Rate your medication/drugs?!
 

Im on Effexor XL. I HATE it!! I spend the entire day feeling sick after taking it and I've been on it a year and it does no gd and now they want 2 put me on an even higher dose! Grrr
I was on fluoxetine 4 about 9 months b4 venlafaxine ( Effexor) and that didnt do much 4 me either. Its a bit ironic, because I want to be a doctor, but Im pretty anti drugs in mental health unless there is strong evidence to suggest an organic basis over a psychological one because I believe that altho my illness is probably a combination of both, its more psychological than biological. I think if they investited less money in psychotropic drugs and more in people to do therapy/ practical coping methods, then they'd be a lot better off! Obviously I appreciate that in certain mental illnesses, notably scizophrenia and bipolar, medication is necessary.

I've never really liked any of the medication i've been on, I just keep taking different ones in the hope that something will help.

Right now i'm on Prozac which seems to do nothing for me at all except when I forget to take it I feel even more desperate.

Started with citalopram, was cr*p, didnt do anything. Then was put on effexor....evil drug, still maintain it should be banned. Ended up in hospital. Then was pulled off effexor and put on mirtazapine. Still didnt really do much, but i think it tranquillizes me a little. Then was was put on carbamazapine as well. I have found this the ONLY medication that even slightly affected my mood. My wonder drug i guess. A while ago was pulled from mirtazapine and put on duloxetine, which i was hallucinating with so i stopped that and requested to be put back on mirtazapine which im back on now. And i dont intend on trying anything else, purely out of fear. And my pysch also said 'i think we have reached the end of the road with medications'. hmmmm not sure what that meant but hey.

First I was put on zopiclone.
Of course that was only a sort of temporary mend thing. Really. Considering.

I went to the GP again when my therapist and I agreed I needed medication support as well.
He, guy I'd never met before, I was totally freaked out in there, gave me efexor. Without even telling me what it was. I had to ask!
It helped for about a week with the anxiety, then I was back to square one. The depression continued on a steady but just about tolerable level for a while. Doubling the dose had little effect.
It's not really the best med for someone with agitated anxiety and insomnia, never mind the anorexic tendency. For a whole year I had no appetite, felt nauseous, and my weight got very very low.

Then, nearly a year in, I had a bit of a breakdown, and was refered to the psychiatrist for a medication assessment.
He put me on mirtazapine. I was on that and efexor for about 6 months, the last few coming off efexor.
It still didn't/doesn't do the whole job with anxiety. So I have propranolol to take prn. That's ok except taking it too late in the day gives me insomnia..... I'm going to ask my GP if there's something more sedating I can use for that.
I'm 2 years nearly on mirtazapine, and I'm much more stable, I sleep, and I 'bounce back' from falls into depression abyss faster. I'm still depressed, but I expect I'll always have a tendency to depression, given my past.

I was first put on lexapro. It made me suicidal.

And then I went through a whole thing with fluxotine, welbutrin, and clonopin - all of which I'm taking at the moment. It was a nightmare.

I feel better now, but there are still things going on that I don't want to tell them about because I don't want more meds.

Here's my experience with medications.

First when I was 11, I was put on Elavil. It didn't seem to work for my depression, but the doc kept writing me a prescription for it, so I kept taking it. It did manage to get rid of my chronic headaches though, so that was enough for me. I eventually went off the Elavil when I was 13.

Between the ages of 15 and 17, in chronological order so I can do this the best way:

Prozac: I had nasty side effects with this and was only on it for two months. Nausea mainly, but also I had headaches. It didn't seem to help with my anxiety. I was taken off of it.

Zoloft: It made me feel very dissociated and mentally numb. I was taken off of it.

Effexor: I have to agree with this one...worst medication EVER, next to Zyprexa. I was only on this a week before I had to be taken off of it an hospitalized for suicidal thoughts.

Zyprexa: Honestly, it made me gain 10 pounds within two weeks. I'm not joking. After I quit taking it, the weight dropped off in a month.

Paxil: Probably the only medication that worked. While it had to be used with other medications, it stayed my main anti-depressant, because it reduced my panic attacks, and my depression was greatly helped.

Wellbutrin: Used with Paxil. Another medication that was very helpful. The time I was on Wellbutrin and Paxil, I was at my most stable mentally.

Seroquel: Used with Paxil and Wellbutrin. This was added on when my panic attacks started to return. Eventually the doctor thought the Wellbutrin had quit working and took me off of it. Seroquel...my main complaint...was the constant craving of food when the medication kicked in. Add to that being sleepy, so eating while half-asleep went hand-in-hand.

Risperdal: Given to me in place of the Seroquel. This threw me into a mental breakdown [panic attacks, anxiety, depression], and I was hospitalized again and taken off of it.

Abilify: This was given to me in the hospital. It didn't last long. I couldn't sleep, at all. After three days without sleep on a thorazine regimine, they took me off of it. They told me to go back on the Seroquel, and deal with the side effects. Pretty mean, right?

For a good year I was on Paxil, eventually dropping the Seroquel again after a couple months and dealing without it. I turned 19 years old. So I was on Paxil alone, but then it pooped out on me. Just quit working, period.

Lexapro: This replaced my Paxil. I honestly think I'm resistant to it. Whenever my old doctor would raise my dosage, I'd go crazy...mood swings, what I would come to know as severe mania's. So he would lower the dose back to 10mg, and keep it there. I still don't understand why my doctor's have kept me on this medication, because I've been fairly adamant that I don't think it's effective, but oh well.

Klonopin: This was given to me to reduce my panic disorder, which was running rampant. My old doctor didn't acknowledge my manias as manias, he called them mood swings. My new doctor would soon after tell me I was Bipolar NOS. The Klonopin was a bad idea and severe malpractice on my old doctor's part. He knew of my past addiction issues to opiates, so putting me on a benzodiazepine wasn't wise. Within a couple weeks, I was abusing it. I don't know exactly how it started, but I think I just wanted all my feelings to go away, so I took more and more. I eventually got angry when he told me he was just testing the waters of my addiction, because I had been clean for two years at that point. I ended up finding another doctor who helped me to get off of the stuff.

Lithium: Prescribed by my new doctor for my new diagnosis of Bipolar NOS. Worked great, reduction in all symptoms. He kept me on the Lexapro as well. Months later I would become Lithium toxic and had to be taken off of it. This is why your regular lithium level tests and thyroid tests are so important. Don't skip them, you can die from Lithium toxicity.

Gabitril: Before I was taken off the Lithium, I took this with it and the Lexapro. It's a dangerous medication with what's called a black box warning. It's an anti-seizure medication that can cause seizures in people who don't have seizures. But at my low dose, I never experienced it. I eventually quit taking this too after I became Lithium toxic, just because I felt like it didn't help with my anxiety like it was supposed to.

So now I am 20 years old and have a new doctor, because I have moved to a different state in the U.S. These are the medications I'm currently on, including the Lexapro:

Lamictal: Another anti-seizure med for my Bipolar being used with Lexapro. It has a black box warning for a severe, life-threatening rash. But it only happens if you skip a couple doses or if you increase your medication too fast. And honestly, after you get it, it takes two weeks to cause physical complications that can kill you. But after you get the rash, you can't take Lamictal anymore. I believe it's helping slightly. My mood swings still exist, but not to the extent as before. Not as good as the Lithium, but it's up there.

Trazodone: Supposed to help me sleep and lessen my anxiety if I take it during the day. Honestly doesn't work for both, so I'm going to see my doctor about being taken off of it.

Compazine: Given to me for anxiety and nausea associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This medication is a life saver. But as with all great miracle medications, there are health complications that arise from taking them. Compazine can cause Tardive Dyskinesia after prolonged usage of high doses. Check it out on Wikipedia.org for an explanation. The most simple explanation I can give is Parkinson's-like body twitches. But once you get them, they're there for the rest of your life, which is the danger of it. It works so great though with my nausea that I'm afraid to quit taking it.

So that's my med history basically. Maybe someone might find it helpful? But remember, med's are different for everyone. I've met plenty of people who have found the meds that harmed me to be a lifesaver for them. It really takes a lot of trial and error (as you can tell :P).

Please remember that these are just peoples opinions and what the drugs have done for them!!!!
What is wrong for one can be right for another.

I've been on 2 kinds of meds.

1. Lamictal: They put me on this when I was admitted into the hospital. Really didn't do me much good.

2. Mirtazapine: Which I'm on now. 2 reasons the doctor put me on it. 1. weigh gai, cause I lost weight from my jaw surgey. 2. I was complaining about sleeping issues. It does it' job there thats for sure. I don't like it all that much, cause I have this looming feeling of sluggishness, and sometimes I feel numb because of it. The numbness works both ways sometimes. I really don't care for it. I want something that will stop the sleepiness during the day. I bet I could adapt my sleeping time without it...

Citalopram - All it did was make me more suicidal

Prozac - Didnt really do anything, maybe make me a bit worser

Escitlopram - As above

Effexor - Guess it worked for a bit but i was suicidal on it, esp the higher doses, then it seemed to do nothing.

Seroquel - All it does is put me to sleep, thought its very hard to come off.

Effexor - all it did was make me worse

I, too, am pretty much anti medication. I think bipolar is really overdiagnosed. I haven't seen many ppl with full blown bipolar disorder at all.

Marte

Like what has been mentioned, this thread is simply to hear others opinoin and see if anyone has had simular experinces! please don't make any desions about any drugs based on these posts

~THANKS:-D

Effexor XR/Effexor - Worked, stopped working. Of course, I only realized it was working after it stopped working. Side effects, nausea, dizziness if I stood up too fast, but those went away after a while. Didn't really have any discontinuation syndrome though, so I feel lucky :)

Now on Lexapro, which might be working, not sure. No real side effects, which I like and don't like. I mean, at least with side effects, I know its doing something to my body. Yes, warped thinking, I know.

Im on Lamictal/lamotrigine...

I feel crappy but Ive only been on it for 2 and a half weeks so that maybe why

lexapro- no change

zoloft- kept increasing dose for like 6 months, with no change

in combination with zoloft at one time or another --seroquel, abilify, trazodone, geodon, resperdol, sonata, none helped

cymbalta- got rid of chronic headaches, but more depressed than ever, became suicidal, ended up in hospital

effexor xr- the drug from hell. i had graphic nightmares, shaky, dizzy, feverish, right now I'm coming off it, and by the grace of God, I've had no withdrawal

there is a petition to get Wyeth [the manufacturers of effexor] to be forced to put more serious warnings on the box/paper delivered with perscription. If you'd like, you can sign it here: http://www.petitiononline.com/effexor/

Right now I'm on Geodon and Wellbutrin XL.
I hate them both, but I guess they are kind of working.
I'm starting to feel a little bit better, at least.
I just got prescribed Trazodone for sleep, today.
But I haven't taken it yet, obviously.
So I don't know if it's any good. x]
Before this stuff, I've been on Luvox, Lexapro, Wellbutrin SR, Zyprexa, Risperdal, and Lamictal.

I loved the Lexapro and Wellbutrin SR combo, but had to be taken off it because of a manic episode. Hated the Lamictal. I didn't feel like myself when I was on it. Luvox Sucked. Zyprexa made me feel like a zombie. Risperdal was alright.

Seroxat (Paxil)- No change.

Fluoxetine (Prozac)- No change.

Citalopram- No major change, but my suicidal thoughts have begun to ease.

Promethazine- Did nothing.

Diazepam- Worked the first few times, then nothing unless I took a really high dose.

Lorazepam- Did nothing.

When are you supposed to expect your meds to start working ..?

My shrink always said 2-4 or 3-6 weeks, depending on the medication.

Oh right thanks. Ive been on lamictal for 3 weeks now. I think i am going on 37.5mg tomorrow. I feel more empty and lifeless than anything :(

Same thing here. After being at 200mg for a week, I felt a pretty big difference.

Right, when I was 13/14/15 I was on Sertraline for a while and then citalopram and then something else, I dont think any of them worked really.

Then in hospital when I was 16 they gave me Chlorpromazine :DDDD <I loved the stuff, it zonked me out but considering I wanted to be dead it was a happy medium for me. Then they put me on Prozac as well and I think it has helped but I fear I am getting used to it and as I am on the top dose of 60mg a day, I am a bit buggered in that they cant put it any higher. Also to cahnge and come onto another med would take months alone.

I have also been on zopiclone, lorazepam, temazepam, seroquel and diazepam. And all they did was make me tired!

I have been on nearly every medication that they make in the past 7 years, none of them have worked for me.

The only one that works is Seroquel for sleep, but it has to be at 300 MG or higher, and sometimes that’s not even enough.

I'm currently on a low dose of trileptal, which is working positively, planning on increasing the dosage later and adding some kind of anti depressant. Previously, I've had horrible experiences with medications. Keep in mind, I wasn't diagnosed with bipolar until later on in my treatment. Anyway, the first medication was zoloft. I was on that for about a month and my life was absolute hell. Anger, racing thoughts, impulsive-ness, suicidality, the works... I went of medication for 2 months or so (which wasn't fun at all) and then was put on topamax. Ha, that one was interesting. It caused me to swing from major depression to incredible mania (w/ psychosis; which is always a nice touch) and then back again. It was positive, I didn't binge once while on it, although I didn't eat much at all either - killed my appetite for anything (even water). That got to a dangerous point, and I was switched to pamelor. That was even worse than zoloft. In 2 days I was incredibly manic and almost overnight and I fell into this screwy mixed state (10x worse than zoloft experience). I went off of that, and was (finally) proposed the idea of having bipolar. No more ADs used alone, and was put on trileptal.

i was on zoloft for about 3 weeks before it started making me feel extremely suicidal so i was taken off it and still havent been put on anything else.

soph.

Escitalopram - no good at all. I've been on it for about 2 months and I think I'm actually getting worse =|

I´m on Mirtazapine (30 mg in the evenings) and Paroxetine (20 mg in the mornings) and they have stabilised me a lot but there are still weeks I am that sad and not motivated to do anything.

First, I only had taken Mirtazapine but that was not working well enough, so I started to take Paroxetine, too.

The side effects of Mirtazapine were heavy during the first weeks but then, they went away.

Since I have started with taking Paroxetine, too, I have been having very bad nightmares, so I might change my meds soon, although I am very afraid of doing this because now I am feeling quite O.K. the most time.

I've been told to take one pill a day, in the morning. But I have a really eratic sleeping pattern - One day I could wake up at 6am, the next I'll be asleep until 4pm!
So, should I be taking the pills at the same time every day? My doc knows about my sleeping patterns but didn't menton if it's important to be precise about the time.

First I was on a medication that was dissolvable because I had trouble swallowing pills, but I had an allergic reaction to that. I can't remember what it was called anymore. Then I was put on the cousin medicine of Lexapro. I can't remember the exact name, but I believe it started with a "P." I've finally managed to push that bad experience out of the center of my mind though, so I don't really want to delve into the memories to remember the name. It made me horribly on edge and I completely flipped out on it and I became very suicidal. I'd never been before that drug.

Then there was a series of trying several different medications. They tried an anti psychotic that I think started with a "T" that gave me horrible temors and made me constantly feeling violently sick. Then they moved on to Seraquil, on which I also had really bad tremors and made me constantly tired, like all I could do was sleep, that's all I had the energy for, and so I pitched a fit about that to my mom, and she in turn got so fed up with it that she demanded I be taken off of it. Seriously, if one of their main diagnosis symptoms for me was that I slept a lot, how does giving me something that makes me sleep more allow them to see if I'm ever out of it?

They put me on Welbutrin, which I was on for a while, and then also preceded to do the following:

Then there was something else they put me on, of which I have no idea what it was now. I can't even remember if it helped at all. All I remember is I was at home trying to carry a bowl of soup from the kitchen to the dining room, which was about 10 feet, but I couldn't do it because my arms, hands, whole body was shaking so bad, and so my mom made them take me off of that, and they switched me to respiderol. And then once again I had varying bad bodily symptoms and so I was relieved of taking anything other than Welbutrin.

I don't think Welbutrin worked very well for me. The psychiatrist thought it was because my acting became phenominal and I put on a huge facade and pretended I was soooo much better and that yes, I should be taken off of the medicine. But on that medication I lost the drive and determination to do what I love more than I ever had when I was supposedly severly depressed. I think I became better in tune with my emotions during that period, because I was seeing a therapist quite frequently, and therefore I was being taught how to deal with my emotions (until we switched therapists), and therefore I recognized my depression enough to hide it so I wouldn't have to go through another bout of medications. I know I've also had problems with mania, and I felt that more clearly on the medication, but I still haven't said anything about it. I think they took when I was manic as being happy, whereas before my mania was expressed in rage, because I learned so well how to mask my feelings.

Two years ago I was taken off the medication because even after several months of only being on welbutrin, I was starting to develop really bad tremors again. I was taken off of all medicine to see if that was the problem. They started to go away, so bingo, that was it. And ever since I've refused to go back on medicine. There were some who tried very hard. The crazy lady (what I call my ex-psychiatrist) even tried to put me on the stuff that had previously made me suicidal.

I don't personally believe medication is the right thing for me. At least not anti-depressants or anti-psychotics. I think there's something more than just depression, but I haven't been to a therapist in over a year so I haven't had anyone to discuss it with. I don't think any good came from my meds experience except maybe that I learned how to mask and twist my emotions in a way that they seem acceptable, even if I'm horribly depressed.

My brother was on meds too, for a longer time than I was. I saw very bad, negative personality effects on him too. I do not really have a very high opinion of medications, but I do know they help some people which I think is great, but I don't think they should be dispensed as the "end all, be all" solution as they seem to be. But I certainly don't think they should not be an option, because for some it is the best thing to help.

Zoloft = very good for me. I'm on the max dose of 200mg (was on 250mg), and i weigh 49kg. I find it does not FIX the problem, but it is a great support. I have NO SIDE EFFECTS (except for when i was on 250mg - it was just too much!)

Seroqual = okay. Did it's job, but the side effects make it not a happy drug :/

Abilify = MADE ME SUICIDAL. I believe that this was NOT coincidence and there was another stimulus. I truely believe that it did alter my thoughts and emotions in a very serious way. However, this is not documented at all! so just cus it happened to me it won't happen to you neccissarily!!!!

Chlorpromisine = very good. It is an old medication, but it does it's job very well. Without it i am very unwell!!!!

Xiprexer = AWFUL for me. I would fall asleep standing up. if i want to be knocked out Xiprexer will do it! haha.

Thats about it that i can remember OH....

Diazapam = be very cearfull. i have been addicted to it and it was not extremely hard to get off, but if you treat it right it can be a very usefull medication to have.


You must remember (as we've all been told a million times!), that everyone is different! what works for some, may not for others (and vise versa!)

To Treat my Depression:

Citalopram, I was given this aged 14 it made me self harm more often & worse than I previously was, it also made me suicidal = A big ZERO from me.

Zispin/Mirtazapine, soltabs/film coated tablets. Worked great for the first 2 weeks of taking them aged 17, until I started abusing them & using street drugs in addition. I made a big mistake telling my doctor about what I had been doing, & they were taken off me. At the time I would have given this a 2.

Zispin/Mirtazapine, film coated tablets,age 20 now under a new GP I've been re introduced to my old faithfull medication which works really well for my depression, but does not help my anxiety, as with all medications I do suffer from un-wanted side effects: Sensitivity to light & Muscle twitching. I'd give this an 8.

To Treat my anxiety:

Promazine, I have been on this just 2 days, it's working really well so far & I hope it continues to, another plus for me is no un-wanted side effects as yet. I'd give this a Massive 10.

To treat my High Blood Pressure:

Olmesartan medoxomil, prescribed aged 20 by my old GP. Worked too well, my blood pressure went too low, I felt dizzy & almost collapsed. I'm afraid a measly 1 from me.

Ramipril, prescribed aged 20 by my new GP. Works well keeps my blood pressure at a normal level, i suffer no side effects from this drug. I'd give this a massive 10.

Let's see. I've been on a lot of stuff. It's been hard because I'm 19, and when I started my body was still changing so meds didn't always work. They started thinking I was just depressed, then diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Plus anxiety issues.

Wellbutrin - first thing they tried because it's supposed to help stop addictions, so they did it for me for cutting. didn't notice a help.

Paxil - worked wonders for my depression for about a year, but then stopped.

Lexapro - had no effect on me, but worked wonders for my uncle.

Effexor - Worked slightly for me, but thought it was causing migraines so when I was hospitalized, they took me off it.

Prozac - Changed to prozac because it works well for my mother. Didn't feel any difference.

Zoloft - While the commercials always made me want to try it, it made my mood swings worse.

Buspar - For anxiety, I've never actually felt any difference. I was just taken off this week after being on it for over three years. It was always in combination with other meds.

Klonopin - I've been on it for a while, is amazing for my anxiety. I'm afraid it's going to be taken away because it's not ment for long time use.

Lamictal - For bipolar. Never really noticed anything, even at high dosages. Went off it for a while because my psych stopped seeing me, and when I restarted I got bad side effects. Lots of nausea. Not good.

Abilify - Used to help sleep at night and as a mood stabilizer. Gained 30 lbs in a month. Made me wake up in the middle of the night hungry like crazy, and I'd always eat.

Topamax - Never felt a difference. Now I wish I could be back on it because it's supposed to surpress your appitite.

Cymbalta - Noticed a difference right away. It was slight, but we're increasing it currently.

Seroquel - Help(ed) me sleep at night, not working so well anymore. Makes me hungry after I take it, so I tend to binge at night if I don't sleep right away. It sucks, but I just realized it, so hopefully I'll control it better. Mood is better, I'll be on it for a bit longer at least.

Plus I've got tons of meds from my neurologist for migraines. I don't even know most of them, though a lot are anti-psychotics.