Your experiences with psychiatric medications?

[RustyShackleford]

You're more of a lower now?  How so?

Time just passes. I'm not trying to be all "woe is me", but time will pass and experiences will be had with or without antidepressants. It doesn't matter what you do because there is no end.

I agree that with the amount of time on anti depressants, the noted benefit may just be ann improvemtent in life that was going to happen whether or whether you didn't do drugs.

In my case tho, I had been going through shit so long I was ready to try anything and everything because I had tried just "waiting it out" and it wasn't working for me.

Sorry if i missed it, but has it helped?
I won't lie, they were effective, but things were just off. I don't kow how to explain it really, but serotonin is more than just 'happy' chemicals. Kind of trippy in a way. I can see how it makes some people apathetic and other people go nuts, and anywhere inbetween. And I don't regret giving it try either.

[equanimity]

Spoke with my therapist today.  Didn't even need to bring medication up, as she did haha.  Guess I must seem pretty messed up.

Now I really need to decide which medication to ask for.  Could just go with the psych's recommendation, but that's never gone too well before.  Wellbutrin might be the way to go.  When I was taking effexor I was sweaty, experiencing slight tremors and dealing with sort of minor stomach issues... namely nausea.  From my readings it looks like wellbutrin may be more of the same, which is not great but something I can deal with if it really helps.

Not sure if I should try for lithium again, or benzos.  The lithium of course requires regular blood tests and that's annoying, but if the suicidal thoughts keep up then yeah.  Benzos... I used to be an addict, and there's some concern of that happening again.  Guess I should just be completely open and honest with the psychiatrist when we meet.  Kinda nervous about it, and not sure why.

[Umbrella Corp]

You're more of a lower now?  How so?

Time just passes. I'm not trying to be all "woe is me", but time will pass and experiences will be had with or without antidepressants. It doesn't matter what you do because there is no end.

I agree that with the amount of time on anti depressants, the noted benefit may just be ann improvemtent in life that was going to happen whether or whether you didn't do drugs.

In my case tho, I had been going through shit so long I was ready to try anything and everything because I had tried just "waiting it out" and it wasn't working for me.

Sorry if i missed it, but has it helped?
I won't lie, they were effective, but things were just off. I don't kow how to explain it really, but serotonin is more than just 'happy' chemicals. Kind of trippy in a way. I can see how it makes some people apathetic and other people go nuts, and anywhere inbetween. And I don't regret giving it try either.

Hard to tell.  The placebo effect is a very real factor.  My first antidepressant was Prozac.  Never tried a med before that.  So I was very AWARE that I was taking something.. ya know?  IMO there wasn't enough of a benefit to say that it worked.  My life did improve, but there were so many other factors involved.

What I can say for sure is when I stopped taking it, I was at 80mg which is HIGH n I didn't have any problems coming off of it.  Life only got better.. I'm really a success story as far as recovering from severe clinical depression, social anxiety and bad bad bad agoraphobia.  I was a basketcase.  N Now I am relatively happy with NO agoraphobia.  Only mild anxiety in certain situations that make even normal people a little anxious.  Shopping in crowded stores, being singled out at work, stuff like that.

CBT is more important than medication.  You really have to be proactive and work for change every day.  I read so much on my problems I could've become a therapist lol.  Without some sort of CBT(Mine was personal, although you can do it in conjunction with a professional) medication is pointless.  Tho I do believe that along meds can get you motivated to start and work on the CBT as it can be very hard to do it in the deepest depths of depression/anxiety.

[equanimity]

I'm not on wellbutrin.  Or, a generic kind I guess.  150mg bupronion XL once daily.  Know I'll have to wait a month or so before any real changes take place, but somehow I was hoping for something to be better right away after seeing the psych.  I'm underwhelmed in an unsurprising way.

[Max Headroom]

I've taken every bullshit nonbenzo anxiolytic and evergreening scam antidepressant that your doctor prescribes when you have a history of "drug seeking behavior" , uncited poorly evaluated assertions from psych ward clinicians that are poorly paid and unmotivated. They may as well probably are what is exacerbating my cognitive decline. They all suck. I haven't had human emotions or nonhuman pseudobulbar affect/limbic clusterfuck since 2008.

Also about the wellbutrin the xl variety doesn't do shit but cause psychosis and side effects. Instant release was very effective for me when I took it.

[equanimity]

What side effects did you experience?  Might just be my imagination but I kinda feel sick to my stomach.

[equanimity]

Oh, I had meant to write more but guess I forgot.  Went in kind of hoping for benzos but wasn't going to push 'cause I know they're actually bad for me.  Was 100% completely honest, even about the suicidal thoughts.  A little scared he might decide to lock me up again, but he didn't so yeah

It's only day 2, but I feel strange somehow.  Like my head hurts and everything is a little distant.

[kroz]

zek you should try poppy seed tea, kava kava, alcohol and weed instead.

[equanimity]

I've tried all of those things.  Can't be a druggy, and kava never seemed to do anything except make my mouth feel weird.

[kroz]

you think anti-psychotics and anti depressants doesn't make you a druggy? I've been taking cipro for my prostate problem and it has fucked me up more than any other drug ive done.. be careful

[equanimity]

you think anti-psychotics and anti depressants doesn't make you a druggy? I've been taking cipro for my prostate problem and it has fucked me up more than any other drug ive done.. be careful

Sorry, maybe "druggy" was a bad word to use there.  I've done the recreational drugs thing to hell and back, and it's not at all a good solution for depression.  But yeah, psychiatric meds have potential to ruin or even end lives.  There's always that risk, unfortunately.  I wasn't sure what else to do though.

[kroz]

I feel ya... i guess its been a minute since I read your original post but what do you think is causing your depression.. have you ever considered talk to a psychcologist.. ?

[Prometheus]

Life is all about calculated risks. At this point, it sounds like the risks inherent to psych meds is lower than the risks of not being on them. Oh, and I finally remembered the one I was taking that I couldn't recall before. Lamictal. Decent stuff. Took the edge off only a little, but I never had a bad reaction to it either.

[equanimity]

I see a counselor weekly, though I missed my appointment today.  There are a number of factors contributing to the depression... some outside my control, some potentially within my control, and probably some completely unknown to me.  It's difficult getting therapy to be like useful, at least in my experience.  Always nice to talk about stuff, but it seems we never end up focusing on the things I need to focus on.  Not sure why *shrug*

Hah, lamictal.  I overdosed on that twice.

[Prometheus]

Ok, not for you then. I resisted group therapy for a while, but it was very beneficial. Being surrounded by people more fucked up than yourself really helps put things in perspective.

Yeah, those factors you can't control are a bitch on your psyche. No amount of meds in the world can remove the chronic stress of an overbearing delusional parent, to use an example that absolutely has nothing to do with me.