Medication

[copioushopelessness]

Is anyone on mental health medications? Which ones? Did it help or hurt you?
Anyone have experience coming off meds? They didn't tell me how hard coming off meds is. I've been stuck on a smaller dose. Little to no sleep. Vivid disturbing dreams. Olanzapine is straight from hell.

 

[RoseGirl]

antidepressant give me erectile dysfunction :(
I experience no other effects aside from that positive or negative.

 

[copioushopelessness]

antidepressant give me erectile dysfunction :(
I experience no other effects aside from that positive or negative.

I'm sorry. Yeah my medication gave me PSSD too. Complete lack of desire. I have many side effects with this med. It's ruining my mind and health.

 

[NaturalBornNEET]

Vyvanse cured my functional depression for a few years. Tolerance seems to be setting in now tho.

 

[copioushopelessness]

Vyvanse cured my functional depression for a few years. Tolerance seems to be setting in now tho.

Tolerance is a bitch. I wish they would prescribe me adhd meds. Wouldve made more sense than what they put me on.

 

[hopelessnight]

Coming off meds is very hard and subjective. What I recommend is to follow the doctor's direction, even when u think you can manage it by yourself. I've been taking alprazolam, olanzapine and citalopram during 6-9 months and I got cured by my major depressive disorder (after a long psichoterapy too). I think the hardest meds to come off are benzos cuz they're very addictive, but still possible to get out of it.

antidepressant give me erectile dysfunction :(
I experience no other effects aside from that positive or negative.

I had the same problem for a long time too and it's terrible, I know.

 

[orpheus_]

I was personally lucky with medications (fluoxetine and bupropion). They helped me with low energy and improved my mood a bit, like I can access positive emotions at least sometimes. Still they are not enough, but it's definitely better than without them. I got no major unpleasant side effects - after fluoxetine I started having very vivid dreams, but it doesn't bother me personally. Bupropion made me a bit more restless, but again, for me it's not a big issue - but it could be for someone else.

Reactions to meds are very individual, but generally it's good to research the "statistical" outcomes for each medication you plan to start. It's good to know the basic mechanism, what a specific substance can help with, what can it worsen etc.

I probably saved myself some unpleasant experiences by researching what my first psychiatrist prescribed me, I was given a mood stabilizer (lamotrigine) for classic non-bipolar depression. As the first-line medication so like, what the fuck. It would probably either not help me at all or make me worse, because I have the apathetic/no emotions kind of depression, no extreme emotions really.

Also, anecdotal evidence but: my friend took olanzapine for 2 months and it gave them terrible brain fog, basically they started loosing the ability to think and learn things. It went away after stopping olanzapine, though. It also caused them to gain weight very rapidly. Seems like many people have some not great experiences with it.

 

[copioushopelessness]

Coming off meds is very hard and subjective. What I recommend is to follow the doctor's direction, even when u think you can manage it by yourself. I've been taking alprazolam, olanzapine and citalopram during 6-9 months and I got cured by my major depressive disorder (after a long psichoterapy too). I think the hardest meds to come off are benzos cuz they're very addictive, but still possible to get out of it.

I had the same problem for a long time too and it's terrible, I know.

The doctors can't make up their minds. Many people recommend a slow hyperbolic taper of like 5% every month or so. Which entails shaving small amounts off with a very accurate scale or a water taper. Most doctors don't recognize the withdrawal risks and want people to jump off cold turkey. One month they told me to come off it the next time I went in they wanted to raise the dose. They don't even seem to know how it works. When I said it's a dopamine and serotonin antagonist (blocker) my doctor gaslit me (as she always does) and said no it 'keeps the dopamine in' whatever tf that means. I see different doctors because I go to a clinic but the one I see most interrupts me and tells me I'm 'spiraling' if I ask a question. The healthcare here sucks..
Olanzapine is a thienobenzodiazepine. Doctors will say it's not hard to come off of but it is.
PAWS (protracted acute withdrawal symptoms) can last for years. My mom never got better after she quit her meds.

Are you still taking it?

I was personally lucky with medications (fluoxetine and bupropion). They helped me with low energy and improved my mood a bit, like I can access positive emotions at least sometimes. Still they are not enough, but it's definitely better than without them. I got no major unpleasant side effects - after fluoxetine I started having very vivid dreams, but it doesn't bother me personally. Bupropion made me a bit more restless, but again, for me it's not a big issue - but it could be for someone else.

Reactions to meds are very individual, but generally it's good to research the "statistical" outcomes for each medication you plan to start. It's good to know the basic mechanism, what a specific substance can help with, what can it worsen etc.

I probably saved myself some unpleasant experiences by researching what my first psychiatrist prescribed me, I was given a mood stabilizer (lamotrigine) for classic non-bipolar depression. As the first-line medication so like, what the fuck. It would probably either not help me at all or make me worse, because I have the apathetic/no emotions kind of depression, no extreme emotions really.

Also, anecdotal evidence but: my friend took olanzapine for 2 months and it gave them terrible brain fog, basically they started loosing the ability to think and learn things. It went away after stopping olanzapine, though. It also caused them to gain weight very rapidly. Seems like many people have some not great experiences with it.

I wish I had done my research.. after years of denying meds it was forced on me at the psyche ward. I shouldnt have refilled it. Worst decision but it worked for a month. Yes brain fog is real. It shrinks grey matter in the brain. Many of these meds cause dementia. I'm much dumber than before... Good to hear your friend feels better off it. Many people don't get their cognition back. Your friend was smart to not stay on it long. I should've only taken it short term. It becomes addictive fast, which doctors deny. Every time I try to stop I get very sick.
I'm glad your meds help a bit.

 

[hopelessnight]

The doctors can't make up their minds. Many people recommend a slow hyperbolic taper of like 5% every month or so. Which entails shaving small amounts off with a very accurate scale or a water taper. Most doctors don't recognize the withdrawal risks and want people to jump off cold turkey. One month they told me to come off it the next time I went in they wanted to raise the dose. They don't even seem to know how it works. When I said it's a dopamine and serotonin antagonist (blocker) my doctor gaslit me (as she always does) and said no it 'keeps the dopamine in' whatever tf that means. I see different doctors because I go to a clinic but the one I see most interrupts me and tells me I'm 'spiraling' if I ask a question. The healthcare here sucks..
Olanzapine is a thienobenzodiazepine. Doctors will say it's not hard to come off of but it is.
PAWS (protracted acute withdrawal symptoms) can last for years. My mom never got better after she quit her meds.

Are you still taking it?

The problem here is not about MH in general, but about finding the right specialists. It might change a lot depending on the country btw. You reminds me to specify that finding an empathetic, wise and good doctor is very hard, yet not impossible. I agree with u that is very hard to come off even when you have a good one, but in your case must be worse. I'm so sorry for you. Hope you could change and find a good professional.
Anyway, I ended my therapy one year ago.
Btw, finding the right doctor is not the only thing involved in it. There are biological and social factors that can have a crucial role. It's very subjective.

 

[copioushopelessness]

The problem here is not about MH in general, but about finding the right specialists. It might change a lot depending on the country btw. You reminds me to specify that finding an empathetic, wise and good doctor is very hard, yet not impossible. I agree with u that is very hard to come off even when you have a good one, but in your case must be worse. I'm so sorry for you. Hope you could change and find a good professional.
Anyway, I ended my therapy one year ago.
Btw, finding the right doctor is not the only thing involved in it. There are biological and social factors that can have a crucial role. It's very subjective.

Finding a new doctor around here is damn near impossible. I've tried. I live in a rural area where many doctors are leaving. It's actually quite the crisis. Many are struggling to find a doctor. I've asked the clinic I go to for a new doctor, they denied me.
I'm severely chronically ill. I have no social ties as everyone close to me passed away. I had to move from my home to a crappy third floor apartment.

 

[hopelessnight]

Finding a new doctor around here is damn near impossible. I've tried. I live in a rural area where many doctors are leaving. It's actually quite the crisis. Many are struggling to find a doctor. I've asked the clinic I go to for a new doctor, they denied me.
I'm severely chronically ill. I have no social ties as everyone close to me passed away. I had to move from my home to a crappy third floor apartment.

That's terribly sad to hear. It makes perfectly sense you struggle with coming off meds. There are many issues to hinder you

 

[copioushopelessness]

That's terribly sad to hear. It makes perfectly sense you struggle with coming off meds. There are many issues to hinder you

Yeah, luck is not by my side. There are definitely many factors making life unbearable.
How was coming off meds for you?

 

[hopelessnight]

Yeah, luck is not by my side. There are definitely many factors making life unbearable.
How was coming off meds for you?

It was hard, yet not impossible. If you want my DM is always open. I can tell u how my experience has been and go into details.

 

[idiotmother]

I'm so close to committing suicide due to my "meds." Risperidone and seroquel have turned me into an exhausted, anxious echo of a human and it keeps getting worse. I love my family so much but I honestly don't want to live anymore. I've screwed myself up so badly. People keep telling me I will heal and it will get better. But they are not me, and it's getting worse, I'm barely functional, I've never been this anxious in my life. I just can't keep going like this. It's been a horrific, twisted downward spiral and I'm so weak now.

 

[Irisse]

I'm on sertraline, clozapine and I get an aripriprazole depo injection once a month. I hate clozapine because it made me gain weight like crazy. When I don't take it for three days I cannot sleep. It also makes it really hard to wake up in the morning and I also noticed that it makes me sweat more. The other two do their job decently I guess, as I'm no longer in psychosis.

 

[offbalance]

Is anyone on mental health medications? Which ones? Did it help or hurt you?
Anyone have experience coming off meds? They didn't tell me how hard coming off meds is. I've been stuck on a smaller dose. Little to no sleep. Vivid disturbing dreams. Olanzapine is straight from hell.

Medication hasn't done shit for me besides sexual dysfunction. I've just switched to some new meds but Im gonna try LSD and Benzos first and see if that does anything for my world view.

 

[58Alice85]

I have experimented with modafinil. Feels good for a couple of hours sends you to hell for the next 24.
"not being able to sleep" gets a whole new meaning

 

[cursedlife]

I take olanzapine as antipsychotic, it isn't that bad but I still have suicidal thoughts and I'm hungry all the time

 

[copioushopelessness]

I take olanzapine as antipsychotic, it isn't that bad but I still have suicidal thoughts and I'm hungry all the time

It makes the suicidal thoughts much worse

 

[itsgone2]

It makes the suicidal thoughts much worse

I think this is true but it's hard to really know what thing comes first. Seroquel was a great relief to me as a sleep aid many years ago, but recently it really threw me off.
Overall i wonder if we'll look back one day and question these meds. It's really hard to tell. Some people do seem to benefit

 

[cursedlife]

It makes the suicidal thoughts much worse

Yeah I know, but I have to take medication or else I will relapse and end up in psych ward