Discussion Do you take meds for your mental illness(es)? Do they help?

[mob]

I'd be interested in your experiences regarding medication, such as antidepressants, anxiety meds, etc.

I've tried quite a few of them, most I can't remember the names of. Right now I'm on 300mg Wellbutrin, and as of now 25mg of Lamotrigine, because my psychiatrist believes I might be bipolar.
Worst one I've ever been on was Quetiapine that I was put on when I was seventeen because I think I had a psychotic apisode at that time lol. Left me unable to get out of bed and 10kg heavier after a month. Also wrecked my body and hormones.

Wellbutrin has pretty much saved my ass a bunch of times. When I took them consistently, I was hitting the gym every two days for multiple hours each, I felt like I was on drugs. I then had a, what I assume, manic episode where I thought I was invincible and didn't need the meds anymore and well, since then I've been pretty much depressed and suicidal the whole time and that was like 7 months ago.

 

[LunarEc]

Im on prozac 20mgs, recently pumped up to 40mgs. It didnt change anything? I dont know I dont feel much different. I guess the first week I was on it I felt more motivated, I definitely had more dopamine. Idk if thats true or not but I felt more energetic and all of that stuff, my psychiatrist told me that it can make me more suicidal? i guess that might be true? Idk honestly. I feel sort of motivated to commit but Im not sure if it's cuz of the meds.

 

[sadalways]

I am on sertraline and some anti psychotic that i forget the name of, both were prescribed to me for anxiety. Do they help? I have no clue, i mean i used to throw up every morning due to being anxious which doesn't really happen anymore, but the anxiety itself is as bad as ever.

 

[AviG]

I've been on many meds since I was a teen, targeting long term depression. SSRIS/NRIS, anti-psychs, tricycs....
Last on the list was Prozac, which I started end of last year and the greatest adjustment - I feel apathetic about CBT...
I feel calmer, and contained, in my SI experience.
An unexpected turn of events

 

[Alek1=]

It feels like they dont but when I get very anxious and cant get them I feel bad physicaly, that's probably the addictivness of them but I feel down mentally too. The sleeping ones are probably the most helpful

 

[Forever Sleep]

I was put on Fluoxetine (Prozac) but, it didn't seemed to do anything.

I'm trying 5HTP again to see if it helps. (Non prescription herbal remedy to boost serotonin.)

I also tried St. John's Wort in the past, which I felt made some difference but has side effects- especially on other medications.

 

[divinemistress36]

Ive tried just about every antidepressant /mood stabilizer out there. Im on Cymbalta is helps a little

 

[SufferInSilence]

450mg Wellbutrin - it takes the sharpness out of everything (good and bad). I don't have highs and lows; it's just a bunch of blunt mediums. Usually that's good but sometimes I do want to feel more. How much it actually helps depends on me. It makes things bearable but actually climbing out of the pit is still on me. My meds are the ladder out of the pit, but they can't make me climb.

I've tried some other stuff too. Sertraline was fun - holy hallucinations, Batman. That one is not for me, but it does seem to help a lot of other people.

 

[nyapoka]

i've been on anti depressants, psychotics, mood stabilizers and the only thing that helped is vyvanse- adhd meds. i don't have adhd but if you struggle with sleeping 12+ hours a day, talk to your doctor

 

[daydrey]

I have been taking Concerta, a yellow pill, since high school for my ADHD and borderline intellectual disability. It has allowed me to live a normal life. While the medication is effective, I currently cannot afford the prescription costs, so I am hoping to receive CTB

 

[Kyotospade]

Zoloft... estradiol ... um yeah

 

[WatchmeBurn]

I've tried 14 medications and none of them have worked. I am very treatment resistant, evidently. I'm currently on Venlafaxine and Gabapentin (latter partially for nerve pain, but also for anxiety).

It's concerning that some people here have only tried 0-1 medications. It's common, even for people who aren't treatment resistant, to require trying a couple of things before finding something that works. You probably shouldn't give up on being happy until you've tried more medications. They genuinely are a lot better than placebo as per studies.

 

[sancta-simplicitas]

I'd be interested in your experiences regarding medication, such as antidepressants, anxiety meds, etc.

I've tried quite a few of them, most I can't remember the names of. Right now I'm on 300mg Wellbutrin, and as of now 25mg of Lamotrigine, because my psychiatrist believes I might be bipolar.
Worst one I've ever been on was Quetiapine that I was put on when I was seventeen because I think I had a psychotic apisode at that time lol. Left me unable to get out of bed and 10kg heavier after a month. Also wrecked my body and hormones.

Wellbutrin has pretty much saved my ass a bunch of times. When I took them consistently, I was hitting the gym every two days for multiple hours each, I felt like I was on drugs. I then had a, what I assume, manic episode where I thought I was invincible and didn't need the meds anymore and well, since then I've been pretty much depressed and suicidal the whole time and that was like 7 months ago.

Wellbutrin is very chemically similar to amphetamines, so no wonder you felt high and that it triggered mania. A friend of a family member was on them for quitting smoking and he got so erratic he ended up filing for divorce and having no memory of it afterwards.

 

[DunnoWhyButYeah]

Nope, I tried a lot different ones 20 years, nothing helps so I don't take anything anymore and doctors don't even try giving anything anymore because they know nothing helps me.

 

[dimgobaith]

I stopped they don't make a difference

 

[Hollowman]

I used to and it only made things worse. Fuck that neurotoxic garbage!

 

[Kanoh]

I tried out literally every antidepressant substance there is. Helps with depression but has zero effect on OCD which is my main illness.

 

[orangepulp]

I've been on pretty much every antidepressant and antipsychotic over the years, most didn't help but I did feel happier last year but the medication hasn't changed so maybe it was just coincidence

 

[Ligottian]

I take a relatively light dose of Xanax and Klonopin for anxiety. Just takes the edge off a bit. I also use it to help me sleep. I've tried a bunch of other stuff in the past but all were worthless or worse.

 

[lawr]

The one and only time I "got help" was during high school. My mother took me to a psychiatrist where they determined I should be put on Prozac. It was the worst experience I've ever had, an egregious misjudgment by an incompetent medical professional, and it nearly ruined my life beyond repair. Prozac caused me to lose all concept of consequences, and gave me a persistent sense of impending doom. When I was on it, I became a kleptomaniac and a drug addict. When I finally got off of it, I totally ditched these habits and was utterly flabbergasted as to how I had ever engaged in them to begin with. Finally getting off Prozac felt like finally making it to the end of a horrible movie and just being like "bro.... wtf was that..."