If you have a mental health diagnosis/illness, do you take medication for it?

[Toonloon]

I have clinical depression that sometimes makes me hear voices and see things.
I don't take meds. I have had doctors tell me to take meds. But I refuse. I don't like the side effects of the meds I see on other people who take them.

 

[blueclover_.]

Antidepressant but that was 3 years ago.

 

[$nowLeopard]

Mirtazapine for sleep

 

[Ch92921]

Tried every antidepressant known to man, none of them did anything for me. Now I'm just addicted to Xanax

So you are willing to go through a 2-3 year benzo withdrawal, too?

 

[SoVeryDone]

I have been prescribed meds for more than 20 years. I started as a believer in the fact that doctors care. They only care abt their paycheck and payoffs from pharma. I started with major anxiety from childhood abuse and abandonment. I was given Prozac and klonopin. It worked but I could not eat with Prozac. She tried to switch me to clonidine instead of clonazepam.... Oooh so tricky... Like I would not notice... Lol. Then to Risperdal seroquel and some other antipsychotic.. Depekote? I can't remember. I was a zombie. Showed up on the wrong day to my next appt. They fired me. Kept 10 klonopin for 5 years after I found a doctor for a year who prescribed it. Prozac stopped having any effect on me. Last doctor is a nice person but in for money cuz he only wants cash no insurance. I get gabapentin klonopin and temazepam. Only things that help. I used to get Prozac from him but I stopped. I asked for tricyclic but he won't cuz he knows they can be overdosed I guess.
Only you know what you need. Never take antipsychotics they are just meant to dull you. And I was never psychotic in any way. Just physically abused by my partner. Still ongoing. Stuck.
It is hard to get anxiety meds where I am. Consider yourself lucky if you can.
Marijuana curing anything is a joke. It took half my life away... Memories, motivation. It's fun and feels good as an escape but please stay away from medical or no medical mj. That's all.

 

[motel rooms]

So you are willing to go through a 2-3 year benzo withdrawal, too?

No, why? I've been on 3-4 mg of Xanax a day for over 20 years.

 

[Ch92921]

No, why? I've been on 3-4 mg of Xanax a day for over 20 years.

You are fucked by benzos! Your brain is damaged!

I've been taking various antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclics) for years without effect, though stopped taking them last year

Some people get even much more depressed when they take antidepressants.

 

[Parnate]

I see. Probably is in best interest to restart meds then idk. Ik I wouldn't be able to function without mine.

When I got partially hospitalized we had a group session talking about medication.

And I remember there was one talking point where they talked about prescribing a supplementary medication to counteract the weight gain side-effect.

Maybe thats something you can bring up with psychiatrist if you still haven't given up on meds completely.

What supplementary medication to prevent weight gain, please tell.

 

[Depressed Cat]

I do take medicines for my recurring Major Depressive Disorder. Some medicines work for me, others don't and some may actually worsen the condition. Anti-psychotic medications are a big no-no for me because I have had a very bad experience with them.

Since my depression is not continuous but recurring at unpredictable periods, I'm not continuously on psychiatric drugs.

Yes, they all have side effects, which also depend on the dose one is prescribed. Weight gain is a common side effect to most anti-depressants.

 

[Kristicide]

I've taken a variety of antidepressants, anxiety meds, & TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) therapy. Either they don't work or the side effects cancel out any benefit they may give. For me, weight gain is not an acceptable side effect for treatment. I've always been an athlete and I take great strides to be in shape. So even if a medication works I'll end up feeling depressed and unhappy anyway if I put on extra weight. The only med I stick with is Xanax. While it's not gonna cure me it takes the edge off so I don't feel like I'm gonna die from panic. I'm always open to trying new things. My doctor mentioned Ketamine therapy and I've seen some videos about the treatment. I may look into that.

What supplementary medication to prevent weight gain, please tell.

Ah I can chime in here because my doctor just added metformin (a diabetes drug) to the duloxetine (or Cymbalta for depression). Supposedly the Metformin will counteract any weight gain you may get from the antidepressants or antipsychotics. I did some research and saw most of the research/studies were with antipsychotics than antidepressants. I still was gaining weight even with the added Metformin however - so maybe the research really does back up it working more on antipsychotics. I asked my doctor if I could use Topamax instead of the Metformin. Topamax is an anticonvulsant (I've used it over the course of 20 years on and off for migraine treatment) and it causes weight LOSS! Some of those same studies I mentioned included Topamax which would make sense since weight loss is pretty significant with the drug for most people. My doctor didn't want to switch the Metformin to Topamax right away and opted to increase the dosage of Metformin. Unfortunately it hasn't helped. Next appointment I'll ask him again about switching to Topamax.

 

[8AEM]

I'm taking Vortioxetine for depression. I've been on it for a little over a week. No symptoms and no change in mental status yet.

I take it because I might as well try it out. It's pretty much my last hope.

 

[needed_]

i have tried a loooot and at the moment I take lithium, lamotrigine, and venlafaxine. and sometimes promethazine (I have bipolar 1)

 

[willitpass]

i take lexapro (an ssri) and lamictal (a mood stabilizer), they keep my mood swings from being so frequent and keep me from being so depressed i can't get out of bed. basically they keep me functional enough to get things done so i can make a living and be okay sometimes. but they are far from a cure or i wouldn't be on this site

 

[Gsvko]

I've been told some personality disorder, autism, eating disorder, depression...they keep changing it. Never took meds (tried once for a week and gave up, I hated not having control). I feel like if something's wrong with me, I wanna cure it/help it longterm and not take something that'll just make me feel better.
One time I was legitimately sad, knew the reason and all and my doc said: "Think about meds,"...f you for being lazy.

 

[Starryeyes]

Diagnosed with

• Borderline personality disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Social agoraphobia

I take

• Quetiapine
• Amitriptiline
• Pregabalin
• Lamotrigine

I take them because without them I really don't fair that well in society and I probably would of been sectioned frequently.

 

[UpandDownPrincess]

Yep. Medication dependent to this day.

I take a cocktail of antidepressants and antipsychotics, occasionally augmented with a specialty drug if I'm having an episode. (I am bipolar.)

I am utterly miserable without my meds. I don't really get ups and downs anymore. I have mostly what are called mixed episodes. They are quite dangerous since you can be suicidal and depressed but still have plenty of energy to make and carry out your plans. They are also absolute hell. Picture someone pacing around the house at 3am, crying so hard she can barely breathe, scratching at her skin as if trying to rip it off, just waiting for someone to wake up so she can talk to them.

For anyone reading this thinking about stopping meds, it needs to be done very slowly for a good result. I highly recommend the self-harm reduction guide by the Icarus Project. You can find it all over the web. It is in the public domain so you can download and print it off. If the site you're on blocks you from downloading, try another site.

 

[motel rooms]

You are fucked by benzos! Your brain is damaged!

It is? How come I'm still able to use it to make a living then? My memory is very good & I don't walk around in a daze. It's interesting that Xanax is so demonized these days, whereas atypical antipsychotics with a hundred brain-frying side effects are being prescribed like candy to people who aren't psychotic in the least. Yes, Xanax is addictive. Which psych med isn't?

 

[Baemo]

I have BPD. I microdose on lsd and sometimes trip on 150-220ug. I haven't had a major episode for at least 2 weeks after the trip.

 

[sadanon3]

Or do you refuse to take medication, and instead live (suffer?) life with the symptoms?

If so, what are your symptoms?

Did you begin taking medication, then stop? Or have you simply never taken medication for your diagnosis/illness?

Please elaborate on your reason/s for taking, or not taking medication.

Thanks.

Yes doesnt do shit

 

[Oblivion]

Used to, but i chose that i don't want to feel good about a shitty fucked up life. so i stopped taking them.
Drugs do not improve your life, it only makes you feel better about it, i don't need that shit, i need a miracle, which would never happen.