Life Circumstance Or Chemical Imbalance?

[joeylittle]

@Digz and @anthony - that is so interesting, your different experiences just on Effexor. I went to it awhile back, am on a very high dose, and while it doesn't push my depression up above low-grade, it definitely makes a very positive difference. But also - I don't really feel it too badly if I am late on a dose, or accidentally run out and miss one. I'm not too concerned about coming off it, when I decide to do so.

Psychiatrists I personally trust (in print and in person) all seem to agree that the goal for anyone with a mood-disorder, non-psychotic type, or comorbid depression or anxiety diagnosis - the goal is to get off of the medication, not to stay on it.

 

[sun seeker]

I know, however, if I forget to take it I got into withdrawals very quickly - and that is something I cannot handle, even though I'm more stable than I used to be. So, where does that leave me? Stuck on the medication forever? I don't know.

Slightly off-topic note here, just in case it's useful. Effexor is notoriously hard to stop taking, but there is an easier way. There is at least one medication similar enough to it that it's possible to switch from Effexor to - let's call it Medication X because I don't remember its name - and taper off fairly quickly. Medication X does not have the horrible withdrawal symptoms Effexor has. Might be something to run past your doctor if and when you want to stop.

This is based on my memory of going through withdrawal when I decided to stop taking Effexor without medical supervision. BAD idea. Terrible vertigo, zapping sensations every time I moved. He shook his head at my folly and prescribed this other medication that solved the problem and that I was able to stop taking within a short time. Sorry I don't remember any more details than that. I wasn't at my best at the time.

 

[Chava]

Any SSRI or SNRI I've tried made me really numbed out, apathetic, or really out of touch. I was on Effexor for about 1-2 months before my therapist sent me to the hospital and I was switched to anti-psychotics. They just made me fat (though I suspect that was the point). I was so far spaced out.

I don't trust any of them for me. I do suspect an NRI (nnri?) could be helpful, like how cigarettes help (?), but I took bupropion or whatever they prescribe smokers (and for depression) and my knees hurt so badly within a few days that I couldn't stand on my legs. My doctor said that wouldn't be a side effect. Well, my knees were fine before and fine after, and HORRIBLE on those pills. I just haven't had any luck.

My sense of humor is best when I'm non-medicated (including lowering doses of pain medication), and that's life-saving at times, even if it's hard. When I'm blotted out by meds my sense of humor and curiosity just vanish and it's really hard to tolerate life, like I can't even get anything out of the good parts. But I know for others, medication will let them do that.

 

[SeaQuel]

@anthony @joeylittle @FridayJones I mentioned to my therapist everything you discussed here regarding the studies that invalidated serotonin based meds to treat PTSD. She had never heard about that and has asked me to send her the studies so she can read them, which I'm planning to do. I explained that it was likely this hadn't "bubbled up" (to use one of your terms) yet to the medical community. She is an excellent therapist with tons of experience treating trauma, so I really think this may well be just a case of lack of awareness. I think I may be going med free in the very near term because of my new insight, and I can't adequately thank you enough for the info. It's so tiring having PTSD, let alone having to make sure your doctors know what is best for you.

 

[anthony]

The problem with meds is more... if it works, great... if not... then your physician should be willing to change you onto something else. Medication is trial and error, hit and miss, and longevity results for near all medication end with the body becoming used to them, no longer working, having to withdraw and then change.

 

[SeaQuel]

@anthony I have been doing a bit with trial and error but only within SSRIs because I was told and believed that I needed to get my serotonin levels corrected (and of course I was also hoping for symptom relief). I am less inclined to continue on meds now that I know the serotonin theory is bunk. I think at this point I may be done with the meds. I haven't been able to identity a distinct improvement in my symptoms and so I'd rather get off the meds and know (and deal with as best I can) what is the PTSD versus the medication side effects. If others have found meds that have worked effectively for them, then I think that is wonderful. I'm, however, impatient and a bit skeptical about meds in general.

 

[anthony]

Completely understand... did SSRI's, they made me want to kill myself, nearly did kill myself due to them, never been back to them. I have low dose 2mg valium's in my drawer nowadays, so if I'm getting anxious for no reason, other than PTSD, then I take one. If I'm getting anxious for a known reason, symptomatic, then I don't take them and typically deal with the cognitive aspects myself, sorting out my own brain to lower my symptoms and get self-managed again.