel significantly better once they get past the hump.
My real struggle is just surviving this "adjustment period." How long does that actually last? Is we talking 10, 15, or maybe 30 days? When can I realistically expect the Celexa to actually kick in and start doing its job?
Honestly, I feel like absolute crap right now. I’ve been trying to manage with some Normabells—up to three 5 mg doses—but they aren't doing a thing for the insomnia, and all these other side effects are hitting me hard.
Tingling in my hands, a slight tremor, sweaty palms... 😕
I’m 27 years old right now, but the thought of heading back to work like this terrifies me. You know how it is—if your coworkers notice your hand shaking while you're holding a coffee spoon, they immediately label you an alcoholic or a junkie. People can be incredibly judgmental like that.

Look, I know nobody has a crystal ball, but is there any chance the Celexa will start working all at once?

Just for the record, I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't touch any opioids or any other junk.
I realize that goes without saying when someone is on an antidepressant, but I wanted to clear that up so there's no confusion.

That really just depends on how much patience you have left in the tank. ☕

Roger Morgan4 said:I’ve been on Lexapro (10mg) for just over a month now, and honestly, it feels like I’m taking nothing at all. I haven't dealt with any side effects—which is a relief—but I’m not seeing much of an actual improvement either, aside from feeling less empty and finding a bit of enjoyment in things again. I was actually considering just stopping altogether, but then I read that you really need to stick with it for at least nine months. To be perfectly candid, I’ve always been quite skeptical about these kinds of medications. I went through two different ones before settling on this one, and I still find myself dealing with these massive mood swings—which, if I'm being honest, feel even more intense than they did before I started medication. It’s reached a point where I felt like my moods could actually land me in some serious trouble. So, I am seriously contemplating whether the meds themselves are causing this volatility and if I should just quit cold turkey. Has anyone else found themselves in a similar spot?

I don't have an answer for your specific question, but please, don't stop taking them on your own accord. It would be much better to consult with your psychiatrist first. It might simply take more time for the medication to truly start working.

David Bishop4 said:I actually stopped my first course after just a month because my psychiatrist failed to mention that I needed to stay on it for at least six months. Now, I’ve gone back to taking Cipralex, which was previously prescribed by my doctor, but it didn't seem to agree with me at first; she had instructed me to take a half tablet first thing in the morning, but that wasn't working. I am attempting the Cipralex again since I haven't been feeling my best lately, though this time I am taking just a quarter of a tablet after lunch instead. My only real issue is some nausea that lasts for about two or three hours. Does this mean the antidepressant isn't right for me, or should I just be patient and wait it out? Also, I am currently on birth control—could there be any interaction there?

So, you've taken Cipralex before (though you should probably check the expiration date on what you have left). Regardless, you really ought to schedule another appointment with your psychiatrist. They need to know that you've decided to resume therapy so they can actually monitor your progress and how you respond to the medication. That is absolutely critical. Don't overlook this; go see your doctor and let them know you're starting the Cipralex again. As for the birth control, those are questions for a medical professional, not for an online forum.😉
I dealt with nausea, loss of appetite, and constant yawning from Cipralex myself. And don't even get me started on the drowsiness. However, those side effects typically taper off after two or three weeks. It'll likely subside just in time for you to start college. Therefore, the symptoms you're experiencing don't necessarily mean the drug is wrong for you; it simply means your body is adjusting to the new chemistry. Every antidepressant carries some level of side effects, though Cipralex is generally regarded as having the fewest.