Medications?

[qhifwu4h5o]

Are you guys on any medications? If so which ones, and are they helping? Just curious. I'm currently on 100mg sertraline and 2mg aripiprazole, they've helped to an extent but the thoughts still come back at times, especially during stressful periods.

 

[whywere]

I have been on Celexa for about 10 years, and it has always helped me with my depression. I just wish there was something for BPD.

Walter

 

[Kit1]

I was on a number of medication including sertraline (200mg). Had a fall out with the medical services and stopped taking all my medication since beginning of September last year. Still alive!

 

[Melancholique]

Prozac 20mg twice a day cuz OCD

 

[bieatmania]

Rexulti 1mg daily for bipolar.
Lorazepam 0.5mg x 3 maximum a day, sometime I only take two.
Zolpidem 5mg x 2 a day, I usually take one pill and wake up 4 or 5 hours later, then take other one and sleep another 4 or 5 hours.
I still don't know why did they gave sleep meds for me, I've never had insomnia before and now I can't sleep without them

 

[terra.nuvo]

Abilify Maintena 400mg, Olanzipine 5mg, and Bupropion 150mg. I'm not sure yet if they are working as I just started the abilify and welbutrin but my mom says she sees a difference in my mood when I'm taking them. I'm hoping that with time I'll see a lessening of my depression symptoms like low energy and motivation but who knows. Also I'm probably gonna start Concerta again so we'll see how that goes.

 

[worthless_nightmare]

I'm taking Latuda 40 mg, Quetiapine 50 mg, clonidine .1mg, and guanfacine. I personally really like latuda, it's the only thing that has improved my depression.

 

[Hollowman]

https:www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/201603/chemical-lobotomy?amp

 

[sserafim]

I used to take Buspar and propranolol a long time ago for anxiety. I was on Ritalin and then Adderall for ADHD, but stopped taking meds after college. My psychiatrist wanted to put me on antidepressants because my mom told him that I was depressed, but I declined.

 

[waningmoth]

Fluoxetine 40mg a day, and mirtazapine 15mg a day, 5mg olanzapine a day, lorazepam 0.5mg as needed

Been on the fluoxetine and mirtazapine for over 20 years helps to some extent with my ocd, cant sleep without the mirtazapine anymore though. the olanzapine was started in the last 5 years and made a huge difference but my memory and ability to learn isnt as good as it used to be and i gained a lot of weight whereas i was severely underweight before, went from a uk size 2 to a 10

This combination actually seems to keep me largely stable except for that time of the month where i cant even pick up a glass without 5 hours of ocd rituals and its like being a kid again before i was medicated at all.

Despite all the sedatives im still pretty good at having multiday long sucessive panic attacks no matter how much lorazepam they give me

I was always massively against any medication at all but my life has been a lot more bearable since the olanzapine was added and i can just about take care of myself with minimal help now.

maybe ive just been hospitalised long enough that i gave up fighting the meds battle and i found out the hard way that if i stop taking them my entire life falls apart very quickly.

So i guess now im stuck on them

 

[Hollowman]

I used to take Buspar and propranolol a long time ago for anxiety. I was on Ritalin and then Adderall for ADHD, but stopped taking meds after college. My psychiatrist wanted to put me on antidepressants because my mom told him that I was depressed, but I declined.

It's a sad state of affairs when all it takes is your moms word. Very smart of you to decline.

 

[sserafim]

It's a sad state of affairs when all it takes is your moms word. Very smart of you to decline.

I think my brain already got damaged from Buspar lol. Someone on here said that it has (longterm) side effects that doctors don't tell you about

 

[qhifwu4h5o]

I used to take Buspar and propranolol a long time ago for anxiety. I was on Ritalin and then Adderall for ADHD, but stopped taking meds after college. My psychiatrist wanted to put me on antidepressants because my mom told him that I was depressed, but I declined.

Was previously given propranolol for anxiety, they then switched me to hydroxyzine and eventually gabapentin. I guess they don't trust me with a benzodiazepine, haha

 

[ForgottenAgain]

Rexulti 1mg daily for bipolar.
Lorazepam 0.5mg x 3 maximum a day, sometime I only take two.
Zolpidem 5mg x 2 a day, I usually take one pill and wake up 4 or 5 hours later, then take other one and sleep another 4 or 5 hours.
I still don't know why did they gave sleep meds for me, I've never had insomnia before and now I can't sleep without them

Zolpidem is quite a strong drug and can cause addiction. I was on it in the past, best night sleep of my life, but destroyed my memory and concentration and if I think about it, I crave it. I only took it in case of insomnia though, can't imagine what it can do being taken everyday. It sounds like the psychiatrist was reckless...although I'm not a doctor
I was on 200mg Sertraline and 3mg Risperidone but I decided a week or so ago to stop my medication due to the side effects of weight gain and low libido.

I've weaned off Sertraline and I'm currently on my last couple of days of Risperidone. Dealing with dizziness and feeling worse in general emotionally but that may just be me, I don't know.

I'm tired of medication and I'm afraid of what it may do to me.

 

[penguinl0v3s]

Are you guys on any medications? If so which ones, and are they helping? Just curious. I'm currently on 100mg sertraline and 2mg aripiprazole, they've helped to an extent but the thoughts still come back at times, especially during stressful periods.

If you're on sertraline and feel like it's good but not as perfect as it could be, it's worth bringing up augmenting with bupropion to your doctor. Because of bupropion's effect to inhibit the enzyme that metabolizes sertraline, it makes sertraline more potent and also lessens the side effects of it, such as sexual dysfunction. Also, it's a pseudo-stimulant and can offset SSRI-induced sleepiness.

 

[qhifwu4h5o]

If you're on sertraline and feel like it's good but not as perfect as it could be, it's worth bringing up augmenting with bupropion to your doctor. Because of bupropion's effect to inhibit the enzyme that metabolizes sertraline, it makes sertraline more potent and also lessens the side effects of it, such as sexual dysfunction. Also, it's a pseudo-stimulant and can offset SSRI-induced sleepiness.

I'm currently having issues with aripiprazole so they may take me off it. Bupropion seems like a good choice for an augment because I end up feeling tired all the time anyway, not sure if it's due to the medicine

 

[biasedregret]

Check out Ken's algorithm for a more empirically-validated antidepressant strategy. You might need a new psych though if your current one doesn't like MAOIs:

7. Gillman’s Antidepressants algorithm – PsychoTropical Research

This commentary discusses how to progress efficiently through different antidepressant treatment possibilities taking into account severity of illness.

www.psychotropical.com

 

[penguinl0v3s]

Zolpidem is quite a strong drug and can cause addiction. I was on it in the past, best night sleep of my life, but destroyed my memory and concentration and if I think about it, I crave it. I only took it in case of insomnia though, can't imagine what it can do being taken everyday. It sounds like the psychiatrist was reckless...although I'm not a doctor
I was on 200mg Sertraline and 3mg Risperidone but I decided a week or so ago to stop my medication due to the side effects of weight gain and low libido.

I've weaned off Sertraline and I'm currently on my last couple of days of Risperidone. Dealing with dizziness and feeling worse in general emotionally but that may just be me, I don't know.

I'm tired of medication and I'm afraid of what it may do to me.

Z-drugs are considered 'basically benzodiazepines' by some doctors and the WHO. I'd really be wary of that class. Different drug classes have different safety levels, so please don't let that deter you from all drugs in general because if you find the right one it could be permanently positive ^^

How are you tapering? Some people are med sensitive and like to taper much slower than others.

I'm currently having issues with aripiprazole so they may take me off it. Bupropion seems like a good choice for an augment because I end up feeling tired all the time anyway, not sure if it's due to the medicine

Could be medication, could just be depression because both cause fatigue lollll. If you do end up choosing bupropion the XL version usually is the best tolerated formulation. Don't let the higher dosage scare you because it's for more hours than the other doses.

Also! It has very little withdrawal compared to SSRIs and can be quit easily.

 

[penguinl0v3s]

Check out Ken's algorithm for a more empirically-validated antidepressant strategy. You might need a new psych though if your current one doesn't like MAOIs:

7. Gillman’s Antidepressants algorithm – PsychoTropical Research

This commentary discusses how to progress efficiently through different antidepressant treatment possibilities taking into account severity of illness.

www.psychotropical.com

Try to find an older psychiatrist if you want MAOIs because they're more experienced with them, a lot of younger psychiatrists don't have much experience dealing with them anymore. If they refuse, take that as a sign that they don't have experience treating with MAOIs and won't know their side effects--which you don't want because the reason why MAOIs have been replaced in the first place is because they react with a ton of other medications.

Polypharmacy is on the rise and now becoming the norm rather than the exception, so acceptable use cases of MAOIs are becoming more and more limited. Not only that, but a very common side effect of MAOIs is cardiovascular issues, and cardiovascular disease is on the rise, further limiting the amount of people that can benefit from them. Dose raising is difficult because of the cardiovascular side effects. That being said, I do believe that MAOIs have a place. They wouldn't be a first line treatment in my book, but I do see it as a reasonable choice for people that don't have genetic history/currently are dealing with hypertension. I'd see it as the option after failing SRIs, TCAs, and stims.

 

[ForgottenAgain]

Z-drugs are considered 'basically benzodiazepines' by some doctors and the WHO. I'd really be wary of that class. Different drug classes have different safety levels, so please don't let that deter you from all drugs in general because if you find the right one it could be permanently positive ^^

How are you tapering? Some people are med sensitive and like to taper much slower than others.

Could be medication, could just be depression because both cause fatigue lollll. If you do end up choosing bupropion the XL version usually is the best tolerated formulation. Don't let the higher dosage scare you because it's for more hours than the other doses.

Also! It has very little withdrawal compared to SSRIs and can be quit easily.

I'm not being very careful, my usual dosage is 200mg Sertraline and 3mg Risperidone. I did 1 week of 100mg Sertraline and 2mg Risperidone, and now 1 week of 1mg Risperidone, next week will be no meds.

 

[Namarupa]

Quetiapine
Divalproex Sodium
CBD
Lithium
Pregabalin

 

[penguinl0v3s]

I'm not being very careful, my usual dosage is 200mg Sertraline and 3mg Risperidone. I did 1 week of 100mg Sertraline and 2mg Risperidone, and now 1 week of 1mg Risperidone, next week will be no meds.

Generally the taper rule is 10%, tapering 50% at a time is a lot. There's no reason to do it like this because Zoloft is an IR (immediate release) and not XR/SR (extended release/sustained release), so you can break it into smaller doses without issue. Tapering slower should reduce or completely eliminate withdrawal.

Quetiapine
Divalproex Sodium
CBD
Lithium
Pregabalin

Quetiapine and pregabalin are really popular, lithium averagely popular, but I've not seen many people taking divalproex sodium. What do you think about that one?

 

[AnxietyHangover]

Venlafaxine 300mg
Aripiprazole 10mg
Depakote 500mg

I went from 37.5mg of Venlafaxine to 300mg very quickly, but with the same result, felt better for two weeks then returned to my pit of despair. Even 300mg can't do me right. Nowadays I'm only taking it just to feel like a human being and not messed up. Honestly I'm even scared to come off of it. Another thing that bothers about it is the excessive sweating it causes me. The aripiprazole and Depakote work, thankfully.