Have meds ever worked for you?

[sppplmgwiwlkiwbtft]

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting on this website.
I've been in therapy for several years now and have been prescribed many different medication, different antidepressants, antipsychotics and tranquilizers. I had several psychiatrists who treated me with different meds, but on the course of those years nothing seemed to work. I've never felt any positive effect from those pills, even the slightest one. The only effect I felt was feeling dumb and unable to do the simplest tasks, like reading or counting small numbers. Obviously, those feelings only made my life worse.
So, the question is: does it ever help? Is it worth trying more meds and treatments? Do people lie when they say that meds help? Because regarding my own experience, it just isn't true.
Things have gotten worse now for me, and I just lost any hope that long-term depression and suicidal tendencies can be cured, both with therapy and medical treatment. So what's your opinion on the subject?

 

[Akanea]

Xanax worked on me, I take it occasionally when my anxiety flair up for seemingly no reasons. I had 2 other meds before that didn't do much on me. I think it's always worth trying. You don't lose anything.

 

[Eternal Bliss]

Nope they have never worked for me either, it's known as treatment-resistant depression and around 30 percent of people diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder have it

 

[whatevs]

No. I have been on at least 6 different ones.

 

[Kikoo]

I've tried 8 in total, 4 of them worked.

 

[sppplmgwiwlkiwbtft]

Nope they have never worked for me either, it's known as treatment-resistant depression and around 30 percent of people diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder have it

Right, I have the same thing too (at least doctors tell me so) but psychiatrists still prescribe me drugs so I thought maybe there's a reason behind that and they might work

 

[NumbItAll]

Right, I have the same thing too (at least doctors tell me so) but psychiatrists still prescribe me drugs so I thought maybe there's a reason behind that and they might work

They are just guessing and doing what they are trained to do which is prescribe more meds. For what it's worth I know a couple people who spent years trying different combinations and finally have something they are happy with. I think it comes down to your tolerance for the trial-and-error process and all the side effects that may come with it. It is possible, depending on the reason for your depression, that it might not be helped with current meds. There is little known about how they even work in the first place since the "chemical imbalance" idea was disproven. For me personally I'm not even able to try different meds because I had such a horrible reaction, but I seem to be an outlier. I think it is best to go with your own experience and judgment amidst all the uncertainty.

 

[am1485]

I've taken benzos, antidepressants, and antipsychotics and some worked, some didn't.

For me, Benzos definitely helped take away anxiety and panic attacks but after taking it for awhile it caused a lot of problems when it was time to come off of them. I think I still have cognitive problems from taking Klonopin I think.

Like you, Antidepressants never really did anything for me. It didn't make me feel any better and I got no side effects from them.

For me, the antipsychotics have definitely worked. I'm a schizophrenic, so antipsychotics took away auditory hallucinations that I was having. It also really changed my brain though. After coming off antipsychotics, I have a little anhedonia now and other problems.

So it really is a mixed bag. Meds sometimes helped me, but the side effects can be nasty. If you aren't afraid of side effects, it is worth it to keep trying new meds under a doctor's supervision. You never know when something you haven't tried before might work. I don't know your situation, but sometimes you don't have too much to lose with just trying them out to see if it helps as long as your careful.

 

[cami]

i think meds are hard, because it's sort of a guess and check rather than a practical science. there's probably something out there that will help, it's just whether we can hang on long enough to find it.

 

[Quinnalyn]

I have bipolar 1 and a variety of other issues, I'm currently taking Lexapro, gabapentin, olanzapine and Wellbutrin and I've felt the best I ever have.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Regarding meds in case of a "mental illness" I have a personal opinion. Meds were created to cure an illness but can they cure a "mental illness"? In my opinon meds that are used for "mental illness" are nothing else but drugs that make the brain think "oh everything is great, there's not better world out there and what so ever." but the actual source that causes the mental illness is not cured in anyway. Stopping the meds (in the case one didn't became addicted to it) will just make the reality be recognized again.

 

[The anhedonic one]

Very rarely. And even if they did, the side effects made them intolerable to take for long, or they just stopped being effective.

 

[Ashu]

Xanax worked on me, I take it occasionally when my anxiety flair up for seemingly no reasons. I had 2 other meds before that didn't do much on me. I think it's always worth trying. You don't lose anything.

Permanent damage is always possible, even from very brief treatments.

 

[Parasitic]

Not without extreme side effects, had 5 different meds all of which make me so physically ill so I kept switching them and when I called up doctor and said can I have something else these are making me physically ill I got told "well you've pretty much tried them all so theres no other option". Sleeping pills let me overcome insomnia but thats about it

 

[Sweet Tart]

I've tried almost every antidepressant and lots of anxiety meds. I've been prescribed low dose antipsychotics as well, to supplement antidepressants. Certain meds have given me energy and the will to take action to improve my quality of life. That can be stabilizing and last for a long time (i.e. years). But for me, they stop working eventually and depression and suicidal thoughts return. The worst is when I know a med is doing nothing for me and a doc wants me to continue on it for awhile. Probably getting my meds changed this week.

Like @cami said, it is kind of a crapshoot finding out which meds work for you and which don't. Because I have had positive experiences with some meds, I'm inclined to be hopeful about trying new ones. Fingers crossed there is one I haven't tried yet, lol.

This probably doesn't count, but vaping cannabis is very helpful for me with anxiety relief.

 

[webawl]

SSRIs haven't done much for me but lithium has helped with suicidal ideation. I absolutely hate taking any meds though

 

[DarknessInMe]

In the past, I took olanzapine, different SSRIs and lithium, but nothing has helped so far. I'm convinced there's probably no medication that will help me.

 

[Conker]

only when they were from Dr. Sebi

 

[Taraxacum]

I take two medications. One helped me with my emotional state and the other... seem not be doing anything.

 

[dandan]

Only Testosterone and Dianabol, these two helped me to not be depressed, socialize, workout, get a girl.
But sadly, my life is still hard, after 20 years of depression I did not manage to learn to make a life.
I am thinking in drinking almost 4 year old expired N.

 

[ggetout33]

I tried ADHD meds for my ADHD when I was younger but none of them really worked. At best they'd do something positive but nowhere near a neurotypical's level. I thought about trying antidepressants but honestly I just don't have that much faith in psychiatry and the mental health field at all. I honestly think such a fate is decided by genetics. You either get good genes and prosper or get bad genes and suffer as a prisoner in your own body and mind until you die. The game's rigged from the start.

I might try something in the future but I'd look at some kind of genetic testing instead of just shooting in the dark since that doesn't work. But my fear is that nothing will work and I will be doomed to suffer like this for decades to come.

That will be when I CTB.

To clarify: I don't believe in spiritual "essential oil" crap either".

 

[iLikeFrogs]

Yes, but only for a while. Antidepressants sucks for long term treatment for me, and hormones for hypothyroidism are doing good job so far

 

[The Eeyorish One]

So I'm currently on buspirone for anxiety, fluoxetine and rexulti for depression, and hydroxyzine for sleep/anxiety. Anxiety wise the meds help a ton for me, even though I can still get anxiety, it's for real situations that warrant it and it's still dulled a decent bit.

Depression wise I'm doing pretty good. When I'm off depression meds I pretty much think about ctb every day, on them it's much more fleeting and rare. That being said, I'm thinking partially because of the meds, I may have exacerbated or developed alexithymia (emotional color blindness, i.e. difficulty recognizing or describing emotions, which leads to lack of motivation or purpose, needing external pressure/stimuli to act, etc).

So I'm at a place where I don't necessarily want to ctb, but I'm lacking any sort of motivation to improve my life. My head feels fuzzy and I have trouble with memory a bit. I barely recognize my emotions or why I'm feeling them. It's hard to say if the drugs caused this or not, because I've been switching around meds for years and I'm pretty sure I had these issues to some extent before meds.

So with all that being said, it's opinion time. I personally think it's worth exploring meds for a while (I've been on various ones for like 8 years). It can be a long journey to get on the right ones, and there can be some nasty side effects. Ultimately I think it's your choice though. Can you find one that helps "x" amount? Can you live with "x" side effects?

I personally feel like long term depression pretty much can't be cured with current tech/science, but for some it can be managed. I've also heard of some people trying this like electromagnetic therapy thingy (didn't do much research once I realized I wouldn't be able to afford it/ my insurance didn't cover it). I've also heard second hand accounts of shrooms helping with depression but idk, they're illegal for me so I haven't tried them.

Anyways, good luck, I hope you're able to find something to help!

 

[WhyWasIBorn]

There is little known about how they even work in the first place since the "chemical imbalance" idea was disproven.

This isn't entirely true, it was shown that Serotonin isn't directly linked with depression even though it does influence it, yet there are still many other chemicals/neurotransmitters and pathways that certain medicines (not only SSRI's) also affect that we observe and still don't have technology or research to study. Hormones can play a role too.

 

[Hollowman]

Xanax worked on me, I take it occasionally when my anxiety flair up for seemingly no reasons. I had 2 other meds before that didn't do much on me. I think it's always worth trying. You don't lose anything.

You don't lose anything huh? Studies have shown a reduction in brain matter from antipsychotic use.

I tried ADHD meds for my ADHD when I was younger but none of them really worked. At best they'd do something positive but nowhere near a neurotypical's level. I thought about trying antidepressants but honestly I just don't have that much faith in psychiatry and the mental health field at all. I honestly think such a fate is decided by genetics. You either get good genes and prosper or get bad genes and suffer as a prisoner in your own body and mind until you die. The game's rigged from the start.

I might try something in the future but I'd look at some kind of genetic testing instead of just shooting in the dark since that doesn't work. But my fear is that nothing will work and I will be doomed to suffer like this for decades to come.

That will be when I CTB.

To clarify: I don't believe in spiritual "essential oil" crap either".

Genetic testing is bs.

 

[murphyy]

All SSRIs did was castrate me emotionally, then gave me brain zaps and vertigo for a few months when I quit. I'm sure they've done permanent alterations to my brain but I've got no actual proof to back that theory up, only the way I feel.

As to why I stopped taking them, it's better to feel miserable and still have the occasional good day than be indifferent and feel absolutely nothing at all.

 

[WhyWasIBorn]

Studies have shown a reduction in brain matter from antipsychotic use.

Correlation doesn't always equal causation though, it's been known people with mental illnesses already experience this naturally. For something like Bipolar that's progressive/degenerative each episode can cause worsening damage. I guess it's up to the individual if their illness symptoms are that bad where it weighs out the risks even though what meds have put me thru in the past... I've been debating that myself.

 

[smokingfish99]

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting on this website.
I've been in therapy for several years now and have been prescribed many different medication, different antidepressants, antipsychotics and tranquilizers. I had several psychiatrists who treated me with different meds, but on the course of those years nothing seemed to work. I've never felt any positive effect from those pills, even the slightest one. The only effect I felt was feeling dumb and unable to do the simplest tasks, like reading or counting small numbers. Obviously, those feelings only made my life worse.
So, the question is: does it ever help? Is it worth trying more meds and treatments? Do people lie when they say that meds help? Because regarding my own experience, it just isn't true.
Things have gotten worse now for me, and I just lost any hope that long-term depression and suicidal tendencies can be cured, both with therapy and medical treatment. So what's your opinion on the subject?

Have you tried an MAOI? My physiatrist who is also a pharmacologist finds good success with them when others have failed

 

[Akanea]

You don't lose anything huh? Studies have shown a reduction in brain matter from antipsychotic use.

Genetic testing is bs.

losing your life if you don't use them or losing a few brain cells if you do. I would say it's worth the try.

 

[chronically_alive]

I'm currently on escitalopram, Rexulti, and also Ritalin for my ADHD.

So far, I feel much better than I did before. But I still struggle with thoughts of suicide and feelings of despair and hopelessness.

I'm not sure if my meds are working or not. They seemed to be working for a while, but then the suicidal thoughts come back to me :(

I'm thinking of talking to my psychiatrist about this. I've been pretending that everything is all good and well (and honestly, it is better than before) but to be honest, I'm still struggling.

I think that medication can work, but it also depends on people as well. Psychiatric medicine is so complex and sometimes, some medications might work for others, some might not. There's even a condition called "treatment-resistant depression", so other kinds of support or tools might be able to help.

That's my experience so far, I hope you'll find something that can help with your mental health