Hospitalized/med Change

[FUBAR1]

soon as I switched from cipralex to effexor I had massive 24/7 panic, and became severely depressed/suicidal to the point that my doc sent me to emergency and i was admitted overnight thurs. due to being so suicidal. still dont know whether the panic/despression/suicidalness was caused by the effexor, or was caused by being 'off meds' technically since it takes a few weeks for the effexor to kick in. all i know is basically as soon as i stopped taking the effexor and was hospitalized and got to talk to some helpful nurses and a psychiatrist, the panic bender stopped, i'm no longer depressed, i'm not suicidal, and i feel calm for the first time in over a month. i think maybe it was the cumulation of the october panic bender (halloween brings on huge amounts of panic, and when i get to a certain level of panic its a self perpetuating cycle of adrenaline that goes on like a perpetual motion machine until something happens to snap my body out of it) plus the med switch that just sent me over the edge.

in any case im feeling human, sane, and alive again and am being switched back to cipralex but on a higher dosage (upped from 15 to 20 mg) and i have seroquel added to that, at 50 mg, to help with the panic and with my sleep. im not really sure what to expect from the seroquel - have any of you been on it? why was it prescribed and how did you find that it helped?

also, im told seroquel can increase appetite and cause weight gain. i dont think thats a bad thing since i lost a shitload of weight in the sandbox and have been working real hard in the past year to gain back some muscle. if the seroquel just causes weight gain by proxy through increased appetite, i'm okay with that, as long as it's muscle. i dont want to be getting pudgy...

anyway ive got an appointment set up with the psychiatrist on top of my regular therapy appointments and he keeps stressing to give myself time for recovery and finding the right med changes and not to view my current struggles as necessarily the permanent state of the rest of my life. he says i will always have bad days but that i really do need to give myself time, especially since i really haven't had that much therapy given the amount of issues i need to work thru. guess im saying he's given me some hope and i've come out of the really dark place i was in that led to being hospitalized.

 

[Jimmy1]

I am glad your on the road back mate.

I had a similar side effect when they changed me from Zoloft to Lexapro ( they have different names here).
And as for the weight gain, you have to ask yourself the question. What is a few more pounds if I feel better in the head.

 

[Xaosoul]

I was on Seroquel for a bit. Couldn't function at all though. I'd sit on the couch, dumb zoned out look on my face, burning holes in the furniture with cigarettes and all that. Or I'd just sleep and sleep and sleep. I was on a bit higher dose though, I think. Hopefully you have a better time with it.

 

[Jimmy1]

The problem with all antidepressants and antipsychotics is that the psychiatrist,MD, head doctor, or whatever you want to call it does not have a crystal ball. Yes they know the side effects and that list is pretty long with all of these medications, but its like a lucky dip. Its unfortunate that some of them end up hospitalizing people.

I have had some touch and go experiences with the different drugs and have been suicidal too as a result and only recently have had some nasty experience adjusting my medications.

The alternatives for me are the worst. A life as being an angry, isolated, spiteful mother f*cker. I would not even have my son with me or my beautiful fiance.

The problem out there is that some of the prescribers give you a bit of paper explaining possible side effects. When they should talk it through.

I see lots of my fellow veterans on here trying to go to therapy and trying to sort through their traumas with no medication, due to one or two bad experiences. You don't have to do it alone.

For me, I hate even taking pain killers. I believe natural medication should be able to fix us, but the reality is that for some of us, it might not be possible.

I am now almost resigned to the fact that I might be on medication for the rest of my life.

If meditation and marijuana were perfect cures for PTSD, then the VA would have prescribed them years ago and saved themselves millions.

Just my opinion.

 

[Ernie1]

Jimmy I saw your post above and you mentioned Lexapro. What do you know about Lexapro, I ask because I just started it today 10mg. Haven't taken anything before this, I'm not big into pills, but have to try something to stop the dreams.

 

[Jimmy1]

Mate, I know some guys that swear by Lexapro. It was the next big medication that replaced Zoloft I think.
It did not work for me, but I have heaps and heaps of mates on it and its fine.

Give it a go, it can't hurt. Just be self aware and have someone watch your behavior

 

[FUBAR1]

update: I'm off all meds right now, my doc is aware, and we're just giving it a chance to see how it goes. so far ive been coping a lot better lately than i have in the past year even and i want to give myself a chance to make a go at this without meds if i can. if it doesn't work out i'll go back on the cipralex but so far ive been able to actually keep a handle on my anxiety, have been able to calm panic attacks down before they get fullblown, have been able to not have enormous reactions to triggers, and even my dreams have changed. it's a huge leap forward for me and i told my doc i think its because during my hospital stay my body actually had a chance for the first time to break the vicious cycle of adrenaline that has been going on ad infinitum like a perpetual motion machine. i think that this whole incident has actually been for the positive, and i feel like i actualy have the hope of making gains in recovery i never thought possible before because i couldnt get over the hump of being in a 24/7 adrenaline state. i have so much more hope for the future then ive ever had.

 

[Jimmy1]

FUBAR, that was the problem I had once. They had to remove all medication from me to sort of reset my system.
Sometimes they have to stop a particular family of antidepressants first before they can start another one. Some MD's are not fully up to speed on the psychotic effects of things.

Hope you are getting better mate.

 

[Ned]

FUBAR that's really good news and that stuff did me the same favour, just broke that permanent non-stop scream of anxiety. Just gave me that bit of wiggle room to spot & deal with the panic. Spot-on.

 

[Anglesachse]

Great news FUBAR :tup:, sounds like you have gotten the jump on that bastard at last.

 

[James McDonald]

Ive been in the psyc ward now for the past week trying to get my meds right....its so relaving being there, even though it civvys they all have issues...and we support each other...im out on a weekend pass now till sunday.....i was so afraid go in there now im soo afraid to come out!

 

[Ned]

James that's good and the support is going to be there, go for a quiet weekend if you can, all the best.