Psychotropic medication discussion thread

Honestly, I actually managed to get something that works way better than Zyprexa—I'm on Risset now, and it doesn't leave me feeling quite as dead to the world... Plus, I've been taking Luxet on the side.
And I can't believe they just discovered recently that my thyroid is acting up, too—so maybe all those panic attacks were actually being triggered by my thyroid issues all along?!

Robin Hernandez8 said:Wait, so you were taking 10 mg of Sanval along with all those other pills and none of it actually worked for you? (I know I went through the exact same thing.)
Does that olanzapine require insurance coverage or is it something out of pocket?

I've been there... I used to knock back like six 10 mg pills at once, mixing them with Xanax, whatever it took just to feel something

😠

Total waste of time...

Robin Hernandez8 said:I usually take my Zoloft in the morning. It just... it doesn't really play nice with sleep if I take it later.
I’ve been having such a hard time actually getting any rest lately. My current nightly routine involves 10 mg of Ambien, 45 mg of Remeron, 10 mg of Xanax, and 50 mg of Seroquel.
And honestly? Even that isn't doing much anymore. Sometimes I'll swap out the Xanax for Ativan instead. I guess that combination works a little better for me on certain nights.

Good grief, and here I was thinking my little regimen of 10 mg Sanval and maybe half a 15 mg Mirtazapine was heavy lifting... are you perhaps a bit on the younger side?
To manage during the daylight hours, I take two 0.5 mg doses of Xanax, but for actually drifting off, I rely on the aforementioned list.

Kimberly Cook5 said:Honestly, I actually managed to get something that works way better than Zyprexa—I'm on Risset now, and it doesn't leave me feeling quite as dead to the world... Plus, I've been taking Luxet on the side.
And I can't believe they just discovered recently that my thyroid is acting up, too—so maybe all those panic attacks were actually being triggered by my thyroid issues all along?!

You’re dealing with conflicting opinions here.
I went through a period of thyroid inflammation where every single one of my symptoms spiked; my private endocrinologist, who performed my ultrasound, was convinced my mental state was a total wreck because of it. Yet, another specialist over at Mayo Clinic told me the exact opposite—that the thyroid wasn't the culprit. So, you can see for yourself that even the experts can't seem to agree on anything.

Brandon Lopez6 said:I was on it for intrusive thoughts—diagnosis was F33.3. 😠

No side effects, really. Usually, I'm super sensitive and end up catching something from every pill, but Risperdal worked great for me. I was taking three a day, so that's probably a higher dose. If you're just looking for sleep, I'd guess one at night would do the trick. 🙂

Normally, it takes forever for my body to adjust and for the side effects to die down, but Risperdal was an outlier. It kicked in after about a week and the side effects vanished (the only thing I dealt with was feeling constant drowsiness and getting tired fast at first, but once I finally slept like a normal human being, it passed 👋)

I will let you all know what they tell me at the Sleep Disorders Clinic, though my appointment isn't for another two weeks. My psychiatrist mentioned they might suggest a specific therapy, though I can't see exactly which one they'd choose (not to repeat myself), given that even low doses of antipsychotics and Calixta are devastating to me and leave me unable to function at all; consequently, I am back on Sanval. During my last session, my psychiatrist and I had extensive discussions regarding this topic and went over each medication individually. Unfortunately, there aren't many older antidepressants left that would work as an add-on therapy for insomnia. 😢

Jason Vaughn482 said:Good grief, and here I was thinking my little regimen of 10 mg Sanval and maybe half a 15 mg Mirtazapine was heavy lifting... are you perhaps a bit on the younger side?
To manage during the daylight hours, I take two 0.5 mg doses of Xanax, but for actually drifting off, I rely on the aforementioned list.

Yeah, I'm pretty young,😢

I was wondering, assuming my doctor even brings it up—one doc asked me once, but another didn't, so I have no clue what the vibe is with my current one—is xanax SR actually better for anxiety, or should I just stick with the Helex?

From what I gather, xanax SR releases slowly over a longer stretch, which would be huge for me since I hate feeling like I have to pop pills constantly. But then again, I’m worried it might not hit hard enough when the anxiety really kicks in. Like, if a panic attack starts hitting, how am I supposed to know if I need to take another dose or if I can hold out? 🤔

Has anyone here actually used xanax SR specifically for anxiety?

It really all comes down to the individual.
To get some sleep, I take 30mg of mirtazapine, 25mg of trazodone, 5mg of melatonin, and two 0.5mg xanax pills. And then I sleep. Or, more accurately, I pass out.
I’ve also tried 200mg of Seroquel, Sanval, and Ambien. Nothing worked. It seems like anything that actually does the trick only works for a little while at the very beginning, and then it just stops...
I’ve eventually made my peace with this insomnia. You aren't going to die from it, and I can usually function for a few days without much sleep without any major issues.
The only catch is that after a few days of being awake, things start to go downhill fast... and it's just been this endless cycle for years now.
My insomnia actually started back when I was working night shifts for months on end. Ever since then, my circadian rhythm and my body's need for sleep have been completely out of whack.
At this point, I mostly just ignore it...

Brandon Lopez6 said:I was wondering, assuming my doctor even brings it up—one doc asked me once, but another didn't, so I have no clue what the vibe is with my current one—is xanax SR actually better for anxiety, or should I just stick with the Helex?

From what I gather, xanax SR releases slowly over a longer stretch, which would be huge for me since I hate feeling like I have to pop pills constantly. But then again, I’m worried it might not hit hard enough when the anxiety really kicks in. Like, if a panic attack starts hitting, how am I supposed to know if I need to take another dose or if I can hold out? 🤔

Has anyone here actually used xanax SR specifically for anxiety?

Yeah, I do. I take 1mg alongside 15mg of Calixta in the morning.
It really helps me stay level. Calm. Just taking things one step at a time. It keeps me from feeling like I’ve downed a dozen Red Bulls first thing in the morning, though that isn't always the case. Sometimes life just hits all at once, and I find I need to take a standard xanax during the day to get through it...

Dear friends, I am having a truly terrible day today. I honestly don't have the strength to even get out of bed, despite having an exam tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM. To be perfectly honest, I can't even bring myself to care about studying; I just feel miserable, and every single day feels like a repetitive cycle of the same misery. I am at a complete loss as to what to do. I find myself wondering whether I should just resort to hitting myself with a heavy object or maybe something else entirely... but I suppose nothing ever actually helps. If I'm being completely candid, I'd rather just end it all and be done with everything. What on earth are these side effects supposed to be?

Brandon Lopez6 said:I was wondering, assuming my doctor even brings it up—one doc asked me once, but another didn't, so I have no clue what the vibe is with my current one—is xanax SR actually better for anxiety, or should I just stick with the Helex?

From what I gather, xanax SR releases slowly over a longer stretch, which would be huge for me since I hate feeling like I have to pop pills constantly. But then again, I’m worried it might not hit hard enough when the anxiety really kicks in. Like, if a panic attack starts hitting, how am I supposed to know if I need to take another dose or if I can hold out? 🤔

Has anyone here actually used xanax SR specifically for anxiety?

It was due to a GAP—I was on the highest dose of my antidepressant at the time—but I pulled through. Once we dove into psychotherapy and really dug deep to find the root causes of that GAP episode, it never happened again!🙄

shadowbear9 said:Dear friends, I am having a truly terrible day today. I honestly don't have the strength to even get out of bed, despite having an exam tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM. To be perfectly honest, I can't even bring myself to care about studying; I just feel miserable, and every single day feels like a repetitive cycle of the same misery. I am at a complete loss as to what to do. I find myself wondering whether I should just resort to hitting myself with a heavy object or maybe something else entirely... but I suppose nothing ever actually helps. If I'm being completely candid, I'd rather just end it all and be done with everything. What on earth are these side effects supposed to be?

Well, I guess I'm being ignored just like usual.

For those of you currently on Valdoxan, please, do yourselves a favor and take a moment to read this. It’s important stuff. www.halmed.hr/?ln=hr&w=novosti&d=2013&id=761&p=1

Hey everyone! For those of you who rely on Alice: what’s your actual experience been like? From what I’ve gathered through the grapevine, the results are all over the map—some people don't feel a thing, others swear they put on weight, and then there are those who deal with dizzy spells that make it impossible to get used to the routine. On average, how much of the stuff are you guys taking? Thanks for sharing.

Larry Taylor2 said:Hey everyone! For those of you who rely on Alice: what’s your actual experience been like? From what I’ve gathered through the grapevine, the results are all over the map—some people don't feel a thing, others swear they put on weight, and then there are those who deal with dizzy spells that make it impossible to get used to the routine. On average, how much of the stuff are you guys taking? Thanks for sharing.

It works like absolute garbage. Personally, I find Lexapro much more effective; I barely notice any side effects with that one. This stuff is just useless... I've been on it for about six weeks now, and honestly, it's trash. My doctor mentioned I should probably stay on it for two years to let everything level out, but I guess I'll just stop whenever I can't stand it anymore...

Larry Taylor2 said:Hey everyone! For those of you who rely on Alice: what’s your actual experience been like? From what I’ve gathered through the grapevine, the results are all over the map—some people don't feel a thing, others swear they put on weight, and then there are those who deal with dizzy spells that make it impossible to get used to the routine. On average, how much of the stuff are you guys taking? Thanks for sharing.

Personally, I find Elice (Lexapro) to be an excellent antidepressant because, in most instances, it
managed to pull me out of my crisis. Of course, everyone reacts differently, but for me, it has been a highly effective
medication with side effects that remained relatively minor—mostly just some yawning, a loss of appetite, lethargy,
and slight nausea.

shadowbear9, redranger2 — thanks for the input. It really is a case-by-case situation. I’ve got two completely opposite perspectives here, which is actually somewhat encouraging: either this won't do anything at all, or it’ll work wonders. I haven't come across anyone mentioning that their productivity tanked just because they were sleeping more, which is my main hang-up since I have a job to get through. My real worry is that I'll end up feeling like some manic cartoon rabbit, just bouncing off the walls and trying to tackle a hundred things at once.

redranger2 said:Personally, I find Elice (Lexapro) to be an excellent antidepressant because, in most instances, it
managed to pull me out of my crisis. Of course, everyone reacts differently, but for me, it has been a highly effective
medication with side effects that remained relatively minor—mostly just some yawning, a loss of appetite, lethargy,
and slight nausea.

I haven't had any appetite since starting it, but my doctor keeps insisting that isn't even a side effect. I don't get any yawning or sleepiness, but I am incredibly irritable because of it... clearly, this isn't working for me, yet I have no idea what else to look for. What kind of antipsychotic should I ask about for sleep? I feel like I'm living in a fog, and honestly, these doctors are just clueless.🙄

shadowbear9 said:I haven't had any appetite since starting it, but my doctor keeps insisting that isn't even a side effect. I don't get any yawning or sleepiness, but I am incredibly irritable because of it... clearly, this isn't working for me, yet I have no idea what else to look for. What kind of antipsychotic should I ask about for sleep? I feel like I'm living in a fog, and honestly, these doctors are just clueless.🙄

Well, if you say your doctor is being clueless, I'm inclined to believe you. It’s perfectly normal to deal with those kinds of side effects while your body is still trying to adjust to the medication.

Timothy Wood38 said:Well, if you say your doctor is being clueless, I'm inclined to believe you. It’s perfectly normal to deal with those kinds of side effects while your body is still trying to adjust to the medication.

Honestly, I swear, every single damn time it’s a different psychiatrist. Why did you even bother coming to us in the first place? It was because of INSOMNIA, but no, instead we get stuck with Elice, and frankly, screw Elice. I’m taking four 0.5mg pills at once—that is straight-up addiction. Then they have the nerve to suggest I take 1mg of Xanax instead and just double up on those. They are disgusting; they truly nauseate me. I am actually starting to contemplate suicide because I cannot sleep, yet these people simply refuse to understand the agony I'm in... why doesn't it even occur to them to prescribe an antipsychotic? Because I'm YOUNG? Am I supposed to just suffer through this because I'm young? She mentioned Dormicum, and I'll be looking for that just to shut my brain down; I am constantly on edge because of all of this... at this rate, I won't even make it to thirty. A nervous breakdown from this stress will kill me before anything else. I see people out there taking massive amounts of medication, yet she finds it problematic to give me the damn stuff I need just to calm down. Honestly, they can go to hell...😠