Psychotropic medication discussion thread

If I’m not mistaken, Mirtazapine isn't quite the same as a benzodiazepine, though it might feel similar in some ways—it's generally classified as an antidepressant, I believe.

I have a bit of a question, and I suspect I might be the only one here dealing with methadone: Is it true that you don't necessarily need to take anything else alongside it, given that methadone itself is such a potent substance?
Even though I've been on it for about two years now, I actually had to switch over to Effexor recently, which honestly felt like it brought me back to life. I think I'll probably bring this up with my psychiatrist during our next session...☕

shadowbear9 said:Would one or two people be willing to provide a concise breakdown of how Mirtazapine actually works? Specifically, I'm curious about its effect on sleep. How quickly does it kick in? And so on. Thanks.

Well, I can speak from experience having taken it for a full year; nowadays, I only take half of a 15 mg dose strictly to combat insomnia. As far as anxiety goes, it doesn't do much for me. When I was on the full 15 mg, I’d drift off almost instantly, but the trade-off was a brutal morning grogginess—I felt completely hungover, if you know what I mean. At least, that was my reality. Now that I’ve scaled down to a half-dose, it feels perfectly manageable. One thing to watch out for, though, is the weight gain; it definitely causes it, and I’ve put on a few pounds that just refuse to budge. You asked about the sleep aspect? Honestly, you'll be out like a light within thirty minutes of taking it.

Jason Vaughn482 said:Well, I can speak from experience having taken it for a full year; nowadays, I only take half of a 15 mg dose strictly to combat insomnia. As far as anxiety goes, it doesn't do much for me. When I was on the full 15 mg, I’d drift off almost instantly, but the trade-off was a brutal morning grogginess—I felt completely hungover, if you know what I mean. At least, that was my reality. Now that I’ve scaled down to a half-dose, it feels perfectly manageable. One thing to watch out for, though, is the weight gain; it definitely causes it, and I’ve put on a few pounds that just refuse to budge. You asked about the sleep aspect? Honestly, you'll be out like a light within thirty minutes of taking it.

Thanks so much. So, it's a bit weaker than Ambien? That sounds perfect since once I mix everything together, I really need to pass out. Just to confirm, I should take it two hours before I plan to head to bed?
😁

shadowbear9 said:Thanks so much. So, it's a bit weaker than Ambien? That sounds perfect since once I mix everything together, I really need to pass out. Just to confirm, I should take it two hours before I plan to head to bed?
😁

I wouldn't say it's weaker than Ambien; honestly, I can't say for sure because I usually take my Ambien at 5 or 10 mg alongside this. If you opt for 15 mg, you might find you don't even need the Ambien anymore, though personally, I prefer cutting my dose in half just so I don't feel like a complete zombie the next morning. You can take it about an hour before you head to bed.

Jason Vaughn482 said:I wouldn't say it's weaker than Ambien; honestly, I can't say for sure because I usually take my Ambien at 5 or 10 mg alongside this. If you opt for 15 mg, you might find you don't even need the Ambien anymore, though personally, I prefer cutting my dose in half just so I don't feel like a complete zombie the next morning. You can take it about an hour before you head to bed.

But in my case, I've been prescribed 10 mg of Sanval and 15 mg of Mirtazapine, and as of a couple days ago, they added Misar to the mix which I take at night. I really think I shouldn't be waking up at all with all this stuff.

shadowbear9 said:But in my case, I've been prescribed 10 mg of Sanval and 15 mg of Mirtazapine, and as of a couple days ago, they added Misar to the mix which I take at night. I really think I shouldn't be waking up at all with all this stuff.

Well, that sounds like a solid plan; give it a shot tonight and see how it goes. You'll likely find yourself sleeping like a baby.😁

If this is your very first time attempting to drift off with it, you’ll likely find yourself unconscious within fifteen minutes; personally, after battling a month-long bout of insomnia, I succumbed to sleep almost instantly once I took it. Eventually, you might find it takes closer to an hour to kick in, but when it does, the quality of sleep is undeniably deep and restorative.

I don't even know what to say to that. Just ridiculous. mistycyclist4 says:
I know I’m probably being annoying by now, but I’m just going to quote myself one more time...
Is there seriously nobody here besides Fafenstein's girl who actually has experience with this stuff? I honestly thought this was some common medication that everyone was on, but clearly, I was wrong. 🤷 Maybe they're doing so well they don't even need the psych couch anymore. 😁

I’ve been on Effexor XR 75 mg once a day for about five months now. I take it every morning and hit my therapy sessions once a week too. When I first started, the nausea was brutal—I couldn't even eat, so I dropped about 8 or 9 pounds, which honestly wasn't a bad thing for me. After about twenty days, things finally started looking up. I actually started leaving the house again. I can go to the mall without spiraling, hit the movies, and I even sat through a packed three-hour show of *Cowboys* recently and laughed my head off. I'm finally getting back to work after being out on medical leave for quite a while. I've dealt with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Even though I just lost my dad 15 days ago, I don't wake up with those dark thoughts anymore. I feel like I'm actually living again. The panic attacks aren't 100% gone—driving alone still creeps me out, so I'm taking it slow there, and I still grab my husband's hand when we go to big stores—but I feel like I'm finally regaining control. Between the meds and therapy, it's working. Sometimes I get a bit wired or euphoric, like I'm riding a wave of pure adrenaline. I used to deal with some insomnia, staying up until 4 AM, but maybe since I've been off work, I've finally learned how to relax because I'm sleeping much better now. This is my first antidepressant, and it feels like it was made for me. I don't know what the future holds, but for the first time in a long time, I'm feeling hopeful. I'm rooting for you too! Goodnight!

It might actually be helpful if everyone shared which part of the States they’re living in. Why am I asking? Well, it’s because of this... I was driving out from St. Louis toward New York City today for a check-up with Dr. Sakoman. I hit the road at 5:00 AM just to make sure I arrived right when he told me to. Everything seemed fine initially, but once he took a look at my last evaluation from my therapist back in St. Louis, he honestly couldn't believe his eyes.😁 He immediately snapped—not at me, mind you, but just out of pure frustration—asking if people were out of their minds, telling me that I was basically a walking pharmacy... that my body had become a literal drug factory.🤣 To cut a long story short, he was stunned by the sheer volume and frequency of the medications I’m taking—two antipsychotics, two antidepressants, and so on. He mentioned that my bloodwork probably looks like a disaster given how much stuff I'm putting in my system. I tried telling him that I eat like a bird yet I'm still gaining weight, but he just countered that it’s the meds slowing down my metabolism. Actually, he said my metabolism isn't even slow; it's practically non-existent.🙂🤣
I mentioned to him that it seems like every psychiatrist out here in the Midwest works the same way—they see you for ten minutes and then just scribble a massive list of prescriptions. He looked genuinely unsettled by the whole thing.😁
He ended up drastically cutting down my dosages, so this is what I'm on now: Velafax 150 at 1:00 AM, Normabel 3x10mg, and Q-pin 200mg in the evening, and that's really it.

That’s awesome for you, Milligram!!

@ maiam
I’ve been on antidepressants since back in 2006. Honestly, I’ve cycled through at least ten different kinds, and for me, Effexor XR 150 mg was the absolute game-changer! For a good stretch—maybe two years—I was doing 2x37.5 mg in the morning paired with 200 mg of sulpiride. But then last year, around May, things really started going downhill, and my psychiatrist finally put me on Effexor XR 150 mg, just once in the morning. It was like being reborn! I never even dealt with side effects; it just clicked with my system perfectly. It turned me into this open, smiling person who can actually handle whatever life throws my way. It doesn't make me gain weight, and I don't deal with that weird fatigue or euphoria everyone talks about... I just feel totally, perfectly normal. It absolutely crushed the depression, and if anxiety tries to creep in, I just take some Xanax 0.5 mg and I'm golden. Now I also take one 2.5 mg Olanzapine at night, which completely fixed my insomnia.
Long story short, I've had nothing but good vibes from Effexor.

Matthew White4 said:That’s awesome for you, Milligram!!

@ maiam
I’ve been on antidepressants since back in 2006. Honestly, I’ve cycled through at least ten different kinds, and for me, Effexor XR 150 mg was the absolute game-changer! For a good stretch—maybe two years—I was doing 2x37.5 mg in the morning paired with 200 mg of sulpiride. But then last year, around May, things really started going downhill, and my psychiatrist finally put me on Effexor XR 150 mg, just once in the morning. It was like being reborn! I never even dealt with side effects; it just clicked with my system perfectly. It turned me into this open, smiling person who can actually handle whatever life throws my way. It doesn't make me gain weight, and I don't deal with that weird fatigue or euphoria everyone talks about... I just feel totally, perfectly normal. It absolutely crushed the depression, and if anxiety tries to creep in, I just take some Xanax 0.5 mg and I'm golden. Now I also take one 2.5 mg Olanzapine at night, which completely fixed my insomnia.
Long story short, I've had nothing but good vibes from Effexor.

Glad to hear that. It feels like my depression is finally starting to lift, but the anxiety and panic attacks are still hanging on. I’ve noticed that almost everyone on Effexor seems to be using something else alongside it too. I’ll definitely talk to my therapist about it at my next check-up. For now, I’m just sticking to Helix or Norvasc whenever needed.

Misar, Sanval, and Mirzaten make for a winning combination, you idiots. As for me, I slept like a baby starting at 9 PM. Honestly, those extra pounds don't even matter;

shadowbear9 said:Misar, Sanval, and Mirzaten make for a winning combination, you idiots. As for me, I slept like a baby starting at 9 PM. Honestly, those extra pounds don't even matter;

Finally caught up on some sleep—man, that feels incredible... 😍 But what, you aren't feeling a little groggy this morning? Come on. Misar and Sanval wear off pretty fast, though I’m not so sure about Mizarten. 😕

Kenneth Scott41 said:If I’m not mistaken, Mirtazapine isn't quite the same as a benzodiazepine, though it might feel similar in some ways—it's generally classified as an antidepressant, I believe.

I have a bit of a question, and I suspect I might be the only one here dealing with methadone: Is it true that you don't necessarily need to take anything else alongside it, given that methadone itself is such a potent substance?
Even though I've been on it for about two years now, I actually had to switch over to Effexor recently, which honestly felt like it brought me back to life. I think I'll probably bring this up with my psychiatrist during our next session...☕

Mind if I ask why you're on methadone??? I mean, it's essentially a replacement for heroin—like, when you're tapering off or dealing with a morphine dependency—it's just a legal drug... 😕 I saw you mentioned they lowered your dosage for you in New York City, but you didn't mention that methadone was part of your treatment plan now. How are you holding up??

I have a question for anyone who has taken Paxil to manage agoraphobia!

Did you find that the medication actually helped with those symptoms, and if so, about how long did it take before you started feeling a difference?

Gerald Torres2 said:Finally caught up on some sleep—man, that feels incredible... 😍 But what, you aren't feeling a little groggy this morning? Come on. Misar and Sanval wear off pretty fast, though I’m not so sure about Mizarten. 😕

The usual hangover, nothing too out of the ordinary. I’m just sitting here crying and dreaming about my rhythm... I have to say.

shadowbear9 said:The usual hangover, nothing too out of the ordinary. I’m just sitting here crying and dreaming about my rhythm... I have to say.

Are you having nightmares??? The other day I dreamed about my former boss and woke up in tears!!!! Could the pills be causing weird dreams or something like that?? I saw on the Zoloft packaging that it’s a possibility...🤷

Gerald Torres2 said:Are you having nightmares??? The other day I dreamed about my former boss and woke up in tears!!!! Could the pills be causing weird dreams or something like that?? I saw on the Zoloft packaging that it’s a possibility...🤷

I don't really get nightmares, but I do find myself unconsciously hitting my rhythm—and honestly, it's not even because of the medication, it's just during those gaps when I'm off them. I was crying tonight over a horse....

shadowbear9 said:I don't really get nightmares, but I do find myself unconsciously hitting my rhythm—and honestly, it's not even because of the medication, it's just during those gaps when I'm off them. I was crying tonight over a horse....

🤷 Honestly, even as a kid, I used to talk in my sleep. I’d usually end up waking myself up mid-sentence, haha. 😂

Gerald Torres2 said:Mind if I ask why you're on methadone??? I mean, it's essentially a replacement for heroin—like, when you're tapering off or dealing with a morphine dependency—it's just a legal drug... 😕 I saw you mentioned they lowered your dosage for you in New York City, but you didn't mention that methadone was part of your treatment plan now. How are you holding up??

Feel free to ask anything. I'm 30 years old now, and I feel like I've tried just about every stupid thing there is; honestly, I wish I hadn't. I suppose I forgot to mention that I am still taking methadone, and they actually bumped my dose up to 16ml a day. I haven't been back to see my doctor to get the new prescription finalized yet, so once I've gone through those 16ml, I'll let you know how it feels.😉
Yeah... methadone is typically prescribed to folks struggling with heroin, acting as a way to taper off, though there are certainly people who end up hooked on the methadone itself. You might start with a single pill that gives you this sense of euphoria and peace, where all the negatives in your life just seem to vanish and you feel great... but then you eventually find yourself needing ten pills a day or more, and at that point, you're really in a bind.😁