#and like off-brand prozac. fluoxetine

[limewatt]

jesus fucking christ learning anything about american healthcare makes me so sad and angry. what a fundamental failure to provide a vital service to a populace.

[blu3bl00d3d]

vent/rant

haha, just thought of how difficult it's going to be to find a new doctor when we move out.

We literally can't trust most healthcare professions anymore bc of the awful shit surrounding medication. Not the price (Australia is somehow alright with that I'm pretty sure), but the fact that all but one doctor that has tried to put us on medication, has put us on the medication with the WORST side-effects.

First one was Fluoxetine (probably more known for the brand name Prozac)! It was meant to treat headaches caused by anxiety, instead, it made us MORE anxious AND a danger not only to ourselves but others too. Then not even 3-4 months into taking it, we got severe migraines from it.

Gotta love the last line of key facts on the nhs uk page about Fluoxetine. 'Fluoxetine will not change your personality, it will simply help you feel like yourself again.' No, Fuck you, it made me worse!

Next was Propranolol, this one actually helped and I can still take it! One point to my current doctor!

The last one was Risperidone. Ohhh boy where to begin! First, the psychiatrist who prescribed it to me (bc that just happens ig) was just reading from a generic list and didn't want anything else to do with us after just that appointment (probs bc I didn't trust him bc his vibes were OFF and he made us really anxious). Second, we were meant to take it so we could sleep. IT'S NOT A SLEEPING TABLET! RISPERIDONE IS AN ANTIPYSCHOTIC! Somehow, it was meant to "calm your brain down." Gotta love trying to tell that to the 15 or so other idiots that live up there(/s)! Plus, it didn't even do what it was meant to, it just made us hungry and made our hallucinations more frequent.

Of course there is no telling what side effects you'll get from takes meds you've never taken before, but it felt like people were just throwing stuff just to see what would stick. ESPECIALLY with the fact that I never got any help when I was suffering whilst taking that first medication, literally had to cut off the therapist at the time bc she wouldn't listen to us.

[vrets]

Medication review imo:

Propranolol—you want a medication that works when you only take high doses? Well here it is. Not much help for anxiety even at 40mg

Buspar/Buspirone—HA fuck you buspar if I want to be thrown into a manic episode I know who to call and what to take because this baby threw me on a rollercoaster of bipolar disorder

Abilify/Aripiprazole—not even cheaper but like a knock off brand of rexulti except I could still interact with my personalities #schizoaffective

Venlafaxine/Effexor—it was so useless that I don’t even remember taking it

Risperidone/Risperdal—barely touched my psychosis and gave me urge incontinence

Oxcarbazepine/Trileptal—this did nothing my mood swings were unaffected gang gang

Duloxetine/Cymbalta—really good for joint pain!!!! Not much for depression but damn my joints felt good!

Fluoxetine/Prozac—Low dose was good doubled it and felt like dying 🤷🏼‍♀️

Latuda—FUCK LATUDA restless leg syndrome to the MAX and I thought my legs were detached from my body

Current meds:

Klonopin/Clonazepam—honestly this does nothing for me and I’m trying to switch to Valium

Lamactial/Lamotrigine—yes!! This plus my lithium I finally have stable moods until BUSPAR came into my life

Sertraline/Zoloft—great for flashbacks

Gabapen/Gabapentin—we will see I don’t know if it’s this or the saphris that’s making everything foggy but it’s one of them since I just started them both yesterday👀

Saphris—tastes fucking GROSS makes your mouth NUMB I guess it’s working since it’s supposed to stabilize my moods since BUSPAR fucked them up

Rexulti—I love rexulti expensive!!!!!! Unless you have the new card they were giving to people but great for my schizoaffective ass except I miss talking to my personalities

Trazodone—MY BABY sometimes it works and I build up a tolerance to it so I’m slowly climbing up to higher doses to get me to sleep but for right now it’s working!

Lithium—only on 300 mg bc I wouldn’t take the blood tests also when you go up in mg you lose all feelings about life in general so I’ll take my 300

Update:

Vraylar: better than rexulti! Which gave my Akathisia in the end happy to make the switch 

[joeroot19]

OCD Medication-How to Get Rid of OCD with Medication?

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a disorder in which the patient has intrusive, irresistible thoughts or ideas (obsessions) about a specific act or ritual (compulsions) and a strong urge to do it over and over again. To combat the anxiety and stress, the people suffering from OCD have to perform the particular ritual or action multiple times like foot tapping, washing hands, blinking eyes, throat-clearing or scratching. OCD is fairly common according to the data collected by Harvard Medical School, around 2.3% of the population had experienced OCD at some point or the other in their lives.

OCD is a long-term condition which has the ability to worsen overtime, it can hinder the way a person leads his/her normal life. While OCD can’t be cured completely, there are OCD medications that can help ease the symptoms and compulsions. OCD is normally treated with medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, brain stimulation therapies, TMS or other holistic changes. Most of the people suffering from OCD never seek medical assistance when it's in the early stages, they choose to ignore the symptoms and indications, maybe due to the fact that the symptoms vary in intensity and come and go at varied levels.

The patients often seek treatment when the condition worsens but at that time the OCD medications and other methods of natural anxiety relief fail to work. The best course of action is when an integrated team of professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, pharmacologists and doctors work together to create a plan that focuses on the individual needs of that specific patient. In this article, we will get to know the antidepressants and antipsychotic medications that can help treat OCD and have been effective according to studies.

OCD Medication

If you’re diagnosed with OCD, your doctor’s first course of action would be prescribing you the most effective OCD medication called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs are the first line of medical treatment as they are effective and approved by FDA. It is also the latest medication with much fewer side effects than its predecessor SRIs. SSRIs work by directly affecting the neurotransmitter called serotonin, a chemical messenger in our brains. It increases the levels of serotonin in the brain, selectively blocks serotonin reuptake precisely at the synapse, a place where brain cells connect and exchange information. SSRIs work by keeping the levels of serotonin high in the synapse by averting the reuptake of serotonin back into the nerve cells that triggers an impulse. As the reuptake turns off the production of new serotonin, the active cells that were deactivated by OCD starts to revive and relieve the symptoms of OCD.

SSRIs Medication

SSRIs are basically used for treating depression, panic attacks and anxiety disorders but research has shown that it can also very competently treat OCD and its FDA approved for doing so. There are four main SSRIs that are approved and are effective in relieving the symptoms of OCD. Fluoxetine salt with brand name Prozac, sertraline with brand name Zoloft, fluvoxamine with brand name Luvox and paroxetine with brand name Paxil and citalopram with brand name Celexa. If a patient doesn’t respond to the SSRIs, the doctors may prescribe Anafranil, which is a tricyclic antidepressant that is also FDA approved OCD medication but has much more severe side effects like parched mouth, rapid heartbeats, blurry vision, obesity and drowsiness.

SSRIs don’t work overnight, they take time to build up in your system and reach a level of effectiveness, some research shows that it might even take up to a year for the OCD medication to show best results. Keep in mind that if you’re taking any kind of medication for treating OCD then talk to your healthcare provider before increasing, decreasing or abandoning the does of medication as it can be very harmful and can even lead to suicide.

Recommended Dosage

For treating the patients suffering from OCD, the dosage of SSRIs is normally higher than that given to the patients of depression. To start off, the health care professional will give you a low dose but will increase it if needed. So always consult a proper psychiatric doctor, get a prescription and take the right dosage to ensure proper treatment. If after 12-16 weeks of medication, your symptoms aren’t decreased by at least 40-50% then then your doctor might tweak your dosage.

Around 40-60% people suffering from OCD don’t show anticipated response towards the OCD medication. A satisfactory response is when the symptoms decrease by at least 25%-35% On the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. If after 10-12weeks the symptoms prevail with more or less the same intensity then the doctor will augment your SSRIs with an antipsychotic medication.

Antipsychotic Medications

There are two types of antipsychotic medications that can augment the SSRIs in order to treat OCD and provide natural anxiety relief- first-generation and second-generation. First generation medicines like Haldol have caused extrapyramidal effects in patients whereas the second-generation medicines like Risperdal, Seroquel, Abilify and Zyprexa have shown far less side effects in people using them to augment the SSRIs. There are no specified thumb rules for the dosages of the antipsychotic medication but it’s been proven, according to studies, that the medium to higher dosages have better and faster results than smaller dosages. But the dosage is nothing in comparison with people who are being treated for bipolar disorders or schizophrenia.

Just like the SSRIs, antipsychotic medication also takes their due time to work and you’ll see improvement with a 2-3 months of regular usage. But never try to quit the medication, whether it’s SSRIs or antipsychotic in one day. In fact, the best way is to keep taking the medication even after one year of symptom remission, as it will decrease the chances of relapse and also the withdrawal will be comparatively easy.

A Word from Us

In order to treat OCD effectively, never hide any symptoms, intrusive thoughts or feelings with your doctor. The more you’ll confide in the doctor the better he/she will be able to help you.

[jasonstaylortx]

Meth Detox South Florida - Transformations Treatment Center

What To Expect Drug Detox Meth

Table of ContentsHow To Increase Detox Off MethHow Long Does It Take For A Meth User To DetoxWhat To Do For Detox Meth Cramps'What Is Detox MethHow To Detox Off Meth

Methamphetamine withdrawal and detox are incredibly intense, harsh, and distressing. When most people attempt to quit taking a drug, they are usually optimistic and determined to get their life back on track. The problem is that drug withdrawals are painful and they can also make a person panic and think they might die if they don’t take a little bit of the substance.

But, going to a medical detox center for professional assistance can lessen the severity of the withdrawal and detox timeline. Plus, it keeps users away from areas and people where they can easily access the drug to alleviate symptoms - how long does it take to detox from meth. In a medical detox center, patients can take safe medications to lessen the severity of methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms, instead of retaking crystal meth and preventing their body from healing itself.

Meth detox might not be easy, but the benefits of overcoming meth addiction far outweigh the negative side effects of detox. how long to detox from meth. Methamphetamine, or “meth,” can wreak havoc on the lives of those struggling with addiction. The first step in confronting meth addiction is detox, which is the process of ridding the body of an addictive substance.

Symptoms of meth detox can include:intense cravings, fatigue, depression, nausea, dehydration, headaches, anxiety, hallucinations. Symptoms begin around 24 hours after the last dose. Fatigue may set in first, followed by overwhelming feelings of depression. Meth suppresses both appetite and sleep. During initial withdrawal, people may spend most of their time catching up on food and sleep. Meth detox can take about 50 hours.

While there are no drugs that have been proven effective in removing meth from the body, drugs targeting withdrawal symptoms could help with getting through detox and maintaining long term sobriety. Treating meth withdrawal symptoms might include medications like Modafinil, a narcolepsy drug that helps regulate sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health.

How To Detox Meth Fast

Modafinil has also shown promise in alleviating the cognitive effects of meth use, such as memory loss and difficulty processing ideas. A study from The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse found the drug could help with meth addiction treatment when combined with therapy. Bupropion, commonly referred to by the brand name Wellbutrin, is an antidepressant that has also helped people quit smoking.

Bupropion could help with meth withdrawal by regulating dopamine, the brain chemical messenger that stimulates pleasure and focus. Fluoxetine, most commonly known as Prozac, is an antidepressant that is also prescribed for anxiety. The drug has shown promise with meth withdrawal in trials with mice, and it might help some people.

“Fluoxetine can benefit people suffering by helping them resolve heart problems and relieve all other depressive symptoms,” Tarugu says. Undergoing detox in a treatment facility not only provides medical supervision but also a safer environment away from drugs. “Being in a detox facility also provides a level of support and an opportunity to be out of the environment where use was happening,” Henson says.

If you or a loved one is struggling with meth addiction, we are standing by to help..

Methamphetamine (also known as “crystal meth”) is an extremely addictive drug. If a person uses it more than once or twice, they have a high chance of developing an addiction. Once a person becomes dependent, the body will go into withdrawal if they try to quit. Meth withdrawal symptoms may manifest during or after detox, which is the process of the body metabolizing and removing it.

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How Long To Detox From Crystal Meth

Not only is withdrawal unpleasant, but the symptoms can be dangerous to a person’s health. Medical detox makes the process safe because patients detox under the supervision of a doctor. Meth withdrawal symptoms can be physical, mental or behavioral. They can be intense, lasting for days or even weeks (what is used for meth detox). Many factors determine the length of withdrawal symptoms, including the amount of time the person has been addicted.

Symptoms begin around 24 hours after the last dose. Fatigue may set in first, followed by overwhelming feelings of depression. Many people also experience paranoia, hallucinations, anxiety and insomnia. Meth works by increasing the amount of dopamine — the neurotransmitter that controls feelings of pleasure — in the brain. When the drug is removed, dopamine drops below natural levels, and the resulting loss of enjoyment is distressing.

How To Detox From Crystal Meth

Many people who quit using meth experience this condition, called anhedonia. Anhedonia can continue for up to two years after a person stops the drug. For many, it is physiological symptoms — anhedonia and the resultant depression — that causes relapse as they seek relief from the emotional distress. The psychological dependence resulting from prolonged meth use is powerful, so the person in withdrawal will often experience an intense craving for the drug.

Meth suppresses both appetite and sleep. During initial withdrawal, people may spend most of their time catching up on food and sleep. People may gain a significant amount of weight at this time. Appetite and sleep patterns usually return to normal after a few months without meth. How long does meth withdrawal last? The three main portions of withdrawal are the crash, cravings and recovery.

It may last up to 40 weeks. Phase 1:The first 3–10 days of withdrawal is the “crash” period. This period includes a sharp decline in energy and cognitive function. Depression is common during this phase. In some cases, people will experience hallucinations, paranoia and anxiety. Cravings are typically low at this time because a person usually spends a lot of time sleeping during the crash phase.

What Is It Like To Detox From Meth

Having gotten through the initial crash, many people in the early stages of recovery start to desire the intense high that meth provides. Due to the euphoria that the drug offers, consumption is a continuous temptation. Many people feel powerless after they stop using the drug, and will seek to use it again to regain the feeling.

Phase 3:The third stage of meth withdrawal is when meth cravings begin to fade, becoming less frequent and less potent, forming an ideal opportunity to begin recovery. It is best to maintain in an environment where you are safe and have others around to help hold you accountable. This phase can last for 30 weeks and, in some cases, much longer.

Many factors affect the withdrawal experience. First, those who have taken meth for longer periods of time will usually withdraw for longer. Higher regular doses of meth affect the length of withdrawal in the same way. Personal physiology and environment are also important factors for meth withdrawal. People with substance use disorder (or family history) are likely to experience more challenges in withdrawing from methamphetamine.

It is also difficult to quit meth all at once (how long to detox from meth). This method of withdrawal is referred to as cold turkey. Many people choose to taper instead of going cold turkey, which can be safer and more comfortable. Tapering is the process of lowering the dosage slowly over time. Withdrawal symptoms are usually not fatal.

As long as the person stays hydrated and eats a balanced diet, they can combat this, especially with medical help. Medical detox is helpful for nutritional and hydration support. With trained eyes on your progress around the clock, you will be able to largely avoid any dangerous complications. Stopping meth is a challenge, and there are many risks.

What Drug Rehab Centers Help Meth Addicts

The second option is usually safer and more effective. Though it’s not impossible to stop using meth on your own, it is often more challenging - how long to detox from meth. There are also medical risks to quitting meth without medical care, depending on the level and length of addiction. Another thing to consider is the support system you have at home.

Is there a chance you’ll relapse? If you choose to get off meth without rehab, consult with your doctor or a medical professional and ensure that you have the resources and support necessary to maintain sobriety while going through withdrawal symptoms. Detoxification is a natural process by which the body rids itself of harmful substances.

Transformations Treatment Center 14000 S Military Trail, Delray Beach, FL 33484 FV9H+MC Delray Beach, Florida https://www.transformationstreatment.center/delray-beach-fl/drug-rehab/ Meth Detox and Rehab in South Florida Find Transformations on Google Maps! More information: https://transformationstreatment1.blogspot.com/2021/01/meth-detox-south-florida.html

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from Transformations Treatment Center https://transformationstreatment1.blogspot.com/2021/01/meth-detox-south-florida.html

[psychotic-spectrum]

My experience with medications (long post ahead)

I’ve seen a lot of posts where people tell their experiences with psych meds, and since I’ve tried tons of them, I wanted to make my own post, and maybe help people in the process. All these experiences are individual and they might not be the same for other people, it’s just a guide.

My current diagnoses are BPD and schizophrenia-schizoaffective disorder. My previous misdiagnoses have been depression-anxiety, GAD, bipolar disorder type 2 and a dissociative disorder.

I’m gonna post the generic name of the medication and then the brand name, I’ll use the most popular brand name because in that way people would be able to identify them, but usually I use different brand names where I’m from.

Modafinil (Provigil) It was the first psych med I ever tried, a doctor friend of mine gave them to me after realizing I fell asleep everywhere, even sometimes standing up. At that time it was sold over the counter so I didn’t need a prescription. It was wonderful, I could have so much energy to work, to study, to go out at night, it was a life saver for me because that same year I started to study law and I was also working at the same time so it didn’t matter if I didn’t sleep because I still had energy and I could focus. I still use it today but the similar armodafinil.

Venlafaxine (Effexor) It was the first antidepressant I ever took, it was prescribed to me after I went to see a psychiatrist that had zero empathy and he diagnosed me with depression after talking for about ten minutes. I was really stressed when I saw him, but he decided I had depression even though I didn’t experience any symptoms of depression. He also gave me a “deal”, one box of Effexor and the next one free. Still I took it and it was terrible. I was sleepy as hell and nauseous, I couldn’t eat, I might‘ve lost at least a kilo in the month I took it, and it did nothing for my stress. I stopped taking it after a month and then I felt better.

Escitalopram (Lexapro) It was prescribed to me first by a GP after seeing my colon and stomach problems wouldn’t go away with medication, so she thought I needed something for my mood (I hadn’t been diagnosed with any mental illnesses at that time). It was kinda weird. It made me sleepy but I felt high, like as though I’ve been smoking weed, I felt pretty relaxed and I liked the effect, and I had no side effects. My friends said I talked weird, like a typical pothead, but it was the medication! I was on it for about a year.

Fluoxetine (Prozac) I was prescribed fluoxetine after a visit to another GP due to my colon problems, at that time, I had already seen a psychiatrist because I was in crisis and I had started self-harming (but I didn’t say it to her), she diagnosed me with GAD and increased my escitalopram. I was also seeing a psychologist on and off. When I went to see this GP, she said that fluoxetine was more effective than escitalopram for anxiety that caused my colon problems. Fluoxetine was great, I felt I had more energy, less appetite and I felt happier (by that time I already had mental health issues), but later when they prescribed fluoxetine for BPD, I was in such a high dosage that I started to feel numb, with no emotions. I remember seeing Steven Wilson, one of my favorite singers and feeling like I couldn’t cry with his songs. Later the dosage was reduced. I still take it nowadays but a low dosage. It helps.

Clonazepam (Klonopin) By the end of 2011 I was in a complete breakdown and I started having panic attacks. A doctor then prescribed me clonazepam and it was fantastic, I loved it. My anxiety was gone, I could do the things I wanted to do, concentrate, my mind wasn’t so active. It made me sleepy but it was tolerable. I stopped taking it because I grew a tolerance towards it.

Risperidone (Risperdal) OMG, I have a love-hate relationship with this medication. It was first prescribed for BPD, to control the self-harming urges. It was my first experience with antipsychotics. At first, I hated it, it made me really sleepy and foggy, it was hard to wake up, but I felt I improved a little. The downside? The weight gain. I could never get my pre-medication weight back. I’ve been on and off it since 2012, and now I take it every day for schizophrenia. It has done wonders for my psychotic symptoms, and I no longer feel foggy or extremely sleepy, I got used to it, and it works. It makes me more stable, so there’s no way I’m gonna go off this med, despite wanting to lose weight. It’s more important to be stable than thin. But the current side effects are: akathisia, zero sex drive and I stopped ovulating, so I can’t have kids right now (not that I’m looking for kids at the moment anyway)

Quetiapine (Seroquel)Oh boy how much I hate this drug. It was first prescribed after a psychiatrist changed my BPD diagnosis into bipolar disorder. At first, I was so unwell that I liked being almost unconscious from the drug. I couldn’t wake up on time, I fell asleep at work, everywhere I felt like I had no energy whatsoever. The year I was prescribed this med (2013) I started working two jobs and I had to take tons of coffee and modafinil to be able to perform in those jobs. I grew intolerant towards it, until one day, without asking my doctor, I simply stopped taking it, and I felt so good. I had energy again, I didn’t fall asleep everywhere, I didn’t need coffee 24/7, but I started experiencing weird psychotic symptoms. My doctor then decided to switch it to risperidone, but I was in such a low dose that didn’t help with my symptoms. But I was feeling fine so I didn’t really care at that time.

Lithium Since I was diagnosed as bipolar in 2013, my doctor said I should take lithium, I didn’t want at first, mainly due to the stigma associated with that drug. It was supposed to make me more stable, but I never felt stable with it. I also gained weight and I got acne. It did give me energy though, but since I took it with quetiapine, I didn’t really noticed it that much. I was on it for a year or more, until I went to the hospital and they stopped giving it to me, without knowing that my diagnosis was about to change.

Haloperidol (Haldol) I was first prescribed a low dosage after I started having auditory hallucinations, and it was great, the hallucinations stopped. Since I was only on 1 mg I didn’t have extrapyramidal effects and my muscles weren’t stiff. I stopped taking it later and replaced with a higher dosage of risperidone. When I was hospitalized, they started giving me 5 mg in the morning and 5 mg at night, and I felt completely numb. My brain had shut down. I had no motivation; I felt everything was plain, nothing excited me and also I had extrapyramidal effects. I felt dull, like my wits had gone. I took it the month after I left the hospital and I asked it to be switched to another antipsychotic. Now I take 1 mg prn when I feel psychotic and I haven’t had any side effects.

Lorazepam (Ativan) I started taking it at the hospital, they gave me 6 mg a day. I must admit that I love it. I feel my inhibitions are gone, I don’t feel so anxious, I have no problem showing my self-harm scars and it relaxes me as hell. But I get reaaaaly sleepy. I was supposed to take it when my anxiety was through the roof, but now I take it every day and I crave for it. I take 2 mg a day in the afternoons, and it makes me happy and high. I’ve become dependent on it and I don’t plan to change that.

Lamotrigine (Lamictal) When I was diagnosed bipolar, I took it as a mood stabilizer together with lithium. I didn’t experience many side effects, but I felt like the pill blocked any negative feelings, it’s like, a negative feeling popped into my mind and I could feel the lamotrigine blocking it. I took it for about two years.

Alprazolam (Xanax) When I grew tolerance towards clonazepam, I was prescribed alprazolam for anxiety. I took it every day and it made me feel really good, relaxed, and not as sleepy as with lorazepam. However, I also grew tolerant towards it so it was switched to lorazepam.

Aripiprazole (Abilify) I remember I went to see my psychiatrist almost crying for the gain weight I was getting from Risperidone, and I had done some research and read that aripiprazole was weight neutral. It is extremely expensive though, but I had insurance at that time so I didn’t care. I was only two weeks with it before my hospitalization. After I got my diagnosis of schizophrenia, and since I wanted to stop taking haldol, my doctor prescribed me the highest dosage of it (30 mg), but I still had to take risperidone. Even though it wasn’t that effective with psychotic symptoms, I felt no side effects while on it. I had to stop when I lost my job and my insurance, because I just couldn’t afford it.

Amisulpride (I don’t know the brand name) I don’t have much experience with it, only that I had to take it for a couple of weeks due to increased psychotic symptoms. It made me sleepy and foggy, I can remember.

Bupropion (wellbutrin) Being taking it since 2015, I like it a lot. It gives me energy and helps me to focus, at first I felt tachycardia as a side effect but it didn’t last long. Since I’m on so many meds, I can’t actually tell what it really does, only that it makes me feel good.

Armodafinil (Nuvigil) It was prescribed to me after I grew tolerant towards modafinil. The effect is quite similar, and I feel no side effects. Sometimes, if I’m too medicated with other things I can barely feel the effect. I think it’s more like a placebo to pretend I have energy.

And… that’s it I guess? My current meds are Risperidone 4,5 mg, Fluoxetine 30 mg, Bupropion 150 mg, Armodafinil 75 mg, Lorazepam 2mg, Haldol 1mg prn.

If you have any questions, just send an ask or reply to this post.

[anissapierce]

Prozac (or in my case off brand: fluoxetine ) is so weird bc I was so much like not horny nemore but I still felt weird abt it bc masturbation was a coping strategy 4 me n so id just fckn half heartedly masturb8 once a month ? Like bc I felt weird bc of the emptiness there from not being horny

[understandingchaoss]

Hey! I was wondering what the names were of the medications that you take. Im having a hard time trying to find the right type of medications to help me and i know youve tried some, Thanks!

Hi anon. First of all, what works for one person, may not work for the other. Mental health medications are a serious matter and everyone’s brain reacts to them different. So in reality, the names of the medications that I take shouldn’t really be important, because there is a wide variety of medications. I’ve tried 11 different ones so far and haven’t even made a dent in all of the medications that are available. I currently take Wellbutrin, Latuda, and Mirtazapine. I am prescribed Lorazepam when needed for anxiety. 

I’m not sure if you know, but there are what they call different “families” of medications for mental illness. My suggestion, if you haven’t already, would be to try out different ones in different families, whether it be together or just one at a time. Most medications are designed to be taken together even if they aren’t of the same family. 

Just so that you don’t have to sit down and google it all, I’ll include stuff for you to reference from if you feel like it’s something you need to bring up with your mental health professional. Each medication I’m going to list will have the name brands in parenthesis, if it’s applicable, and there are always different variations and types of almost every single medication. Also, please remember that each medication is designed to treat something different. A lot of the time, you can treat an illness that it may not be specifically designed for. My psychiatrist always reminds me that you are treating the symptoms of the illness, not the diagnosis. So just because something is designed to treat schizophrenia or bipolar doesn’t mean you can’t use it to treat depression or anxiety. 

I will include which medications I have previously tried and whether or not I liked them, just to kind of give you an idea of how they might work in some people. But please do not base your judgement or decision off of that. This needs to be discussed with your mental health professional. The medications I’m going to list are also not every single medication available. There at least 20 in almost every single class or family, and some of them are almost irrelevant to list. But I’m hoping that what I do list will help you out.

Anitdepressants are a very broad family of medication, so sometimes I get a lot of my information mixed up, based on what I know. So anyone can feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on some of the classifications or families of these medications. Each classification has a family.

There are anywhere from 4 to 9 different types of classifications depending on the way you look at it and if you classify the ones not widely used in the United States to even be a classification. Two of which are very similar, as are their medications, so I will be listing it as one. The first, most common, are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which treat the lack of serotonin and include: Citalopram (Celexa), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac, Rapiflux, Sarafem, Selfemra), Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva, Brisdelle), Sertraline (Zoloft). Out of those, I have tried Lexapro, Paxil, and Zoloft. I felt absolutely nothing on the Lexapro and the Paxil, so they didn’t help at all. I have awful results on Zoloft. I actually had cut myself for the first time while I was taking it. It also made my bad thoughts much more persistent. However, Zoloft is the most common medication used out of all of those.

Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) wich treat the lack of serotonin and norepinephrine and include:Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq, Desfax, Ellefore, Khedezla), Duloxetine (Effexor, Irenka), Milnacipran (Ixel, Jonicia, Savella), Levomilnacipran (Fetzima).I have not tried any of these.

Tricyclic/tetracyclic antidepressants (TSAs) are amongst the most recent developed antidepressants. They tend to have a lot more side effects, so they are not very common. They include:  Amitriptyline, Amoxapine, Desipramine (Norpramin), Doxepin, Imipramine (Tofranil), Nortriptyline (Pamelor), Protriptyline (Vivactil), Trimipramine (Surmontil), Mirtazapine (Remron). I currently take Mirtazapine and so far I like it. It's sedating, so it helps me sleep and it seems to be working well with my wellbutrin. 

Reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMAs) are an interesting type of antidepressant. It’s a lot more for me to type out, so if you’re interested in how they work, I’d be happy to answer that in a separate question. These are not widely used in the United States though. They consist of: Brofaromine (Consonar), Caroxazone (Surodil, Timostenil), Eprobemide (Befol), Metralindole (Inkazan), Minaprine (Cantor), Moclobemide (Aurorix, Manerix), Pirlindole (Priazidol), Toloxatone (Humoryl). I have not tried any of these.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors treat norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine. They consist of:Rasagiline (Azilect), Selegiline (Eldepryl, Zelapar), Isocarboxazid (Marplan), Phenelzine (Nardil), Tranylcypromine (Parnate). I have not tried any of these.

Serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARIs) act by antagonizing your serotonin receptions and inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine, and sometimes dopamine. They include:Etoperidone (Axiomin, Etonin), Lorpiprazole (Normarex), Lubazodone, Mepiprazole (Psigodal), Nefazodone (Serzone, Nefadar), Trazodone (Desyrel). I have only tried Trazadone out of all of these. I didn’t really like it. It was prescribed for several things, one being sleep. And I felt like no matter how much I slept, I still felt sedated after waking up. I also showed no improvement mentally or emotionally, so my psychiatrist took me off of it.

Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs) target both norepinephrine and dopamine both by blocking the transporters for both, and instead increasing the chemicals in the brain for both. They consist of: Amineptine (Survector, Maneon, Directim), Bupropion, (Wellbutrin), Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin), Difemetorext (Cleofil), Ethylphenditate, Lefetamine (Santenol), Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Meeadate, Methylin, Rubifen, Stimdate). I am currently on Wellbutrin, and have been since I was about 15 or 16. I really like it. I feel my energy boost throughout the day, especially since adding the Latuda. I feel like it keeps me pretty level. I do wish I could go up, from that level, if that makes sense. But other than that, I like the way it works.

The 3 most common families of antianxiety medications are:Clonazepam (Klonopin), Alprazolam (Niravam, Xanax), Lorazepam, (Ativan). I have only tried Lorazepam out of the 3, and so far I like it. I only take it when needed. It’s a tranquilizer, so low dosages are recommended. It makes me a little sleepy, depending on the level of my anxiety before I took it. I’ve taken it and haven’t felt tired at all on the days when my anxiety is the worst, so it just kind of depends. 

The 4 common families of stimulants (these increase alertness, attention, energy, and elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration) are:Methylphenidate (Aptensio, Concerta, Metadate, Methylin, Quillichew, Quillivant, Ritalin), Amphetamine (Eveko, Dyanavel, Adzenys. When combined with dextroamphetamine, the brand name is known as Adderall), Dextroamphetamine (Dexampex, Dexedrine, DextroStat, Ferndex, LiquADD, ProCentra), Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate (Vyvanse). I have not tried any of these medications.

The antipsychotic family is broad. The older or “first generation” antipsychotic medications are also called conventional “typical” antipsychotics or “neuroleptics.” The four families of the first generation antipsychotics are:Chlorpromazine (Promapar, Thorazine), Haloperidol (Haldol), Perphenazine (Trilafon, Duo-Vil, Etrafon, Triavil), Fluphenazine (Permitil, Prolixin). I have not tried any of these.

The newer or “second generation” medications include:Risperidone (Risperdal), Olanzapine (Symbyax), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Ziprasidone (Geodon), Aripiprazole (Abilify), Paliperidone (Invega), Lurasidone (Latuda). I actually took Seroquel for about 5 years and had fantastic results. It’s a sedative, and a heavy one at that. We used it to treat several things, and one of them was sleep. The best time during my recovery was while I was on Seroquel (I was also on Wellbutrin at the same time and the combination worked so well). But just like any other mental health medication, it stopped working after a while. I have awful results on Abilify. It’s supposed to give you energy, like an “upper,” but for some reason I reacted the complete opposite and would fall asleep standing up, sitting down, and couldn’t physically hold my body up. I’ve only been taking Latuda for about 3 weeks and so far I really like it. It’s been working well with my Wellbutrin and Mirtazapine. 

The 3 common families of mood stabilizers, which are used to treat bipolar, mood swings associated with other mental disorders, and in some cases, to augment the effect of other medications used to treat depression are:Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Equetro, Tegretol, Teril), Lamotrigine (Lamictal), Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal). I have not tried any of these.

Some mood stabilizers are sometimes classified as antipsychotic drugs, and some antipsychotic drugs are sometimes classified as mood stabilizers.

All of these probably only make up about half of the medications available. There are also medications that I have taken that I have not listed, just because they are not very common, nor is their classification or family. I have always been a firm believer in the fact that medications work for the right people. Do your research. I have never been able to stress that enough. Know what it is you’re taking and why you’re taking it. Look up its science and how the medication works inside of your body and brain. Talk with a mental health professional, if you don’t already have one. I do not recommend seeing only a medical doctor. If you would like more details on any of the things that I listed, feel free to ask and I can answer them as best as I can! Good luck!

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Writing Initiative #7

2D Cerulean is known for its rich colour, opaqueness and ideal likeness when compared to the colour of the sky. This pigment was created by a Swiss chemist named Albrecht Höpfner in 1789. Today when you print a photo Cerulean is achieved a little differently. CMYK is a colour process that is popular among print, through this process there is no end to the possible colours that can be created.

This work demonstrates how modern day cerulean is produced thus becoming a clear 2D representation of the word.

3D The word cerulean is derived from the sky. More specifically the colour of the sky. Which raises the question of why is the sky blue and why are things found in nature blue?

A kaleidoscope manipulates light the same way structures in nature do. For example nothing in nature is actually blue, The sky is blue due to different wave lengths of light the sun gives off, when this light enters the atmosphere at a certain angle the waves are disrupted by air molecules leaving the blue light during some hours of the day. As the sun sets the wave lengths change which is why the sky turns orange. The blue a person sees is due to structures certain living things have adapted. These structures manipulate wave lengths of light to only allow blue light to be absorbed. Similar to the way a kaleidoscope manipulates light within a prism to display patterns that are not  really there.

4D There’s a version of depression called “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD), or “winter depression”. This kind of depression — which is very common in people with Bipolar II — can be treated with light. Plain old light will do, but in some parts of the country in December plain old light is hard to come by (such as where I live, in the winter-rainy/cloudy Willamette Valley of Oregon).

So several decades ago researchers studied whether sitting in front of a bank of lights for 30-60 minutes might help reverse the seasonal sag in mood, and found that indeed some people seemed to respond very well. In the most recent study of “light therapy”, sitting in front of a box of light every morning during a Canadian winter was as effective as fluoxetine (Prozac).

This is where CERULEAN power comes in. CERULEAN power is a LED projector box which gives off blue light! The box is programed to show a video of a bright blue cerulean sky. Sitting in front of this box of light every morning during a Canadian winter has the same effective as fluoxetine (Prozac) a powerful antidepressant.

EXPERIMENTAL This piece will be focusing on  the question of  Why Is The Sky Blue?  This work will focus on how blue light enters the atmosphere and effects the colour of the sky. On a clear day, you can see that the color of the sky is blue even though sun light does not seem to contain any color. The “colorless” light from the sun is actually white light. It is made up of all the rainbow colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet – mixed together. Light bends when it passes from one medium (e.g. air) into another medium of a different density (e.g. water). This bending of light is called refraction. Different colors are refracted by different angles because they have different wavelengths. As a result, when white light is refracted, it is separated into different colors, known as dispersion of light. A rainbow is an excellent demonstration of the dispersion of light. After or during rainfall, you can see a rainbow if the sunlight hits the water droplets in the air at the right angle.

In the air, there are many tiny air molecules. These molecules are very small, so small that we can’t normally see them with our bare eyes even though the air is full of them, billions and trillions. On a clear day, sunlight passing through the atmosphere is scattered by air molecules. This scattering effect is called Rayleigh Scattering. To summarize, the sky is blue because the blue color inside the sunlight is scattered more by air molecules and is perceived better by our eyes.

I will create a package with all the materials needed to emulate this natural event. Within this pacage will be a clear glass: . water . soap   . milk powder . LED light

When the water, soap, and milk are mixed it creates a cloudy liquid which will represent the sky. When the light is shined through it will turn the liquid blue.

The reason why the white liquid turns blue is similar to the reason why the sky is blue (although not exactly the same reason). The sky is blue because of Rayleigh Scattering. The white fluid turns blue because of Tyndall Scattering, an effect closely related to Rayleigh Scattering.

Tyndall Scattering, named after renown Irish physicist, John Tyndall, is the phenomena of scattering of light by small particles in a colloid or a very fine suspension. Similar to Rayleigh scattering, the intensity of the scattered light depends on the wavelength of the light. The shorter the wavelength, the stronger the scattering.

Like sunlight, the white light from a flash light is also made up of all the rainbow colors. Therefore, blue light, which has a shorter wavelength than most other rainbow colors, is scattered more and the suspension appears blue.

REVIEW Most of my works have been branded in some way, so to display all my works in a process like file i have decided to create a website. Within this website you can perches my different assignments. This website will showcase all of my assignments as well as my process through different pages on the website. For example a page will be dedicated to the history of the word and another page will be dedicated to the definition. This website will turn my assignment into a small business dedicated to keeping the word cerulean alive. The website itself will also have a cerulean spin that relates to the rest of my assignments. The spin will be the websites ability to change colour through the elimination of red, blue, or green.

[gaiatheorist]

The drugs don’t work. (For me.)

This is a weird one. Awake at midnight last night, I did what I do, and browsed the news. My disrupted sleep is partly due to the brain injuries, and partly ‘just’ the situation I find myself in. There’s the potential for some well-meaning but insensitive soul to suggest warm milk, no screen-time, ‘meaningful’ breathing, and the plethora of other things you ‘should’ do when you can’t sleep. Nobody has suggested sleeping tablets to me, yet, but there’s a whole internet out there, is it my melatonin, my seratonin, my magnesium? (I don’t know if magnesium has anything to do with anything, apparently it can impact on the binding of the vitamin D I’m probably deficient in, though.) 

Can’t sleep? Take a ‘Kalm’, or a ‘Nytol’, or Valerian root, or Mankuna honey in warm milk, or something from Gwyneth Paltrow’s weird range. Lavender worked really well for someone’s auntie Gladys, and so-and-so swears by chamomile tea. I’m making fun of myself, there, because if there’s a herbal/holistic remedy, I’ll try that before the ‘chemical’, synthesised alternatives. (’Chemical’ in quote-marks, as a nod to Tim Minchin, who rightly points out that ‘Everything is chemical, EVERYTHING.’) That tendency to stick to herbs, essential oils, and food-based medicine, rather than prescribed medicine infuriates my son, it would do, he’s studying Chemistry, he understands the ‘hard’ science stuff that baffles me. He’s 20 in a few weeks, and he’s been to the doctor four times in his entire life. Fucithalmic acid drops for conjunctivitis when he was a baby. I finished the course, and then treated with eyebright and breastmilk, he’s never had a re-occurrence. Septic tonsillitis in 2010, treated with Amoxcycillin, of course he couldn’t tell the doctor whether he was allergic to Penicillin, that was his first course of antibiotics, ever. Back down, I didn’t home-school him, and he was allowed to watch TV, he’s had all of his routine immunisations, and the optional extra Meningitis one. (That the doctor didn’t know whether he’d had, but I did, because I knew which year it started being offered as a routine school-age immunisation.) 

The kid implicitly trusts ‘modern’ medicine. Most people, who don’t run around in tinfoil hats, calling consumer conspiracy on everything, trust modern medicine. That’s what I’m wrestling with this morning. (Not literally, I’ve pushed the patient information leaflet to the side of my pack of antihistamines, so I don’t get frustrated about opening the box at the ‘wrong’ end. Apparently they’re set that way for right-handed people, and you can avoid opening the ‘wrong’ end of the pack by feeling for the braille, I don’t know.) What I’m over-processing is the “Antidepressants work!” news stories. There’s no reason at all for me to over-process it, the first line in one of them was something along the theme of “Antidepressants work for patients with a diagnosis of depression.” Case closed, I don’t have ‘depression’, my current ‘unfit for work’ certificate states “Stress related problem, previous SAH.” (I’ve abbreviated ‘Subarachnoid Haemorrhage’, because my GP spelled it wrong, I don’t suppose he’s written it as many times as I have in the last 3 years.) 

What I’m pre-planning butting heads against is that DWP, PIP, and ATOS are highly likely to point out that I’m not ‘on’ anti-depressants. That’s fine, they can do that, there is no diagnosis of depression anywhere in my last 3 years of medical notes, I can point to the page where the Workplace Well-being doctor has reported “Gives a clear account of herself, and, to her credit, is not depressed.” (If they’re referencing the ‘Depression?’ on my admission notes following the haemorrhage, I’ll politely point out that what the ex actually said to the medics was “I think she’s got depression, but I don’t know if she’s on anything.” I tore into him about that, when I was in my angry/confrontational stage, and he was in his confused/traumatised stage. Unkind.) 

It’s great that antidepressants work for some people, I wish those people all the goodwill in the world, dragging oneself through the mire of poor mental health is draining, if there’s a chemical lift that helps, use it. What I’m mindful of is that the medics have never found a dosage of this-or-that that worked for me. I have episodes of low mood, sometimes very low mood, but they pass. I make them pass, because I cannot exist in that state, in that state, I’m barely functional, forcing myself to ‘go through the motions’, it’s soul-sucking. There are lots of days when I just-don’t-want-to, I know my own pattern, and, although I’ll allow myself the odd ‘off’ day, three-in-a-row is my trigger-point. I had three-in-a-row a couple of weekends back, so presented to the GP, because ‘failure to seek or follow medical advice’ is also a flag-of-concern in me. If he’d prescribed, I would have taken the pills, I had the proof of low-income entitlement to free prescriptions in my bag, just in case. 

He knows me, he’s been my GP since I was about 14, as much as I’m just one more in a sea of faces to him, he actually remembered that they’ve tried me on pretty much every SSRI and antidepressant, with very limited effect. A bit like the dodgy Johann Hari, I ‘revert to baseline’ within months on any antidepressant, and they either have to increase the dosage, or, once they hit the median lethal dosage bar, switch me to another variant. Antidepressants don’t work on ‘me’, because, for the majority of the time, it’s not depression. (Yes, there’s the resistance-in-me to being in that foggy-vague don’t-care state, but, if he’d prescribed, I would have taken them, and tried to monitor myself closely, through the “I can’t feel my leg, but it will probably be fine in an hour or so.” episodes, that are scary enough when you ARE fully lucid. The third, inoperable aneurysm is sitting in an area of brain governing the majority of my motor function, as well as the blood supply to my retinas being impacted upon my the surgery to the second aneurysm, sucks to be me.)

‘On paper’, I probably ‘should’ be depressed. That being the assumed-case, a year on antidepressants ‘should’, theoretically, stabilise me, maybe they’ll throw in a bit of CBT, to make me magically forget that, on top of everything else, I nearly died, and now have brain injuries? Yeah, I’m pulling my socks up, and person-ing up, but I do still have lumps of metal where there used to be functional brain cells, that’s not going to go away, or ‘get better.’

At some point, I don’t know when, I’ll be called in for a DWP ‘work capability assessment.’ I’m not looking forward to that one bit, and I expect that the same person who ticks the box to say I can lift an empty box will also query why I’m not on antidepressants. I need to not be a smart-arse at that point, and question how they’re a qualified doctor AND a manual handling of loads assessor. I also need to remember to state verbally, and ensure it is recorded, every time an action or activity causes me distress or discomfort. I’m going to end up losing my voice. Have that, CBT practitioners, one of my ‘behaviours’ is not-disclosing discomfort or distress, so I don’t upset other people.

I’m rambling. I’m awaiting my PIP tribunal date, where I will likely be asked why I’m not on antidepressants. I’m awaiting my DWP ‘work capability assessment’, again, I’m likely to be told, by a box-ticker that I’d be ‘all better’ with a dose of Prozac. (Prozac brand-name now expired, it’s generic fluoxetine, and my last experience of it had me on 60mg/day, with little impact, they can’t put me on a higher dose than that, due to my BMI.) I’m also waiting on an appointment with Neuro-psychology, I have tried very hard to self-manage the brain injuries, but the cognitive fatigue and disturbed sleep still persist, there’s an ironic chuckle, there, because a lot of the side-effects of my brain injuries are also consistent with depressive traits. I know the difference in me, and ‘trying’ me on antidepressants would be similar to bashing a ganglion with the family bible, just a distraction technique, and a fairly dangerous one, at that.

What I’m wary of is the powers-that-be taking the headlines and research about the efficacy of antidepressants as a one-size-fits-all silver bullet against all-that-ails-everyone. Antidepressants have limited effectiveness on me, I have no diagnosis of depression, they’d be as well giving me sugar-tablets, or something to prevent testicular inflammation. If I had a diagnosis of depression, I would have given up on the systems-and-processes already, as a demonstrable number of people have, some permanently. Not-all-antidepressants are suitable for ‘all’ people, I had to advise my own GP that one variant he was ‘trying’ me on, nearly 10 years ago, was linked to suicidal and self-harming ideation. That’s specific to me, I’m a historical self-harmer, standard ‘not all’ disclaimer here. There are myriad noted side-effects with antidepressants, I’ll throw in ‘weight gain’ as an example, even if there’s no underlying eating disorder, whacking on 3st in 2 years, like I did is hardly a confidence-boost for a person who is already experiencing low mood. The side-effects are probably under-reported, between the depressive state of there being no point, and the cloudy sheep-sleep of ‘it does not matter’, some people just won’t report. Throw in the dismissive “It could be worse!” lines some doctors are still fond of when people who do report are sent away as neurotic, and the reporting is further compromised.

Antidepressants DO work, very effectively for some people, and I’m genuinely pleased that a bit of a chemical crutch helps them to live, rather than just existing. My concern is that these articles will be taken out of context, and that the flavour-of-the-month SSRI will be seen as a magic wand. (No, head, ‘they’ are not going to fortify the tap-water with fluoxetine, to make us all immune to depression, that’s silly.) Mental health services are stretched way beyond capacity, and ‘modern life is rubbish’, the fabled increase to MH services is a nonsense, it’s superficial, the new intake of ‘Improving Access to Psychological Therapies’ practitioners will probably start going off sick themselves very soon. (I have a friend who’s VERY disturbed, recently allocated for talking therapy with a girl just out of college, that would have been potentially harmful for both of them, so he discontinued. The intervention has probably been recorded as completed and successful.)  Antidepressants are very effective for some people, but, in others, they’re a sticking plaster over an arterial wound, I’m worried that some people, who really do need more than a pat on the head, and some ‘magic medicine’ are going to be very badly treated. If there’s a perception that  Prozac is panacea, some people will be very badly harmed by it.

If the drugs work for you, that’s great, I’m not here to demonise them. There is nothing wrong with taking the right medication for the right condition, nothing at all. My worry is that it becomes a blanket-catch-all, a first-resort, and that some people will slip through the net, disappear off radar, and not have different, underlying conditions, that depressive symptoms coincide with addressed. 

[sherristockman]

Should Antidepressants Be Given Prophylactically to Nondepressed Individuals? Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Mental health appears to be dwindling across the globe, with depression now being the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide.1,2 Over the past decade alone (2005-2015), rates of depression increased by 18 percent.3 In the U.S., more than 16 million people struggle with the condition, including 6 million seniors,4 and 11 percent of Americans over the age of 12 are on antidepressant drugs. Among women in their 40s and 50s, 1 in 4 is on antidepressants.5 Clearly, something is very wrong. Part of the problem, I believe, is the fact that the go-to solution simply doesn’t work, and the psychiatric field is slow to branch out into more effective yet less financially rewarding strategies. Antidepressants tend to be the first-line treatment, even though studies have proven they work no better than placebo.6,7,8,9 Now, researchers are investigating whether antidepressants might be prophylactically useful. The idea that taking a potent brain altering drug that has the clinical effectiveness of a placebo to prevent depression is suspect in the extreme. There are many other strategies with far better track records that can both prevent and help treat depression. Could Antidepressants Be Used Preventively? According to The Washington Post:10 “Some studies have estimated that up to half of patients with head and neck cancers may experience depression. A group of researchers … examined what would happen if non-depressed patients were given antidepressants before receiving treatment for head and neck cancer. Published in 2013, the results of the randomized, placebo-controlled trial11 were startling: Patients taking an antidepressant were 60 percent less likely to experience depression compared with peers who were given a placebo. In medicine, this approach is often referred to as prophylaxis, or a treatment used to prevent disease.” Other studies assessing the benefits of prophylactic antidepressants include: A 2014 analysis, which concluded antidepressants reduced incidence of major depression among patients treated for hepatitis C by 40 percent12 A 2004 study concluded post-stroke depression, which affects up to 40 percent of stroke victims, could be reduced through prophylactic treatment with the antidepressant mirtazapine. Forty percent of nontreated patients developed depression, compared to less than 6 percent of those receiving the drug13 A 2008 study also found nondepressed stroke patients given escitalopram (brand name Lexapro) were significantly less likely to develop depression compared to the placebo group over 12 months of treatment.14 However, it was later revealed the lead author had undisclosed financial ties to the manufacturer of the drug, which cast doubt on the results15 Other small studies have also concluded that pretreatment with antidepressants may reduce the likelihood of depression in patients receiving treatment for melanoma16,17 According to the featured article, “These findings provide compelling reasons for physicians and patients to consider using these medicines to pre-empt ­mental-health issues.”18 I couldn’t disagree more vigorously with this distorted view of reality. Just because an antidepressant might help prevent drug- or chemo-induced depression does not mean that nondepressed individuals will benefit from taking antidepressants prophylactically. In fact, it may well have the opposite effect. There’s really no telling what kind of devastating societal health effects such a trend might create. Antidepressants During Pregnancy Increase Child’s Risk of Psychiatric Disorders Antidepressants are particularly hazardous for children, teens (who are more prone to self-harm on certain antidepressants) and women of childbearing age. Recent research19 shows use of antidepressants during pregnancy raises the child’s risk of developing a psychiatric disorder.20,21 The study evaluated data collected from more than 905,000 Danish children born between 1998 and 2012. The follow-up period lasted for nearly 17 years. The results showed that: Among children whose mothers did not use antidepressants during pregnancy, the 15-year risk of psychiatric problems was 8 percent Those whose mothers took an antidepressant prior to but not during pregnancy had a risk of 11.5 percent Among those whose mothers had started taking an antidepressant prior to pregnancy and continued taking the drug during pregnancy, the risk for psychiatric problems was 13.6 percent Children whose mothers started taking an antidepressant during pregnancy had the highest risk of a psychiatric disorder — 14.5 percent Birth Defects Linked to Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy Estimates suggest anywhere from 822 to 14 percent23 of pregnant women take antidepressants, even though studies suggest there are risks involved. A 2015 study24 — which looked at the effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used during the first trimester of pregnancy and in the month before — concluded that: Paxil (paroxetine) was associated with an increased risk of five birth defects, including heart defects and anencephaly (abnormal brain and skull formation) The use of Prozac (fluoxetine) was associated with heart wall defects and abnormal skull shape (craniosynostosis) The increase in absolute risk was low; for instance, 10 out of 10,000 women may give birth to a baby with a heart defect but this increased to 24 out of 10,000 among those using Paxil. Still, some birth defects occurred two to three times more often in babies born to women taking the drugs, and when the increased risk is combined with the many other studies showing harm, and few showing benefit, it still poses a serious concern. SSRIs Increase Risk of Death by One-Third A recent meta-analysis25 also shows SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants dramatically raise your risk of death from any cause — an effect attributed to the disruption of “multiple adaptive processes regulated by evolutionarily ancient biochemicals,” one of which is serotonin. A total of 16 observational studies were included in the analysis, involving some 375,000 participants. Overall, use of antidepressants was associated with a 14 percent increased risk of a cardiovascular event, such as heart attack or stroke, and a 33 percent increased risk of premature death. Lead author Marta Maslej told Medical News Today:26 “We made sure to only include studies that did a good enough job controlling for important variables (like depression and other illnesses), and so we have attempted to statistically rule out other factors that could contribute to mortality. We also ensured that our findings weren't related to confounding by indication. This means that people who have more severe depression could be more likely to take antidepressants, and if that's the case, we could not be sure whether the increase in risk of death is due to using antidepressants or having more severe depression. To address this issue, we re-ran our analysis on only the studies that assessed depression in participants before they began using antidepressants. When we re-ran this analysis, the risk of mortality remained high which suggests that confounding by indication wasn't an issue in our study." 21st Century Reason for Rising Depression Rates In light of the rapidly rising prevalence of depression, the question “why” is one that really needs to be looked into. I believe a significant yet completely ignored culprit is excessive microwave radiation from cellphones, cellphone towers, cordless phones, Wi-Fi, computers, smart meters, baby monitors and other electronic gadgets. Last year, Dr. Martin Pall published a review27 in the Journal of Neuroanatomy showing how microwave radiation from these technologies is clearly associated with many neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, autism and Alzheimer’s. In a nutshell, microwave radiation activates voltage gated calcium channels (VGCCs) in your cells, and one of the tissues with the highest density of VGCCs is your brain. Once the VGCCs are stimulated, intracellular calcium dramatically increases, as does the release of neurotransmitters, neuroendocrine hormones and highly damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) — all of which raise your risk for depression and anxiety. Based on this mechanism, it seems clear that chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can play a significant role in psychiatric health. As a society, we need to take this seriously. On a personal level, be sure to limit your exposure to EMFs and wireless technology. Simple measures include turning your Wi-Fi off at night, not carrying your cellphone on your body and not keeping portable phones, cellphones and other electric devices in your bedroom. Turning off all power at the circuit breaker to your bedroom at night is probably the single most important remediation strategy I can think of. The wiring inside your walls generates dangerous levels of magnetic and electrical (not microwave) radiation that impairs your melatonin production, disrupting your sleep. This in turn will also heighten your risk of depression, anxiety and many other health problems. To learn more about how microwaves and dirty electricity affect your health, please see my interviews with Pall and Dr. Sam Milham. Anti-Inflammatory Diet Is Essential for Psychiatric Health Download Interview Transcript Needless to say, your diet also plays a major role when it comes to your psychiatric health. According to Dr. Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist who uses integrative medicine in her practice, one of the first steps in addressing a mental health problem is to clean up your diet and address your gut health. If you don’t, you’ll seriously hamper your chances of getting well. Food sensitivities can also play a role. For example, gluten can produce symptoms of depression if you’re sensitive to it. In such a case, the key is to remove gluten from your diet entirely. Merely cutting down will not work. Cass has seen many patients recover from severe depression when going gluten-free. It’s also important to avoid sugar and junk food, which raises your risk of depression by promoting inflammation. In fact, chronic inflammation appears to be a leading cause of depression.28 One theory as to why certain nutrients work so well for depression is because they are potent anti-inflammatories. Nourishing your gut microbiome is an important component of lowering inflammation, as much of the inflammation starts in your gut. My previous article,29 “Are Probiotics the New Prozac?” reviews some of the supporting evidence.30,31,32 Researchers have also found strong connections between the gut microbiome and schizophrenia33,34 and bipolar disorder,35,36,37,38 demonstrating the close relationship between your gut and your brain. To nourish your gut microbiome, increase your consumption of fiber and probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables, kimchee, natto, kefir and others. Keep in mind that, in order for it to work, the fiber must be unprocessed.39,40 Processed supplement fiber such as inulin powder does not provide gut bacteria with what they need. Specific Nutrients Associated With Improved Mental Health Specific nutrient deficiencies can also have a significant impact on your mental health. On CassMD.com you can find a free report called “Reclaim Your Brain,” which details a number of nutritional substances you can use to address conditions like anxiety and depression. Following are three of the most important ones: • Omega-3s — The animal-based omega-3 fats DHA and EPA are crucial for good brain function and mental health.41,42 The 2001 book, “The Omega-3 Connection” by Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Andrew Stoll, was among the first works to bring attention to and support the use of omega-3 fats for depression. Omega-3s have also been shown to improve more serious mental disorders, including schizophrenia, psychosis and bipolar disorder.43 While there’s no set recommended dose of omega-3 fats, some health organizations recommend a daily dose of 250 to 500 milligrams (mg) of EPA and DHA for healthy adults. If you suffer from depression, higher doses may be called for. In one study,44 an omega-3 supplement with a dose range of 200 to 2,200 mg of EPA per day was effective against primary depression. Good sources include fatty fish that are also low in mercury, such as wild caught Alaskan salmon, sardines and anchovies. If you don’t eat these types of fish on a regular basis, it would be advisable to take a high-quality omega-3 supplement such as krill oil, which has a number of benefits over fish oil, including better absorption.45 • Vitamin D — Researchers have suggested vitamin D may play a role in depression46 by regulating brain chemicals called monoamines, which include serotonin.47 As a general rule, depressed individuals have lower vitamin D levels than nondepressed people,48 and having a vitamin D level below 20 ng/mL can raise your risk of depression by 85 percent compared to having a level greater than 30 ng/mL.49 Recent research50 also claims that low vitamin D levels appear to be associated with suicide attempts. Ideally, maintain your vitamin D level between 40 and 60 ng/mL year-round. I also recommend having your vitamin D level checked yearly to assure you're within this ideal range. • B vitamins — A number of studies have shown deficiencies of one or more B vitamins (niacin/B3, B6, biotin/B8, folate/B9 and B12) can produce psychiatric effects. For example, vitamin B12 deficiency can trigger confusion, agitation, depression, mania, psychosis and paranoid delusions.51 One recent study52,53 found vitamins B6, B8 and B12 in combination were very effective for improving schizophrenic symptoms when taken in high doses — more so than standard drug treatments alone. Low doses were ineffective. The power of niacin (B3) was also demonstrated by Dr. Abram Hoffer, one of Cass’ mentors and a co-founder of orthomolecular medicine, which refers to the concept of nutritional deficiencies being a source of mental illness. Hoffer used high doses of niacin to successfully treat schizophrenics. Amazingly, he was able to get many of these severely ill mental patients well enough to lead normal lives. It turns out pellagra, a disorder caused by extreme niacin deficiency, produces the same psychiatric symptoms found in schizophrenia. In fact, Hoffer discovered that many schizophrenic patients were niacin dependent, meaning they needed far more niacin on a regular basis than normal in order to remain well. Other researchers have found niacin may also be successfully used in the treatment of other mental disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, anxiety and depression. Holistic Mental Health Suggestions Regardless of the nature or severity of your mental health problem, to successfully treat it, you need to take a holistic approach. Rarely will medication be the sole answer. And, considering the seriousness of some side effects, which include depression, suicide, cardiovascular events and premature death, taking an antidepressant for preventive purposes is definitely not recommended. Instead, whether you want to prevent depression or treat it, be sure to address your diet and any nutrient deficiencies you may have. A holistic doctor will be able to help you determine your nutrient status with appropriate tests, and identify any food sensitivities you may have. Most people need higher amounts of vitamin D and omega-3, but to determine your ideal dose, be sure to get a vitamin D and omega-3 index test. Following are some additional guidelines and suggestions — presented in no particular order — to keep in mind: Eat real food and avoid all processed foods High sugar and starchy nonfiber carbohydrates lead to excessive insulin release, which can result in falling blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. In turn, hypoglycemia causes your brain to secrete glutamate in levels that can cause agitation, depression, anger, anxiety and panic attacks. Sugar also fans the flames of inflammation in your body. In addition to being high in sugar and grains, processed foods also contain a variety of additives that can affect your brain function and mental state, especially MSG and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. Research also shows that glyphosate, used in large quantities on genetically engineered crops like corn, soy and sugar beets, limits your body's ability to detoxify foreign chemical compounds. As a result, the damaging effects of those toxins are magnified, potentially resulting in a wide variety of diseases, including brain disorders that have both psychological and behavioral effects. Lower your microwave and EMF exposure as much as possible As mentioned, studies have linked excessive EMF exposure to an increased risk of both depression and suicide.54 Addiction to or “high engagement” with mobile devices can also trigger depression and anxiety, according to recent research.55 It would be wise to limit exposure and/or shield yourself from Wi-Fi routers by turning them off at night, not carrying your cellphone on your body, and eliminating the use of portable phones. At bare minimum, do not keep portable phones, cellphones and other electric devices in your bedroom. Also, the most important step you can take is to flip the circuit breaker to your bedroom at night, as a majority of the EMF you’re exposed to at night comes from wiring inside your walls, unless you live in Chicago or New York or a commercial building like a hotel where building codes require the wires to be enclosed in metal conduit. If that is the case you don’t need to turn the power off but must pull all electrical plugs from the wall when you go to bed. Spend more time outdoors Getting closer to nature has been shown to dramatically improve people’s mood and significantly reduce symptoms of depression. Outdoor activities could be just about anything, from walking a nature trail to gardening, or simply taking your exercise outdoors. Get adequate daily movement and regular exercise Studies show there is a strong correlation between improved mood and aerobic capacity. There’s also a growing acceptance that the mind-body connection is very real, and that maintaining good physical health can significantly lower your risk of developing depression in the first place. Exercising creates new GABA-producing neurons that help induce a natural state of calm. It also boosts your levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, which help buffer the effects of stress. Add to your self-help tool bag Slowing your breathing using the Buteyko breathing technique increases your partial pressure of carbon dioxide, which has enormous psychological benefits and can quickly reduce anxiety. Other helpful tools include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). EFT is particularly well-studied, and research shows it can significantly increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotional states. One scientific review found statistically significant benefits in using EFT for anxiety, depression, PTSD and phobias. EFT is particularly powerful for treating stress and anxiety because it specifically targets your amygdala and hippocampus, which are the parts of your brain that help you decide whether or not something is a threat.56 For serious or complex issues, seek out a qualified health care professional that is trained in EFT57 to help guide you through the process. Clean up your sleep hygiene Make sure you’re getting enough high quality sleep, as sleep is essential for optimal mood and mental health. A fitness tracker that tracks your sleep can be a useful tool. The inability to fall asleep and stay asleep can be due to elevated cortisol levels, so if you have trouble sleeping, you may want to get your saliva cortisol level tested with an Adrenal Stress Index test. If you’re already taking hormones, you can try applying a small dab of progesterone cream on your neck or face when you awaken during the night and can’t fall back to sleep. Another alternative is to take adaptogens, herbal products that help lower cortisol and adjust your body to stress. There are also other excellent herbs and amino acids that help you to fall asleep and stay asleep. Meditation can also help. Beneficial herbs and supplements: SAMe, 5-HTP and St. John’s Wort SAMe is an amino acid derivative that occurs naturally in all cells. It plays a role in many biological reactions by transferring its methyl group to DNA, proteins, phospholipids and biogenic amines. Several scientific studies indicate that SAMe may be useful in the treatment of depression. 5-HTP is another natural alternative to traditional antidepressants. When your body sets about manufacturing serotonin, it first makes 5-HTP. Taking 5-HTP as a supplement may raise serotonin levels. The evidence suggests 5-HTP outperforms a placebo when it comes to alleviating depression58 — more than can be said about antidepressants. One caveat: Anxiety and social phobias can worsen with higher levels of serotonin, so it may be contraindicated if your anxiety is already high. St. John’s Wort has also been shown to provide relief from mild depressive symptoms. Make sure your cholesterol levels aren't too low for optimal mental health Low cholesterol is linked to dramatically increased rates of suicide, as well as aggression toward others. This increased expression of violence toward self and others may be due to the fact that low membrane cholesterol decreases the number of serotonin receptors in the brain, which are approximately 30 percent cholesterol by weight. Lower serum cholesterol concentrations therefore may contribute to decreasing brain serotonin, which not only contributes to suicidal-associated depression, but prevents the suppression of aggressive behavior and violence toward self and others. What to Do if Someone You Know Is Depressed Perhaps one of the most helpful things you can do if you have a friend or family member who struggles with depression is to help guide them toward healthier eating and lifestyle habits, as making changes can be particularly difficult when you're feeling blue — or worse, suicidal. If you are feeling desperate or have any thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a toll-free number: 800-273-TALK (8255), or call 911, or simply go to your nearest hospital emergency department. You cannot make long-term plans for lifestyle changes when you are in the middle of a crisis.

[ninetiescat]

story of my medications

This is my response to the message I received on my sarahah (@illusionarium), reading,

May be a bit personal, but I want to know your story behind all of your medication. Your social medias are phenomenal which raises my curiosity as to why you have to take so much.

This is going to be way more information than what you asked for. I haven’t proofread this but I tried to write carefully. Potential trigger warning beyond this point.

I’ll start at the very beginning, getting to the more-than-you-asked-for right away.

How I got on meds in the first place:

In January 2012, the night of day 1 of the second semester of my freshman year of high school, so roughly five and a half years ago, I was involuntarily put under mandatory 72-hour hold in a psychiatric ward for threatening to kill myself. I was in there until the afternoon of day 3 of the semester. This is pertinent because I wanted and somehow proceeded to achieve straight A’s and knew that staying in longer meant I was missing more class-time and putting that at risk it took a month to catch up on those three days I shit you not. (For the full hospital story, see this post.) While being held there, I did my best to abide by the rules the hospital operated by—i.e. rules none of us were directly informed of, rules we had to be informed of by our fellow inmates let’s be honest, it was essentially a prison who were there before us and learned the hard way so we didn’t have to—but those rules were just things to check legal boxes, they didn’t make any real sense, and they weren’t consistent, so despite my genuine best efforts, it became very clear very quickly that they wouldn’t release me after 72 hours (72 hours is only the minimum) if I didn’t sell my soul to the devil. I always swore I would never take psychiatric medications—I just didn’t believe in it, if I was doomed to be sad then so be it, I didn’t have anything against other people taking meds but I didn’t want it for myself under any circumstances—but I couldn’t afford to be held longer than the bare minimum basically if I took a breath one second later than expected, Staff would threaten to hold me for an extra week, a threat that was said to me five times, so I agreed to be medicated to check one of their damn boxes needed for an on-time release. Then, when released (about 24-hours after agreeing to take meds and taking the first dose), I was told that if I stopped taking the meds I would be readmitted. I assumed, despite Staff being heartless assholes for the most part, that they—medical professionals (well, sort of)—wouldn’t flat out lie to me, so I reluctantly continued taking the meds. I cried, I went to the doctor they referred me to every month and a half, I sold my soul and gave up what I stood for, I took my shit as prescribed, I was a good girl, and I hated every second of it, but I hated it less than I hated hospitalization. It wasn’t until a year and a half later that I cried to that doctor (who was very nice; I quite enjoyed seeing her) about hating being on meds and wanting to stop but knowing I can’t without being readmitted, and she, surprised by my statement, informed me that that was a lie, I was never required to keep taking them, they could not readmit me for that, period end of story, I had been blatantly lied to. Unfortunately, by then I had gotten in too deep (I’ll explain why), so despite still hating being on meds, I carried on.

Why I stayed on them:

I grew up depressed, anxious, and with insomnia; it’s all I’ve ever known, so I couldn’t complain too much having never known better I mean I complain all the time, talked about suicide etc., but I wasn’t fighting for better because I didn’t know what to fight for and didn’t have the motivation too. A year and a half into bouncing from medication to medication (I’ll elaborate later), I had had no success with improving my depression or anxiety, but after about a year of that, I found a sleeping medication that worked, and holy fucking shit. Over the course of my life, my sleep had been getting progressively worse; for instance, at age 14.5, Night 2 in the psych ward, bedtime from 10pm through 7am, I took over an hour to fall asleep and woke up eight times I remember because Staff yelled at me about this the next morning. That was quite normal for me, I wasn’t accustomed to anything better, but getting a night of what normal sleep should be for the first time…was just something I couldn’t pass up. It was like a brand new world. The medicine that did the trick was an atypical antidepressant prescribed to me for insomnia by that point my doc had gone off-label, as I was already failing to respond to traditional treatments, so I said fuck it and kept on making my way down Big Pharma’s product list trying to treat all my issues for the heck of it. Note however that I had also been diagnosed with ADHD, a problem I wasn’t previously aware of, and medication for it worked also, but I could’ve accepted pre-ADHD-med life more than pre-insomnia-med life.

Since then:

My insurance dropped that first doctor not technically a doctor, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, PMHNP, didn’t know that for a long time, didn’t know there was an important difference at the year and a half mark, so I switched to doc #2 not a doctor, advanced practice registered nurse, APRN, who quit and was replaced by #3 some kind of nurse practitioner who quit and was replaced by #4 APRN whom I hated, so I switched to #5 family nurse practitioner, FNP, who was great, but I really needed a psychiatrist. So now I’m seeing #6, a psychiatrist! A PhD! An MD! At last! My therapist of five years said I needed an actual psychiatrist and advised I try to get off of my meds (four total at the time), which is a main reason I took medical withdrawal from college in March. This doctor is fab and is trying so hard to get me the best treatment possible. We tried weaning off slowly, but the withdrawal symptoms were too bad to handle alone, so we’ve tried substituting new meds with them to ease the withdrawals (elaborated on later). Because of how that is going, he wants me to seek a second opinion technically an eighth if we include the psych ward, five NPs, my therapist of five years, and himself from an accredited institution if we can find one that will see me because my “case has advanced beyond what conventional medical treatments can help” and I have “suffered too long,” and if a re-evaluation shows that my diagnoses are correct, I could benefit possibly from experimental treatments or clinical trials since my shit is so treatment resistant.

How that’s going—what I’m diagnosed with and what all I’ve tried:

Chronologically, I’ve been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, ADHD, and panic disorder, with anorexia nervosa present but left undiagnosed. In trying to treat my five diagnoses in the last five and a half years, I’ve had my system pumped with twenty-five different psychotropic medications. Of the 25, I’ve only had any success with/positive reaction to 8. I’m currently on 6 daily. Let’s list them out chronologically with more info than you asked for for shits and giggles shall we—“[medication class] prescribed for [whatever, usually off-label], italicized means it worked, bolded means I’m currently on it:

Zoloft/Sertraline—(from the hospital) antidepressant for depression & anxiety

Xanax/Alprazolam—sedative for anxiety

Trazodone—weird antidepressant for insomnia

Tranxene/Clorazepate—benzodiazepine for insomnia

Ambien/Zolpidem—hypnotic for insomnia

Prozac/Fluoxetine—antidepressant for depression

Elavil/Amitriptyline—idk it treats everything and was prescribed for idk I can’t remember tbh

Remeron/Mirtazapine—atypical antidepressant for insomnia (worked for a year, stopped, immediately replaced by Seroquel)

Adderall XR and IR—stimulant for ADHD (XR extremely effective but couldn’t tolerate ingesting it, IR ineffective)

Buspar/Buspirone—anxiolytic for anxiety

Inderal/Propranolol—beta blocker for anxiety/depression

Seroquel/Quetiapine—atypical antipsychotic for insomnia

Lamictal/Lamotrigine—anticonvulsant for depression (under slow withdrawal at the moment)

Daytrana/Methylphenidate—stimulant for ADHD

Klonopin/Clonazepam—benzodiazepine for anxiety

Valium/Diazepam—benzodiazepine for anxiety then insomnia

Lexapro/Escitalopram—antidepressant for depression

Wellbutrin/Bupropion—antidepressant for suicidal thoughts (it helped a bit)

Atarax/Hydroxyzine HCl—antihistamine for insomnia

Phenergan/Promethazine—antihistamine for insomnia

Clonidine HCl—alpha blocker for insomnia & high blood pressure/elevated heart rate

Trileptal/Oxcarbazepine—anticonvulsant for depression/to ease Lamictal withdrawals

Vyvanse/Lisdexamfetamine—stimulant for ADHD

Dexedrine/Dextroamphetamine—stimulant for ADHD

Evekeo/Amphetamine—stimulant for ADHD

So I’m currently on Seroquel, Lamictal, Valium, Clonidine, Trileptal, and Evekeo—three for insomnia, two for depression, and one for ADHD. I am incapable of sleeping without sleeping medications; I go about 36 hours wide awake, then go from wired to unconscious note that sleep is not an unconscious state for about half an hour, then snap back awake as if nothing has ever happened until I take the next dose. I have extreme difficulty reading, comprehending, writing, and understanding information without ADHD medication, one of the main two reasons I’m taking a second semester off from school. My anxiety is debilitating and currently only being treated through therapy, which is undoubtedly beneficial but not the same; I used to take Valium to stop my panic attacks (it would calm down the physical symptoms so I could use what I’ve learned in therapy to calm the mental symptoms), but when I started taking it for sleep it stopped working for panic, so I just have to ride it out. I started Clonidine as a substitute for Valium for falling asleep, but it makes me so damn sleepy during the day that I’ve been slow to let go of the Valium and raise the Clonidine. I’m not addicted to any of it, simply terrified to not sleep. A sleepless night is a nightmare few people understand; yeah no one likes a sleepless night, but it’s fucking torture when you get more suicidal with every second you’re awake. I get in bed every night terrified that this will be the night I stop sleeping; Seroquel, for the first four years, worked effortlessly for making me fall and stay asleep for roughly eight hours and wake up on my own with no drowsiness, then all of a sudden it stopped helping me fall asleep and out of desperation I added on Valium because it was my only option and I knew it had hypnotic properties. Since it’s not healthy to be on it super long term, my doc wanted me to trade it for something safer, like Clonidine. I was put on Lamictal after going through rounds of antidepressants that failed; Lamictal treats seizure disorders and bipolar disorder and is related to Trileptal but carries a greater risk of a deadly side effect. Seroquel is an antipsychotic that also treats bipolar disorder; it seems the medications that work best for me with the fewest side effects are the ones that treat bipolar disorder, for which I have not been diagnosed (technically I am down as bipolar in my files for insurance reasons, as my insurance could request my files, see the depression diagnosis, and refuse to pay for Seroquel and Lamictal because they are not approved to treat unipolar depression), which I find interesting. Trileptal has shown very little evidence on efficacy at treating mood disorders and is in no way approved for their treatment, but I have responded to so few medications that my latest doc thought hey, why not. Fun, isn’t it?

And at last,

why I have to take so much:

My shit, aka an intricately intertwined clusterfuck, is just so damn treatment resistant that 1. no one medicine can treat any one problem well enough to suffice on its own 2. everything is so bad that even if one worked really well and wiped out one problem altogether the others really can’t go untreated yet. There are only two instances in which I am okay with being alive—on stage performing or in an airport. I’m not lucky/privileged enough anymore for the former occasion (bonus: my sleeping meds contain antihistamine properties and I’ve watched as my voice has deteriorated over the past four years, escalating in the last four with the addition of Clonidine) and not rich enough for the latter to occur as often as I’d like, so I spend virtually every day wishing I was dead. It’s so normal to me now. It’s been twenty years. I can smile and laugh and dance around for a few minutes, but that’s all I get; it doesn’t last. My favourite singer can release a new song and I’ll cry with happiness as I sing at the top of my lungs for hours or see some aesthetically pleasing decoration in a store and take a hundred pictures of it and that’ll make my day, but it simply doesn’t last. I’ve only managed to live this long because my anxiety is severe in just the right ways to keep me incapable of going through with any method of suicide. I’ve become accustomed to coasting by; I often wonder how many people can tell I’ve got issues or can tell what kind of issues I have without being informed first. I wonder too what I’m like beneath the medications, if I would even be recognizable; I thought I would find that out over the summer, but that will have to wait until the weaning is all done I suppose my psychiatrist estimated the process would take 3.5 years when I started seeing him.

Soooo…I hope that answered your question and makes some sort of sense. Feel free to inquire further; I’ve spent the past six months doing nothing but researching and focusing heavily on all of this so I know it well and have a lot to say about it.

[flexeasy-blog]

New Post has been published on FlexEasy Liquid Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM

New Post has been published on http://flexeasy.net/index.php/2017/08/24/fibromyalgia-new-treatments/

Fibromyalgia - New Treatments

Fibromyalgia (FM or FMS) is a condition that causes chronic musculoskeletal pain. Besides widespread pain it is characterized by tender points, painful areas located in certain parts of the body. There are often other symptoms as well, such as fatigue, headaches, cognitive problems, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression.

People with fibromyalgia frequently have other comorbid illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), migraines, restless legs syndrome (RLS) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fibromyalgia commonly occurs together with autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis and lupus (SLE), but it is not thought to be an autoimmune illness. The exact mechanism that causes the illness is not fully understood yet.

Lyrica And Cymbalta

The FDA has approved two medications for fibromyalgia: pregabalin (Lyrica) in June 2007 and duloxetine (Cymbalta) in June 2008. Pregabalin is an anticonvulsant (epilepsy drug), though it is used more often for pain disorders. Duloxetine is an SNRI antidepressant (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor), also used for diabetic neuropathy and stress incontinence.

Despite being in entirely different classes of drug, both Lyrica and Cymbalta can help pain, sleeping problems, fatigue, cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety caused by fibromyalgia, though they don’t help everyone and even if you do benefit, you might not get improvement in all of the listed symptoms.

Other Similar Drugs

The drug companies behind these drugs would of course like us to believe they are the magic bullets, but luckily there are many other medications that can help fibromyalgia. The manufacturers of most other drugs just haven’t invested in the expensive trials needed to gain FDA approval — often because the patent is going to expire soon and after that their benefits will drastically drop.

For example, gabapentin (Neurontin) is an anticonvulsant very similar to Lyrica, which used to be widely prescribed for fibromyalgia, but now Lyrica has surpassed it. The drugs have almost identical modes of action. There is no clear evidence showing that either one is more effective. Some people can tolerate pregabalin but not gabapentin, and vice versa. Neurontin comes with a bit cheaper price tag.

Duloxetine is not the only SNRI antidepressant either. Venlafaxine (Effexor) is also an SNRI, though in low doses it does not have that much effect on norepinephrine. Milnacipran (Ixel) is a promising SNRI antidepressant which is not yet available in the United States, but is sold in most of Europe. It has shown good results in preliminary fibromyalgia trials. It is also very inexpensive and thought to be one of the best tolerated antidepressants.

Anticonvulsants And Antidepressants

Generally almost all anticonvulsants, including older names like carbamazepine and lamotrigine and newer players like topiramate, zonisamide and levetiracetam can help the symptoms of fibromyalgia. There are big differences in modes of action among drugs in this class, so even if one does not work or produces intolerable side effects, another one might be worth a try. They tend to be especially helpful for pain, mood problems and migraine prevention, often also for sleep.

The same goes for antidepressants, too. The reason they are used in fibromyalgia is not that fibromyalgia is a psychiatric disorder, but they are also used in many other painful conditions like migraines, chronic headaches, neuropathic pain and IBS. It is thought that fibromyalgia may be associated with a deficit of serotonine and norepinephrine.

The SSRI antidepressants like fluoxetine (Prozac) are generally not so effective for pain. Many other antidepressants, however, also affect norepinephrine. These include tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil) and imipramine which have been used to treat fibromyalgia since the 1980s. They are used in very small doses, usually much smaller ones than would be used for depression. They are especially effective for sleep, but often cause too many side effects.

NMDA Antagonists

A third promising class of drugs is NMDA receptor antagonists. The NMDA receptor is thought to be overactive in fibromyalgia and downregulating it could relieve all symptoms of the condition. NMDA antagonists include the cough suppressant dextromethorphan, amantadine which is used for influenza and Parkinson’s disease, the Alzheimer’s drug memantine and riluzole, a new drug used for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Other drugs that also downregulate the NMDA receptor include e.g. calcium channel blockers, many anticonvulsants, some opioids (methadone and dextropropoxyphene) and the muscle relaxants dantrolene and orphenadrine. Magnesium and the amino acid taurine may also have this effect.

Hormonal Treatments

Fibromyalgia has also been associated with endocrinological (hormonal) deficiencies, especially of growth hormone, thyroid hormone and vitamin D, which is nowadays considered a steroid hormone. Others, such as estrogen, testosterone and cortisol have also been suggested as culprits.

Growth hormone has been shown to be deficient in a subset of people with fibromyalgia and supplementation helps many people. Unfortunately the treatment has to be given as an injection and is very expensive. Luckily some oral drugs can also boost growth hormone secretion, such as the anti-anxiety drug buspirone, the blood pressure drug clonidine and the muscle relaxant baclofen. Melatonin may also have this effect.

Some doctors believe that thyroid supplementation can even completely relieve fibromyalgia symptoms in some cases where laboratory results are supposedly normal. On the other hand many patients have reported excellent results, even complete pain relief with large doses of vitamin D.

Promising Drug Candidates

Many drugs are currently in clinical trials for fibromyalgia. Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) is a sleep aid which can also help depression and pain. It is currently approved for narcolepsy, but is used off-label for severe insomnia. Several trials have demonstrated good efficacy in fibromyalgia, but insurance companies are likely to frown at the price.

Flupirtine (Katadolon) is used in many European countries for e.g. low back pain. It has some NMDA blocking properties and has shown good efficacy in preliminary trials. If clinical trials are successful, the company is planning to market it for fibromyalgia with the brand name Effirma.

Lacosamide (Vimpat) is an anticonvulsant with a novel mode of action. It is not yet on the market, but may be approved in the United States and Europe before the end of 2008. A recent phase IIa trial concluded it was effective and well-tolerated in fibromyalgia.

Low dose naltrexone (LDN) is a treatment that increases the secretion of endorphins, our natural painkillers. Fibromyalgia may be associated with an endorphin deficiency, which could also contribute to fatigue, depression and other symptoms. A clinical trial trying LDN for fibromyalgia is currently running in United States.

Source by Maija Haavisto