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What do you think about maladaptive day dreaming?
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I think that it is something that is because of excessive neuro transmission and would be helped by something that is a downer.
It is a form of unintentional activity. An overactivity.
I took clonidine and found that it helped me. It makes sense in the sense that clonidine leads to reduced norepinephrine activity as a downstream effect.
I also found a reduction in day dreaming when I took amisulpride, which is a D2 antagonist.
So basically those that are downers should help with this problem.
So I also guess that mood stabilisers could help.
Similarly possibly serotonin antagonists could help.
| 5 |
Auvelity or try IV ketamine again?
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I'm feeling really torn about how to proceed with my ketamine treatment and I'm hoping someone can offer some advice. I was on Spravato for two years and it was very helpful with my suicidal ideation but only moderately helpful for my depression as a whole. I had to find an alternative because I wasn't able to maintain symptom management without getting it weekly and my provider wasn't comfortable with me doing that long-term so I started IV infusions at the end of January. The clinic I go to only did weekly infusions with a therapist for 6 weeks for the induction phase. I wasn't comfortable with that but they were the only clinic within a 50 mile radius and my parents were paying and providing transportation and would rather see me try it and go from there. So I did the 6 infusions and had a great response on the very last infusion.
Unfortunately the effects only lasted a couple of weeks. After that I was back to feeling dull, lifelessness, numb, tired, and sad nearly 24/7. No suicidal ideation but no way to live either. I've tried over a dozen antidepressants and TMS so at this point I feel like I have two options to try next: try Auvelity in the hopes that it helps extend the antidepressant effect of ketamine or find somewhere else to go that will give me a proper 6 infusion induction phase over 2-3 weeks. I'm torn because I really don't want to go back on antidepressants, the side effects were awful, whereas ketamine has none in the long term for me, but I also don't know if it's likely that getting a proper induction phase of ketamine will work given my history of not being able to maintain symptom remission.
| 8 |
Alternatives to mood stablizers?
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I have severe chronic depression and anxiety, untreated right now (cant afford to get prescription meds rn). Ive been vaping but, with my asthma and COPD its really a bad idea. Is there anything else at all that will work or help..?
Weed also not an option, Im allergic to it
| 4 |
Treatment Resistant…
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At what point would you think that after a plethora of diagnosis (treatment resistant depression, gad, adhd, ocd, cptsd, possibly bipolar 2) and after being on almost everything that maybe it’s not as straight forward as “depression” but maybe is autism?
I have been struggling since I was a kid and I’m at this breaking point. I’m 32 and it’s becoming harder for me to accept that this is my reality. Nothing has made a long term impact. I’ve spent thousands on ketamine infusions now and I don’t know where to go from here.
I was just taken of Lexapro and put on Luvox. My anxiety is out of control. I’m overstimulated by everything and just getting so angry and upset.
I am also a woman so autism would present differently in theory and my masking would be better.
I don’t even know if going down this path will change anything or be worth it. I would just like some input
Treatment resistant depression just seems like a cop out.
| 9 |
Mirtazapine 7.5 mg
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I am from India and there is zero advocacy for mental health here. People don’t actually believe in it tbh.I am going through a lot and have been panicking and crying unnecessarily.I am also having insomnia.I am on fluroquinolones (antibiotics) to treat a severe bacterial disease. One of the psychiatrist I visited, after a lot of efforts recommended me mirtazapine 7.5 mg.I took but it caused excessive sleepiness then. I think it did help me as I am a bit stable mood wise. What are your suggestions for it?
| 10 |
can maois fry you out like other meds?
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i took cymbalta a year ago and it fucking literally made me mentally disabled. it took away cognition, feeling, memory planning, comprehension ect. i don’t want it to get worse but i’m finna start nardil. is this a risk with maois? i know they r strong as balls
| 12 |
Abilify recovery
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Taking abilify for six months now (dose 10 mg) psych doctor decided to get me off and do a slow taper how long does it take to recover from the medication ? I get horrible side effects including suicidal depression
| 2 |
Fluanxol and Truxal
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Hi all!
Struggling with depression and anxiety. Not much can be done about my depression which mostly manifests itself as low energy and decreased motivation and interest but no melancholia. Anyway, I still feel there's stuff to try for my anxiety, which is a mix of GAD, phobias and panic disorder, my social phobia is kept in check by clonazepam.
It's mostly my panic disorder that prevents me from e.g. traveling (never flown) and being away from home longer than a night. I take 60mg fluoxetine and small doses of mirtazapine and nortriptyline plus clonazepam 2mg. I have tried Truxal/chlorprothixene for a few weeks, it's an effective anxiolytic but very sedating, I have to take it everyday at bedtime as it is difficult to only take it PRN, because it makes me too sleepy. However, taking it daily is okay for me because it lowers my anxiety at a reasonably low dose at \~50mg, and most of the sedation is gone when I wake up.
I am a bit afraid that its sedating properties made me a bit slow during daytime, this is difficult to gauge because I have a lot of ups and downs. But time of the year I usually have a bit more energy and I haven't felt that to the same extent this year. This could be of other reasons but I wanted to try a similar medication for anxiety that is less sedating but with anxiolytic effects and possibly with a little antidepressant properties (always welcome).
The choice fell on Fluanxol/flupentixol. I started a few days ago with 0.5mg daily. Not much difference yet, but I think i can feel a bit of Truxal withdrawal so it's too early to say anything. I just would like to your ideas and experiences with these medications.
TIA
| 3 |
What is a instant mood booster medication for depression as soon as you take it that gave you a positive outlook
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Such as ketamine, kratom, supplements, etc? As everyone is different.
| 22 |
Ritalin stopped helping
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After months on Trintellix + Wellbutrin (and other med combos prior to that in addition to lots of therapy), my psychiatrist added a Ritalin prescription to my regimen. For maybe 2-3 weeks I felt like my old self, a self I thought no longer existed. I felt better than I’d felt in years, and my friends were amazed by the magnitude of my improvement. But then most of the old symptoms came back, and now I’m feeling hopeless again. We tried increasing the Ritalin dose, but that seemed to just make my anxiety worse.
Am I ever going to feel like that again? For those few weeks, I felt more hopeful than I’d felt in a long time, and it’s so painful to have had that hope only to lose it again.
| 9 |
Tapering off of Effexor XR - Withdrawal symptoms for how long?
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Started Effexor XR (generic) in January at 37.5mg, then 75 for a while, and went up to 112.5mg about 2.5 weeks ago. Have been in a shit place since I started taking it (replaced the Lexapro i was taking before) and I haven't been off of antidepressants for almost 2 years, so I'm tapering off of Effexor XR as of 3 days ago.
The plan is to be on 75mg for two weeks and then down to 37.5mg until I can taper fully off of it (have yet to discuss specifics past week two). I've only just started having brain zaps as of last night, and I've got headaches and crazy brain fog. I did this before when I was coming off of Lexapro, but that was during winter break when I didn't have assignments to do while dealing with withdrawal.
Anyone have a guess how long I'l be dealing with the symptoms I mentioned? Last time, I noticed they were worse in the first couple of days after a decrease, but this time they only started 2 days after a drecrease so not sure if that changes things.
Should I take my meds in the morning to get the most out of their half life, or keep taking them before bed? The zaps are worse at night, but I also originally started taking my Effexor at night bc it would make me drowsy...
Lastly, how do I talk to my professors if/when I need extensions on things in case my symptoms get in the way of my work?
Thx xoxo
| 3 |
Would you say the pain of Depression has made you a tougher person in certain respects?
|
Some may find this question preposterous. Like "how could a condition which causes considerable suffering make you tougher in any way, shape or form?"
Well it's taken me to the age of 34 to finally reflect on this.
I've noticed that there have been huge changes within me that have caused me to react in ways I never could have as a teenager before all my problems with depression began.
I won't bore you with the details, but what I noticed personally is I've developed a greatly increased tolerance of physical pain, a heightened awareness of others who are in emotional distress (even if they try to conceal it), a more assertive approach in diffusing conflicts between other people (especially when someone is being cruel), and something of a talent in the fields of customer service, psychology, story-writing, and critical thinking.
| 10 |
Best antidepressants for atypical depression,,?
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Cab You relate your experience or any articles?
| 10 |
What drugs are in the pre-approval pipeline at the moment for depression and anxiety?
|
I've been trying to keep on top of the progress of ansofaxine (an SNDRI) thanks to the great work that /u/That-Group-7347 is doing in his subreddit on the topic.
Now I'm interested ....
What other compounds of potential benefit for MDD, GAD, etc are out there that are currently in the FDA process (or that of other major regulators)?
And how might one interested in keeping track of all this follow developments?
| 31 |
What's the difference between 'drug addict' and 'drug dependent'
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after countless years of endless trial-and-error, I notice that the following meds are, by my observations, essential for my mind to function optimally:
Fluoxetine: 40mg max
Methylphenidate: 100mg max
Alprazolam: 2mg max
Amisulpride: 50mg max
Mirtazapine (still questioning): 15mg max
Prazosin (still questioning): lowest possible dose 1 time per day
Nicotine replacement (as pouches): 6mg pouches - approx 10 max per day
​
I never exceed the doses of any of the above mentioned meds, including the controlled drugs Methylphenidate and Alprazolam. That said, I feel so weak for being dependent on such a regime just to function ok. And it doesn't make me feel much better knowing that 3 of the meds (Methylphenidate, Alprazolam, and Nicotine) have addictive potential - I mean literally the only class of addictive drug I'm NOT using are the opioids. Question: have I become an addict? Or am I merely dependent?
| 3 |
Has anyone found a solution to treatment resistant MDD? I've tried at least 15 anti depressants + low doses of the anti psychotics like Seroquel and Geodon with zip results. I can't afford to pay for Ketamine infusions and there are too many negative reports about Spravato.
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The only relief I find is after a long run and workout.
| 8 |
Exercise and Depression
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https://youtu.be/9MCFnBv_Y-Q
I recently reviewed and discussed the University of South Australia study showing exercise to be more effective than psychotherapy and pharmaceuticals combined. Just posting here in hopes that it might help someone.
| 28 |
Do you think an SDNRI would benefit you?
|
It seems like there are a couple of SDNRI medications making their way through the drug pipeline for the treatment of depression and anxiety.
Just wondering whether there are other folks out there who would be very curious to try one of these agents when they become available?
Trintellix is the best antidepressant I've tried yet but from what I've learned through trial and error to date I seem to need some combination of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine agent to feel best (which currently it seems can only really be achieved by med cocktails).
| 6 |
Please help. Scared to try Mirtazapine. Shall I ask dr for pristiq instead??
|
Hi everyone so I’m basically searching for a drug that is like really safe for me to take. My dr has already prescribed me Mirtazapine but I’m petrified of taking it due to side effects etc.
I’ve only been on citalopram before and was ok but just didn’t like the fatigue at times and lack of. However didn’t really do anything for me. On top of that I drink alcohol and I was ok on citalopram with it but I am cutting down.
I just read about these like some rare effects can give you I think I read. So yeah I’m very worried. If anyone can share their knowledge or what any drug they think would be good I’d appreciate it. Thankyou 😊
| 1 |
What is Akathisia, exactly?
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Is it feeling so anxious you can't calm down? I'm sort of lost. I had a bit of a breakdown in late 2020, where i was moving around my house, panicked because of an OCD trigger. I couldn't really properly sleep, my body felt warm, etc. but I don't know if that counts as Akathisia or not.
Is it just not being able to sit down? I could sit down fine when i was able to calm myself. I'm just lost as to what is officially Akathisia and not just being in a very nervous state of mind.
| 3 |
[Crosspost] We are 68 depression & bipolar disorder experts gathering for an AMA in honor of World Bipolar Day - ask us anything!
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Throughout the next few days, we're hosting a huge AMA for World Bipolar Day! 68 international experts from 12 countries are here on Reddit to answer your questions - join us here:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/126rx2j/were\_68\_bipolar\_disorder\_experts\_scientists/](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/126rx2j/were_68_bipolar_disorder_experts_scientists/)
| 25 |
Left my meds on the plane
| null | 3 |
Anyone try Vraylar?
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Trying it as an add on for effexor for MDD, I don’t have bipolar.
Anyone share their experience?
| 4 |
Is trauma really the root of all mental health issues or am I just not trying hard enough?
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What the title says. There’s been a big movement towards childhood trauma being the root of all evil basically and I’ve been really trying to delve into it and help myself get through it. I’ve tried multiple therapists but I feel let down that they don’t really know how to help. Am I just not working hard enough on myself or is there something I’m missing?
| 36 |
Best regimen for bipolar and ocd
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Hi folks, I've history of OCD and bipolar. Tried everything out there but nothing helped me out. Is there any good regimen for OCD and bipolar that I can try? Advice please
| 1 |
Changing my combo again
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I am currently on:
20mg trintellix/vortioxetine
1.5mg rexulti/brexpiprazole
50mg vyvanse/lisdexamphetamine (+30mg in the afternoon)
0.75mg pramipexole
This combo has been life changing. However, I'm not in love with trintellix. The nausea is too much and it is too expensive, so I am switching to Zoloft/sertraline.
Anyone on a similar combo?
| 1 |
Has anybody experienced improvement in premature ejaculation with Brintellix?
| null | 2 |
My chronic fatigue got worse after long-term stimulant use
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I never was a very energetic person, but I usually did fine on 7-8 hours of sleep - didn't have to nap and felt alert most of the day.
However, a few years of daily Ritalin/Adderall (not together, alternating) have caused me some chronic fatigue. I assume this is due to dopamine receptor downregulation, creating an effect similar to the fatigue produced by anti-dopaminergic psychiatric medications acutely.
On chronic Ritalin/Adderall, I wake up extremely fatigued every morning, take the stimulant, and 30 minutes later I start feeling energetic for 1-2 hours - after which I become totally fatigued again and unable to study (only technical work is possible). I become spaced out and empty inside.
I take right now 20mg of Ritalin per day (2x10mg IRs, 5-6 hours apart) every day, including weekends. Despite this being a relatively low dose, I'm still having issues.
Withdrawals are harsh - like the daily stimulant crashes, and even worse - but my normal energy levels eventually return after a few months.
****
On the contrary, I'm seeing some people say they take Ritalin/Adderall for 10-20 years without issue - no tolerance, only very minor withdrawals, no chronic fatigue.
So I'm wondering, is there anyone else here like me, who was initially helped by stimulants only for things to become worse down the road with daily use?
| 17 |
I'm starting to believe that clinical/high doses of the over-the-counter supplements S-Adenosylmethionine & L-Methylfolate really do make a difference alongside antidepressants... but I think the effects are delayed by at least a few days, and are very subtle and gradual in taking effect.
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This post is really guesswork on my part. But it's an interesting speculation nonetheless, so I wanted to share it with you folks. Hopefully you can help me out.
I have comorbid Depression and ADHD. Lucky me. So I've been taking high dose Fluoxetine and Methylphenidate for both conditions for at least a few years now.
After noticing that I still had some residual symptoms, I decided to buy a couple of over-the-counter supplements called "S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM-e)" and "L-Methylfolate", because I read in several scientific articles that, apparently, they DO to a certain degree augment the effectiveness of antidepressants, and also (from what I read) they are safe to take in combination with antidepressants and stimulants. So I purchased bothsupplements, in bottles that contained the high doses that the scientific studies used.
The dose I got for L-Methylfolate supplement was "8,500mcg DFE" per pill \[no idea what the 'DFE' means\].
The dose I got for S-Adenosylmethionine supplement was "400mg" per pill.
Obviously I can't mention what brand I bought, or where I bought them, as that's technically advertising. But from the strict doses I mentioned, I think that gives you an idea.
Taking them for 2-3 days, I didn't really think it was doing anything, so stopped. I noticed a good few days later that I was surprisingly energetic, but I attributed this to my medications.
But then bizarrely, over time (a span of about 2-3 days), I noticed my energy gradually diminishing again. In a rather stupid move, I tried taking higher dose of my medications than prescribed, but it still didn't really help much.
So I've literally just now taken the 2 supplements again. I guess if they are in fact causing greater relief of symptoms, I suspect it'll take another 2-3 days. That's assuming they do in fact work.
This whole post is just pure speculation on my part.
Any of you folks been taking these supplements for a while at the high doses I mentioned? If so, do you honestly think they make a difference?
| 11 |
Is there any medicine that makes it possible for you to change your personality?
|
I would like to know if you think it is possible for a person, for example, to turn from an introvert to an extrovert through some prescribed medication. Many people think this is not possible, but I wanted to know what you think.
I personally think that maybe some medicine can change the way you behave, because for me, 1 line of cocaine makes me unable to shut up, and I'm the pissiest person in the world. So maybe there's a drug that can make you an extrovert or vice versa? What do you think?
| 1 |
Has anyone been on a low dose of olanzapine/zyprexa (up to 5mg)? What is your experience, or what was your experience?
|
I'm mostly interested in the emotional numbing. Did you find it numbed your positive emotions, and did they return after you stopped?
| 4 |
Abilify users?
|
Just started at 2mg and feel great and motivated. No anxiety at all. I’m fthinking this could be a good play for me
Do the effects continue after weeks/months/years? I’m worried it’ll stop working like a lot of other drugs
Lmk what you know
| 6 |
Tramadol (off-label) is the highest rated drugs for depression on drugs.com
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Now don’t come at me and say « if heroin was on the list, it would be rated 10/10 etc. » « it’s an opioid, you are just getting high » or whatever.
Tramadol is an SNRI and an antagonist of 5HT2C (this receptor is majorly responsible for all negative side effect of SSRI, including Anhedonia, sexual dysfunction, low appetite etc.)
Anyway, this drug is an absolute pharmacology swissknife.
It has brutal withdrawals, yes, but such as every psychoactive medication. Try to withdraw from Venlafaxine, you will see what I mean.
Tranylcypromine also has very good reviews, far better than all the traditional approach.
My point is that if you don’t respond to SSRI, don’t give up, there are far better meds out there. It’s just not worth it financially to bring them to the masses.
Cheers !
Edit : Some of you seems to minimize true TRD, is it better off dead ? Not sure honestly.
| 57 |
N-acetylcysteine as a new prominent approach for treating psychiatric disorders
| null | 5 |
Any tips for TMS?
|
I'm at my wit's end... I'm going to try tms next, any tips or advice?
| 1 |
Anything that works for non-medicated help with motivation?
|
I’m having trouble leaving the house, or doing activities I know I like doing. I know that once I begin doing them I feel better, but beginning is so hard.
I know there’s some medication options out there (and I’ve seen them on this sub) but wondering if there’s anything I can do that doesn’t involve medication.
Any help without meds for motivation out there? Thanks!
| 8 |
Is it possible to have no response at all to a psychiatric medication?
|
I took sertraline, duloxetine, escitalopram, venlafaxine and pregabalin. All at the highest doses and for few months and I never had any response at all. No positive ones or negative ones. I stopped cold turkey all of them and never had any problems. Is it common? How is it possible and what I'm doing wrong?
| 20 |
Unique experience with SSRI for social anxiety
|
I found that I really felt very less anxious while on SSRI. But I also found that if I did get anxious I stayed anxious for longer duration of time. I wasn't calming down. The heightened level of neurotransmitters stayed that way and weren't going away. But usually I would calm down while not taking the SSRIs.
I am also on bupropion, so that may have a role to play. It may be responsible for quickly calming down after heightened anxiety when not taking SSRI. But that's a speculation.
| 2 |
Why do we have barely any alternatives for pts who do not want to risk sexual or emotional blunting side effects?
|
And even within the alternatives like Ketamine, insurance companies will force the patient to try SSRI/SNRI first.
Especially for anxiety/OCD patients or even non-anhedonic depression patients who don’t have sexual issues or emotional blunting as part of their condition an SSRI/SNRI seems like unnecessary risk. In the worst albeit rare case they can end up with PSSD persistent emotional blunting. And even if not, while on the drug, the side effects can also lead to even more anxiety.
I mean literally the way it is right now to get help for these conditions you have to risk acquiring a condition that is 10 million times worse (PSSD/anhedonia/blunting).
And for those that are already blunted/anhedonic these medications don’t help often anyways.
Why in 2023 are we still in the SSRI/SNRI days? So much research has been done yet nearly 0 clinical progress. What explains this? I realize there is a typical delay between the two, but this is just too long to be explained by just that.
The only new medication in the last few years is Auvelity. But that already existed as just WB+DXM separately. Before that I think it was just another SSRI Trintellix. Might be wrong and there was other stuff but can’t think of anything notable
Why is the establishment obsessed with SSRIs and not actually helping people?
Its only this year now new promising stuff like Zuranolone may be coming. But the role of allopregnanolone has been known for decades. Why has it taken so long for someone to decide “oh lets give people alloP directly”
Way back we also had research on MIF-1 which is a “super antidepressant” with marked anti-anhedonic effects. But none of that went anywhere.
However on the other hand, medications that cause anhedonia are easily released into the market and they don’t care. SSRI, Finasteride, antipsychotics, melanocortin agonists (setmelanotide/bremelanotide), Reglan, ciprofloxacin, and more.
Its hard not to think there is some conspiracy…
| 26 |
Selegiline offered
|
Hi all,
I have been offered selegiline or sertraline and mirtazapine combo for depression/anxiety
I am a bit scared of the Maoi food interactions and possible side effects.
How is selegiline compared to ssri ?
Any experience on it?
Thanks
| 1 |
Study Maps Out Links Between Psychosis and Our Immune System - Neuroscience News
| null | 4 |
What to try next?
|
Hi, I have TRD, GAD, and OCD. The OCD is especially debilitating when I am off serotonergic meds. I am now seeing Dr Pruett monthly. Tonight the depression came back, and I don’t know what to do.
I’ve tried:
Prozac up to 30mg
Lexapro 10mg
Zoloft 50mg (sent me to ER)
Vyvanse up to 40mg
Adderall XR up to 15mg
Ketamine lozenges 200mg 3x a week
Risperidone up to 2mg
I’m now on:
Luvox 200mg for a month
Wellbutrin 150mg for 2+ months
Buspar 30mg for 2+ months
Abilify up to 5mg (currently on 2mg - want to taper off bc fear of TD)
Concerta 27mg
Ketamine helped, it took the empty feeling away. But it didn’t give me any energy, and I was sleeping 18 hr a day, so I tried Wellbutrin. For the first couple months I had more energy and anhedonia lessened, but now there’s a bit of a poopout. I’m still a lot better energy-wise than I was before though. Luvox helps with the OCD, I plan to raise it until it’s nearly gone.
I’ve thought about trying Parnate in lieu of all of my meds but I feel I’m in too deep to this cocktail to pull out now. Plus, my OCD would get so bad that I’d probably end up in the hospital again.
I’m losing hope. What should I try?
| 7 |
do psychiatric drugs damage the brain?
|
i feel fucking completely disabled from drug abuse and pssd from cymbalta
but my mental is really bad off.
i abused a lot of drugs and now i struggle with
paranoid thinking, anxiety, cognitive impairment, depression/anhedonia, and pssd, and sleep issues
i can’t remember or comprehend things, it’s hard to socialize, plan, focus, ect
everything feels negative and corny and fake. i have trouble communicating and seeing social lines. my head feels blurry, shallow and disconnected/dissasociated
nothing has depth or importance anymore
now i obsess and loop and i’m disconnected from reality
i can’t like hold down a job or save money
my mind isn’t like based in reality anymore but i’m not completely delusional and i don’t have hallucinations. it’s just nothing matters and i can’t feel anything. headspace is completely flat
will psychiatric meds help this? or will they make me even more of a vegetable
| 26 |
Adderall XR and Abilify
|
I’ve been on Adderall XR for about 6 months now and just recently started Abilify 2 mg for TRD/bipolar depression. I feel like the effects of the Adderall have been dulled a bit like it doesn’t work as well anymore. It’s only been a few days but I’m just afraid of the long run. What are ur personal experiences with taking both together and what doses? If you have had a similar experience, what did you find helpful / explanations as to why? Did a higher dose of Abilify dull the Adderall even more or did it help? I’ve heard of some people say it actually makes their Adderall work better but idk. Any tips or advice would be really helpful, thank you:)
| 4 |
Does any atypical antipsychotic work to augment the antidepressant effects of SSRIs, or are some antipsychotics better than others
|
Second generation antipsychotics are paired with SSRIs and SNRIs to help augment the anti-depressant effect.
Are certain antipsychotics better at this than others? I've heard geodon and abilify are the best to pair with an SSRI to help fight depression, but don't know if thats true or not. Does anyone know for sure if there are first choice antipsychotics to try to help combat depression or will any of them work? Or is it like with the SSRIs, its up to the individuals biochemistry and they need to experiment?
| 3 |
Are there any non diuretic mood enhancers on the realm of kava or kratom that don’t have an effect on bladder like they do?
|
I heard good things about kava and kratom for mood enhancement but didn’t want to try them once I heard they can impact the bladder in some cases and how kratom can cause withdrawal if you stop taking it. I am wondering if there’s any things out there one can take that are just as effective if not more so than kava or kratom at enhancing mood? I already meditate, exercise, and try to eat healthy.
| 3 |
Prozac bridge to discontinue sertraline
|
How should the prozac bridge take place?
First you take prozac for 4-5 weeks because you can get to full strength and then you take a day on and a day off for a week or two, or do you just take prozac for a week? The levels of prozac in the body as I understand reach the maximum concentration only after a few weeks and in the last case it would be a partial concentration.
I'm on 25mg of sertraline a day and may even reduce it to 12.5 for a few weeks before stopping, or even go down to the drop version and then take a few mg before stopping. But I find the prozac bridge more reassuring.
For those who don't know, prozac bridge refers to the fact that fluoxetine, prozac, has a half-life of many days compared to the 24 hours of most of its similar SSRIs and this allows for a much more gradual reduction in the body.
| 4 |
What am I missing?
|
Things I have tried:
Exercise:
Running 5ks 3x weekly
Snowboarding
Skateboarding
Mixed bodyweight exercises
Therapy: CBT, DBT, meditation
Blood work:
CBC (platelets are low but otherwise everything is normal)
Metabolic panel, Vitamin D, TSH are all normal. Estrogen and Testosterone are normal.
SSRIs:
Paxil
Lexapro
Zoloft
Prozac
SNRIs:
Effexor
Pristiq
SARIs:
Trazodone (currently taking 150mg)
Atypicals:
Wellbutrin (currently taking 300mg xl)
Remeron (currently taking 45mg)
Mood stabilizers:
Lamictal
Anticonvulsants:
Trileptal (associated with my only period of noticably getting better, but stopped due to tremors ironically enough. Turns out I just have essential tremors and needed propranolol)
Antipsychotics:
Abilify
Seroquel
Geodon (briefly?)
Benzodiazipines:
Restoril
Klonopin
Stimulants:
Adderall
Focalin
Concerta
Misc.:
Propranolol for essential tremors (on 10mg now)
Prazosin for nightmares (on 1mg now. Still having nightmares 3-5x a week)
Estradiol (currently taking 8mg)
Progesterone (currently taking 200mg)
PHQ-9 is currently 27/27 and GAD-7 is 21/21
I've been waiting for three months for a psychiatrist visit and I'm basically going to walk in there and say "Nothing works. I need TMS as soon as possible because this is emergent." I'm just hoping I don't have to wait another 3 months for TMS after my appointment because I don't know if I have that long left.
| 10 |
Anticholinergics & Gastritis
|
I’ve been on 25 mg of amitriptyline for a couple years for fibromyalgia and migraines. I’ve suffered from really bad PTSD for several years too, and amitriptyline definitely doesn’t eliminate it, but it does take the edge off my nervous system a bit.
Several months after starting amitriptyline I got gastritis, and I’ve been battling it ever since… despite taking various medications and strictly adhering to an optimal diet.
My question is, could the amitriptyline’s anticholinergic effects be contributing to the gastritis in any way?
Being an anticholinergic, I understand that it blocks the muscarinic receptors… Could this potentially be blocking/reducing mucus secretion in my stomach…?
I’m wondering if a possible decrease in gastric mucus after blocking these receptors has diminished my stomach’s protective lining, either causing the gastritis or preventing it from healing?
Amitriptyline has definitely helped my conditions, but if it’s playing a role in this insufferable, unending gastric ailment then I need to start tapering yesterday.
Is it possible that amitriptyline is contributing to/causing my gastritis? Or is the gastritis more likely a product of the chronic stress that comes with PTSD?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
| 3 |
Fluctuating moods
|
Do anyone else’s moods/depression seem to fluctuate? Mine seem to fluctuate almost on a daily basis and it’s exhausting. I’ll have a really good day followed by a really low one and I cycle like this often. I’m currently on Wellbutrin and celexa and while they seem to help take the edge off I still don’t feel that good.
| 2 |
what do i do when i don’t want to move forward?
|
i can’t describe this but it’s like this angry bitter hopeless resentment at my life and my own self for being depressed and not taking opportunity when i could which keeps snowballing.
especially knowing that i could’ve been so much more successful if i had done more earlier.
for example i had wanted to pursue software for *years* now, and have failed at all attempts due to depression induced brain fog, fatigue, and executive dysfunction. i tried lexapro, wellbutrin, and therapy, none of it helped. only wellbutrin helped a little bit.
if i try now, it feels entirely pointless. i won’t be nearly as successful as i ever wanted with the way the job market is. and everyone wants to do it now. this makes me just want to sit out life. i can’t depend on myself for anything, even if i am lucky enough to catch something before its hype, i’m still incapable of doing it. i can’t decide whether to blame myself or to understand i was depressed.
the only thing that has helped with any of the depressive symptoms was not ssri, ndri, or therapy, but my abusive sister moving out. and even then, i still think this way and have a hard time convincing myself otherwise.
it feels more and more like there is no point in moving on.
i see absolutely no reward in any pursuit. i’ve been trying to convince myself for years that if i start now, it’ll be worth it later, but then i feel, is it seriously worth it?
none of the stuff i’m doing is helping. taking walks, breathing, therapy (which has been complete bullshit btw). only cpap therapy is helping a little over time with the fatigue.
| 12 |
Mirtazapine withdrawals
|
I’ve recently (1 month ago) came off of mirtazapine and am losing weight like crazy, I’ve lost 5kg (11lbs). I don’t feel nauseous, but my appetite is extremely low. I know this is a side effect but has anyone also gone through this? And how long did your reduced appetite last?
| 2 |
What severe hormonal imbalances are out there?
|
What severe hormonal imbalance are there that can’t be effectively treated with normal medication? So far I’ve heard about hypoglycemia and sleep hygiene, what others are there?
| 3 |
My experience with beating Depression (Solution: ECT)
|
Around a year or two ago, I "beat" depression after struggling with it for around 10 years with the worst of it, half that. And since there were a lot of things that were involved, I've decided to post that part of my life here. I hope that this info will be useful for others.
I first took Bupropion (Wellbutrin). It wasn’t working, but I told my psychiatrist it was because I was ashamed that I wasn’t actually depressed. She eventually weened me off it, and I continued to have extended periods of depression with some intermissions. I would even begin to work out, but it would never last.
Eventually, I went back to meds and visited multiple doctors. I tried every major class of antidepressant drugs including benzos for potential anxiety, and none of them worked. Some of them would have side effects, but none of them modified my mood. I tried GeneSight to avoid drugs that were genetically less likely to work on me, but that wasn’t much help either. I think I was a bit lucky because my libido always felt too intense, so SSRI’s and the ilk actually made me feel normal. One important thing that I personally did was when I took LSD once and managed to cry. I’ve made a post about it here, but the point is that I’m unable to naturally cry, and this helped. I tried to make sense of it then and said it meant maybe I had a serotonin deficiency or imbalance or something. When I told my then psychiatrist about my experience, she became certain I had schizoaffective disorder because those ppl apparently like taking LSD or something. She said if I wanted to continue treatment with her, I’d have to give up on those drugs, so I left for the more promising option. I tried microdosing but basically needed around 80ug to feel anything at which point it was no longer micro. I had barely done any LSD and wasn’t looking to make it regular, so it wasn’t dependency guiding my decision.
After some meds with the new psychiatrist, he eventually recommended me TMS, specifically Neurostar (unilateral). It felt like quackery because the placement of the magnet near the brain is based on how my fingers twitch as they turn it on, and I felt like it was all random. However, someone in a twitch chat once told me the other TMS worked for them, so I don’t want to completely dismiss it. The nerve connecting to your eye becomes stimulated during the TMS process, and it’s quite uncomfortable. In the end, I was always showing up late and eventually I asked for a break over text, which ended up terminating all further sessions.
After some more meds, I was recommended Spravato, esketamine nasal spray. I did it for a month. Dissociatives give an awesome high, but it unfortunately didn’t work for my depression. My first visit was therapeutic and had me tearing up a little bit even tho all I was doing was sitting in a dark room for two hours. But while the feeling’s cool, my brain tends to adjust to substances rather quickly, especially the more I do it, so the wow factor disappeared, and the feelings decreased in intensity as the sessions continued. By the end of the month, I was back to being miserable due to personal life reasons, and the esketamine wasn’t helping whatsoever, so the treatment was stopped.
I continued more meds after and took a break from meds as well since they all still had zero effect. Eventually, I knew I had two options: MAOI’s or ECT. MAOI’s seemed like the good choice, but I didn’t believe I could put in the effort to make sure that the food I was eating wouldn’t send me to the hospital, so I did ECT instead. For ECT, they’ll inject muscle relaxants and anesthesia into your veins before they run the electricity. You’ll wake up right after you get knocked out and may have very slight muscle soreness. The treatments could’ve continued more if I was showing improvement, but I wasn’t, so they stopped.
For the next two months or so, I was still very depressed while working, but something was changing inside of me.
My job had a lot of interacting with ppl coming thru so watching my coworkers interact with them made me more socially capable, and maybe the dude hitting on me boosted my confidence. But within a month or two more, I was a different person but also still me. My temper was shorter, and I was less likely to be conflict averse. My depressive thinking loops became replaced with more anger. While all this sounds bad, it was partially because my supervisor was ass and making my job needlessly more difficult. What was really happening was that my brain was dropping my depressive, defeatist thinking habits, and I was becoming more stereotypically masculine and confident.
I think ECT disrupted my neural connections a bit and allowed new connections to be made much easier. I think my experience with my coworkers was just what I needed. The difference between old me and new me was personally stark. I used to vent the same thing when I went out with friends, but now I can’t even comprehend why I would want to do that since it accomplishes nothing and was done enough before. I used to have the worst attention span that would make ppl think I’m ADHD and awful brain fog which made me feel stupid, but after ECT I found it much easier to concentrate even if it still isn’t all that great overall compared to other ppl.
All these experiences made me feel like we really don’t know enough about brain chemicals to solve mental issues smartly. Feels like scientists are just throwing shit at the wall until something sticks. I think the best way to view most ppl’s depression is as a negative feedback loop, where you’re just trying to break the loop for the chance at improvement.
I do also want to mention, I dabble with drugs more now, and the new legal hemp derived THC CBD is very interesting. Some of them are very strong, but even some of the lighter stuff seems to have some positive lasting effects for a few days sometimes. I successfully used the stronger one to induce crying after reading a good manga (lol). But I've also gotten to a point where I don't feel the need to seek or take drugs to appease boredom or whatever else. I'm finding life to be satisfying all on its own.
Unfortunately, all those SSRI’s for so long and quitting some of them cold turkey gave me PSSD (Post SSRI Sexual Syndrome), and while the above things may not have worked for me, I believe they might still work for others. I struggled with low energy, and that hasn’t changed much.
TLDR: Tried all classes of antidepressants and similar drugs, TMS, esketamine, illicit drugs, ECT. Only ECT worked. Read for more details.
| 27 |
Any methods to stop constant passive suicidal thoughts?
|
I’m honestly exhausted, these past days I’ve been up and trying to do things for once - gym, eating healthy, seeing people, getting up early - but it’s always accompanied by ‘I want to kill myself’ in the back of my head like a broken record. I sometimes have moments where I fantasise about ways to kill myself, but what really bothers me is the intrusive thought type of thing where at any memory of something even slightly bad, or at any minor inconvenience, I can’t stop thinking ‘I want to kill myself’ over and over. Sometimes it’s so debilitating it takes hours for me to get over it, and I can’t leave the house. I get this surge of feeling intensely depressed until I can distract myself eg by watching tv. Is there a better way to deal with this though? I’ll probably talk to my therapist about it but I’m always scared incase we end up digging in to me thinking about how to do it and I get reported or something, even though I genuinely don’t want to do it because I’m terrified of dying.
| 34 |
What is the most STUDY-BACKED best medication(s) to treat anhedonia?
|
It's the one symptom of depression I can't get relief from.
Please comment the trials/studies you're citing, thanks!
| 19 |
Who else doesn’t feel supported and it makes your depression feel even harder to get over when with people in their lives?
|
I’d say work culture and technology doesn’t help sometimes as I feel it keeps people from being able to connect or meet up and helps in other cases
| 6 |
Medicine can’t cure all but has there been any supplement or medicine that has come close to taking care of your depression?
|
I hear from this page there’s medications in the works towards trying to get us here as well
| 3 |
Why is my meds making me feel worse than before?
|
I was recently prescribed Bupron SR 150, and I noticed that it makes me feel very anxious. I usually take it at 11:00 am and it’s fine after that, but at night I start feeling very anxious and restless and nauseous.
It doesn’t feel like a panic attack, more like a breakdown. I noticed it’s been happening for the three days I started this medicine. Should I stop taking it?
| 2 |
Abilify Insomnia
|
Stopped seroquel, it was prescribed off label to help me sleep. Doc took me off it, and put me on Abilify. Now I can't sleep. Though I'm not necessarily tired or anything. Is it the Abilify? Why did she even put me on this for depression, does it really help? Thanks in advance.
| 1 |
When to give up on a med?
|
I'm a 20F college student who's been struggling with depression since middle school. I wasn't able to get any treatment for it until I started college. For my first year and a half I was on Lexapro, but I got a new psychiatrist and told her I felt it wasn't working for me, so she increased my dose for about a month before tapering me off of it and putting me on Effexor XR. Until last week I was taking 75mg (so 2.5 months) and I haven't seen any benefit. In fact my dysthymia has been relabeled MDD, and my symptoms and overall quality of life has gone to shit.
It could be the meds, but it could also be my life in generally getting worse. I'm stressed constantly, isolating myself, and my suicidal thoughts, which used to be infrequent, are now pretty regular and I'm dwelling on them a lot more.
I'm now taking 112.5mg of Effexor, and it hasn't been long but I'm sick and tired of feeling this way. I want to be 20 and content, and dealing with a normal amount of stress for a college student. If 75mg wasn't enough to feel anything, then how long should I trial this med before seeking other options?
If this doesn't work I'll technically qualify for a TRD diagnosis and I'll have access to ECT, TMD, and esketamine through a local hospital. I've read great things about both and I'm kind of feeling like upping my Effexor is a hoop I have to jump through to please my psychiatrist. But I've also seen that coming off of Effexor is a nightmare and I don't want to have to taper off of a stupidly high dose.
What should I do?
| 1 |
Anything that helps your social phobia and depression?
|
I’ve tried every antidepressant, lithium, hydroxizine, Nardil, trazadone, gabapentin, Metaformin, and probably a lot of others that I can’t remember. I even tried ketamine treatments which I thought worked but then I had mania (and I was never diagnosed as bipolar before but this can be a rare reaction but I also don’t know if it’s because of that or because of a traumatic experience that happened after the treatments which can also cause mania.)
I am open to any supplements and treatments as well.
I’m currently taking adderall, Klonopin, and 20mg of Parnate. I’m also trying the Fischer Wallace stimulator.
Things that I have found that have kind of helped: sleep deprivation and kava.
| 16 |
Orexin antagonist for brain zaps
|
I've never heard anyone discuss this, nor have I been able to find studies on the topic, but I just wanted to share my experience.
I've taken ADs (SSRI, SNRI, etc.) for many years and have been stabilized on Pristiq for about a year now. It's been working for anxiety/depression, but there are definitely side effects — one of which, I've found occurs with every antidepressant I've ever taken: brain zaps in the morning before my dose.
I also suffer from long term (lifelong) insomnia, and have tried a million meds for that. Interestingly, after being prescribed lemborexant for this (or Dayvigo), which is a dual-orexin antagonist, I've noticed that my early morning brain zaps are no longer an issue. It's been very consistent ever since I begin taking Dayvigo.
There appears to be a ton of ongoing and recent research into orexin antagonists as a depression treatment. I can attest to positive effects on my outlook - though quite possibly attributable to better sleep. There's no doubt it makes you sleepy as hell the next day, but that seems to be wearing off.
Hope this info may be of some use to others experiencing brain zaps w. AD maintenance therapy or during discontinuation! Maybe even useful as an adjunct to other meds especially insomnia is co-occuring.
| 11 |
Sooooo exhausted even after solid sleep: too many SNRIs?
|
I’ve been taking 40mg desvenlaxafine/pristiq since August and 80mg atomoxetine since November. I’ve become so tired I feel like my brain is suspended in molasses. The nurse practitioner said I may be on too many SNRIs.
First of all, I hadn’t realized Strattera was considered an SNRI and thought it didn’t have a direct effect on seratonin. I also hadn’t questioned this cocktail but now I’m wondering why I’d be prescribed two of the same type of drug.
Decided to start tapering off pristiq but now I’m wondering if I should get off both. I’m just so damn tired and all I can think about is how I want to curl up into bed. This can’t continue!
For background, I struggle with depression and inattentive adhd. Have been diagnosed as bipolar 2 but not sure about labels. I also take 200mg modafinil (which I don’t feel anymore) and 100mg lamotrigine. For ~20 years wellbutrin helped until it stopped working. Adderall helped until it became borderline addictive and gave me severe anxiety.
| 3 |
Anyone tried homoeopathic medicine for depression??
| null | 0 |
TRD
|
How can someone with -Treatment resistant depression-
Study & Find answers about -Their Depression and the brain- ?
(Is it even possible .. When Depression is still UNKOWN TO DOCTORS ?)
| 0 |
Any experience on vortioxetine and mirtazapine combo
|
Just wondering if anyone tried it
Regards
| 2 |
Does anyone else here need to take really high doses of SSRIs or NDRIs? (+ A comment about MAOIs and some interesting biological test results I had which could explain my own symptoms)
|
I have comorbid ADHD and Depression. I find that I need to take absolute max dose of 80mg Fluoxetine and 100mg Methylphenidate - even if I'm taking 400mg SAM-e and 5000mcg of Methylfolate at the same time.
Interestingly, MAOIs were the only type of antidepressant that were particularly helpful for me, but since I'll soon be moving to Philippines, where they're impossible to get, I don't see any other choice but to switch to SSRI + Stiimulant as the next best thing. \[Though if anyone knows if there is any way of obtaining prescription of MAOI from abroad, please DM me\].
​
​
This next part is for the nerds only LOL.
What's particularly interesting in my case is that, several years ago whilst I was in college, when my conditions were still untreated, I paid a lot of money to have several complex tests done to try and find if there was any physical cause for my symptoms. I did both urine and blood tests, and the test analysed a load of chemicals in my body, including amino acids and neurotransmitter metabiltes.
What shocked me the most is that the results showed that the metabolites of both Serotonin and Dopamine (called "HIAA" and "HVA" respectively) were extremely high in my body, whilst the metabolite of Norepinephrine was abnormally low. This basically means that my brain is metabolizing both Serotonin and Dopamine WAY too fast, converting them into inactive metabolites, thus leaving my brain deficient in them. Contrary to what I feared before the test, there's actually no problem with my body's ability to produce Serotonin and Dopamine. The problem is that my body degrades them so rapidly is they don't get to hang around in the synapse for very long. And to make matters worse, because not enough Dopamine is available in my brain, it can't be converted into Norepinephrine, essentially causing a double-deficiency.
And here's the answer how to fix it: "Monoamine Oxidase" - the very enzyme that is blocked by MAOIs, is what is responsible for breaking down Serotonin, Dopamine and Norepinephrine into their inactive metabolites. If your natural genetic levels of Monoamine Oxidase is too high = high risk of both Depression AND ADHD. So this explains perfectly why I responded best to MAOIs, compared to any other drug.
So it really is a shame that MAOIs aren't more commonly available in the world. I'm living proof scientifically that at least some people with mental health issues benefit the most from these under-utilized antidepressants.
| 13 |
Venlafaxine For CPTSD and Social Anxiety?
|
Hi there,
Complex-PTSD and Social Anxiety are slowly killing me despite countless medication (SSRI, MAO-I, Benzos, and the list goes on), various psychotherapies, meditation, lifestyle interventions.
I am thinking about trying Venlafaxine. I have a huge startle response, hypervigilance, Dissociation, Freeze response and avoidance behavior, avoiding eye contact, stuttering, going blank in social situations.
Does anyone have experience with this medication for CPTSD and social anxiety?
| 2 |
buprenorphine experiences for treatment-resistant depression/anhedonia
|
This is a copy of a now-deleted user's account on their struggle w/ anxiety, depression, anhedonia, opiates and how suboxone helped them. If they weren'e deleted I would have messaged them, so I am very curious to see what other buprenorphone patients think of this user's anecdotes:
"Hey, I never used IV heroin. I used poppy tea (essentially oral morphine but a better version since it's a cocktail of opiates).
I had severe anxiety and semi-severe depression (never suicidal, but very low enjoyment of life). I tried lots of SSRIs, which helped a little with anxiety, but didn't ever give me happiness. I took xanax as well, but it only helped me with panic attacks.
This was worst age 18-22, and then I started my first job, and took opiates at night. I interviewed on opiates, helped me deal with nerves.
I eventually realized like you it was not sustainable, but also that opiates improved my quality of life. For the 5 years since I have taken buperenorphine (suboxone). The interesting thing about suboxone is that in high doses it doesn't feel good. The reason is the euphoria from opiates is the cycling of mu-opiod receptors in our brains. Suboxone has a long half-life and a very very strong binding, so you don't get that cycling. But if you taper to a low dose (0.5-1.5 milligrams) and take it once a day, you get 4-5 hours of a pretty good high, and the rest of the time you feel fine, with the benefits of opiates (but no euphoria).
What I'm trying to say is I'm kinda like you. I truly and honestly felt like opiates were a godsend for me, not just because I liked euphoria, but due to them being the only medicine to treat my mental illness. But the truth is IV heroin and spending tons of money on illegal substances does not mesh with a safe healthy and happy life. That's just a fact, we might wish we had free opiates but we don't, and that's just how the world is. But suboxone is the closest you can get legally. I'm going to be honest, I love it. I work VERY hard at a prestigious job, and got a great graduate degree, and I'm getting married soon. I'm a great family member. But when I come home at the end of the day I'm always excited to take my buperenorphine, and it gives me the energy and confidence to live my life how I want. I've studied the chemistry, and spoken about it with my psychiatrist who says his other patients have reported similar results, where taking 'less' is 'more' in terms of euphoria.
I'm not saying this will solve your issues outright, but you sound so much like me at your age, and I want you to know that suboxone can help in ways you might not appreciate, and that you can get through this and live a rewarding life. For many people also growing out of the younger ages helps tame down depression and anxiety, which you have going for you.
Also dealing with getting off of IV heroin and on to suboxone is an important first step, and then if you're like me and others, getting to a lower dose of buperenorphine will improve your positive responses to the drug (less side effects, more euphoria). This is a HUGE step. But from there you can do things like work out and eat healthy, and create a positive lifestyle. I started martial arts, which gave me a physical outlet to not only get in shape, but gain real enjoyment. I did this 3 or so hours a day, often sparring, while looking for a job. I got into great shape and felt good.
I want you to feel like you can beat this, because I did and you sound like me, but I don't want to lie to you and say it will be easy. It will be hard, and it will take a long time of doing things the right way for your brain to slowly redevelop itself into picturing a happy life without hardcore opiates.
But your first step has to be to get off IV heroin and on a maintenance drug. I prefer suboxone for the reasons I mentioned, and you don't have to go to a clinic every day. But it could be that starting with methadone is best for you. This is the most crucial step. But from there you need a game plan to develop a life and state of mind where you can imagine and work yourself towards a happy life without IV heroin. You will have strong cravings for a long time, but they are beatable. This is something you can win with hard work, and you now want to help yourself.
Good luck!"
What really sticks out to me is the low dose once daily benefit, rather than taking higher doses. I've heard many people say that long term buprenorphine just completely numbed them. Is this more avoidable by sticking to a once-daily low dose, especially given bupe's very long half life?
| 4 |
Anhedonia and meds
|
In your experience, are there ADs which ENHANCE feels instead of dulling them ?
I've tried Wellbutrin but I only got anxiety from it.
Being an artist, I'd like to heal my depression and NOT lose my creative thought .... I remember my mind got blank on Paxil. A little better on Citalopram, but still numbing....
| 15 |
Anyone ever try a Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB)?
|
It seems to be a thing for PTSD but I mean even outside of that for depression, particularly emotional blunting. Did it increase emotions?
| 2 |
Anyone here taking modafinil???
|
I'm taking 100 mg modafinil .it worked for my depression but my anxiety sky rocketed .how to counter attack anxiety induced by this med .
| 1 |
Does Pramipexole interact with something ?
|
Im on 0.5mg Pramipexole and I’m scared to take any drugs… do you know the interactions of this med ?
Thanks
| 1 |
Lamictal vs ADs
|
I feel like all antidepressants are stimulating to the CNS - it just feels like artificial cortisol. No matter what dose or which ssri, SNRI I’ve tried all of them and they all feel like an upper to my body. However I simply cannot stop taking them. Every time I reduce it or try to stop it’s like my body is just full of adrenaline, I can’t get out of bed and my mind goes completely empty. I honestly feel akin to an addict of sorts.
Also anything that reduces stimulation like anti histamines, and sometimes even benzos feel like they put me in withdrawal.
I’m trying lamictal and it’s sort of helping with anxiety, I believe it will enable my nervous system to attain more balance over time. It’s like I’ve become resistant to cortisol and external stimulation from ssris and therefore my body has increased its adrenaline to compensate for this.
What are peoples experiences with lamictal and ssri problems?
| 6 |
Muscle cramps and fatigue on sertraline and atomexetine?
|
I've been taking sertraline and atomexetine together for about a year now and have noticed that my muscles have been cramping more easily and frequently, and that I seem to get winded easier than I did before. Maybe it's just that I'm getting older (mid 30's) but I feel like I'm in decent enough shape and am experiencing more cramps and fatigue than I should
| 1 |
i need fucking meds and i have pssd
|
i’m so fucking scared to take meds . but i’m so unhappy and numb and cognitively broken. should i take whatever the doctor reccomendation or try to take pssd safe drugs?
my mental is really bad off.
i abused a lot of drugs and now i struggle with
paranoid thinking, anxiety, cognitive impairment, depression/anhedonia, and pssd, and sleep issues, obsessive nonsensical thinking
i can’t remember or comprehend things, it’s hard to socialize, plan, focus, ect
everything feels negative and corny and fake. i have trouble communicating and seeing social lines. my head feels blurry, shallow and disconnected/dissasociated
nothing has depth or importance anymore
| 11 |
Has anyone developed side effects to an antidepressant at week 5?
|
I just went back on trintellix and was fine up until week 5. Now that I’m at week 5, I’m incredibly nauseous, dizzy and constipated and I’m 99% sure it’s from the medication. However my mental health has improved and not many other antidepressants work for me any longer so I’m curious if this has happened to anyone else? And do you think these side effects will improve or get worse as time goes on? I’m going to cut the dose in half in the meantime. Thank you in advance for your responses!!
| 2 |
pregabalin for depression monotherapy
|
anyone use this off label for depression and sleep and without nasty side effects like ssri ?
| 7 |
Depression cycling during the day
|
I never know the mood I will wake up with.
Today for instance I woke up refreshed and "groggy" from the sleep, but I didn't fell that bad...
Then, slowly, I started to feel more and more depressed, especially after lunch (pasta).
At 16.00 I felt very sad, and at 18:00 I started to feel the "Impending Doom".
That's when I left the house and went for a long, depressing walk, looking at the happy people around me.
I find all of this extremely weird, but I constantly try to "medicate" myself with certain comfort-foods....
Apparently, carbs didn't do the trick today....
| 6 |
low dose naltrexone
|
what dose is helpful for anxiety, anhedonia, pssd, ocd and how long do i needa take it
| 2 |
something’s wrong with my hormones/adrenals
|
i can’t fucking sleep bro. i took mirtazapine for a couple days and it got way worse. it’s something in my back like in my nervous system. it’s like cortisol or adrenaline. it almost like hurts .
| 4 |
Mirtazapine with bupropion or sertraline
|
Hi all,
Wondering to ask mirtazapine on my next visit to help with stomach anxiety and weight loss as it helped before.
In your experience what would be a better add on to mirtazapine for anhedonia and lethargy, sertraline or bupropion.
Thanks in advance.
| 2 |
Do you ever get that "Ohhhh s**t" feeling when you've forgotten to take your meds for too long and you gradually start to notice unpleasant feelings settling in?
|
I'm on meds that stay in the body for quite a long while. So it's easy for me to forget to re-take them at the right time, especially if I have a very busy schedule.
Then suddenly, out of the blue, there's a sensation which (i swear) emanates from my stomach and gives me the feeling that thing's aren't ok.. and it just gets worse over time. Then it finally hits me "oh darn, I was stupid not to take my meds at the right time again".
| 25 |
How to calm a persistently activated stress response (HPA axis)?
|
After many years of research, I believe I have finally discovered the root cause of my treatment-resistant melancholic depression.
A great many papers state that a dysfunctional HPA axis is seen in patients with melancholic (endogenous) depression. Two "red flag" symptoms pertaining to this condition are diurnal variation of mood (with depressive symptoms being stronger in the morning) and terminal insomnia (waking up too early and unable to fall back asleep). Both of these symptoms are most likely related to the [cortisol-awakening response] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol_awakening_response) which isn't noticeable in the normal population, but for those with melancholic depression (whose cortisol and stress levels are already abnormally high) it is very distressing.
As I documented in [another submission] (https://www.reddit.com/r/depressionregimens/comments/11qcg6b/any_way_to_inhibit_norepinephrine_related_to/), melancholic depressives show abnormally high levels of norepinephrine and cortisol in their blood and cerebrospinal fluid. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is involved in this symptomology as well. One paper states:
>Using the CRH stimulation test, ACTH and cortisol assays, we were able to show that patients with predominantly melancholic depression had clear evidence of baseline hypercortisolism, blunted ACTH responses and exaggerated cortisol responses to the ACTH released during CRH stimulation, compatible with excessive hypothalamic–pituitary activation of the adrenal cortex.
As you can see, I think I would greatly benefit from getting my damn sympathetic nervous system to turn itself off! The only question is "how"? I would greatly appreciate any opinions.
| 28 |
Urgent Help with depressed sibling
|
Hi
I am the youngest of 3 and my middle sibling, brother, has been suffering from depression/anxiety very bad for the last 6 years. He doesn’t have a job or a desire to get one, dropped out of school years ago and basically doesn’t do anything. He has nothing going for him but the best part is he thinks we are the problem for trying to help him. My family and I have to tip toe around him and be careful with our choice of words to not offend him. When we try to confront him, he gets angry and doesn’t wanna hear it and walks away. My oldest sibling, sister, thinks he might have a form of autism due to some of the symptoms he has shown. My parents have been losing hope in him and are at a dead end for help. It takes a serious toll on everyone, parents especially. How do we get him the help he needs when he doesn’t think he has a problem? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
| 2 |
Clomipramine voice changes
|
Hi,
My mom is on 50mg clomipramine and is doing well on it but has noticed her voice is not the same. It seems very soft and suppressed. Her doc told her its a side effect of clomipramine. Anyone heard of this?
| 2 |
I have tried many medications. Finally found the one that works for me!
|
I suffer from severe OCD, anxiety and depression. I have tried several medications in the past such as Lexapro, Fluvoxamine, Sertraline and Buspar. All at high doses and nothing really helped. Lexapro helped a bit in the beginning but that feeling wore off. I’m also in therapy.
Then that’s when my doc decided to start me on Clomipramine. I’m now at a high dose, 250mg, and man it’s been an absolute life saver. It took like 2 months to kick in and my rechecking, paranoia and overall OCD is significantly better. My anxiety and depression is also better. I might add low dose Abilify down the line if it’s needed. If you have any questions, please ask!
| 7 |
Why most pschyiatrist can't treat treatment resistant depression and anxiety
| null | 19 |
(Hi. I’m in need of a serious help, please don’t ignore.) How long do Clomipramine withdrawals last?!
|
I started taking Clomipramine last august because I was suffering from severe anxiety and OCD. My first initial dose was 37,5mg then after 2 weeks I upped to 75mg, and continued taking that dose until the beginning of February.
Due to lack of improvements and heavy heavy side effects that altered my daily routine, me and my Dr concluded that this is not the right treatment for me and thus started the process towards the discontinuation of the drug.
I was told to take half the dose for a month and quit the treatment the month after. I took the last dose of 37,5mg couple days ago. And I have been feeling awful since.
The first withdrawals I encountered is stomach cramps and diarrhea, I go to the bathroom 3 times a day, I also feel nauseous and have a very weird jittery feeling alongside headaches and exhaustion.
I am really hoping I could get some answers, how long will this last? I am not planning on going back to the treatment and tapering slowly I don’t think this is a big of side effects but still I am very very bothered. Thanks in advance
| 2 |
Anyone notice a difference between name brand Effexor and generic?
|
I swear I get inconsistent and weird results from the generic made by aurobindo. Teva used to be rock solid for me, or I'd pay for brand name on my own.
| 3 |
I don’t think my (18F) parents believe I’m depressed. How to make them understand?
|
I recently told my mum that my therapist and gp suggested I try antidepressants and she acted like it was the most far fetched idea ever, because ‘you’re not depressed’. I told her I am a bit (understatement, really) and that’s why I’ve been going to therapy and she knows that but she seems to think I just need to get my act together and make lifestyle changes.
This is so hard for me because I often either cant get out of bed or can’t sleep because of how I feel, so I can’t actually change these things. I live away at uni so sometimes sugar coat things so she doesn’t worry, but I’ve been totally honest about being unable to make it to lectures because of how I feel.
Im going to tell my doctor today that I don’t want the medication because Im scared to take it if no one knows because of side effects, and I also want to be transparent with my parents. Problem is that if there’s a problem… they just both ignore it.
I feel so alone and I feel like nothing will get better unless I can get them on my side. But it just seems so unlikely. In passing conversation they’re judgemental to other people who they hear are depressed or have mental issues. I feel like if they do believe me they’ll think im crazy or something. I just am really at a loss of what to do because I just want to feel better, but that’s not going to be the case when I go home for the holidays and im arguing with them about why I can’t get out of bed etc. I’m just so sick of coddling them when I just want them to understand and help me
I really appreciate any advice. Thank you for reading!
| 12 |
2 weeks on Lexapro
|
I was taken off 37.5 mg Effexor and put on Prozac. The first 2 weeks were hell but after 3 1/2 weeks I was feeling better but still had a lot of anxiety. I asked my doctor to switch me to lexapro and she agreed. I think I made a huge mistake as the past two weeks on lexapro have been hell will severe panic attacks as soon as I wake up and feeling severely anxious until the evening. Just looking for some advice or assurance as I’m at the end of my rope and trying another med now doesn’t seem like an option.
| 1 |
Venlafaxine (159mg XR) + Wellbutrin (300mg XL) + Mirtazapine (30-60 mg)
|
This combination works for me but it just causes a lot of insomnia. I have tried removing Venlafaxine but it brought my pain back. I can't remove mirtazapine because it helps me sleep. I tried reducing both venlafaxine and wellbutrin to half but that didn't work. Removing wellbutrin I feel would make it stop working. What changes can I make? What can I do to get some sleep? Any advice would be helpful.
| 1 |
Proviron, Holy shit!!
|
I've had Anhedonia, depression for the last 6, 7 years and have tried almost everything out there and also researched a lot into it and lately I was thinking of trying TRT as another option, so I found some articles on how mesterolone (Proviron) was once studied and tested for depression. Out of curiosity I got my hands on it and boy did it give me wings!!
Today I took 25 mg in the morning and around an hour later I started feeling really energetic and a feeling of dominance. I got my feelings of motvation back, desire to do things, music sounded great. Just overall general sense of well being!
Do what does this signal? That I'm deficient in DHT?
I think for us as males the majority of us suffering from depression maybe more likely due to low androgen levels then serotonin and other crap.
What do you guys think? Anyone else tired it? I plan on taking it but I don't know if it will be effective long term and the hairloss side effect is the only thing which worries me, but to hell with it, whats the point of having hair on your head if you are dead in the inside....
| 28 |
Does stuffy nose from Zyprexa/Olanzapine go away?
|
I feel like my nose muccus membrane swell when I take low dose Olanzapine and its harder to breathe through the nose, did anybody else have this side effect and did it go away?
| 2 |
Lamictal... Irritability and laughter
|
About three weeks in... Rage and laughter seem to be my main moods. Also insomnia
Idk if I'm bipolar, if it is it's cyclothymia, so not so severe generally.
Did 25 mg for a week, 50mg for a week and been on 100mg for about 5 days now.
I've been experiencing random rage very suddenly at random times of day, even on lower doses.
I also notice certain topics that usually make me uncomfortable make me laugh a lot. It's not exactly a laughing fit but it's more than usual and sometimes hard to control.
I've also been waking up at 3am a lot and just lying there, especially on the higher doses.
I know it's early but i want to know if these are signs the medicine isnt right for me? I'm kinda not digging the side effects and not feeling much therapeutic effect either.
| 2 |
Afraid of lithium intoxication
|
Hi, I started to take a medication called Carbolithium CR, and I'm feeling concerning symptoms.
I won't be able contact my doctor for about 20 days, so I thinking about stop taking it (It has been about 1 week I'm taking 450mg of it every night before sleeping.
I afraid of damaging my brain, I'll only take it again if my doctor say me to do so. But for now I think I'll stop it.
The most concerning symptoms I felt were strange sensations in the brain, while walking some times I felt as if my brain were being pressured inside, strange feeling. Also strange singular aches in random spots of the brain, like, not a continuous thing, but some light pain in specific spots sometimes. And now I can't do things that requires thinking for much time, my head starts to ache and I feel a strange sensation in the top of my head, 2 days ago, during the night, I felt an abnormal headache, as if my brain exhausted too much.
What do you guys think? I wouldn't take the decision of stopping its use by myself if my doctor were available right now to contact, but It'll take a while for him to give me the instructions, so in this case I prefer to avoid the risk of causing a permanent damage to my brain due to lack of medical assistance.
| 4 |
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Improves Depression Symptoms
|
>The patients were randomly assigned to intervention (EVOO) and control (sunflower oil) groups and consumed 25 mL/d of the corresponding oil for 52 days. EVOO showed antidepressant effect in severely depressed patients but not in mild/moderate depression category.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34358723/
The polyphenols and phenolic acids in olive oil can decrease inflammation. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/4/757
| 4 |
Something is missing...
|
I was on sertraline 100 mgs for more than ten years and thinking it was not as effective I was moved to nortriptyline 75 mgs.
This was 3 months ago but slowly on the last weeks I am crying ( I was unable on sertraline ) and feeling despair and sad in a bad place.
My next visit is in one week time so is gonna be hard getting there..
Would be possible that this is all due to stopping the sertraline?
It is scaring me and one gets tired to be on medication and at a bad place at the same time.
Thanks in advance
| 6 |
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