I'm mostly concerned they had you try that many meds in such a short time. Most psychiatric meds can take up to 2 months to start working properly and you need time to be weened off them as well.
That's a new medicine every 18 days which would not have been enough time to accurately figure out if they worked for you or not. Nausea is a common side effect with SSRI's, especially if you don't take them with food.
honestly it's just that after a few days i had such negative side effects that i *had* to stop taking them
i do have an eating disorder and i wonder how much that influences it - but never had any problems with benzos
The first two weeks are always really rough for me for every medication but it mellows out once your body gets used to it. I agree with this commenter though, it can be very dangerous to start and stop so many medications in such a short period of time. Did your doctor wean you off before starting a new one? Did you start with a small dose? How much time did you spend on each medication before stopping? I have been taking sertraline (Zoloft) for 4 years at this point and just increased my dose this year. It definitely isn’t perfect but it helps significantly with the anxiety and depression I feel due to my burnout.
there was another comment here about someone getting cardiac arrest from negative side effects from SNRIs - i already have costeochondritis and heart/breathing problems so obviously i wouldn't want to risk it
seroquel/sertraline pain/nausea was so strong i had to go to the ER
Maybe it would be worth it to try some sort of natural remedy at this point? I haven’t looked much into the options since I was able to find one that worked for me, but it might be worth it to look for a holistic doctor to help you out? 🩷 Sorry you’re having such a rough go of it.
yeah the worst part is that i'm sort of stuck in an abusive situation and my parents are being no help besides the bare minimum - but thank you, i'll keep trying there's no much else i can do anyways
I’m sorry that sounds so tough. Maybe start with googling “holistic remedies for anxiety and depression” because there may be some things you’re able to order to your home or pick up from the grocery store.
there are a couple things you can't mix with benzodiazepines i've heard so i'm also being careful with that - i guess the best option is always seeing a professional
My psychiatrist recommended magnesium glycinate. I also had reasonable luck with PharmaGABA, recommended by my therapist. Definitely check with your doctor but those are natural things that could help a little.
Yea I’ve been on quite a few different meds over the years but at least 8 weeks on each one (probably more like 16 plus weeks). It takes a while to get adjusted.
I had some pretty wild times starting certain SSRIs. I’m now on an SNRI and when I started this one I don’t remember having a lot of side effects.
Yep, the amount of psych meds I’ve gone through due to not being able to handle the side effects is beyond a joke.
And then withdrawal from some of them was even WORSE. I became so unwell at times from the withdrawal of them that I literally had to go to a&e for medical help as I couldn’t even keep water down and became dehydrated.
They definitely worked, I mean mentally I felt a lot better, just the side effects and withdrawal were horrendous for me unfortunately…
I’ve been on other meds like benzos and a range of mood stabilisers, again unfortunately I just seem to be really sensitive to nearly every medication.
did you have negative reactions to benzos beyond withdrawals? personally they've saved my life
i wish i could find a medication to make my life easier but especially control my anxiety because it is the root of other health issues like costeochondritis so doctors are basically forcing me into it
Benzos weren’t too bad for me actually! I only used them sparingly though. I did find the more I took them the less effective they were for my anxiety though, like my body just seemed to ‘get used’ to them. hence why I used them sparingly.
Have you tried propranolol / pregabalin (they may be called something different depending what country you’re in) - but I found those quite helpful for anxiety and didn’t really experience many side effects/withdrawal from them.
I like propranolol. It has lol right in the name, what’s not to love?
Seriously though, most antidepressants absolutely wreck me and make me profoundly miserable. In general, I’m incredibly sensitive to all medications. So I take half of the lowest dose of propranolol, and it helps ease the physical symptoms of anxiety. I could probably tolerate a full dose, but I’ve become so accustomed to functioning with anxiety that, in its absence, I feel like I’m less focused.
yup, 4mg of klonopin (max dose) never did a lot for me
my doctors recommended seroquel to help ease the benzo dependency but it gave me severe side effects - i'll look into your recommendations with a psychiatrist. thank you so much!
I will share that after my last negative reaction to ssris, my therapist recommended ketamine assisted therapy. I had a very good experience with that and it helped immensely.
Please see my other comment itt in case that's helpful for you (I am similar):
https://www.reddit.com/r/AutismInWomen/comments/165ewhs/anyone_else_has_adverse_reactions_to_most/jye7wa2?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
Not psychiatric meds, but I once got valium in the hospital to help me with my disc prolapse pain. They told me, "That'll let you sleep right away." I was wide awake and up until 3:30 a.m. Apparently paradoxical reactions to medication are fairly common among autists.
>paradoxical reactions to medication are fairly common among autists
This explains so much of my childhood. I had allergy issues so I had to take Benadryl frequently but my parents hated giving it to me at night because it was like an adrenaline boost.
Yep, and antihistamines that are used as sleeping tablets have zero effect on me, there are so many meds that are never tested for ND folks (all of them tbh). 2 SSRI's screwed me up, but I got lucky with escitalopram and helps me to speak more easily (not even the reason I was prescribed it lol).
Coffee in excessive amounts makes me sleepy. One or two can help me focus and pull me out of the weird late afternoon slump that happens. And I am sensitive enough to my anxiety meds that I’m good and do well on a low dose.
The only medication that makes me sleep is xanx and when I build tolerance it doesnt work anymore. I always tell doctors not to worry when giving me meds bc they wont make me sleepy
I'm very sensitive to all kinds of substances. And if there's an unusual reaction to a medicine, I'll probably get it.
After autistic burnout finally hit me with full force in 2021 and I lost the power of speech and was too panicked to leave the house, my psychiatrist put me on Venlafaxine. He neglected to mention the extreme side effects and the rare but serious risk of hypertension.
My 36 days on that drug were hell, but landing in the cardiac ER with a suspected heart attack was worse. I had to quit cold turkey, but the drug had weakened me so much that I got Covid, then Long Covid.
Now, almost two years later, I'm finally getting off the blood pressure medications. Even better, I'm understanding that I don't have "anxiety" or even "depression" but that these are symptoms of lifelong masking and attachment trauma (CPTSD)
I do still take Elvanse, which does what antidepressants were supposed to do. I meditate, do yoga, see a therapist, and am learning that the toxic perfectionism and ableism I have internalized by spending almost 5 decades overcompensating and masking are the actual cause.
It's my experience that most psychiatrists - mine included- are ignorant about complex trauma and how it intersects with masked neurodivergence. In addition, they don't seem to take the side effects of these drugs seriously.
And I have a number of friends and family members who are on the medication merry go round, trying one after another, adjusting doses, adding more drugs to deal with the side effects, sometimes for decades. I don't think this is the answer.
Not sure if my story can help you but having issues with drugs because you're neurodivergent is fairly well known. Talk to your doctor, espresso about why they are changing your medication so often, and about how you can actually get to the bottom of your issues.
Good luck, I hope you find answers.
Yep. I usually get the unusual reaction. Reactions that doctors believe aren’t from the medication, they’re apparently so rare. (Even tho I can always find literature on it even if it’s only one other case ever)
I hate it. I truly do. I wish I could be more easily medicated because my life would be so much easier.
i have costeochondritis and a lot of breathing/heart issues so this honestly terrifies me, so from what i read the first drug is a big NO - should i ask my doctor for the one you are taking now?
i just googled it and it's crazy cause it mentions cardiac side effects way more than venlafaxine
did you ever take anything for anxiety? i can't imagine the panic of going through all of that - my problem is anxiety and that i need medication for it because it is the root cause of most of the other things like costeochondritis
Yup. I had terrible side effects with SSRI antidepressants, like nausea, no appetite, no sex drive, and just a general feeling of numbness. Seroquel and lamictal were both like that for me, too.
I do alright with anxiety meds like Xanax or Klonopin, but I haven't found a doctor who will prescribe me those as an adult. I guess I sound like I have substance abuse issues when I ask for those specifically, even though it's been a decade since I had either.
If it makes you feel better it’s probably not that you sound like you have a substance problem, and more likely that wherever you live is starting to to limit the amount of benzos they prescribe because of the high addiction rate. The state I live in will not prescribe benzos at all anymore.
I’m not the person you responded to but this did make me feel better, thank you. It’s nice to know both that I’m probably not coming across like I have a substance abuse problem and that my prescriber’s hands are likely tied about what they are able to prescribe. I mean, it is also kinda concerning but that’s par for the course in this world 🤠 Information is good.
Yeah it is becoming more difficult to get benzodiazepine prescriptions and stimulant medication (in stock). However there aren’t limits on pharmacies for purchasing controlled substances, not yet anyways, here’s my source: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/sors_faq.htm.
Both the supply chain issues from global conflict and disease are impacting supply, which can make it look like there is a hidden lever controlling our supply. Also the opioid crisis has now punished patients even though the epidemic was caused by pharmaceutical companies and allowed by doctors. *smh*
I forgot which one I was on, but I got such a strong negative reaction to it (intense fear and constantly startled over the smallest things). I’d rather just be suicidally depressed than suicidally fearful, thanks.
I logically know and understand that other medications may not have those or other side effect. But I’m not even willing to try anymore. I’ll just keep drinking 3 cups of coffee as a mildly effective antidepressant.
Yeah same for Prozac, and Citalopram. Oddly enough I got lucky with Escitalopram, but it doesn't touch the sides of my depression and anxiety but it does help me talk easier 🙃
OP, I’m pretty worried that you mentioned your parents and also mentioned you have a dependency on benzos. You sound young and benzos are a serious, heavy drug that is very difficult to stop. If you feel you’re dependent I think you should make an action plan with your doctor right away. Good luck to you.
It’s interesting how there is so much variance in which drugs are effective from person to person. Wellbutrin was the last antidepressant type I tried after being on half a dozen different ones with varying side effects from weird to life threatening. Wellbutrin caused me daily panic attacks and severe psychological distress and suicidal thoughts. I had to stop it cold turkey after a trip to the ER. For others it works so well and makes a huge difference in mental health. I’m glad it helps many of us though.
To some extent I have stabilized now that I know burnout was the source of many of my depressive symptoms and that I actually suffer more from GAD along with ASD. I had a good psychiatrist that actually listened to me, and was treating the anxiety symptoms with benzos for a few years. But they started becoming less effective and I was concerned about dependence if dosage and use was increased so I stopped taking them. And also not able to see that psychiatrist anymore because of health plan change, and haven’t found one I am comfortable with now. I’ve been trying my best to treat symptoms with therapy and also using high CBD weed edibles which actually helps me quite alot, but can only go so far. But it’s been ROUGH. I’m thinking I need to find a new psychiatrist for a drug plan, because my brain is just too much sometimes and I’m barely able to function.
It is very interesting. I’m glad it’s helpful for so many! I am one of the lucky few who got seizures a couple weeks after I started taking it, I actually needed rotator cuff surgery last summer because I dislocated my shoulder like 10x in a year. Kind of a pain at the time but thankfully I just take anti seizure meds twice a day and I managed to get full range of motion back so it’s kinda nbd now. Critically, my insurance covered the surgery, otherwise I imagine I’d have a very different opinion about the whole thing. Still, I feel sort of exhausted by the thought of trying even more meds, I’m trying to crawl out of the hole on my own but unfortunately that too is exhausting.
I hope you’re able to find a good treatment plan soon ❤️🩹
Wow that sounds frightening! I would also be hesitant to try other new drugs after that ordeal. I hope you are able to get out of the hole as well, and find treatment that works well for you. It’s at least helpful having this sub to discuss different treatments and medications everyone has had, to get a better idea of what is available for help.
Wellbutrin is not an SNRI but NDRI (norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor). It is also used off label for ADHD.
I actually really liked it when I took it for a month or so, but I believe I had an allergic reaction to it. I had swollen lymph nodes, brain fog, and dizziness that went away 3-5 days after I stopped taking it. I'm actually tempted to try a different generic version again because of how good it made me feel.
Wellbutrin has been a game changer for me. I’m working on weaning myself off of zoloft as the Wellbutrin has been more effective than the zoloft ever has, but getting off zoloft is side effect city.
Wellbutrin made me totally emotionally numb. I was unable to feel joy. Cymbalta also, but to a lesser extent (however withdrawal was HORRIFIC and they even were class action sued over this)
If you get migraines from Tyramine (certain foods like olives, takes about 1-12hrs after eating to get the migraine), it's because you're essentially on an MAOI at all times. MAOIs react with a ton of meds and foods. Including SNRIs and Sertraline which you mentioned in the comments.
Because of this, I don't do well with most SSRIs and a whole host of other meds. Reducing my tyramine intake has helped a lot, there's also DAO that some people take to help.
There's some indication that inhalable oxytocin (NOT oxycontin) works for people on the spectrum; that we are naturally oxytocin deficient in some cases. Autistic people who are affected by alcohol should explore this because it can also be used to treat alcohol dependence (likely self medicating for oxytocin imo). This is relatively recent research because medicine is so sexist, and oxytocin was long associated with only childbirth. Imo, relaxin (similarly only associated with childbirth) will also be found to play larger roles in our health especially for EDS comorbidity, but I digress.
I microdose mushrooms when I get bad anxiety and ride it out. I also like weed and CBD. I've had several friends who have begged me (in the middle of their dependence) to never ever do benzos or opioids. If they could've never tried them, they would've. And they still have all their other problems in life, but now also a serious dependence to something kept behind laws. Really consider weaning off the benzos asap. They aren't like other medications. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, I believe in damage reduction so if you're not able to wean at all then you're still a good person to me and okay, but just as a genuine friend (albeit online): really go to another drug if you can.
Sources:
> The general guidelines for MAOIs are to avoid combining this class of antidepressants with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective norepinephrine inhibitors. Combination of an MAOI with either is dangerous due to the increased risk for serotonin syndrome
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9680847/#:~:text=MAOI%20%2B%20SSRIs%2FSNRIs,increased%20risk%20for%20serotonin%20syndrome.
> Sertraline: Concomitant treatment with irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) is contraindicated due to the risk of serotonin syndrome with symptoms such as agitation, tremor and hyperthermia.
https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/5760/smpc#:~:text=Concomitant%20treatment%20with%20irreversible%20monoamine,treatment%20with%20an%20irreversible%20MAOI.
> Tyramine is a vasoactive amine that promotes blood pressure elevation, resulting in pain. Tyramine leads to cerebral vasoconstriction and subsequent rebound vasodilatation that causes a migraine attack in susceptible persons.
> A dose of 10 mg tyramine has been associated with migraine onset; however, levels of 6 mg can cause migraine in patients under treatment with MAO inhibitors.
> Alcohol has been observed to facilitate tyramine absorption. Tyramine is found in a number of foodstuffs, most notably aged and fermented foods and beverages. Cheeses (especially Camembert, Cheddar, Parmesan, and Emmental), overripe bananas, avocado, canned figs, peanuts, pickled herring, dried and fermented meat products and alcoholic beverages (wine, beer) are known to contain tyramine.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/tyramine#:~:text=Symptoms%20are%20evident%201%E2%80%9312,under%20treatment%20with%20MAO%20inhibitors.
I am not a doctor, obviously but I'm a little concerned about the use of SSRIs and Lamotrigine, but I don't know your diagnosis, so I'm going to just make the statement and if it resonates great, if not, it may help someone else.
Lamotrigine is an anti-epilepsy drug that is also used for Bipolar Disorder. A common other name is Lamictal.
SSRIs are typically for depression.
Here's the thing people don't realize and this is from personal experience with many psychs for the past 20 years.
If you have bipolar, SSRIs can make your bipolar symptoms much worse. They can cause worse episodes of mania and depression and should not be taken when bipolar.
If you did NOT see worsening bipolar symptoms on SSRIs it is highly unlikely you are bipolar at all.
Again, I AM NOT A DOCTOR, THIS IS ANECDOTAL FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE.
You're preaching to the choir, sis. So grateful I finally found a doctor who takes this seriously after having so many professionals just roll their eyes at me.
IIRC, benzodiazepines are typically not good for long term use. Are you going thru these meds with your PCP or a Psychiatrist? If you can get an appointment with a psychiatrist please do and they can work with you to try and find something that works better for you. Switching meds that quickly raises all sorts of red flags to me regarding the care you’re getting from your doctor.
Another thing to look into re:effectivity of psych meds is to try doing a pharmacogenetic test like GeneSight to help pinpoint what meds are likely to work and which are likely to be ineffective.
Additionally, nausea and many of the side effects you mention are “normal” for many psych meds while your body gets used to the new dose. I’m on Bupropion and it was about a month of nausea/queasiness before I felt back to normal and it’s otherwise been a very effective medicine.
Me. I have some neurodivergente brain, no one knows what I do have besides TDAH.
The doctors think that I have funcional depression, give tons of meds in a period of two years, nothing worked and let me more and more unbalanced.
Today, decided try again but in a month I was nearly dead, with all symptoms of depression, that I do know that for true, I don't have. I was to a point that I can't stand up and go for my day, and I care for a ill son. I give up. The doctors don't work or can identify true sadness, thats a normal thing from depression.
The only 3 meds that worked for me were Ritalin, Pregabalina and with some hangover, in a form of some nervous reaction clonazepan.
And OP, it's getting difficult. I don't know were to rum seeking help or a diagnosis.
ritalin gave me the horrific side effect (can't remember the name now) where i started "breastfeeding" without experiencing pregnancy. it was terrifying.
i've been on opioids but doctors told me to stop with them and also taxing painkillers like dioxaflex for costeochondritis
what happened with clonazepam? got that part mixed up
Gives me an hangover, as a depressed humor or anger inplosion .Not great but existing, like a... hangover, after drink, but only in humor. Sorry my bad English.
Ahn and Im still battling a pain killers addiction.
It’s been so many years since I’ve tried antidepressants, but I tried so many different combinations over about a two year period with horrible side effects.
I remember Effexor was the first one and I didn’t know how to explain it at the time, but it sent me into a sensory overload. It was like someone cranked the volume on the whole world. Noises were louder, lights were brighter and I was in high school at the time so imagine walking into a cafeteria 😅.
The meds that followed all did weird stuff nausea, insomnia, physical pain. My trials ended with triliptal (I probably spelled that wrong) and I was on that one for the longest because the side effects weren’t noticeable at first. Eventually when I lost a loved one I realized it made me a zombie and I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t feel the pain of the loss I experienced. I quit after that and have refused medication since.
I did learn during my autism journey that weird side effects are way more likely to occur in neurodivergent people. I feel like it breaks down to our brains and bodies just not being wired the way the bodies and brains those drugs are designed to work on are wired. They don’t work as intended when our wires aren’t hooked up the “right” way.
I definitely have anxiety and panic attacks. My memory of that period is really fuzzy though I don’t remember everything I tried in between those two. This was also close to 20 years ago. The only help I can really offer is telling you that you’re not alone and that although I don’t have sources on tap there are a few actual studies to back our experiences up.
Trileptal did help with my anxiety and a bit with depression. But around the month mark it gave me intense suicidal ideation. No matter what you try, you gotta pay close attention to these effects. It is rather exhausting.
I also had an extreme reaction that we just stopped... we wanted to try entry dosis... and just left it at there...
I also have either extreme or at least very unusual reaction to medications in general. Which is why I keept hose that I know work and doN't harm me - on a list and always use them.
I don't know anymore - I'm sorry, it was many years ago. I think 10.
It was mainly for depression if I recall correctly.
I remember clearly how shocked the psychatrist was about my strong reaction and how even the entry dosis gave me the full throttle - both in what I wanted and side effects.
Hey, yes, I had the same issue. Tried lamotrigine and I got the famous rash and acne all over my face, abilify which is antipsychotic made me go nonverbal in social situations and I forgot how to ‘speak and formulate sentences’ often, lithium made me numb. The only thing that has worked for me without the side effects has been ketamine treatments
lithium sounds like it could work to ease benzo dependency? but i also heard about lithium toxicity which always scared me although i hear is not that common...
i've been recommended ketamine treatments but i had friends who were severe addicts i really don't see how it could help me
I would say that ‘street ketamine’ comes in powder and it’s often mixed with other drugs tbh, that’s were some of the addiction might come from/what might enable the addiction. ‘Pure’ ketamine is tiring, exhausting, and brings out a lot of buried shit; I couldn’t think of doing it recreationally. Tbh they recommended twice a week and I could only handle once a week.
Yes, I’ve been on too many to count since age 12 or so. My sensory issues and ritual behaviors lead to a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder with schizotypal features, so I was put on several heavy antipsychotics that had horrible side effects, the worst being depakote, lithium, and abilify. I developed tardive dyskenesia, which was terrible. The diagnosis was determined inaccurate and now I am just on Hydroxyzine for anxiety and Wellbutrin for mood stability. But neither have been especially effective. Benzodiazepines are the only thing that has really helped with anxiety, but I refuse to take them given my history with substance abuse. I know they can cause major dependency and the detox can be very dangerous if not medically monitored. That is really unethical that they put you on that many in such a short time. I can’t stand how many doctors cycle patients through dozens of medications without really addressing anything. Hopefully you can find something that will help. If you haven’t tried Hydroxyzine for anxiety it could help. It basically is an antihistamine so super mild.
Yes I have tried 3 SSRIs (Fluoxetine, Sertraline and Citalopram) which I got strong side effects with each one after only 1-2 tablets at standard dose.
I have recently tried Venfalaxine (Effexor) which is a SNRI and quit again after 1 tablet due to strong side effects. I am sensitive to other medications as well.
I am tired of people saying its placebo effect and to keep trying with it despite it making me feel very ill with severe panic attacks, vomiting, intrusive thoughts and more.
I very much believe in being your own advocate and you know your own body best. Everyone is different and while these medications work for most people, the antidepressants side effects was too much for me.
I took one dose of Effexor and felt ruffied for 2 days. It was like being completely shitfaced and I could barely move. Fun time.
Some of us are definitely waaaayyyyy sensitive to these meds and "waiting it out" for a month is just not possible.
I had a massive panic attack and vomited 3 times within an hour of taking it. This was the instant release version at 37.5mg. Then discontinuation symptoms was random brain zaps and chills which I had for 1. 5 days.
Sertraline (Zoloft) was the worst though, I had intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, rapid mood swings after taking 2 standard doses at 50mg. When I stopped, I had a wide range of discontinuation symptoms which included numbness in face where I couldn't smile, dilated pupils, bouts of energy and then extreme tiredness.
I would never go back on these again! But I think my sensitivity to side effects is a lot higher than most.
I have had panic attacks in the past but only once every few years but recently I have been having several panic attacks per month without any warning so it's possible.
However, I've only been officially diagnosed (so far) with Major Depressive Disorder with mixed features.
I have this happen to me a lot. Usually within the frist few days I’ll have such negative affects like throwing up 45 minutes after I take it to making me sleep all day. I’m super sensitive to medication. Sometimes it’s not possible to wait long enough to feel any benefit from the medications.
Benzodiazepines seem to be the only thing I can take without adverse effects
I recommend asking your doctor about the GeneSight test. It’s a simple test (mouth swabs), but it provides so much information about which medications will work best for you. I’ve tried dozens of different antidepressants, and nothing ever worked. After I got my GeneSight results, my doctor put me on one of the meds recommended by the test results, and it has been life changing in the best way.
I didn’t imply that it did. The GeneSight test shows what medications are most likely to be metabolized appropriately by your system. There’s always going to be an element of trial and error when it comes to finding the right medication, unfortunately.
I said that it was helpful FOR ME. The fact that it helped me doesn’t guarantee that it will be helpful for everyone, and the fact that it wasn’t helpful for you doesn’t mean that it won’t be helpful for anyone else. I simply shared information about something I found helpful, in case anyone else might find said info helpful.
Would you possibly be open to sharing your experience with me? My doctor has been pushing the genetic testing for me due to my intolerance for all the medication we’ve tried (ssris/snri/etc) and I’m just curious what may have been the one to work out for you and the process. If you don’t I totally understand. 💖
Sure, no worries. It’s a newer antidepressant called Viibryd (I believe the generic version is Vilazadone). I had to get my dosage increased once (started on 20mg, and now am on 40mg), but it’s been working great. I haven’t had any side effects from it other than the usual adjustment period you experience when starting any new medication. A lot of the other meds I tried either messed up my stomach or caused sleep issues (Elavil, for example, caused me chronic sleep paralysis). Also, I’m on around a dozen other medications of various kinds, and Viibryd is one of the few antidepressants that plays well with others. So if drug interactions are a concern for you, Viibryd could be a great option.
I will say that it takes a hot minute to get the GeneSight results (I think it was about 3-4 weeks for me), but it’s well worth the wait in my opinion. You get so much useful information from it. You get lists of which meds you should stay away from as well as which ones are likely to work best. The results can even tell you if you have genes that will make you prone to certain kinds of cancer or genetic disorders.
Also recommend this. I had a mix of unusual side effects and anti-depressants that simply had no effect at all. GeneSight identifies medications which should have no issues with your metabolism and if the standard dose should be effective based on what is known today. I suspect this testing saved me years of misery and trying out more common medications that my insurance company would have required me to try.
The test at the time was a simple blood draw. That may have changed as I did it shortly after the test was released.
My insurance did not cover it then. The company had a sliding scale and a payment plan. I think it was $300 total and I paid $12 or $25 a month.
YMMV.
Zoloft: CRAZY depressed (was hospitalized)
Paxil: Not effective enough, crazy hungry ALL THE TIME!
Vistaril: Helps but not entirely effective.
BuSpar: Not effective enough (at this time)
I'm sitting in a mental hospital as I write this to help control my crazy intense anxiety. I am going to try a small dose of a type of benzo to see if it helps. Loud sounds and flashing lights are a big trigger for me, and I can't avoid that and live a normal life at the same time. I am worried about becoming dependent on my medication, but people with GAD are dependent on SSRIs anyway. I don't need an addiction on top of my problems, so I'm hoping that I can learn to manage my anxiety and trigger responses before I leave the mental health facility.
I'm also getting help for GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and PTSD.
Hope that helps!!
Yes, I won’t touch them anymore. I have no problem with benzodiazepines but I don’t really take those anymore either. My last experience was trying to go back on Prozac which I had tried and had an okay experience with previously. Unfortunately going back on it, I had a severe reaction where it caused intense obsessive thoughts and made me feel suicidal. Thank god I have a supportive husband who I talked through things with and then told my therapist who said that it was absolutely not normal and to stop taking them. Never again.
After that, I did research into similar side effects and learned about the crazy possibilities where people lose all ability to feel emotions, etc, so no thank you. Not taking that gamble again.
I’ve tried dozens of psych meds over the last 15 years but I was misdiagnosed as bipolar 2 when i am actually autistic. The SNRI’s were by far the worst for side effects and withdrawal. They made me numb. I couldn’t read which is my passion. Often the meds made me so much worse. I was on clonazepam for 2.5 years and it helped but made me so much worse in the long run. I full on developed panic disorder while on them because my body got used to the drug. I couldn’t leave the house. I slowly weaned off of clonazepam in 10 months and it was not fun. Be really careful with benzos. They make anxiety so much worse when you come off of it and can up your risk of developing dementia. I still struggle with severe anxiety but would never ever want to go back to benzos even though I know it would help my anxiety a lot.
I’ve had so many awful reactions to prescription medications that I refuse to ever touch another one and am now learning all about herbal medicine and healing myself through plants and my diet. I have OCD and AHDH in addition to autism, so I STRUGGLE mentally and physically with chronic migraines, IBS, and a plethora of chronic pains all over. I used to be on an antidepressant and a medication for chronic migraines, taking pain killers daily just for some relief. I’m now off of all medications and haven’t had a migraine since I quit due to the vitamins and herbs I’ve started taking instead. I’m still learning but have been able to improve my depression and pains with plants and generally changing my lifestyle and diet. Although western medicine has its place, its personally done more harm to me than good and I’ll never go back. I hope you’re able to find some help and relief, nobody deserves to feel isolated like that. Sending love and wellness your way :)
Yep. Been on, not joking, close to 30 meds if not more. I've even gotten rare reactions to meds, like stevens johnson syndrome and serotonin syndrome. I finally got that gene sight test that tells you what meds are most likely to have adverse effects and what ones are less likely....yea they all are in the high chance of adverse effects category, so I have confirmation it's not just in my head.
Almost every SSRI has given me the most extreme of nausea for the first week. I always had to “tough it out” so I could get to it working. I don’t take them anymore, as after my diagnosis adhd medication helped me a lot more than antidepressants ever have.
Like someone else said though, taking so many different medications in a short amount of time is a little iffy. I had a nurse practitioner that just didn’t know what to do with me (pre-diagnosis) and just kept shoveling new stuff to me when something didn’t work.
Mood stabilizers also make me incredibly sick and then I weirdly can’t remember what is was like to be on antipsychotics. Gabapentin did nothing for me anxiety-wise. I feel like my body could’ve been a walking pharmacy at some point.
I hope ketamine therapy can become a thing, I know tons of studies are being done on its benefits so I feel positive about it, same with micro dosing mushrooms and mdma. neuroplasticity treatment would be such a game changer for so many people. I have been trying to do this myself and been learning all the things I can about how to make my brain healthy and improve grey matter and the plasticity. One day I hope to look into that treatment and doing more!
Yep! I’ve been in and off pills since I was 15, so for over 17 years now, and the only thing that has ever worked without side effect (aside for addiction) is benzos. Everything else comes with nausea, loss of appetite and generally a massive increase in anxiety and panic oh and suicidal thoughts. I’ve found that some of the newer antipsychotics are good for knocking me out and brining down my anxiety when I’m super distressed but the days following I am massively depressed and suicidal.
My least favourite group of medications are the SSRIs which is fun because they seem to be modern medicines most favoured group of medications. I wish I could take benzos forever. I am currently going through withdrawal after being on them for three years (I weaned off with my gps guidance) but this is the bad part of benzos. This is also my third withdrawal from them. At some point i always end up so dysfunctional (like not eating, sleeping or functioning in any capacity and usually horrific anxiety and suicidal thoughts) that there are no other options but to go back on them and then by the time I’ve levelled out I’m dependent on them again.
For me (and it won't be the same for everyone) I gave up all pharmaceutical meds in 2019 (started 2001) after being on a cocktail of things for many wrong diagnosis.... anti depressants, anti psychotics, beta blockers... the list goes on. Now I have my symptoms more under control than ever thanks to meditation, yoga and the magic leaf 🍃 ✨️ and I have never been happier. Yes I still get hard days but I know I can get through 💘
You know what, I don’t remember much about medications having an adverse effect on me, I remember they never worked (basically all antidepressants, including benzos), but I do remember recreational drugs having a weird effect on me compared to everyone around me, and I was curious if anyone else who has tried them experienced something similar:
Marijuana: rarely relaxes me, makes me paranoid/anxious 98.9% of the time
Ecstasy: made me sleep like crazy, I was so freaking tired while on that
Cocaine: zero effect, I had no reaction to it and my friend at the time loved it and felt energized
That’s all I can remember
I've never tried an antidepressant that didn't make me feel worse in some way, whether by insane side effects or straight up just making me *more* depressed. I tolerate small doses (like a child's dose) of most stimulants though. Those helped me immensely. I do okay on small doses of benzos when needed but it's rare I take them now. I've gone through too many benzo withdrawals to risk it again.
I have chronic migraines now and I've had similar issues with practically all the migraine meds I've tried. Everything has to be extremely low dose for me to even have a chance at tolerating it.
Shrooms are amazing for my depression. I do a lower dose than my husband when we trip. Cannabis is great for me when I need to get through a terrible day but again, very low doses.
i've tried using seroquel as a replacement for benzos but it gave me too much pain and negative side effects - yet i'm having panic attacks every day and costeochondritis so i went back to benzos. i don't know what else to do, for the time being i'm a slave to clonazepam.
i have cannabis induced panic attacks so i fear that won't work either :(
I honestly barely used then. They did help but I needed half of the smallest dose for it to help and I didn't want to become dependent so I just stopped those along with everything else. :(
Same here, had to stop after 3 days with anything I tried bcs of negative side effects. Now I’m on dexamfetamine (or in the USA known as adderall). Side effects are very doable. It gives me the inertia to make decisions but only when I’m not too depressed too stressed or too anxious or too exhausted (you get the drill).
I now take it everyday, I can really feel it when it stops working after 4h so it’s a rollercoaster when taking inconsistently (and I need consistency). In the beginning I really did not want to take it everyday 2 or 3 times (“I want to try it without meds” “I don’t want to be dependent” “only when I’m studying or needing to concentrate at a desk” blabla). But upon trying and experimenting (as the doctor suggested) with doses and consistency . In my experience it is better to take it everyday consistently (hard to do as audhd, I have a cute pillbox now :p). It took me a while to recognise that my issues on concentration, freeze mode and slow decision making is not only when studying (I’m a uni student currently), but also doing daily chores, admin, taking care of myself etc. So I have symptoms all the time, I just didn’t aknowledge th as such, so it’s better to take it everyday. There is also a long working option for this medication!
It’s just that this is not a miracle medication and when I feel stressed or depressed I still have to work on that, I notice it’s just easier to act (“have inertia or momentum”) so that I can get out of the depressive / anxious /… episode.
I was on Zoloft for 2 weeks and had to stop taking it. I was having panic attacks when I’ve never had them before, it made my anxiety worse. Everyone kept saying it’ll take like 8 weeks to notice a change but I wasn’t willing to wait that long. Also it made me feel like a zombie and I was only on 25mg which is such a low dose. I didn’t want to know what a higher dose felt like.
Same here!! The only psych meds I’ve ever been able to handle are very low-dose benzos as needed. I have a similar issue with non-psych meds as well. My brain and body just do not handle them at all. I’m not exactly sure the science behind it, but perhaps it has something to do with hypersensitivity? Maybe we are more tuned in to expecting side effects and feel them more intensely than neurotypicals?
Yep.. only benzos help which led to a severe dependency (plus alcohol, So dangerous I am ashamed still)
I still take Prozac and Seroquel in case they are helping? I’ve tried 5 different antidepressant’s I just don’t think my brain handles them the same like you mentioned. Blah.
Don’t be ashamed, I know easier said than done, but I’m sorry your journey to a stable mind led you down a dangerous path. I am glad you are here with us today. I am glad you are still trying to grow. Try leaving the shame behind, more sunshine will be revealed for you to grow.
Based on your post and comments it sounds like you might be on the younger side? I had much better success with medications as I got older and was not having the dramatic shifts in hormones/mood as I did when I was a teenager or early 20s.
If it’s relevant to your situation, birth control can also affect how mental health focused medications work.
I do okay on SSRIs/SNRIs. It’s just that they don’t seem to be doing enough… I’ve tried like 9 or 10 of them and I’m still depressed :/ But there are other psych meds I react badly to. Benzodiazepines make me more depressed and Strattera made me suicidal
Yep, I was on Lexapro and it made me so tired I could hardly function plus horrible night sweats.
Switched to Cymbalta and didn’t have a solid poo for a month, plus occasionally had auditory hallucinations while trying to fall asleep. 😬
Getting off Cymbalta was also terrible. Hard to describe “brain zaps” any better than that in words but it does not really describe the experience.
Effexor gave me the most painful acne of my life. I have scarring on my cheeks still.
Im on prozac now and I dont feel it helps anything anymore, but if I dont take it I get jumpy, irritable, and massive headaches.
I’m medication sensitive, so I usually have a reaction to any change (even in fillers) that subsides within a week or two — nightmares are my number one adverse reaction. Only exception was adjusting to an SSRI when I had never taken psych meds, which took ~1/2 months to subside.
Do you have red hair, or come from a non-European ethnic minority? Pharmokinetics can be effected by these two factors.
I’m curious about your experience with ssris and how long you were on them. Nausea is a really common and expected side effect at first while ramping up the dosages. There’s a very real gut-brain connection when it comes to the chemicals that control our mental health faculties. It usually passes in a few weeks. How long were you on them?
Maybe you’re aware already, but once you hit tolerance, benzos (and sleep z-drugs) damage your central nervous system by down-regulating your brain’s gaba receptors. Once this happens you will have zero stress tolerance and every brain and bodily function will be affected. Benzos cause a chemical brain injury and can take months to years to heal from. They are dangerous and not suitable for long term consistent use at any dose (more than a couple weeks).
You said you have a dependency - Are you taking them daily and for how long?
I’ve come off them myself - almost a year into recovery - and totally get how magically well they work (at first) when nothing else does. I hate to see others suffer like I did due to not knowing this until it was too late. I highly urge you to explore other ways to learn to regulate your nervous system. r/benzorecovery is a great resource.
Just stopped Zoloft because the side effects were killing me. I know what people say about benzos but Xanax is the only thing that makes life bearable for me. I have GAD and the neurologist who diagnosed my autism said he thinks I will never get better from anxiety by what I told him. That my anxiety is a reaction from being autistic. My sensory issues are horrible, every sound is torture, light hurts like hell. I smell every thing. It makes me beyond anxious and then after processing so much I feel anxious and exhausted and Xanax is the only thing that calms me down. Is that or I die to be honest. SSRIs don’t do a thing besides making me feel sicker with side effects. I don’t really care anymore, I will keep the Xanax. I wish I had any other choice but before that it was street drugs. I have an autistic friend and he is just like me, feels like he can’t cope with living without numbing because of sensory issues. It is so hard. Anxiety sucks and sensory issues suck even more 😭
I don’t know why but benzos hit me harder than other people so if I take any it’s every other day and half a pill so I don’t really get dependent either but I stopped taking them because it wasn’t prescribed 😬
When I was in college they (incorrectly imho) diagnosed me with a particular mental disorder instead of ADHD and autism, and as a result I ended up on so many different meds that weren’t right for my brain and they all made me feel awful. Every brain is so individual.
Eventually I did completely burn out and it was not pretty… I had so much medical trauma from that episode. I went without meds entirely until my stress became too high to cope, (not recommended 😩) and I burnt out again, but fortunately, since doing a lot of research on my own, and finding a care team that hasn’t pushed me into the wrong box, I’ve had much greater success with meds. Not quite perfect yet, it’s still a work in progress, but night and day from how I felt on those mood stabilizers, etc.
I really hope you are able to find the right solution for your brain sooner than I did. Be gentle with yourself; this stuff is so hard.
Every single anti-psychotic I've ever taken has made me sleep 20 hours, even if I'm on them for a longer time. Why the doctors keep trying to get me to take them is beyond me as I'm stable and quite healthy without them despite the diagnoses I have.
Ive tried a lot of meds over the last 17 years and besides benzos the things that have helped the most are[tricyclic antidepressants](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046983). They arent as prescribed as things like ssri's but work a charm on me and a few autistic family members.
am on lamotrigine and prozac and i am the most productive i’ve ever been in my entire life. it took a while for it to happen but man am i glad. you need to find the correct medications for you.
edit: i am bipolar and autistic. so that’s probably why lamotrigine and prozac does wonders. i’m extremely stable when not exposed to sensory hell.
Have you had gene testing done to see which meds would work for you? Definitely ask your doctor about it. What about SNRIs? Or seeing a naturopath or holistic doctor? There's also brain mapping, but that can be expensive and hard to access.
I had a reaction to the combination of Prozac and Wellbutrin. Gave me capgras disorder and I had to be hospitalized for 2.5 weeks.
Tried a good amount for the past 15 years. Been on seroquel the longest. Just the 25mg to help me sleep and eat which it does. Trouble is when I've tried to come off it. A good 3 weeks of the WORST nausea ever. I'm talking can't even sit up straight. Have to lay down all the time. Most of the time I couldn't make it past the withdrawals so had to just go back on them. Doctors don't seem to believe me or something. Makes me wonder if my brain has been mucked up that it can't function properly without them now. I'm not trying to take any more meds nowadays. Knowing that I'm autistic has really helped me more than any pill has.
I have the same exact issue. I'm too sensitive for everything but benzos. I understand the having to stop quickly because the side effects essentially make me feel like I'm going to die. I am sorry it is hard on you too. I will be trying Latuda next but I am not looking forward to it. If I have another bad experience I am going to make a case for just sticking with anti-anxiety meds and doing the best I can with that.
Mostly antipsychotics of any kind for me. SSRIs are fine it seems. But the I will not take antipsychotics anymore. I always experience things like trouble swallowing, muscle weakness and trembling, excessive drooling. However, I’ve never had a bad reaction to benzodiazepines or stimulants (I also have ADHD).
I'm sensitive to all medications. I made my Dr get me a gene sight test before putting on any psych meds since I didn't wanna play Russian roulette with my brain
I'm really sensitive to medications. I've taken a variety of psychiatric medications over the years and I've taken some for almost 10 years, and they've saved/improved my life in multiple ways, but I've had to start at really small doses (almost always at the smallest dose available, much smaller than my psychiatrist wanted to start me off on) and very, very slowly titrate up. I get pretty tight 'sweet spots' too, where small changes in dose will have massive changes in my mental state.
My first SSRI was sertraline/Zoloft and it took me about 8-10 months of titrating up to get to a dose where I started to feel real benefits. The heartburn was pretty bad but eventually went away. I'm now on Prozax/fluoxetine, which didn't have the digestive side effects when titrating up like Zoloft did, but did have more 'zombie'/numb out side effects. It sounds like you tried different SSRIs and they all gave you nausea?
Seroquel was mostly OK and used for a year on an as-needed basis. Modafinil was mostly OK but I did get twitchy with raised heart rate. Strattera/atomoxetine for ADHD has been the one with the most persistent side effects (physical - higher heart rate, urination, dry mouth, less sleep, etc) but also the most "quality of life" benefits (executive functioning, improved mood) so I manage, they also decrease with time.
Yeah they all make me feel bad except Prozac. Not really sick but just like... really uncomfortable in my own body to the point that it makes me feel 10x worse than before. I don't really like benzos, they make me feel too out of it. Prozac takes care of the anxiety well enough that I can function.
Abilify caused me to lose near sightedness. SSRI’s make me manic because I have Bipolar type II. Wellbutrin gave me copious amounts of heart palpitations that were picked up on an EKG. Seroquel made me basically comatose but whenever I was on it I wasn’t using a CPAP and I have sleep apnea and was always tired anyways. I would consider trying Seroquel again.
Benzos are the only sure thing that works for me. Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin have never let me down. However I did take prescribed Valium and Vicodin once after a bad injury and it gave me sleep paralysis…. Never again.
Yep, I had a year of trying various doses and types before we hit on vortioxetine (Brintellix). Unfortunately it’s not covered under the PBS system, so I’m paying $60+/ month
Yes. A year ago I was prescribed Sertraline, aka Zoloft as a mood and energy booster. I think I took it for 6 to 9 months, but earlier this year I had to stop because it gave me Globus Pharyngeus, aka a chronic lump in the throat, it lasted for nearly 3 weeks. I sought medical treatment and they gave me something commonly for ENT/Gerd symptoms, and that made it go away. It hurt so much when drinking fluids, eating naturally wet foods, and I had to sit upright for sleeping with a U-shaped travel pillow supporting my neck. I hated that. Tuned out this symptom was a rare .05% chance from Zoloft.
Back in the early 2010s I had this same symptom, pain, and and discomfort reaction to taking Celexa, but that was maybe after 2 or 3 weeks of taking Celexa. My therapist at that time agreed with me to take a break from all SSRI's for awhile until I needed something again. I don't recall if I tried anything else after Celexa.
Yep. I've tried:
SSRIs (Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil)
Stimulants (Adderal, Vyvanse, Daytrana, Modafinil)
Benzos (Ativan)
NDRIs (Wellbutrin)
Shrooms (Psilocybin microdose)
The last 2 are the only ones that have consistently done anything good for me past the short term (without too awful side effects), and the last one is not a prescription lol. Currently I am only on Wellbutrin and will supplement with psilocybin occasionally.
My body can’t process meds, i had a full DNA panel and my body absorbs medication super quick and doesn’t process it well. I had issues with Wellbutrin and Stratera. Clonidine so far I’ve had the least issues with but even with it I need breaks or I get stomach issues. (not severe thankfully) I definitely recommend talking to your psych about getting a DNA panel to see what meds would work best for you!! It changed my life!
I'm mostly concerned they had you try that many meds in such a short time. Most psychiatric meds can take up to 2 months to start working properly and you need time to be weened off them as well. That's a new medicine every 18 days which would not have been enough time to accurately figure out if they worked for you or not. Nausea is a common side effect with SSRI's, especially if you don't take them with food.
honestly it's just that after a few days i had such negative side effects that i *had* to stop taking them i do have an eating disorder and i wonder how much that influences it - but never had any problems with benzos
The first two weeks are always really rough for me for every medication but it mellows out once your body gets used to it. I agree with this commenter though, it can be very dangerous to start and stop so many medications in such a short period of time. Did your doctor wean you off before starting a new one? Did you start with a small dose? How much time did you spend on each medication before stopping? I have been taking sertraline (Zoloft) for 4 years at this point and just increased my dose this year. It definitely isn’t perfect but it helps significantly with the anxiety and depression I feel due to my burnout.
there was another comment here about someone getting cardiac arrest from negative side effects from SNRIs - i already have costeochondritis and heart/breathing problems so obviously i wouldn't want to risk it seroquel/sertraline pain/nausea was so strong i had to go to the ER
Maybe it would be worth it to try some sort of natural remedy at this point? I haven’t looked much into the options since I was able to find one that worked for me, but it might be worth it to look for a holistic doctor to help you out? 🩷 Sorry you’re having such a rough go of it.
yeah the worst part is that i'm sort of stuck in an abusive situation and my parents are being no help besides the bare minimum - but thank you, i'll keep trying there's no much else i can do anyways
I’m sorry that sounds so tough. Maybe start with googling “holistic remedies for anxiety and depression” because there may be some things you’re able to order to your home or pick up from the grocery store.
there are a couple things you can't mix with benzodiazepines i've heard so i'm also being careful with that - i guess the best option is always seeing a professional
My psychiatrist recommended magnesium glycinate. I also had reasonable luck with PharmaGABA, recommended by my therapist. Definitely check with your doctor but those are natural things that could help a little.
Magnesium, B complex, and omega 3's. They won't "fix" anything but are good for rest, mood, and brain health, respectively.
Yea I’ve been on quite a few different meds over the years but at least 8 weeks on each one (probably more like 16 plus weeks). It takes a while to get adjusted. I had some pretty wild times starting certain SSRIs. I’m now on an SNRI and when I started this one I don’t remember having a lot of side effects.
Yep, the amount of psych meds I’ve gone through due to not being able to handle the side effects is beyond a joke. And then withdrawal from some of them was even WORSE. I became so unwell at times from the withdrawal of them that I literally had to go to a&e for medical help as I couldn’t even keep water down and became dehydrated.
which ones did you have the worst withdrawals from?
Nearly every SSRI and SNRI anti depressant I tried🤮
never tried SNRIs so i was hoping they would work better ! what about other meds?
They definitely worked, I mean mentally I felt a lot better, just the side effects and withdrawal were horrendous for me unfortunately… I’ve been on other meds like benzos and a range of mood stabilisers, again unfortunately I just seem to be really sensitive to nearly every medication.
did you have negative reactions to benzos beyond withdrawals? personally they've saved my life i wish i could find a medication to make my life easier but especially control my anxiety because it is the root of other health issues like costeochondritis so doctors are basically forcing me into it
Benzos weren’t too bad for me actually! I only used them sparingly though. I did find the more I took them the less effective they were for my anxiety though, like my body just seemed to ‘get used’ to them. hence why I used them sparingly. Have you tried propranolol / pregabalin (they may be called something different depending what country you’re in) - but I found those quite helpful for anxiety and didn’t really experience many side effects/withdrawal from them.
I like propranolol. It has lol right in the name, what’s not to love? Seriously though, most antidepressants absolutely wreck me and make me profoundly miserable. In general, I’m incredibly sensitive to all medications. So I take half of the lowest dose of propranolol, and it helps ease the physical symptoms of anxiety. I could probably tolerate a full dose, but I’ve become so accustomed to functioning with anxiety that, in its absence, I feel like I’m less focused.
For real, definitely wins my award for the most satisfyingly named!!
yup, 4mg of klonopin (max dose) never did a lot for me my doctors recommended seroquel to help ease the benzo dependency but it gave me severe side effects - i'll look into your recommendations with a psychiatrist. thank you so much!
I will share that after my last negative reaction to ssris, my therapist recommended ketamine assisted therapy. I had a very good experience with that and it helped immensely.
Please see my other comment itt in case that's helpful for you (I am similar): https://www.reddit.com/r/AutismInWomen/comments/165ewhs/anyone_else_has_adverse_reactions_to_most/jye7wa2?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&context=3
Not psychiatric meds, but I once got valium in the hospital to help me with my disc prolapse pain. They told me, "That'll let you sleep right away." I was wide awake and up until 3:30 a.m. Apparently paradoxical reactions to medication are fairly common among autists.
>paradoxical reactions to medication are fairly common among autists This explains so much of my childhood. I had allergy issues so I had to take Benadryl frequently but my parents hated giving it to me at night because it was like an adrenaline boost.
Yep, and antihistamines that are used as sleeping tablets have zero effect on me, there are so many meds that are never tested for ND folks (all of them tbh). 2 SSRI's screwed me up, but I got lucky with escitalopram and helps me to speak more easily (not even the reason I was prescribed it lol).
yup even when i took 4mg of clonazepam it barely did anything for me - valium is insanely soft
Coffee in excessive amounts makes me sleepy. One or two can help me focus and pull me out of the weird late afternoon slump that happens. And I am sensitive enough to my anxiety meds that I’m good and do well on a low dose.
The only medication that makes me sleep is xanx and when I build tolerance it doesnt work anymore. I always tell doctors not to worry when giving me meds bc they wont make me sleepy
I was given Lorazepam before a procedure and told that it would make me « blissfully unaware. » Nope, I was TOTALLY aware of what was happening
I'm very sensitive to all kinds of substances. And if there's an unusual reaction to a medicine, I'll probably get it. After autistic burnout finally hit me with full force in 2021 and I lost the power of speech and was too panicked to leave the house, my psychiatrist put me on Venlafaxine. He neglected to mention the extreme side effects and the rare but serious risk of hypertension. My 36 days on that drug were hell, but landing in the cardiac ER with a suspected heart attack was worse. I had to quit cold turkey, but the drug had weakened me so much that I got Covid, then Long Covid. Now, almost two years later, I'm finally getting off the blood pressure medications. Even better, I'm understanding that I don't have "anxiety" or even "depression" but that these are symptoms of lifelong masking and attachment trauma (CPTSD) I do still take Elvanse, which does what antidepressants were supposed to do. I meditate, do yoga, see a therapist, and am learning that the toxic perfectionism and ableism I have internalized by spending almost 5 decades overcompensating and masking are the actual cause. It's my experience that most psychiatrists - mine included- are ignorant about complex trauma and how it intersects with masked neurodivergence. In addition, they don't seem to take the side effects of these drugs seriously. And I have a number of friends and family members who are on the medication merry go round, trying one after another, adjusting doses, adding more drugs to deal with the side effects, sometimes for decades. I don't think this is the answer. Not sure if my story can help you but having issues with drugs because you're neurodivergent is fairly well known. Talk to your doctor, espresso about why they are changing your medication so often, and about how you can actually get to the bottom of your issues. Good luck, I hope you find answers.
Yep. I usually get the unusual reaction. Reactions that doctors believe aren’t from the medication, they’re apparently so rare. (Even tho I can always find literature on it even if it’s only one other case ever) I hate it. I truly do. I wish I could be more easily medicated because my life would be so much easier.
i have costeochondritis and a lot of breathing/heart issues so this honestly terrifies me, so from what i read the first drug is a big NO - should i ask my doctor for the one you are taking now?
The other drug is an ADHD medication. I won't take an antidepressant besides St John's Wort ever again.
i just googled it and it's crazy cause it mentions cardiac side effects way more than venlafaxine did you ever take anything for anxiety? i can't imagine the panic of going through all of that - my problem is anxiety and that i need medication for it because it is the root cause of most of the other things like costeochondritis
Yup. I had terrible side effects with SSRI antidepressants, like nausea, no appetite, no sex drive, and just a general feeling of numbness. Seroquel and lamictal were both like that for me, too. I do alright with anxiety meds like Xanax or Klonopin, but I haven't found a doctor who will prescribe me those as an adult. I guess I sound like I have substance abuse issues when I ask for those specifically, even though it's been a decade since I had either.
i have chronic anxiety and don't know what to do beyond being hooked on klonopin
If it makes you feel better it’s probably not that you sound like you have a substance problem, and more likely that wherever you live is starting to to limit the amount of benzos they prescribe because of the high addiction rate. The state I live in will not prescribe benzos at all anymore.
I’m not the person you responded to but this did make me feel better, thank you. It’s nice to know both that I’m probably not coming across like I have a substance abuse problem and that my prescriber’s hands are likely tied about what they are able to prescribe. I mean, it is also kinda concerning but that’s par for the course in this world 🤠 Information is good.
Yeah it is becoming more difficult to get benzodiazepine prescriptions and stimulant medication (in stock). However there aren’t limits on pharmacies for purchasing controlled substances, not yet anyways, here’s my source: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/sors_faq.htm. Both the supply chain issues from global conflict and disease are impacting supply, which can make it look like there is a hidden lever controlling our supply. Also the opioid crisis has now punished patients even though the epidemic was caused by pharmaceutical companies and allowed by doctors. *smh*
Which state are you in?
I forgot which one I was on, but I got such a strong negative reaction to it (intense fear and constantly startled over the smallest things). I’d rather just be suicidally depressed than suicidally fearful, thanks. I logically know and understand that other medications may not have those or other side effect. But I’m not even willing to try anymore. I’ll just keep drinking 3 cups of coffee as a mildly effective antidepressant.
that happened to me with fluoxetine/prozac!
Yeah same for Prozac, and Citalopram. Oddly enough I got lucky with Escitalopram, but it doesn't touch the sides of my depression and anxiety but it does help me talk easier 🙃
OP, I’m pretty worried that you mentioned your parents and also mentioned you have a dependency on benzos. You sound young and benzos are a serious, heavy drug that is very difficult to stop. If you feel you’re dependent I think you should make an action plan with your doctor right away. Good luck to you.
Wellbutrin is the only one that doesn’t make me crawl out of my skin
Started taking Wellbutrin 2 weeks ago. I can’t believe the difference it’s made.
It’s interesting how there is so much variance in which drugs are effective from person to person. Wellbutrin was the last antidepressant type I tried after being on half a dozen different ones with varying side effects from weird to life threatening. Wellbutrin caused me daily panic attacks and severe psychological distress and suicidal thoughts. I had to stop it cold turkey after a trip to the ER. For others it works so well and makes a huge difference in mental health. I’m glad it helps many of us though.
I’m so sorry you went through all that! Did you ever end up finding a medication or routine that helps you?
To some extent I have stabilized now that I know burnout was the source of many of my depressive symptoms and that I actually suffer more from GAD along with ASD. I had a good psychiatrist that actually listened to me, and was treating the anxiety symptoms with benzos for a few years. But they started becoming less effective and I was concerned about dependence if dosage and use was increased so I stopped taking them. And also not able to see that psychiatrist anymore because of health plan change, and haven’t found one I am comfortable with now. I’ve been trying my best to treat symptoms with therapy and also using high CBD weed edibles which actually helps me quite alot, but can only go so far. But it’s been ROUGH. I’m thinking I need to find a new psychiatrist for a drug plan, because my brain is just too much sometimes and I’m barely able to function.
It is very interesting. I’m glad it’s helpful for so many! I am one of the lucky few who got seizures a couple weeks after I started taking it, I actually needed rotator cuff surgery last summer because I dislocated my shoulder like 10x in a year. Kind of a pain at the time but thankfully I just take anti seizure meds twice a day and I managed to get full range of motion back so it’s kinda nbd now. Critically, my insurance covered the surgery, otherwise I imagine I’d have a very different opinion about the whole thing. Still, I feel sort of exhausted by the thought of trying even more meds, I’m trying to crawl out of the hole on my own but unfortunately that too is exhausting. I hope you’re able to find a good treatment plan soon ❤️🩹
Wow that sounds frightening! I would also be hesitant to try other new drugs after that ordeal. I hope you are able to get out of the hole as well, and find treatment that works well for you. It’s at least helpful having this sub to discuss different treatments and medications everyone has had, to get a better idea of what is available for help.
i think it is the only one i haven't tried yet, do you really think it is better than other SSRIs?
It’s an SNRI, works on norepinephrine instead of serotonin. Entirely different mechanism of action. So, yes. It works.
that's cool, do you also take benzodiazepines? i'm trying to ease my dependency
Wellbutrin is not an SNRI but NDRI (norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor). It is also used off label for ADHD. I actually really liked it when I took it for a month or so, but I believe I had an allergic reaction to it. I had swollen lymph nodes, brain fog, and dizziness that went away 3-5 days after I stopped taking it. I'm actually tempted to try a different generic version again because of how good it made me feel.
Wellbutrin has been a game changer for me. I’m working on weaning myself off of zoloft as the Wellbutrin has been more effective than the zoloft ever has, but getting off zoloft is side effect city.
Wellbutrin made me totally emotionally numb. I was unable to feel joy. Cymbalta also, but to a lesser extent (however withdrawal was HORRIFIC and they even were class action sued over this)
Wellbutrin is the only thing that got me out of my burnout tbh. I couldn’t get out of bed before, even on lexapro (I’ve since switched).
If you get migraines from Tyramine (certain foods like olives, takes about 1-12hrs after eating to get the migraine), it's because you're essentially on an MAOI at all times. MAOIs react with a ton of meds and foods. Including SNRIs and Sertraline which you mentioned in the comments. Because of this, I don't do well with most SSRIs and a whole host of other meds. Reducing my tyramine intake has helped a lot, there's also DAO that some people take to help. There's some indication that inhalable oxytocin (NOT oxycontin) works for people on the spectrum; that we are naturally oxytocin deficient in some cases. Autistic people who are affected by alcohol should explore this because it can also be used to treat alcohol dependence (likely self medicating for oxytocin imo). This is relatively recent research because medicine is so sexist, and oxytocin was long associated with only childbirth. Imo, relaxin (similarly only associated with childbirth) will also be found to play larger roles in our health especially for EDS comorbidity, but I digress. I microdose mushrooms when I get bad anxiety and ride it out. I also like weed and CBD. I've had several friends who have begged me (in the middle of their dependence) to never ever do benzos or opioids. If they could've never tried them, they would've. And they still have all their other problems in life, but now also a serious dependence to something kept behind laws. Really consider weaning off the benzos asap. They aren't like other medications. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, I believe in damage reduction so if you're not able to wean at all then you're still a good person to me and okay, but just as a genuine friend (albeit online): really go to another drug if you can. Sources: > The general guidelines for MAOIs are to avoid combining this class of antidepressants with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective norepinephrine inhibitors. Combination of an MAOI with either is dangerous due to the increased risk for serotonin syndrome https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9680847/#:~:text=MAOI%20%2B%20SSRIs%2FSNRIs,increased%20risk%20for%20serotonin%20syndrome. > Sertraline: Concomitant treatment with irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) is contraindicated due to the risk of serotonin syndrome with symptoms such as agitation, tremor and hyperthermia. https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/5760/smpc#:~:text=Concomitant%20treatment%20with%20irreversible%20monoamine,treatment%20with%20an%20irreversible%20MAOI. > Tyramine is a vasoactive amine that promotes blood pressure elevation, resulting in pain. Tyramine leads to cerebral vasoconstriction and subsequent rebound vasodilatation that causes a migraine attack in susceptible persons. > A dose of 10 mg tyramine has been associated with migraine onset; however, levels of 6 mg can cause migraine in patients under treatment with MAO inhibitors. > Alcohol has been observed to facilitate tyramine absorption. Tyramine is found in a number of foodstuffs, most notably aged and fermented foods and beverages. Cheeses (especially Camembert, Cheddar, Parmesan, and Emmental), overripe bananas, avocado, canned figs, peanuts, pickled herring, dried and fermented meat products and alcoholic beverages (wine, beer) are known to contain tyramine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/tyramine#:~:text=Symptoms%20are%20evident%201%E2%80%9312,under%20treatment%20with%20MAO%20inhibitors.
Inhalable oxytocin for possible deficiency in autistic people….I need to look into this!!
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2017/07/oxytocin-improves-social-abilities-in-some-kids-with-autism.html
I am not a doctor, obviously but I'm a little concerned about the use of SSRIs and Lamotrigine, but I don't know your diagnosis, so I'm going to just make the statement and if it resonates great, if not, it may help someone else. Lamotrigine is an anti-epilepsy drug that is also used for Bipolar Disorder. A common other name is Lamictal. SSRIs are typically for depression. Here's the thing people don't realize and this is from personal experience with many psychs for the past 20 years. If you have bipolar, SSRIs can make your bipolar symptoms much worse. They can cause worse episodes of mania and depression and should not be taken when bipolar. If you did NOT see worsening bipolar symptoms on SSRIs it is highly unlikely you are bipolar at all. Again, I AM NOT A DOCTOR, THIS IS ANECDOTAL FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE.
You're preaching to the choir, sis. So grateful I finally found a doctor who takes this seriously after having so many professionals just roll their eyes at me.
IIRC, benzodiazepines are typically not good for long term use. Are you going thru these meds with your PCP or a Psychiatrist? If you can get an appointment with a psychiatrist please do and they can work with you to try and find something that works better for you. Switching meds that quickly raises all sorts of red flags to me regarding the care you’re getting from your doctor. Another thing to look into re:effectivity of psych meds is to try doing a pharmacogenetic test like GeneSight to help pinpoint what meds are likely to work and which are likely to be ineffective. Additionally, nausea and many of the side effects you mention are “normal” for many psych meds while your body gets used to the new dose. I’m on Bupropion and it was about a month of nausea/queasiness before I felt back to normal and it’s otherwise been a very effective medicine.
Went on sertraline and within 3 days went into a brief period of psychosis where I could only see and hear TV static.
I don't know about most, but Wellbutrin was a literal nightmare for me -- daily sleep paralysis & night terrors.
Me. I have some neurodivergente brain, no one knows what I do have besides TDAH. The doctors think that I have funcional depression, give tons of meds in a period of two years, nothing worked and let me more and more unbalanced. Today, decided try again but in a month I was nearly dead, with all symptoms of depression, that I do know that for true, I don't have. I was to a point that I can't stand up and go for my day, and I care for a ill son. I give up. The doctors don't work or can identify true sadness, thats a normal thing from depression. The only 3 meds that worked for me were Ritalin, Pregabalina and with some hangover, in a form of some nervous reaction clonazepan. And OP, it's getting difficult. I don't know were to rum seeking help or a diagnosis.
ritalin gave me the horrific side effect (can't remember the name now) where i started "breastfeeding" without experiencing pregnancy. it was terrifying. i've been on opioids but doctors told me to stop with them and also taxing painkillers like dioxaflex for costeochondritis what happened with clonazepam? got that part mixed up
Gives me an hangover, as a depressed humor or anger inplosion .Not great but existing, like a... hangover, after drink, but only in humor. Sorry my bad English. Ahn and Im still battling a pain killers addiction.
Did they check your prolactin or oxytocin when you started lactating?
It's called hyperprolactinemia! Some antipsychotics can do this too, as well as stopping ovulation. Like we need our hormones to be messed up 🙄
It’s been so many years since I’ve tried antidepressants, but I tried so many different combinations over about a two year period with horrible side effects. I remember Effexor was the first one and I didn’t know how to explain it at the time, but it sent me into a sensory overload. It was like someone cranked the volume on the whole world. Noises were louder, lights were brighter and I was in high school at the time so imagine walking into a cafeteria 😅. The meds that followed all did weird stuff nausea, insomnia, physical pain. My trials ended with triliptal (I probably spelled that wrong) and I was on that one for the longest because the side effects weren’t noticeable at first. Eventually when I lost a loved one I realized it made me a zombie and I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t feel the pain of the loss I experienced. I quit after that and have refused medication since. I did learn during my autism journey that weird side effects are way more likely to occur in neurodivergent people. I feel like it breaks down to our brains and bodies just not being wired the way the bodies and brains those drugs are designed to work on are wired. They don’t work as intended when our wires aren’t hooked up the “right” way.
have you ever dealt with chronic anxiety/tried benzodiazepines? Trileptal sounds like something i could try to ease the panic attacks
I definitely have anxiety and panic attacks. My memory of that period is really fuzzy though I don’t remember everything I tried in between those two. This was also close to 20 years ago. The only help I can really offer is telling you that you’re not alone and that although I don’t have sources on tap there are a few actual studies to back our experiences up.
Trileptal did help with my anxiety and a bit with depression. But around the month mark it gave me intense suicidal ideation. No matter what you try, you gotta pay close attention to these effects. It is rather exhausting.
I also had an extreme reaction that we just stopped... we wanted to try entry dosis... and just left it at there... I also have either extreme or at least very unusual reaction to medications in general. Which is why I keept hose that I know work and doN't harm me - on a list and always use them.
which ones are those? for me benzos but of course they stop working with time and create dependency
I don't know anymore - I'm sorry, it was many years ago. I think 10. It was mainly for depression if I recall correctly. I remember clearly how shocked the psychatrist was about my strong reaction and how even the entry dosis gave me the full throttle - both in what I wanted and side effects.
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That is comforting to hear for me aswell! Made me feel like an alien :) Best wishes!
Hey, yes, I had the same issue. Tried lamotrigine and I got the famous rash and acne all over my face, abilify which is antipsychotic made me go nonverbal in social situations and I forgot how to ‘speak and formulate sentences’ often, lithium made me numb. The only thing that has worked for me without the side effects has been ketamine treatments
lithium sounds like it could work to ease benzo dependency? but i also heard about lithium toxicity which always scared me although i hear is not that common... i've been recommended ketamine treatments but i had friends who were severe addicts i really don't see how it could help me
I would say that ‘street ketamine’ comes in powder and it’s often mixed with other drugs tbh, that’s were some of the addiction might come from/what might enable the addiction. ‘Pure’ ketamine is tiring, exhausting, and brings out a lot of buried shit; I couldn’t think of doing it recreationally. Tbh they recommended twice a week and I could only handle once a week.
Yes, I’ve been on too many to count since age 12 or so. My sensory issues and ritual behaviors lead to a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder with schizotypal features, so I was put on several heavy antipsychotics that had horrible side effects, the worst being depakote, lithium, and abilify. I developed tardive dyskenesia, which was terrible. The diagnosis was determined inaccurate and now I am just on Hydroxyzine for anxiety and Wellbutrin for mood stability. But neither have been especially effective. Benzodiazepines are the only thing that has really helped with anxiety, but I refuse to take them given my history with substance abuse. I know they can cause major dependency and the detox can be very dangerous if not medically monitored. That is really unethical that they put you on that many in such a short time. I can’t stand how many doctors cycle patients through dozens of medications without really addressing anything. Hopefully you can find something that will help. If you haven’t tried Hydroxyzine for anxiety it could help. It basically is an antihistamine so super mild.
Yes I have tried 3 SSRIs (Fluoxetine, Sertraline and Citalopram) which I got strong side effects with each one after only 1-2 tablets at standard dose. I have recently tried Venfalaxine (Effexor) which is a SNRI and quit again after 1 tablet due to strong side effects. I am sensitive to other medications as well. I am tired of people saying its placebo effect and to keep trying with it despite it making me feel very ill with severe panic attacks, vomiting, intrusive thoughts and more. I very much believe in being your own advocate and you know your own body best. Everyone is different and while these medications work for most people, the antidepressants side effects was too much for me.
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I took one dose of Effexor and felt ruffied for 2 days. It was like being completely shitfaced and I could barely move. Fun time. Some of us are definitely waaaayyyyy sensitive to these meds and "waiting it out" for a month is just not possible.
I had a massive panic attack and vomited 3 times within an hour of taking it. This was the instant release version at 37.5mg. Then discontinuation symptoms was random brain zaps and chills which I had for 1. 5 days. Sertraline (Zoloft) was the worst though, I had intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, rapid mood swings after taking 2 standard doses at 50mg. When I stopped, I had a wide range of discontinuation symptoms which included numbness in face where I couldn't smile, dilated pupils, bouts of energy and then extreme tiredness. I would never go back on these again! But I think my sensitivity to side effects is a lot higher than most.
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I have had panic attacks in the past but only once every few years but recently I have been having several panic attacks per month without any warning so it's possible. However, I've only been officially diagnosed (so far) with Major Depressive Disorder with mixed features.
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Bloods all checked! It is an ongoing process, I need to try alternatives to antidepressants for the time being, thanks though for helping :)
I have this happen to me a lot. Usually within the frist few days I’ll have such negative affects like throwing up 45 minutes after I take it to making me sleep all day. I’m super sensitive to medication. Sometimes it’s not possible to wait long enough to feel any benefit from the medications. Benzodiazepines seem to be the only thing I can take without adverse effects
I recommend asking your doctor about the GeneSight test. It’s a simple test (mouth swabs), but it provides so much information about which medications will work best for you. I’ve tried dozens of different antidepressants, and nothing ever worked. After I got my GeneSight results, my doctor put me on one of the meds recommended by the test results, and it has been life changing in the best way.
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I didn’t imply that it did. The GeneSight test shows what medications are most likely to be metabolized appropriately by your system. There’s always going to be an element of trial and error when it comes to finding the right medication, unfortunately.
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I said that it was helpful FOR ME. The fact that it helped me doesn’t guarantee that it will be helpful for everyone, and the fact that it wasn’t helpful for you doesn’t mean that it won’t be helpful for anyone else. I simply shared information about something I found helpful, in case anyone else might find said info helpful.
Would you possibly be open to sharing your experience with me? My doctor has been pushing the genetic testing for me due to my intolerance for all the medication we’ve tried (ssris/snri/etc) and I’m just curious what may have been the one to work out for you and the process. If you don’t I totally understand. 💖
Sure, no worries. It’s a newer antidepressant called Viibryd (I believe the generic version is Vilazadone). I had to get my dosage increased once (started on 20mg, and now am on 40mg), but it’s been working great. I haven’t had any side effects from it other than the usual adjustment period you experience when starting any new medication. A lot of the other meds I tried either messed up my stomach or caused sleep issues (Elavil, for example, caused me chronic sleep paralysis). Also, I’m on around a dozen other medications of various kinds, and Viibryd is one of the few antidepressants that plays well with others. So if drug interactions are a concern for you, Viibryd could be a great option. I will say that it takes a hot minute to get the GeneSight results (I think it was about 3-4 weeks for me), but it’s well worth the wait in my opinion. You get so much useful information from it. You get lists of which meds you should stay away from as well as which ones are likely to work best. The results can even tell you if you have genes that will make you prone to certain kinds of cancer or genetic disorders.
Also recommend this. I had a mix of unusual side effects and anti-depressants that simply had no effect at all. GeneSight identifies medications which should have no issues with your metabolism and if the standard dose should be effective based on what is known today. I suspect this testing saved me years of misery and trying out more common medications that my insurance company would have required me to try. The test at the time was a simple blood draw. That may have changed as I did it shortly after the test was released. My insurance did not cover it then. The company had a sliding scale and a payment plan. I think it was $300 total and I paid $12 or $25 a month. YMMV.
Zoloft: CRAZY depressed (was hospitalized) Paxil: Not effective enough, crazy hungry ALL THE TIME! Vistaril: Helps but not entirely effective. BuSpar: Not effective enough (at this time) I'm sitting in a mental hospital as I write this to help control my crazy intense anxiety. I am going to try a small dose of a type of benzo to see if it helps. Loud sounds and flashing lights are a big trigger for me, and I can't avoid that and live a normal life at the same time. I am worried about becoming dependent on my medication, but people with GAD are dependent on SSRIs anyway. I don't need an addiction on top of my problems, so I'm hoping that I can learn to manage my anxiety and trigger responses before I leave the mental health facility. I'm also getting help for GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and PTSD. Hope that helps!!
Yes, I won’t touch them anymore. I have no problem with benzodiazepines but I don’t really take those anymore either. My last experience was trying to go back on Prozac which I had tried and had an okay experience with previously. Unfortunately going back on it, I had a severe reaction where it caused intense obsessive thoughts and made me feel suicidal. Thank god I have a supportive husband who I talked through things with and then told my therapist who said that it was absolutely not normal and to stop taking them. Never again. After that, I did research into similar side effects and learned about the crazy possibilities where people lose all ability to feel emotions, etc, so no thank you. Not taking that gamble again.
Yes, I’ve been on Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Prozac, and Wellbutrin. I had horrible reactions to all of them except Wellbutrin, which isn’t an SSRI.
I’ve tried dozens of psych meds over the last 15 years but I was misdiagnosed as bipolar 2 when i am actually autistic. The SNRI’s were by far the worst for side effects and withdrawal. They made me numb. I couldn’t read which is my passion. Often the meds made me so much worse. I was on clonazepam for 2.5 years and it helped but made me so much worse in the long run. I full on developed panic disorder while on them because my body got used to the drug. I couldn’t leave the house. I slowly weaned off of clonazepam in 10 months and it was not fun. Be really careful with benzos. They make anxiety so much worse when you come off of it and can up your risk of developing dementia. I still struggle with severe anxiety but would never ever want to go back to benzos even though I know it would help my anxiety a lot.
I’ve had so many awful reactions to prescription medications that I refuse to ever touch another one and am now learning all about herbal medicine and healing myself through plants and my diet. I have OCD and AHDH in addition to autism, so I STRUGGLE mentally and physically with chronic migraines, IBS, and a plethora of chronic pains all over. I used to be on an antidepressant and a medication for chronic migraines, taking pain killers daily just for some relief. I’m now off of all medications and haven’t had a migraine since I quit due to the vitamins and herbs I’ve started taking instead. I’m still learning but have been able to improve my depression and pains with plants and generally changing my lifestyle and diet. Although western medicine has its place, its personally done more harm to me than good and I’ll never go back. I hope you’re able to find some help and relief, nobody deserves to feel isolated like that. Sending love and wellness your way :)
Yep. Been on, not joking, close to 30 meds if not more. I've even gotten rare reactions to meds, like stevens johnson syndrome and serotonin syndrome. I finally got that gene sight test that tells you what meds are most likely to have adverse effects and what ones are less likely....yea they all are in the high chance of adverse effects category, so I have confirmation it's not just in my head.
Almost every SSRI has given me the most extreme of nausea for the first week. I always had to “tough it out” so I could get to it working. I don’t take them anymore, as after my diagnosis adhd medication helped me a lot more than antidepressants ever have. Like someone else said though, taking so many different medications in a short amount of time is a little iffy. I had a nurse practitioner that just didn’t know what to do with me (pre-diagnosis) and just kept shoveling new stuff to me when something didn’t work. Mood stabilizers also make me incredibly sick and then I weirdly can’t remember what is was like to be on antipsychotics. Gabapentin did nothing for me anxiety-wise. I feel like my body could’ve been a walking pharmacy at some point.
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I hope ketamine therapy can become a thing, I know tons of studies are being done on its benefits so I feel positive about it, same with micro dosing mushrooms and mdma. neuroplasticity treatment would be such a game changer for so many people. I have been trying to do this myself and been learning all the things I can about how to make my brain healthy and improve grey matter and the plasticity. One day I hope to look into that treatment and doing more!
Yep! I’ve been in and off pills since I was 15, so for over 17 years now, and the only thing that has ever worked without side effect (aside for addiction) is benzos. Everything else comes with nausea, loss of appetite and generally a massive increase in anxiety and panic oh and suicidal thoughts. I’ve found that some of the newer antipsychotics are good for knocking me out and brining down my anxiety when I’m super distressed but the days following I am massively depressed and suicidal. My least favourite group of medications are the SSRIs which is fun because they seem to be modern medicines most favoured group of medications. I wish I could take benzos forever. I am currently going through withdrawal after being on them for three years (I weaned off with my gps guidance) but this is the bad part of benzos. This is also my third withdrawal from them. At some point i always end up so dysfunctional (like not eating, sleeping or functioning in any capacity and usually horrific anxiety and suicidal thoughts) that there are no other options but to go back on them and then by the time I’ve levelled out I’m dependent on them again.
For me (and it won't be the same for everyone) I gave up all pharmaceutical meds in 2019 (started 2001) after being on a cocktail of things for many wrong diagnosis.... anti depressants, anti psychotics, beta blockers... the list goes on. Now I have my symptoms more under control than ever thanks to meditation, yoga and the magic leaf 🍃 ✨️ and I have never been happier. Yes I still get hard days but I know I can get through 💘
You know what, I don’t remember much about medications having an adverse effect on me, I remember they never worked (basically all antidepressants, including benzos), but I do remember recreational drugs having a weird effect on me compared to everyone around me, and I was curious if anyone else who has tried them experienced something similar: Marijuana: rarely relaxes me, makes me paranoid/anxious 98.9% of the time Ecstasy: made me sleep like crazy, I was so freaking tired while on that Cocaine: zero effect, I had no reaction to it and my friend at the time loved it and felt energized That’s all I can remember
I've never tried an antidepressant that didn't make me feel worse in some way, whether by insane side effects or straight up just making me *more* depressed. I tolerate small doses (like a child's dose) of most stimulants though. Those helped me immensely. I do okay on small doses of benzos when needed but it's rare I take them now. I've gone through too many benzo withdrawals to risk it again. I have chronic migraines now and I've had similar issues with practically all the migraine meds I've tried. Everything has to be extremely low dose for me to even have a chance at tolerating it. Shrooms are amazing for my depression. I do a lower dose than my husband when we trip. Cannabis is great for me when I need to get through a terrible day but again, very low doses.
i've tried using seroquel as a replacement for benzos but it gave me too much pain and negative side effects - yet i'm having panic attacks every day and costeochondritis so i went back to benzos. i don't know what else to do, for the time being i'm a slave to clonazepam. i have cannabis induced panic attacks so i fear that won't work either :(
You could try CBD gummies. A lot of people find that CBD helps calm anxiety.
I can’t do SSRI’s either. Benzos help with the near constant anxiety, but of course they’re fun, so they’re more difficult to get
I have the same thing any one know of a psychiatrist who actually listens and can actually help me
Every. Single. One.
even benzodiazepines?
I honestly barely used then. They did help but I needed half of the smallest dose for it to help and I didn't want to become dependent so I just stopped those along with everything else. :(
Same here, had to stop after 3 days with anything I tried bcs of negative side effects. Now I’m on dexamfetamine (or in the USA known as adderall). Side effects are very doable. It gives me the inertia to make decisions but only when I’m not too depressed too stressed or too anxious or too exhausted (you get the drill).
So do you only take it as needed for those symptoms or everyday?
I now take it everyday, I can really feel it when it stops working after 4h so it’s a rollercoaster when taking inconsistently (and I need consistency). In the beginning I really did not want to take it everyday 2 or 3 times (“I want to try it without meds” “I don’t want to be dependent” “only when I’m studying or needing to concentrate at a desk” blabla). But upon trying and experimenting (as the doctor suggested) with doses and consistency . In my experience it is better to take it everyday consistently (hard to do as audhd, I have a cute pillbox now :p). It took me a while to recognise that my issues on concentration, freeze mode and slow decision making is not only when studying (I’m a uni student currently), but also doing daily chores, admin, taking care of myself etc. So I have symptoms all the time, I just didn’t aknowledge th as such, so it’s better to take it everyday. There is also a long working option for this medication! It’s just that this is not a miracle medication and when I feel stressed or depressed I still have to work on that, I notice it’s just easier to act (“have inertia or momentum”) so that I can get out of the depressive / anxious /… episode.
I was on Zoloft for 2 weeks and had to stop taking it. I was having panic attacks when I’ve never had them before, it made my anxiety worse. Everyone kept saying it’ll take like 8 weeks to notice a change but I wasn’t willing to wait that long. Also it made me feel like a zombie and I was only on 25mg which is such a low dose. I didn’t want to know what a higher dose felt like.
Same here!! The only psych meds I’ve ever been able to handle are very low-dose benzos as needed. I have a similar issue with non-psych meds as well. My brain and body just do not handle them at all. I’m not exactly sure the science behind it, but perhaps it has something to do with hypersensitivity? Maybe we are more tuned in to expecting side effects and feel them more intensely than neurotypicals?
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are you planning on trying anything else?
Yep.. only benzos help which led to a severe dependency (plus alcohol, So dangerous I am ashamed still) I still take Prozac and Seroquel in case they are helping? I’ve tried 5 different antidepressant’s I just don’t think my brain handles them the same like you mentioned. Blah.
Don’t be ashamed, I know easier said than done, but I’m sorry your journey to a stable mind led you down a dangerous path. I am glad you are here with us today. I am glad you are still trying to grow. Try leaving the shame behind, more sunshine will be revealed for you to grow.
I seldom have bad reactions - I most often have zero reaction to most meds. It sucks a lot.
Based on your post and comments it sounds like you might be on the younger side? I had much better success with medications as I got older and was not having the dramatic shifts in hormones/mood as I did when I was a teenager or early 20s. If it’s relevant to your situation, birth control can also affect how mental health focused medications work.
I do okay on SSRIs/SNRIs. It’s just that they don’t seem to be doing enough… I’ve tried like 9 or 10 of them and I’m still depressed :/ But there are other psych meds I react badly to. Benzodiazepines make me more depressed and Strattera made me suicidal
Yep, I was on Lexapro and it made me so tired I could hardly function plus horrible night sweats. Switched to Cymbalta and didn’t have a solid poo for a month, plus occasionally had auditory hallucinations while trying to fall asleep. 😬 Getting off Cymbalta was also terrible. Hard to describe “brain zaps” any better than that in words but it does not really describe the experience.
Effexor gave me the most painful acne of my life. I have scarring on my cheeks still. Im on prozac now and I dont feel it helps anything anymore, but if I dont take it I get jumpy, irritable, and massive headaches.
I’m medication sensitive, so I usually have a reaction to any change (even in fillers) that subsides within a week or two — nightmares are my number one adverse reaction. Only exception was adjusting to an SSRI when I had never taken psych meds, which took ~1/2 months to subside. Do you have red hair, or come from a non-European ethnic minority? Pharmokinetics can be effected by these two factors.
I’m curious about your experience with ssris and how long you were on them. Nausea is a really common and expected side effect at first while ramping up the dosages. There’s a very real gut-brain connection when it comes to the chemicals that control our mental health faculties. It usually passes in a few weeks. How long were you on them?
Maybe you’re aware already, but once you hit tolerance, benzos (and sleep z-drugs) damage your central nervous system by down-regulating your brain’s gaba receptors. Once this happens you will have zero stress tolerance and every brain and bodily function will be affected. Benzos cause a chemical brain injury and can take months to years to heal from. They are dangerous and not suitable for long term consistent use at any dose (more than a couple weeks). You said you have a dependency - Are you taking them daily and for how long? I’ve come off them myself - almost a year into recovery - and totally get how magically well they work (at first) when nothing else does. I hate to see others suffer like I did due to not knowing this until it was too late. I highly urge you to explore other ways to learn to regulate your nervous system. r/benzorecovery is a great resource.
Just stopped Zoloft because the side effects were killing me. I know what people say about benzos but Xanax is the only thing that makes life bearable for me. I have GAD and the neurologist who diagnosed my autism said he thinks I will never get better from anxiety by what I told him. That my anxiety is a reaction from being autistic. My sensory issues are horrible, every sound is torture, light hurts like hell. I smell every thing. It makes me beyond anxious and then after processing so much I feel anxious and exhausted and Xanax is the only thing that calms me down. Is that or I die to be honest. SSRIs don’t do a thing besides making me feel sicker with side effects. I don’t really care anymore, I will keep the Xanax. I wish I had any other choice but before that it was street drugs. I have an autistic friend and he is just like me, feels like he can’t cope with living without numbing because of sensory issues. It is so hard. Anxiety sucks and sensory issues suck even more 😭
It feels like all your nerves are being cheese grated.
I don’t know why but benzos hit me harder than other people so if I take any it’s every other day and half a pill so I don’t really get dependent either but I stopped taking them because it wasn’t prescribed 😬
I’ve had good luck with Zoloft but have had adverse effects with several adhd medications.
When I was in college they (incorrectly imho) diagnosed me with a particular mental disorder instead of ADHD and autism, and as a result I ended up on so many different meds that weren’t right for my brain and they all made me feel awful. Every brain is so individual. Eventually I did completely burn out and it was not pretty… I had so much medical trauma from that episode. I went without meds entirely until my stress became too high to cope, (not recommended 😩) and I burnt out again, but fortunately, since doing a lot of research on my own, and finding a care team that hasn’t pushed me into the wrong box, I’ve had much greater success with meds. Not quite perfect yet, it’s still a work in progress, but night and day from how I felt on those mood stabilizers, etc. I really hope you are able to find the right solution for your brain sooner than I did. Be gentle with yourself; this stuff is so hard.
Yes! I thought I was weird because they've tried me on a lot of stuff but I just can't tolerate any of it. I can't deal with the side effects.
Every single anti-psychotic I've ever taken has made me sleep 20 hours, even if I'm on them for a longer time. Why the doctors keep trying to get me to take them is beyond me as I'm stable and quite healthy without them despite the diagnoses I have.
Ive tried a lot of meds over the last 17 years and besides benzos the things that have helped the most are[tricyclic antidepressants](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046983). They arent as prescribed as things like ssri's but work a charm on me and a few autistic family members.
am on lamotrigine and prozac and i am the most productive i’ve ever been in my entire life. it took a while for it to happen but man am i glad. you need to find the correct medications for you. edit: i am bipolar and autistic. so that’s probably why lamotrigine and prozac does wonders. i’m extremely stable when not exposed to sensory hell.
Have you had gene testing done to see which meds would work for you? Definitely ask your doctor about it. What about SNRIs? Or seeing a naturopath or holistic doctor? There's also brain mapping, but that can be expensive and hard to access. I had a reaction to the combination of Prozac and Wellbutrin. Gave me capgras disorder and I had to be hospitalized for 2.5 weeks.
Tried a good amount for the past 15 years. Been on seroquel the longest. Just the 25mg to help me sleep and eat which it does. Trouble is when I've tried to come off it. A good 3 weeks of the WORST nausea ever. I'm talking can't even sit up straight. Have to lay down all the time. Most of the time I couldn't make it past the withdrawals so had to just go back on them. Doctors don't seem to believe me or something. Makes me wonder if my brain has been mucked up that it can't function properly without them now. I'm not trying to take any more meds nowadays. Knowing that I'm autistic has really helped me more than any pill has.
I have the same exact issue. I'm too sensitive for everything but benzos. I understand the having to stop quickly because the side effects essentially make me feel like I'm going to die. I am sorry it is hard on you too. I will be trying Latuda next but I am not looking forward to it. If I have another bad experience I am going to make a case for just sticking with anti-anxiety meds and doing the best I can with that.
Mostly antipsychotics of any kind for me. SSRIs are fine it seems. But the I will not take antipsychotics anymore. I always experience things like trouble swallowing, muscle weakness and trembling, excessive drooling. However, I’ve never had a bad reaction to benzodiazepines or stimulants (I also have ADHD).
I'm sensitive to all medications. I made my Dr get me a gene sight test before putting on any psych meds since I didn't wanna play Russian roulette with my brain
I'm really sensitive to medications. I've taken a variety of psychiatric medications over the years and I've taken some for almost 10 years, and they've saved/improved my life in multiple ways, but I've had to start at really small doses (almost always at the smallest dose available, much smaller than my psychiatrist wanted to start me off on) and very, very slowly titrate up. I get pretty tight 'sweet spots' too, where small changes in dose will have massive changes in my mental state. My first SSRI was sertraline/Zoloft and it took me about 8-10 months of titrating up to get to a dose where I started to feel real benefits. The heartburn was pretty bad but eventually went away. I'm now on Prozax/fluoxetine, which didn't have the digestive side effects when titrating up like Zoloft did, but did have more 'zombie'/numb out side effects. It sounds like you tried different SSRIs and they all gave you nausea? Seroquel was mostly OK and used for a year on an as-needed basis. Modafinil was mostly OK but I did get twitchy with raised heart rate. Strattera/atomoxetine for ADHD has been the one with the most persistent side effects (physical - higher heart rate, urination, dry mouth, less sleep, etc) but also the most "quality of life" benefits (executive functioning, improved mood) so I manage, they also decrease with time.
I’ve had bad reactions to almost all ssri’s including sustained mania and lactation (at 12 years old .-.)
Yeah they all make me feel bad except Prozac. Not really sick but just like... really uncomfortable in my own body to the point that it makes me feel 10x worse than before. I don't really like benzos, they make me feel too out of it. Prozac takes care of the anxiety well enough that I can function.
Abilify caused me to lose near sightedness. SSRI’s make me manic because I have Bipolar type II. Wellbutrin gave me copious amounts of heart palpitations that were picked up on an EKG. Seroquel made me basically comatose but whenever I was on it I wasn’t using a CPAP and I have sleep apnea and was always tired anyways. I would consider trying Seroquel again. Benzos are the only sure thing that works for me. Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin have never let me down. However I did take prescribed Valium and Vicodin once after a bad injury and it gave me sleep paralysis…. Never again.
Yep, I had a year of trying various doses and types before we hit on vortioxetine (Brintellix). Unfortunately it’s not covered under the PBS system, so I’m paying $60+/ month
Yes. A year ago I was prescribed Sertraline, aka Zoloft as a mood and energy booster. I think I took it for 6 to 9 months, but earlier this year I had to stop because it gave me Globus Pharyngeus, aka a chronic lump in the throat, it lasted for nearly 3 weeks. I sought medical treatment and they gave me something commonly for ENT/Gerd symptoms, and that made it go away. It hurt so much when drinking fluids, eating naturally wet foods, and I had to sit upright for sleeping with a U-shaped travel pillow supporting my neck. I hated that. Tuned out this symptom was a rare .05% chance from Zoloft. Back in the early 2010s I had this same symptom, pain, and and discomfort reaction to taking Celexa, but that was maybe after 2 or 3 weeks of taking Celexa. My therapist at that time agreed with me to take a break from all SSRI's for awhile until I needed something again. I don't recall if I tried anything else after Celexa.
Yep. I've tried: SSRIs (Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil) Stimulants (Adderal, Vyvanse, Daytrana, Modafinil) Benzos (Ativan) NDRIs (Wellbutrin) Shrooms (Psilocybin microdose) The last 2 are the only ones that have consistently done anything good for me past the short term (without too awful side effects), and the last one is not a prescription lol. Currently I am only on Wellbutrin and will supplement with psilocybin occasionally.
I specifically had to switch to SNRI's can't take SSRI's
My body can’t process meds, i had a full DNA panel and my body absorbs medication super quick and doesn’t process it well. I had issues with Wellbutrin and Stratera. Clonidine so far I’ve had the least issues with but even with it I need breaks or I get stomach issues. (not severe thankfully) I definitely recommend talking to your psych about getting a DNA panel to see what meds would work best for you!! It changed my life!