Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Timothy Wood38 said:Yeah, I take 100 mg of prazine just to get some shut-eye. You really have to time it right—I usually take mine around 8 PM if I’m planning to hit the hay by 11. Sometimes it works perfectly and knocks me right out, but other times? Not so much. Then I end up needing to add some Sanval to the mix. The only side effect I deal with is dry mouth. Honestly, I’m not even sure how much longer I can rely on prazine. My body just builds a tolerance to absolutely everything so fast; I’m constantly having to switch things up or layer medications just to feel anything. Still, prazine is a decent hypnotic, even if its primary job is being a neuroleptic.

The reason I even asked this is because I've used Prazina before, but I had a really scary situation happen yesterday—actually, it started brewing the night before.
Basically, I had been taking Sanval so regularly that they were basically like Tic Tacs to me—I was popping three 5 mg pills at once, so 15 mg just to get three hours of sleep, waking up, and then doing another three pills for another three hours. Naturally, when I told my doctor, she lost it! That's why she prescribed me Prazina 25 mg (or 50 mg if the 25 mg isn't enough). So, what happened? The day after all that Sanval, around 3:00 in the afternoon, I took a 25 mg Prazina—that yellow pill—and it wasn't until a few hours later, on my drive home from work, that I started feeling all "rubbery." Once I got home, I crawled into bed and was out for about two hours. Then I woke up, but I felt so incredibly lethargic that I didn't even dare touch my antidepressant or my mood stabilizer; I just fell back asleep and slept through the rest of the night (about five hours straight).
But the next morning? I couldn't wake up for the life of me. I tried splashing cold water on my face, nothing worked—I just drifted off again. I ended up calling the ER, and they just told me to drink some salt water and eat something salty. Anyway, I called my doctor, and she suggested there was probably a synergy happening between the leftover Sanval from two nights ago, the Prazina, and my regular meds. She told me to just take half a Prazina tonight—basically cutting that 25 mg dose in half. I didn't quite have the guts to do it, so I ended up being awake most of the night.
My doctor mentioned that she can't predict exactly how my brain will react; apparently, some people take much higher doses of Prazina along with other drugs and are totally fine. It's so individualistic that it's actually pretty terrifying... I'm supposed to take half a pill tonight... yikes... I don't know...😲

fadedbear92 said:The reason I even asked this is because I've used Prazina before, but I had a really scary situation happen yesterday—actually, it started brewing the night before.
Basically, I had been taking Sanval so regularly that they were basically like Tic Tacs to me—I was popping three 5 mg pills at once, so 15 mg just to get three hours of sleep, waking up, and then doing another three pills for another three hours. Naturally, when I told my doctor, she lost it! That's why she prescribed me Prazina 25 mg (or 50 mg if the 25 mg isn't enough). So, what happened? The day after all that Sanval, around 3:00 in the afternoon, I took a 25 mg Prazina—that yellow pill—and it wasn't until a few hours later, on my drive home from work, that I started feeling all "rubbery." Once I got home, I crawled into bed and was out for about two hours. Then I woke up, but I felt so incredibly lethargic that I didn't even dare touch my antidepressant or my mood stabilizer; I just fell back asleep and slept through the rest of the night (about five hours straight).
But the next morning? I couldn't wake up for the life of me. I tried splashing cold water on my face, nothing worked—I just drifted off again. I ended up calling the ER, and they just told me to drink some salt water and eat something salty. Anyway, I called my doctor, and she suggested there was probably a synergy happening between the leftover Sanval from two nights ago, the Prazina, and my regular meds. She told me to just take half a Prazina tonight—basically cutting that 25 mg dose in half. I didn't quite have the guts to do it, so I ended up being awake most of the night.
My doctor mentioned that she can't predict exactly how my brain will react; apparently, some people take much higher doses of Prazina along with other drugs and are totally fine. It's so individualistic that it's actually pretty terrifying... I'm supposed to take half a pill tonight... yikes... I don't know...😲

Don't be afraid; your therapist is right. Whenever I am prescribed a new medication, I always make sure to take a 24-hour break because I am acutely aware that there are still traces of the old medication in my bloodstream, and I want to avoid any dangerous drug interactions.
Tonight, go ahead and take your Prazina as prescribed; the Sanval should have cleared your system by now.

fadedbear92 said:The reason I even asked this is because I've used Prazina before, but I had a really scary situation happen yesterday—actually, it started brewing the night before.
Basically, I had been taking Sanval so regularly that they were basically like Tic Tacs to me—I was popping three 5 mg pills at once, so 15 mg just to get three hours of sleep, waking up, and then doing another three pills for another three hours. Naturally, when I told my doctor, she lost it! That's why she prescribed me Prazina 25 mg (or 50 mg if the 25 mg isn't enough). So, what happened? The day after all that Sanval, around 3:00 in the afternoon, I took a 25 mg Prazina—that yellow pill—and it wasn't until a few hours later, on my drive home from work, that I started feeling all "rubbery." Once I got home, I crawled into bed and was out for about two hours. Then I woke up, but I felt so incredibly lethargic that I didn't even dare touch my antidepressant or my mood stabilizer; I just fell back asleep and slept through the rest of the night (about five hours straight).
But the next morning? I couldn't wake up for the life of me. I tried splashing cold water on my face, nothing worked—I just drifted off again. I ended up calling the ER, and they just told me to drink some salt water and eat something salty. Anyway, I called my doctor, and she suggested there was probably a synergy happening between the leftover Sanval from two nights ago, the Prazina, and my regular meds. She told me to just take half a Prazina tonight—basically cutting that 25 mg dose in half. I didn't quite have the guts to do it, so I ended up being awake most of the night.
My doctor mentioned that she can't predict exactly how my brain will react; apparently, some people take much higher doses of Prazina along with other drugs and are totally fine. It's so individualistic that it's actually pretty terrifying... I'm supposed to take half a pill tonight... yikes... I don't know...😲

Hmm, interesting either way. Honestly, just more proof that psychiatrists don't have a clue when it comes to psychopathology, regardless of the situation (I've seen more than five of them, so I have plenty of experience), and clearly, yours isn't particularly well-versed in psychopharmacology either. A "synergy" between Sanval and Prazina? That sounds like complete nonsense to me. First off, the half-life of Zolpidem—which is what Sanval is—is roughly 2-3 hours, whereas the half-life of Prazina is 24 hours or even longer. Secondly, the metabolism is entirely different; I suspect completely different enzymes are involved in processing Sanval versus Prazina, though I can't say for sure. But what I don't get is why she didn't warn you about the side effects you described. When I first started Prazina, I had the exact same side effects, but my psychiatrist warned me ahead of time and told me it would take a while for my body to adjust. Currently, I take 100 mg of Prazina and 20 mg of Sanval every single day, and I haven't experienced any interactions that could cause issues. At the end of the day, every organism is unique, not to mention the complexities of psychogenetics and psychopathology that some psychiatrists
simply don't grasp. Most psychiatrists rely far too heavily on "experience," which is a massive mistake because it limits them so much that they can't actually help the patient. Personally, over the last six months, I've seen so many psychiatrists and collected so many diagnoses—I've even manipulated a few of them. Ultimately, I gave up on psychotherapy altogether; I'm basically treating myself. I found the medications that work for me, and I live a perfectly normal life on them. I remember the last time I ended up in the ER; three different psychiatrists showed up, and it became clear they had no idea what was going on with me or my specific pathology—I knew more about it than they did. In the end, they sort of agreed that I have an unspecified personality disorder and that they couldn't label me. Once they realized their standard treatment methods weren't working, they told me I was hovering on the line between genius and insanity, claiming I had pushed them to the very edge of their knowledge. They eventually concluded my personality disorder might have an organic basis and requested I get a brain CT or MRI along with a full endocrine panel. After all that, I realized I was just wasting time and money on doctors. That's my experience, anyway, but of course, I'm not generalizing; for some people, psychiatrists are incredibly helpful. Everything is still relative.

fadedbear92 said:The reason I even asked this is because I've used Prazina before, but I had a really scary situation happen yesterday—actually, it started brewing the night before.
Basically, I had been taking Sanval so regularly that they were basically like Tic Tacs to me—I was popping three 5 mg pills at once, so 15 mg just to get three hours of sleep, waking up, and then doing another three pills for another three hours. Naturally, when I told my doctor, she lost it! That's why she prescribed me Prazina 25 mg (or 50 mg if the 25 mg isn't enough). So, what happened? The day after all that Sanval, around 3:00 in the afternoon, I took a 25 mg Prazina—that yellow pill—and it wasn't until a few hours later, on my drive home from work, that I started feeling all "rubbery." Once I got home, I crawled into bed and was out for about two hours. Then I woke up, but I felt so incredibly lethargic that I didn't even dare touch my antidepressant or my mood stabilizer; I just fell back asleep and slept through the rest of the night (about five hours straight).
But the next morning? I couldn't wake up for the life of me. I tried splashing cold water on my face, nothing worked—I just drifted off again. I ended up calling the ER, and they just told me to drink some salt water and eat something salty. Anyway, I called my doctor, and she suggested there was probably a synergy happening between the leftover Sanval from two nights ago, the Prazina, and my regular meds. She told me to just take half a Prazina tonight—basically cutting that 25 mg dose in half. I didn't quite have the guts to do it, so I ended up being awake most of the night.
My doctor mentioned that she can't predict exactly how my brain will react; apparently, some people take much higher doses of Prazina along with other drugs and are totally fine. It's so individualistic that it's actually pretty terrifying... I'm supposed to take half a pill tonight... yikes... I don't know...😲

I'm doing alright, though. I've been on 5 mg of Valium for six months now and I'm hooked.
But I sleep peacefully through the night until morning. I usually head to bed around 10:30.

As for sleep... I actually spent the entire night wide awake, and on top of that, I’ve got a fever, a stuffed-up nose, and this splitting headache that just won't quit.🙂
I honestly can't even say for sure why I couldn't drift off... I suppose I'm just hoping it isn't some kind of dependency developing from the Dormicum.🙂

urbanskipper4 said:I'm doing alright, though. I've been on 5 mg of Valium for six months now and I'm hooked.
But I sleep peacefully through the night until morning. I usually head to bed around 10:30.

Lucky you! Not because of the dependency, but because you actually get a full night's sleep off just 5 mg!!!😲😲😲

fadedbear92 said:Lucky you! Not because of the dependency, but because you actually get a full night's sleep off just 5 mg!!!😲😲😲

Lucky indeed. Honestly, I can't even get any sleep without 20 mg of Valium—and I've definitely gone up to 100 mg a few times in the past, though usually after 100 mg of Valium I'd spend the entire next day throwing up. But this current combo, 100 mg of Prazin plus 20 mg of Valium... it's been working wonders for me. Hey, fadedbear92, did you happen to catch my previous post? I was wondering if you had any thoughts on it, or if you've even brought up what I wrote there to your therapist?

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Kenneth Scott41 said:As for sleep... I actually spent the entire night wide awake, and on top of that, I’ve got a fever, a stuffed-up nose, and this splitting headache that just won't quit.🙂
I honestly can't even say for sure why I couldn't drift off... I suppose I'm just hoping it isn't some kind of dependency developing from the Dormicum.🙂

I really hope you aren't developing a habit with the Dormicum. You should probably take a moment to actually look into how benzodiazepines work—honestly, once you dig into the research, you'll see that pretty much all of them trigger tolerance and physical dependence. And let's be real, the psychological addiction side of things is just as prevalent.

Timothy Wood38 said:Lucky indeed. Honestly, I can't even get any sleep without 20 mg of Valium—and I've definitely gone up to 100 mg a few times in the past, though usually after 100 mg of Valium I'd spend the entire next day throwing up. But this current combo, 100 mg of Prazin plus 20 mg of Valium... it's been working wonders for me. Hey, fadedbear92, did you happen to catch my previous post? I was wondering if you had any thoughts on it, or if you've even brought up what I wrote there to your therapist?

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Of course I read it.😍
My therapist already mentioned that Valium stays in your system for just a few hours—she really knows her stuff when it comes to meds, so no need to worry... but still, you can never be 100% sure if Valium stays in the bloodstream for only three hours regardless of how much you take, you know?
Last night was the first time I took half of the Prazin as we originally planned, and while I woke up a few times, the sleep itself felt deep—so I'm hoping this half-dose does the trick. We'll see...

Timothy Wood38 said:I really hope you aren't developing a habit with the Dormicum. You should probably take a moment to actually look into how benzodiazepines work—honestly, once you dig into the research, you'll see that pretty much all of them trigger tolerance and physical dependence. And let's be real, the psychological addiction side of things is just as prevalent.

Well, honestly, all benzos carry that risk of addiction. I found this excellent PDF article that includes tables detailing their onset times and metabolic half-lives—definitely worth a read...
"...The most frequent side effect
of these medications is daytime sedation, but the most problematic
issue is dependency, which can manifest in
many patients during chronic use. Discomfort caused by
subsequent withdrawal syndrome also presents
a significant challenge. Therefore, when prescribing benzodiazepines, one must be
very rational—meaning they should only be prescribed when absolutely
indicated, using the lowest possible dose for the shortest duration.
Treatment for anxiety disorders shouldn't extend beyond
4 weeks of continuous use, and insomnia treatment should be sporadic rather than daily...."

http://www.mayoclinic.org/search...

Robin Myers91 said:Has anyone here tried that new schizophrenia med that hit the US market about two months ago?
I finally managed to get my psychiatrist to prescribe it—had to fight tooth and nail because Zyprexa, Everbio, Risperdal, and Seroquel made me pack on over 90 pounds.
So far, I haven't noticed any side effects other than some mild drowsiness (which I don't even really feel), though apparently, people with heart conditions should stay away from it.
It doesn't cause weight gain at all; in fact, it actually kills my appetite so much that I’ve already dropped 11 pounds in just seven days. I'm still taking Zeldox 120 mg on the side.

The medication is indeed quite new, and while things might have been different back when you first started it, I was able to get it from my psychiatrist quite easily; she prescribed the antipsychotic immediately, and everything you mentioned seems to align with my experience. There aren't really any side effects, aside from that one issue with drowsiness... sometimes it hits me a bit harder, but other times I don't even notice it, so to speak.
I am currently taking the highest dose available, which is 80mg a day. As far as I understand, that's the largest pack size they offer. I think the options are 20, 40, 60, and 80mg.
What I'm curious about is how you're feeling on it lately? How long have you been using it now?

I consider myself quite well-versed in the world of benzos, though I have to admit—with a fair amount of self-awareness—that I’m practically enamored with them and can't seem to function without them. It’s a bit grim when you think about it; the very term "benzo" carries such a heavy connotation of toxicity. We essentially ingest poisons just to feel a little more human, I suppose. 🙂
I try to be careful about not taking Dormicum every single day because I'm terrified of spiraling into a full-blown dependency, but then my psychiatrist goes and writes me a prescription for two tablets to take at night. There are only ten in the whole pack, and considering what I have to pay out of pocket for this stuff, it feels like a bit of a losing game.

Kenneth Scott41 said:I consider myself quite well-versed in the world of benzos, though I have to admit—with a fair amount of self-awareness—that I’m practically enamored with them and can't seem to function without them. It’s a bit grim when you think about it; the very term "benzo" carries such a heavy connotation of toxicity. We essentially ingest poisons just to feel a little more human, I suppose. 🙂
I try to be careful about not taking Dormicum every single day because I'm terrified of spiraling into a full-blown dependency, but then my psychiatrist goes and writes me a prescription for two tablets to take at night. There are only ten in the whole pack, and considering what I have to pay out of pocket for this stuff, it feels like a bit of a losing game.

Don't you have supplemental insurance? Or does it not cover Dormicum? Only ten pills? Man, everything is just so expensive... you take them, and suddenly you're back at the pharmacy spending more money. It's a brilliant business model for Big Pharma, isn't it? 🙂

Here is some interesting data regarding benzos and antipsychotics...

Most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines in the US (in alphabetical order) and their characteristics

1. Medication /2. Approx. equivalent doses/ 3. Onset/ 4. Active metabolites /
5. Average half-life (hours)/6. Duration of action /7. Typical adult doses (mg) (mg/day)

alprazolam - 0.5- medium- yes- 12- short- 0.5 - 6
bromazepam- 2.25- fast- yes- 17- short- 3 - 36
diazepam -5- fast- yes- 100- long- 2 - 40
flurazepam- 5- fast- yes- 100- long -15 - 30
klonazepam- 0.25- fast- no- 34 –long- 1.5 - 6
lorazepam- 1- medium- no- 15- short- 2 - 6
medazepam- 5- fast- yes- 8- short- 20 - 50
midazolam- 1.25 - 1.7 –fast- yes- 2.5- short- 7.5 - 15
nitrazepam- 5- fast- no- 15- short- 5 - 10
oxazepam- 15- slow- no- 8- short- 30 - 90
(Praxiten 15 mg)

BENZODIAZEPINES

_ Fat-soluble compounds

_ Can be administered orally, IV, or IM

_ Absorption after IM injection is unpredictable
They bind heavily to blood proteins _ (70-90%)

_ They distribute well into all organs

_ They are metabolized in the liver

_ Some of them have pharmacologically active metabolites

(diazepam, flurazepam, chlordiazepoxide,
bromazepam, medazepam, flunitrazepam,
mitrazepam)

- Benzodiazepines and their active metabolites, once
conjugated with glucuronic acid, turn into
inactive compounds, which are polarized and thus
easily excreted from the body


_ Only a very tiny fraction is excreted from the body as
unchanged compounds

_ Benzodiazepine accumulation in fatty tissue can occur
during long-term use


_ They bind to the chloride channel where the
GABA receptor is located

_ They potentiate the effect of GABA by increasing
the frequency of chloride channel opening

_ This allows chloride to enter the neuron along the
concentration gradient from extracellular fluid, causing
neuronal hyperpolarization and reduced excitability, i.e., inhibition

Differences among specific
benzodiazepines arise
from differences in which part of the brain they primarily target

_ Diazepam and chlordiazepoxide act equally on
receptors in the amygdaloid complex,
hippocampus, limbic system, and frontal cortex
Nitrazepam, acting on the pontobulbar reticular
formation, has a hypnotic effect

_ Medazepam acts on the intercalated neurons of the spinal cord,
causing a muscle relaxant effect

_ Oxazepam and lorazepam, acting on the rhinencephalon, have
anxiolytic effects

Fat-soluble compounds

_ They are well absorbed and distribute well throughout
the entire body

_ They are mostly metabolized in the liver

_ Because of this, IM doses should be lower than oral doses,
since the first-pass metabolism through the liver is avoided

ANTIPSYCHOTICS

_ The elimination half-life is usually between 12 and 24 hours,
though their pharmacological effect lasts significantly longer

_ There is no evidence of a correlation between concentration and therapeutic effect


_ They bind to various receptors:
1. dopamine
2. serotonin
3. adrenergic
4. histamine, etc.

By blocking dopaminergic receptors, hallucinations and delusions are controlled



_ Blocking noradrenergic receptors causes sedation

Third-generation antipsychotics (e.g., Risperdal) block
60% of 5-HT2 and about 50% of D2 receptors, having a weaker
affinity for α1 and α2 adrenergic receptors; therefore, they
are more effective and have fewer side effects..."

fadedbear92 said:Don't you have supplemental insurance? Or does it not cover Dormicum? Only ten pills? Man, everything is just so expensive... you take them, and suddenly you're back at the pharmacy spending more money. It's a brilliant business model for Big Pharma, isn't it? 🙂

I do have insurance, but I guess it doesn't really matter. The medication is imported, of course. The worst part is that there are only ten tablets in a pack.🙂

By the way, looking at that list of yours... it didn't exactly surprise me to see alprazolam sitting right at the top.🙂

fadedbear92 said:Lucky you! Not because of the dependency, but because you actually get a full night's sleep off just 5 mg!!!😲😲😲

Man, I know I used to wake up around 4 AM sometimes, but I’d usually drift right back off in like thirty minutes to an hour if I just had the radio playing.

fadedbear92 said:Lucky you! Not because of the dependency, but because you actually get a full night's sleep off just 5 mg!!!😲😲😲

Indeed, those who can sleep on 5 mg of Valium are the truly fortunate ones. I struggle with insomnia myself, though I grew accustomed to these hypnotics quite some time ago. Earlier this year, my psychiatrist switched my Valium 10 mg over to Dormicum; while thank God I can actually fall asleep, I find myself waking up several times throughout the night and feeling completely exhausted by morning. It feels as though my mind simply won't shut off. I have heard it suggested that sleep patterns eventually stabilize, implying we will only achieve normal rest once we approach true "recovery." When I expressed these concerns to my doctor, she emphasized twice that the most critical factor is being able to stay asleep through the night. During particularly difficult periods, I have been tempted to take two Dormicum tablets at once, but I hesitate—not out of fear of a physical reaction, but because of the risk of dependency. I even consulted a friend of mine who is a psychiatrist to get her perspective, and I will quote her here: As a hypnotic, one could consider a small evening dose of Zyprexa (2.5 mg) or perhaps 25 mg of Prazosin (which helps lower blood pressure). This is merely a suggestion, however, as any actual treatment must be determined during an in-person consultation.

Honestly, I have to jump in here too—I am genuinely envious of the people who can just pop a 5mg Sanval and drift right off. For me? Not a chance. I need a full 20mg hit combined with 30mg of Calixta just to stand a shot at catching some Z's. That’s the only combo that actually works for my system. So, when I see people complaining about the 5mg dose being too much... haha, I mean, come on

Jonathan Edwards69 said:Honestly, I have to jump in here too—I am genuinely envious of the people who can just pop a 5mg Sanval and drift right off. For me? Not a chance. I need a full 20mg hit combined with 30mg of Calixta just to stand a shot at catching some Z's. That’s the only combo that actually works for my system. So, when I see people complaining about the 5mg dose being too much... haha, I mean, come on

Look, I’m not even stressing over the 5mg thing. I mean, I’m already on a massive cocktail of other antidepressants, for crying out loud.
I'm popping nine and a half pills a day.
I can't even begin to imagine what my liver is going to look like after years of this, let alone my stomach. Everything seems fine right now, but you never know with this stuff.
And yeah, I've put on 30 pounds. I seriously cannot deal with these damn diets mentally anymore.
Ever since I started taking these antidepressants, it feels like I'm constantly stuck on some miserable diet.

urbanskipper4 said:Look, I’m not even stressing over the 5mg thing. I mean, I’m already on a massive cocktail of other antidepressants, for crying out loud.
I'm popping nine and a half pills a day.
I can't even begin to imagine what my liver is going to look like after years of this, let alone my stomach. Everything seems fine right now, but you never know with this stuff.
And yeah, I've put on 30 pounds. I seriously cannot deal with these damn diets mentally anymore.
Ever since I started taking these antidepressants, it feels like I'm constantly stuck on some miserable diet.

I guess you can't really have it both ways, can you? You're trying to grab the whole pie at once. Is getting through this depression more important than being thin, or vice versa? It’s possible you’re just on the wrong medication, maybe. Perhaps it's best to just wait a while and see if the antidepressant actually starts working; if it manages to lift the depression, then that's a win. After all, you can always find a way to lose the weight later...