Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Thought I’d jump in here 🙂 ....

Prozac... maybe 4, 5, or 6 months now... honestly, I lost track.
Things just keep getting better.

I can actually feel the full spectrum of emotions again. That’s the big one for me.
I don't feel numb at all. That was my biggest fear with antidepressants.

And my focus? It’s unreal. I’m taking a quick break from studying right now, but man... after three years of doing nothing, I'm actually sitting down and hitting the books. Like, wait... am I actually learning things? Is this even happening? 🙂 😁

My social anxiety is gone. I finally sorted out my stuff at college, too. Even had a totally civil, polite sit-down with the Dean to get things settled.
I’ve even started writing articles for a campus magazine.
I'm finally tackling everything I've been putting off for years.
I've made a ton of new friends... I feel alive... wow... 😁

There was one phase where I felt pretty disoriented, though. After being stuck in this deep sadness for so long, when happiness finally hits, you start wondering... damn, do I even deserve this?
Can I actually handle being happy?...

And don't even get me started on sex... My God... I have never experienced anything like it in my life. 😲
It baffles me when people say Prozac kills your libido, because I am feeling... absolutely wild. 😳

One more thing... just a tiny bit of a bother... I have plenty of energy, but zero appetite. Almost never feel hungry. At all. I mostly just force myself to eat so my body doesn't start eating itself. LoL.
But whatever. It's the least of my worries.

Anyway. Just my experience. 🙂

Prozac... maybe four, five, or six months... I can't recall the exact timeframe.
It just keeps getting better.

They don't call Prozac the happy pill for nothing. I was just a kid back then, but I remember seeing the commercials on cable TV and in American magazines (back when they were actually allowed to advertise medication)—they used to use those little Prozac smiley faces...😂 It’s ridiculous.😁

I have a question. What’s the maximum dose of unnamed 1mg I can take before things get seriously bad?

It is truly unfortunate that there isn't an antidepressant designed specifically to target anxiety in isolation. What I mean is, I wish there were a medication that could eliminate anxiety without being classified as an anxiolytic. I often get the impression that antidepressants are much more effective at treating depression than they are at managing anxiety, even if they do work reasonably well for mitigating panic attacks. I am well aware of the standard advice regarding psychotherapy and the necessity of doing the internal work, but we cannot simply transform ourselves into entirely different people overnight. I remember once asking my therapist if she had any options—medications that aren't technically anxiolytics but could completely wipe out my anxiety and the constant mental noise. She told me no such thing exists. I am not complaining, per se; heaven knows how anxious I would be if I weren't already on an antidepressant, but sometimes one loses a bit of hope. Personally, I really dislike the feeling of being under the influence of an anxiolytic unless I am facing an actual panic attack or a full-blown crisis. However, I have grown weary of this persistent, albeit manageable, sense of anxiety that seems to surface so frequently. 🙂

Got this 10 mg unnamed for sleep, but it’s a total bust. I take one at midnight and an hour and a half later I'm still just staring into space, eyes feeling like they're full of sand, wired like I just downed a Red Bull. Then I end up taking five more just to crash for three hours.🙂The label claims it gives you 7-8 hours of sleep!🙂Last night, after tossing and turning and getting maybe ten minutes of useless sleep, I took 10 mg at midnight, then another 10 at 5 AM, and finally slept until 7:45. Why doesn't any of this stuff work for me? I guess my body isn't used to it since I don't take it every day, but honestly, reading the side effects makes me want to gag.🙂To be real, a 1 mg Xanax works better for sleeping than this hypnotic crap.🤷

Arthur Vaughn2 said:I have a question. What’s the maximum dose of unnamed 1mg I can take before things get seriously bad?

The standard ceiling for anxiety is 4mg daily, though for panic disorders, it can go up to 10mg. Honestly, you shouldn't be pushing past those limits.
Of course, there's always the possibility that you could take a much higher dose without any immediate, visible fallout—aside from the fact that you'll likely just pass out and lose all memory of what happened while the drug was active—but isn't that just playing Russian roulette with your health?

Anthony Lopez8 said:The standard ceiling for anxiety is 4mg daily, though for panic disorders, it can go up to 10mg. Honestly, you shouldn't be pushing past those limits.
Of course, there's always the possibility that you could take a much higher dose without any immediate, visible fallout—aside from the fact that you'll likely just pass out and lose all memory of what happened while the drug was active—but isn't that just playing Russian roulette with your health?

Thanks 🙂

restlesstrucker15 said:It is truly unfortunate that there isn't an antidepressant designed specifically to target anxiety in isolation. What I mean is, I wish there were a medication that could eliminate anxiety without being classified as an anxiolytic. I often get the impression that antidepressants are much more effective at treating depression than they are at managing anxiety, even if they do work reasonably well for mitigating panic attacks. I am well aware of the standard advice regarding psychotherapy and the necessity of doing the internal work, but we cannot simply transform ourselves into entirely different people overnight. I remember once asking my therapist if she had any options—medications that aren't technically anxiolytics but could completely wipe out my anxiety and the constant mental noise. She told me no such thing exists. I am not complaining, per se; heaven knows how anxious I would be if I weren't already on an antidepressant, but sometimes one loses a bit of hope. Personally, I really dislike the feeling of being under the influence of an anxiolytic unless I am facing an actual panic attack or a full-blown crisis. However, I have grown weary of this persistent, albeit manageable, sense of anxiety that seems to surface so frequently. 🙂

My antidepressant is an older generation one, and it definitely has some anxiolytic effects.

restlesstrucker15 said:It is truly unfortunate that there isn't an antidepressant designed specifically to target anxiety in isolation. What I mean is, I wish there were a medication that could eliminate anxiety without being classified as an anxiolytic. I often get the impression that antidepressants are much more effective at treating depression than they are at managing anxiety, even if they do work reasonably well for mitigating panic attacks. I am well aware of the standard advice regarding psychotherapy and the necessity of doing the internal work, but we cannot simply transform ourselves into entirely different people overnight. I remember once asking my therapist if she had any options—medications that aren't technically anxiolytics but could completely wipe out my anxiety and the constant mental noise. She told me no such thing exists. I am not complaining, per se; heaven knows how anxious I would be if I weren't already on an antidepressant, but sometimes one loses a bit of hope. Personally, I really dislike the feeling of being under the influence of an anxiolytic unless I am facing an actual panic attack or a full-blown crisis. However, I have grown weary of this persistent, albeit manageable, sense of anxiety that seems to surface so frequently. 🙂

From what I gather, Paxil works wonders for anxiety disorders. For me, it didn't quite fix everything with my anxiety and social phobia, but it helped. It's mostly about finding the right dose; for me, 60 mg a day was the sweet spot.

Justin Rogers5 said:Got this 10 mg unnamed for sleep, but it’s a total bust. I take one at midnight and an hour and a half later I'm still just staring into space, eyes feeling like they're full of sand, wired like I just downed a Red Bull. Then I end up taking five more just to crash for three hours.🙂The label claims it gives you 7-8 hours of sleep!🙂Last night, after tossing and turning and getting maybe ten minutes of useless sleep, I took 10 mg at midnight, then another 10 at 5 AM, and finally slept until 7:45. Why doesn't any of this stuff work for me? I guess my body isn't used to it since I don't take it every day, but honestly, reading the side effects makes me want to gag.🙂To be real, a 1 mg Xanax works better for sleeping than this hypnotic crap.🤷

Well, that's just zolpidem—basically a generic brand product. For me, only the 15-20 mg dose actually hits. 10 mg is way too low for me, too.

Timothy Wood38 said:Well, that's just zolpidem—basically a generic brand product. For me, only the 15-20 mg dose actually hits. 10 mg is way too low for me, too.

I really only need about 30-40 mg of Ambien to feel anything—truth be told, I shouldn't even be taking it—but the Prozac makes it incredibly hard to actually wake up in the morning. I'll probably have to go back to just using that, because needing this much Ambien just isn't right.😲😲😲

Timothy Wood38 said:Well, that's just zolpidem—basically a generic brand product. For me, only the 15-20 mg dose actually hits. 10 mg is way too low for me, too.

But how much sleep are you actually getting? Like, how many hours? Honestly, if you're on 20 mg and only getting 3 or 4 hours, that's not enough. I was cleaning the house until 4 AM last night, took 10 mg right before bed, and slept until 7. Then at 7, I popped 25 mg of Xanax and drifted off again.🤷Thank God I work afternoon shifts. Woke up feeling totally wired, with this weird tension and tremors in my stomach.😲

Justin Rogers5 said:But how much sleep are you actually getting? Like, how many hours? Honestly, if you're on 20 mg and only getting 3 or 4 hours, that's not enough. I was cleaning the house until 4 AM last night, took 10 mg right before bed, and slept until 7. Then at 7, I popped 25 mg of Xanax and drifted off again.🤷Thank God I work afternoon shifts. Woke up feeling totally wired, with this weird tension and tremors in my stomach.😲

I usually just take Ambien when I really need it, and not even regularly—just every once in a while. I actually had a bad reaction to it once and haven't touched it since. I used to have massive issues with sleeping, honestly, but setting up a decent sleep hygiene routine helped me way more than any medication ever did.

fadedbear92 said:My antidepressant is an older generation one, and it definitely has some anxiolytic effects.

I understand. 🙂I gave it a shot myself, but it just didn't work for me.😢

Timothy Wood38 said:From what I gather, Paxil works wonders for anxiety disorders. For me, it didn't quite fix everything with my anxiety and social phobia, but it helped. It's mostly about finding the right dose; for me, 60 mg a day was the sweet spot.

I spent a significant amount of time on Paxil and felt relatively stable, but then I made the mistake of stopping it abruptly without medical guidance. Everything came crashing back. My doctor put me back on Paxil, but even after three weeks at the maximum dose, there was no noticeable improvement. Since then, I have been taking 15 mg of Lexapro from Eli Lilly. It’s alright, though I am still looking to shake off this remaining layer of anxiety. I am considering asking my doctor if I should add 20 mg of Paxil back into the mix while tapering down the Lexapro. I suppose she will be the one to decide.

fadedbear92 said:I really only need about 30-40 mg of Ambien to feel anything—truth be told, I shouldn't even be taking it—but the Prozac makes it incredibly hard to actually wake up in the morning. I'll probably have to go back to just using that, because needing this much Ambien just isn't right.😲😲😲

Can Prazina knock me out on its own if I don't have any Sanval left? What kind of dose would we be talking about?

Arthur Vaughn2 said:Can Prazina knock me out on its own if I don't have any Sanval left? What kind of dose would we be talking about?

You really need to run that by your doctor first.

How are my fellow pill-poppers doing today? 😁

I can't really find much to complain about, honestly; I'm doing alright. They've actually gone ahead and scaled back my Qitapin—just 50mg in the afternoon and again at night—and they've cut my Normabest down to just once in the evening. It’s a bit of a struggle for me, though, because I've grown quite fond of it. 😁

As someone who's pretty much addicted to these things, I think I'm going to have a hard time sticking to just one Normabest a day.

Justin Rogers5 said:But how much sleep are you actually getting? Like, how many hours? Honestly, if you're on 20 mg and only getting 3 or 4 hours, that's not enough. I was cleaning the house until 4 AM last night, took 10 mg right before bed, and slept until 7. Then at 7, I popped 25 mg of Xanax and drifted off again.🤷Thank God I work afternoon shifts. Woke up feeling totally wired, with this weird tension and tremors in my stomach.😲

Ah, that Sanval... let me tell you, I spent a long time perfectly fine on just 5 mg and sleeping like a baby. Then I bumped it up to 10, and for the last two weeks or so, sleep has become an absolute stranger to me—yet the idea of increasing the dose is utterly terrifying. So, I’ve started reaching for Calixta in the evenings again. It breaks my heart a little because waking up feels like dragging myself through sludge, and frankly, it doesn't even touch my anxiety, but damn if it doesn't knock me out; I'm out like a light within fifteen minutes. I have a doctor's appointment this Friday and I'm at a complete loss for words; I haven't even really started the Zoloft yet—well, just for one day—because I'm paralyzed by the uncertainty of whether I can even take both at the same time...😕

Jason Vaughn482 said:Ah, that Sanval... let me tell you, I spent a long time perfectly fine on just 5 mg and sleeping like a baby. Then I bumped it up to 10, and for the last two weeks or so, sleep has become an absolute stranger to me—yet the idea of increasing the dose is utterly terrifying. So, I’ve started reaching for Calixta in the evenings again. It breaks my heart a little because waking up feels like dragging myself through sludge, and frankly, it doesn't even touch my anxiety, but damn if it doesn't knock me out; I'm out like a light within fifteen minutes. I have a doctor's appointment this Friday and I'm at a complete loss for words; I haven't even really started the Zoloft yet—well, just for one day—because I'm paralyzed by the uncertainty of whether I can even take both at the same time...😕

You will have to ask your doctor, but personally, I don't think they clash. In my case, I was prescribed Calixta Elicei for insomnia. However, I found myself unable to function properly throughout the entire day. Now, just to test things out, I was given half of a 25 mg Qitapin, but I still can't seem to pull myself together during the day. I'm seeing my doctor soon, so I'll let you know what we decide regarding the insomnia. Currently, I've gone back to Halcion and it's okay. It's just unfortunate because these hypnotics cause dependency; I don't mean it's bad that a person gets used to them, but it's bad that they become less effective over time. Just tell your doctor everything, and she will adjust your therapy accordingly. It is also possible that you might experience insomnia until your body adjusts to the Zoloft, at which point you can finally address the insomnia that is bothering you now. Don't worry, most psychiatrists know exactly which medications can be combined.