Psychotropic medication discussion thread

fadedbear92 said:Fevarin acts as an anxiolytic, so it actually helps dial down that anxiety. Maybe you should look into switching up your med

restlesstiger49 said:Fair point. I actually told my therapist straight up that the anxiety is killing me, so I guess that’s part of the problem. It isn't even classic depression; it's more like I'm just miserable being alive at all. I laid it all out for the therapist, and honestly, who could possibly say anything smart or helpful after hearing that? At this stage, I feel like I can only rely on medication. Since you clearly know your stuff when it comes to pharmaceuticals, which antidepressant would you say is the heavy hitter? Thnx!

restlesstrucker15 said:I only take 15 mg. The 7.5 mg dose doesn't do anything for me. My psychiatrist actually mentioned that I'm a bit of an outlier because the sedative effect lingers so heavily into the next day.
Usually, I take 10 mg of Ambien, but if I realize after two hours that I'm still wide awake, I'll take another one.
Have you ever tried Devon?

Sending it over now

restlesstiger49 said:

I haven't seen any posts from tihonsee lately. As requested:
When it comes to Q-pin, a 25mg dose is honestly tiny. At that level, the medication acts quite selectively on the H1 receptors, which means its primary effect is basically just knocking you out.
At that specific dosage, it's typically prescribed to help with insomnia. I'm assuming that’s exactly why your doctor put you on it.
Let’s be clear: not all antipsychotics are created equal.

But let’s be clear: psychotherapy is really the backbone of the whole treatment plan.

I just got handed a prescription for Q-pin with instructions to take it in the morning, so I’m highly skeptical about using it for insomnia. Look, I realize not all antipsychotics act the same way, but I’ve had enough bad experiences with these types of drugs that I'm really hesitant to just keep swallowing them. It’s honestly tragic how people are prescribed medications only to have their side effects "treated" by even more medication. I don't have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and when I was dealing with insomnia previously, I was given Fevarin—so why on earth am I being prescribed an antipsychotic now? I’m definitely going to bring this up at my next session.

tihonsee Asks:
You can always request a second opinion from another doctor within the same medical group.

That’s actually a great idea. Since I can't schedule an appointment with my psychiatrist until September, I was wondering if it's possible to just check in with another doctor at the same clinic. I've been on 50mg of Fevarin for three weeks now, and if we decide I need to bump up the dosage, could I just have a quick follow-up with one of their associates instead of waiting? Just a brief consultation to see where things stand.

fadedbear92 said:@ restlesstiger49
I take 100 mg of Q-pin to help me sleep. Just a heads up—Fevarin is an antidepressant, not a sleeping pill. A 50 mg dose is really just the bare minimum starting point; it’s practically nothing, so you'll likely need to bump it up to 100 mg by increasing it by 1/4 every three or four days.

fadedbear92 said:That really depends on the person—what does "super strong" even mean to you? For me, it’s all about finding the one that actually clicks and helps you get through.
Different antidepressants have worked for me at different points during my depressive episodes.

Daniel Gomez10 said:Okay, then it's definitely not for sleep issues.😁

Why is it a bad thing to use a side effect for a good purpose?
Well, you were prescribed Faverin for that exact reason—it's an antidepressant with sedative effects, so it kills two birds with one stone.
Though, you could argue whether that's really a side effect or just how the medicine works.

By the way, psychiatric drug classifications have become totally inappropriate.
For instance, antipsychotics don't just work on psychosis; they also help with mood and anxiety.
Even Quetiapine is used off-label for things like severe depressive symptoms.

It depends on the clinic, but you should be able to go in for an emergency follow-up with someone else.
Are you sure they didn't tell you to take 50mg for the first week and then move up to 100mg?
That's pretty standard when starting Faverin.

Faverin is an antidepressant that acts sedatively, similar to Mirtazapine or Trazodone, which is why it's given for depression paired with insomnia.

Daniel Gomez10 said:Okay, then it's definitely not for sleep issues.😁

Why is it a bad thing to use a side effect for a good purpose?
Well, you were prescribed Faverin for that exact reason—it's an antidepressant with sedative effects, so it kills two birds with one stone.
Though, you could argue whether that's really a side effect or just how the medicine works.

By the way, psychiatric drug classifications have become totally inappropriate.
For instance, antipsychotics don't just work on psychosis; they also help with mood and anxiety.
Even Quetiapine is used off-label for things like severe depressive symptoms.

It depends on the clinic, but you should be able to go in for an emergency follow-up with someone else.
Are you sure they didn't tell you to take 50mg for the first week and then move up to 100mg?
That's pretty standard when starting Faverin.

Faverin is an antidepressant that acts sedatively, similar to Mirtazapine or Trazodone, which is why it's given for depression paired with insomnia.

Daniel Gomez10 said:Okay, then it's definitely not for sleep issues.😁

Why is it a bad thing to use a side effect for a good purpose?
Well, you were prescribed Faverin for that exact reason—it's an antidepressant with sedative effects, so it kills two birds with one stone.
Though, you could argue whether that's really a side effect or just how the medicine works.

By the way, psychiatric drug classifications have become totally inappropriate.
For instance, antipsychotics don't just work on psychosis; they also help with mood and anxiety.
Even Quetiapine is used off-label for things like severe depressive symptoms.

It depends on the clinic, but you should be able to go in for an emergency follow-up with someone else.
Are you sure they didn't tell you to take 50mg for the first week and then move up to 100mg?
That's pretty standard when starting Faverin.

Faverin is an antidepressant that acts sedatively, similar to Mirtazapine or Trazodone, which is why it's given for depression paired with insomnia.

restlesstiger49;50871832 said:Essentially, yes—it helps spark the motivation to actually make something of my day. I find that without it, getting out of bed in the morning feels like an uphill battle. I basically have to manually force my serotonin and dopamine levels back up.

You might want to look into the medications that target norepinephrine as well, often referred to as SNRIs. Drugs like Cybalta, Velafax, or Edronax, for instance.

Best regards,

Daniel Gomez10 said:Okay, then it's definitely not for sleep issues.😁

Why is it a bad thing to use a side effect for a good purpose?
Well, you were prescribed Faverin for that exact reason—it's an antidepressant with sedative effects, so it kills two birds with one stone.
Though, you could argue whether that's really a side effect or just how the medicine works.

By the way, psychiatric drug classifications have become totally inappropriate.
For instance, antipsychotics don't just work on psychosis; they also help with mood and anxiety.
Even Quetiapine is used off-label for things like severe depressive symptoms.

It depends on the clinic, but you should be able to go in for an emergency follow-up with someone else.
Are you sure they didn't tell you to take 50mg for the first week and then move up to 100mg?
That's pretty standard when starting Faverin.

Faverin is an antidepressant that acts sedatively, similar to Mirtazapine or Trazodone, which is why it's given for depression paired with insomnia.

restlesstiger49 said:In principle, yes—it should spark the drive to actually make something of my day. I want to wake up feeling like there's a reason to get moving. For me, the main thing is getting both my serotonin and dopamine levels back up.

I don't know, the very term "side effect" carries such a negative weight. Personally, I really like my brain, and if I'm going to have to mess with it using chemicals, I’d much rather use them for their intended purpose.

No, nothing was mentioned about increasing the dose. My therapist just said, "Let's try 50mg and see how it goes". I was supposed to have a session in a week and a half—maybe we would have adjusted the dosage then—but I was told he’s unavailable and taking his vacation, so I should check back in September. I am absolutely not going to play chemist with my meds on my own. I'll try to find another provider for a check-up.

True, because of that sedative effect, I was actually advised to take it at night.

I haven't heard a single word about any potential raises—not even a whisper. My therapist actually said: Let's give the 50mg dose a shot first—we'll just see how it goes from there.I was supposed to have my session about ten days ago—maybe we could have split the dose then—but I just got word that he’s unavailable and heading out on vacation, so I'm told to check back in September. Honestly, I really don't want to mess around with my dosage on my own. I'll try to figure out some way to get a check-up sooner.

Benjamin Martin65 said:It feels a bit strange to me how everyone seems to claim that, because I’ve actually been on Fevarin for about a year and a half now, and I don't experience any sedative effects at all; in fact, my sleep was perfectly fine from the moment I started taking it. 🤷

Michelle Kelly4 said:I can't believe they don't even carry 100mg Zoloft here in the States

Benjamin Martin65 said:It feels a bit strange to me how everyone seems to claim that, because I’ve actually been on Fevarin for about a year and a half now, and I don't experience any sedative effects at all; in fact, my sleep was perfectly fine from the moment I started taking it. 🤷

That seems to be the case for most people, but it doesn't apply to everyone.
Plus, it’s great for sleep since it helps with melatonin production. It really helped me get through those restless nights last week.

fadedbear92 said:"Quote:"

I’ve had a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to finding that "wind in my sails" feeling—different meds have hit differently for me at different stages. Zoloft gave me a boost, then I tried Fevarin and Prozac... now I'm on Edronax (an SNRI) to help get those norepinephrine levels up.
I've got it. Here. There are several different types of ads out there—it really depends on what you're trying to achieve! tu

I haven't heard a single word about any potential raises—not even a whisper. My therapist actually said: Let's give the 50mg dose a shot first—we'll just see how it goes from there.I was supposed to have my session about ten days ago—maybe we could have split the dose then—but I just got word that he’s unavailable and heading out on vacation, so I'm told to check back in September. Honestly, I really don't want to mess around with my dosage on my own. I'll try to figure out some way to get a check-up sooner.

Is anyone actually switching to it, or should I just go find something else entirely?

Edronax is just an NRIs.

restlesstiger49 said:In principle, yes—it should spark the drive to actually make something of my day. I want to wake up feeling like there's a reason to get moving. For me, the main thing is getting both my serotonin and dopamine levels back up.

I don't know, the very term "side effect" carries such a negative weight. Personally, I really like my brain, and if I'm going to have to mess with it using chemicals, I’d much rather use them for their intended purpose.

No, nothing was mentioned about increasing the dose. My therapist just said, "Let's try 50mg and see how it goes". I was supposed to have a session in a week and a half—maybe we would have adjusted the dosage then—but I was told he’s unavailable and taking his vacation, so I should check back in September. I am absolutely not going to play chemist with my meds on my own. I'll try to find another provider for a check-up.

True, because of that sedative effect, I was actually advised to take it at night.

Don't go playing chemist on your own.

Grace Ross62 said:Does anyone know of a solid antidepressant for hypochondria, constant anxiety, and depression? Looking for something other than Zoloft.

Michael Hill2 said:Fevarin, plus you definitely need to look into CBT.🙂

Michelle Kelly4 said:It’s definitely worth seeing a private specialist. You can get a full hour of their undivided attention, which really helps... though you'll still need the meds to back it up

Grace Ross62 said:Could you please explain what this therapy actually entails? Everything is still very new to me, and I've been struggling with this for a long time—things have honestly just gone downhill lately. The last time I saw a psychiatrist, the whole thing lasted maybe ten minutes before they just handed me Zoloft. I haven't been back since.

Michael Hill2 said:I know this is off-topic and technically belongs in the psychotherapy thread, but mods, please bear with me—my girlfriend asked me about this. 😉

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is basically one of those psych branches that attacks the problem from two sides: fixing distorted thought patterns (those "cognitive distortions" people talk about) and changing actual behavior.

Basically, it teaches you how to spot when your brain is lying to you during a crisis, while also showing you better ways to actually act and react when things go south.

Personally, I think taking Apple is just step one. It’s necessary, sure, but it's far from enough.

Just popping an Apple isn't going to teach you how to process thoughts or react properly to life.

I'm seeing a private therapist for IBM, which is honestly exhausting, $100 an hour at a time, but it's been worth every penny. Looking at where my head was two months ago versus now... it's night and day.

Maybe there's an IBM psychologist covered by insurance somewhere nearby; it might be worth looking into.

If you have more questions about IBM, just shoot me a DM so I don't clog up the feed. 🙂

Michelle Kelly4 said:Not sure if we’re allowed to talk shop about prices here. For me, an hour of $100 isn't even something I need twice a month unless it’s absolutely vital. Honestly, I don't really look at it that way. Health is my top priority, so I don't sweat the cost... I just know that what you put in is what you get back.