Side Effects of Medication

[wandergrrl777]

I know that a lot folks here, myself included...have taken A LOT of different meds. Between the lot of us, we must have a vast wealth of knowledge! lol

I've had some good experiences and some truly terrible experiences. I'd like to ask if anyone else has suffered negative side effects from their meds? And if so, which meds? What was it like for you? Even positive experiences... I'd like to get a collective idea of what real people go through with SSRI's, Benzos, Anti-psychotics, etc.

Have you ever felt that your symptoms, in the way of side effects, were written off or ignored by a Doctor?

Anything you are willing to share is greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Moni

[scootinbabe]

sweaty face--especially forehead--from celexa

no one told me this would happen

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by wandergrrl777

I'd like to ask if anyone else has suffered negative side effects from their meds? And if so, which meds? What was it like for you? Even positive experiences... I'd like to get a collective idea of what real people go through with SSRI's, Benzos, Anti-psychotics, etc.

The bad: Phenobarbital, the longest-acting barbituate. a) Addicting and therefore tolerance-producing. That should be your number one concern, because it is the most sneaky and will come back to bite you in the rump when that day comes that you must get off them. b) Simply too long-acting for ppl not tolerant to them; and typically a bedtime dose of as small as 60mg will produce a carry-over, groggy/lethargic effect into the next day.

Melatonin, valerian root, and any type of "natural" remedy you get OTC. "Bad" simply because for me, personally, it's all just placebo or so mild that it's not worth the money. Some ppl swear by natural and homeopathic remedies, however.

TCAs, for the same reason "b" of phenobarb: Just too long-lasting.

"Have you ever felt that your symptoms, in the way of side effects, were written off or ignored by a Doctor? Anything you are willing to share is greatly appreciated."

Moni, one gets the feeling you are trying to ask a question based off a personal experience, or present, ongoing personal problem but we cannot read your mind.

What prompted you to post this? If it was something specific and you can make your inquiry more narrow - bet you you'll get more replies.

Ten

[wandergrrl777]

The reason I ask is that, I hear and read a lot about REALLY negative side effects from drugs such as anti-depressants. (and yes, I've had a few of my own) I just think if people here posted about some of their experiences, it would serve as a great reference for other folks who are considering taking medication. Or, for those already taking medication and wonder if symptoms they are having, are caused by meds.

I also wonder just for myself what REAL people and not just studies are saying about medication.

I will post about my experiences a little later...I gotta get ready for work!
Thanks ALL..

-Moni

[ccgirl]

Hey Wander; I have had absolutely no side effects from any SSSRIs except, oddly enough the sweats on Celexa just like someone else said.

Sometimes when I first start a new one, my stomach is kind of screwed up but that passes after a couple weeks.



P.S. I spent my summers on my Grandpa's farm near Burlington; Colchester! Love it up there!

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by wandergrrl777

I also wonder just for myself what REAL people and not just studies are saying about medication.

Now, I have to admire you for that interest/curiousity. Many times the test trials req'd by the FDA are WAY too short and turn out later on to reflect very little of what the real guinea pigs--the consumer--experience.

Good on ya.
__________________

DYK?

Imipramine, namebrand Tofranil, the first successful TCA antidepressant synthesized in the '50s, actually remains the standard by which all new ADs are measured in efficacy. The advent of the newer SSRIs, etc., are "better" only in their side-effect profiles, some having virtually none, whereas the TCAs typically carry the unwanted side-effects of drowsiness, difficulty urinating and dry mouth, to name a few.

[gratefulmuffin]

I found prozac made me suicdal. Lexpro worked great but after three years on it my insurance decided not to cover it. Zoloft and zyprexia together made me very flat and when I would have a panic attack it was really bad making my blood pressure sore and I had uncontrollable vomiting. Right now I'm on paxil for 3 weeks it's leveled me out but I have insomnia. Also zoloft caused me to gain weight.

[BSPGirl]

Effexor turned me into something psychotic. A friend of mine went into coma skipping a dose, imo it's poison. I've seen several ppl going into some kinda withdrawal cuz they didn't take their meds on time.

Marte

[reader]

I am doing great on Effexor but Wellbutrin raised my blood pressure so I had to go off it.

[Ten Chips Down]

Originally Posted by gratefulmuffin

Also zoloft caused me to gain weight.

Yep, had it, done it, been there.

During my first two years on Zoloft, hell I bet I gained 20 lbs., which is unheard of in me, a very small-framed person. It just doesn't happen.

But under Zoloft, I became some weird ravenous beasty. Grrrrrrrr, Boo!


I stayed on it the next eight years though, because that stuff brought about change in my very alcoholism itself, where nothing else could or did.

Well, for one: I STOPPED DRINKING.

And for two - damned stuff literally stabilized my life and thinking. Made me more levelheaded.

=-=-=-=-=

Many ADs are notorious for causing weight-gain, though. This is true.

Ten

[Ten Chips Down]

oh.

and i don't know why

Haven't gotten that far in my . . . .doctoral studies yet.

[upanddownjj]

Hi - Just my 2 cents worth... I think that these meds act differently on different people (even at different times) I mean yes - some tend towards affecting weight gain/loss etc..But I know that I have had to change my meds, they simply stop working..I put on a lot of weight on Zoloft.it stopped working, went to (??forget) then Effexor, now back to 1/2 Effexot & 1/2 Zoloft with mood stablizers..Tried Welbutrin & went Manic...It is a viscious circle...But this is the 1st winter I havent had to hide in bed or head to the sunny south and I can actually work...I guess what I am saying is because "this" works for me - doesn't mean it will work for you - our brain chemistries are all different & I wish mine would stay the same so that whn something works it would keep working !!!!!!!!!!! What is working now is ECT - I have completed a series of 1X / week bi-frontal - luckily no side effects and have greatly reduced my meds...now 1X / mo and then again in 3 months...I have never had such success being brought out of a depression... I saw a guy who was catatonic who got them at the same time..come right out of it - I couldn't believe it - (after about 6 treatments)...OK I guess I gave you a Bucks worth..LOL

[wandergrrl777]

Okay so..Prozac 50mg= very bad for me! Went into a self-mutilating freak out and ended up hospitalized. That's when they put me on Zyprexa and Effexor. I pretty much just sat around drooling on myself and eating everything in sight. I gained 30lbs in some rediculous ammount of time, like...2 mos. Why did i quit you ask? lol Cause' I was a cow. And because, I was never psychotic in the first place...I had a bad reaction to prozac. For some reason the doctors didn't want to believe that. (that particular group of doctors were pure evil, I'm sure..)

Then came the Paxil and Xanax...The paxil increased my anxiety alot, and the xanax took good care of that. I started getting insomnia so I had to quit...the Paxil. (obviously not the xanax)

Then came Zoloft and Xanax and then Zoloft and Klonopin. I was sleeping sooo good..lol That's all I did was sleep.

Then I switched to Lexapro and Klonopin. Lexapro worked pretty good but the switch from Zoloft to Lexapro was tough! My tongue felt too big for my mouth and I couldn't control my facial expressions. I felt like my skin was crawling...It was rough. Looking back I now think it was withdrawal.

My doc played around with my lexapro dosage a lot. I was nervous a lot, always anxious...I was getting really sick of it. I was really impulsive and hyper sometimes. I started trying to go off it.

Wow...that was a nightmare. I think the klonopin may have been the hardest. So I ended up hospitalized 2 more times. Each time was when I'd run out of my meds. I'd start going psycho. I told my bf I was going to catch a train. For some reason I was obsessed with escaping...lol Finally, after 6 mos. of tapering and with much effort, I was able to get off all the meds for good.

I've been off of them for almost a year. In the midst of trying to get off the meds my doctor discovered my thyroid disorder. All of the symptoms of which are consistent with an anxiety disorder.

I think the hardest part of all this was that I told my doctors that I was having withdrawal symptoms, and they kept telling me, 'no, that's you OFF of your meds.' 'you act that way because you need them.' Shady, non-listening, bassages!! lol It was like a psychotic catch 22.

Now, I'm alcohol free too. I'm glad. I look back on it and kind of feel like I was on some functional LSD trip.

Obviously these meds help people. But, I just don't know how responsible some of these doctors are.

So...sorry it's such a long post. That's my story.
-M

[ladygarrison]

I am currently taking
1.seraquel i,m not having a problem with it I dont think
2.nuerontin ok but leaves me a little groggy
3.effexor i dont like the way i feel unattached
4 wellbutrin to edgy for my liking

doctors keep telling me to give it more time
there first try was prozac and that was all bad the whole combination of meds that i'm on make me feel nervouse unattached to most thiungs and this is going to sound realy wierd but everything around me seems three dimensional its hard to explain othrer than things dont look the same to me since i started these new meds.

[ladygarrison]

I just want to add meds are good for some people I know that I need them to be normal but the doctors are not responsible enough somytimes because i have been to hell and back trying out all the diffrent meds and i still dont think they found the rite combination hopfully I dont go off the deep end again before they figure it out if they even care to

[ladygarrison]

Originally Posted by Ten Chips Down

Now, I have to admire you for that interest/curiousity. Many times the test trials req'd by the FDA are WAY too short and turn out later on to reflect very little of what the real guinea pigs--the consumer--experience.

Good on ya.
__________________

DYK?

Imipramine, namebrand Tofranil, the first successful TCA antidepressant synthesized in the '50s, actually remains the standard by which all new ADs are measured in efficacy. The advent of the newer SSRIs, etc., are "better" only in their side-effect profiles, some having virtually none, whereas the TCAs typically carry the unwanted side-effects of drowsiness, difficulty urinating and dry mouth, to name a few.

while on imiprimne sorry for bad spelling that drug made me so crazy I attempted suicide twice ugh terrible drug

[angelgirl]

Hi everyone..

I was wondering,, if anyone is taking Seroquel, is the doctor monitoring your
sugar levels in your body? Because this can cause diabetes, both very high, and very low sugar levels. I belong to a Bi-polar support group, and one of the guys in my group was on Seroquel, and he has had terrible side effects from this medication. Now, having said that,, everyone is different, and not everyone reacts the same. I do remember his saying that he was on a very, very high dose. It was a few years ago,, but it was bad enough,, that he talks about it.

I had a real terrible side effect from Effexor.. Ugh,, that stuff was also poison for me.. I know it works well for some people, but please be careful, from what I have heard from people that have missed doses, or have tried stopping it all together, it isn't good. Don't ever go cold turkey,, at least that is what I understand. My experience was that the doctor gave me a script for this medication, and I brought it home, and I took it late one night, and I remember I got up at 6:30am when my husband went to work,, I felt normal at that time when I got up, I came and sat at the computer, and my husband left, and within 15 minutes, I was extremely sick,, my blood pressure shot sky high, as did my pulse. I called my husband and I had to call the ambulance. I was getting sicker. Then when the ambulance was here, it got somewhat better. I told them I didn't want to go to the hospital, (after they told me the $$ of transporting me, LOL) but they told me to come in the car, or call them if it got worse again. Well, within a short time, it was worse.
But we drove, and it was a good thing we did.. I was extremely ill.. My BP was through the roof, as was my pulse again. But this time it was even worse. In the end, they said I was "allergic" to it.. At least that is how they list me. Won't ever take that again, lol... They really thought I was having a
STROKE..

I have been through so many meds. It's always trial and error, and everyone is different. I do always like to come here, and read others experiences with meds, when the doctors prescribe something for me. I seem to be "hypersensitive" to meds, and always have been. This is why I have so many issues with them. I seem to have most of the side effects that people have from meds.

I am now on Topamax, not a high dose at all. Just 75 mgs. That is very, very low. I am also on a small dose of ativan,. I know it's a benzo, and not good. I know. But I am now at .75 a day, and I was at 1mg a day. I have been on this small dose for years, never exceeding 1.25 a day.. I may have been at 1.25 for a period of time, but I have been at 1mg for years, until recently when I brought it down to .75mgs. I just haven't had the desire to bring that dose up, and I pray I never have that desire. I want to keep going the other way.. down.. over time.

I am also on a taper for my medication Suboxone, which is for drug addiction.
I know it's not a part of this board, but since I was listing my meds I thought I would list them all. I am doing quite well on my taper, I feel. It's a pretty long taper, but I started at 8 mgs and I am down to 4 1/2 mgs. trying to go to 4. It's a process.

Well I know I wrote a book here, Thanks for those who stayed with me.. LOL..
Always remember when you read about others meds that everyone reacts differently. I know I can have a hard time with that, because I suffer from such anxiety.. Ugh, I sure hate anxiety.. But it's getting better..

Do you all feel your anxiety is getting better.??

Thanks for the thread..
Love and Prayers,

Becky

[Ten Chips Down]

Well no -

i for one think that was an awesome post, Becky Angelgirl, and thank you so much for it.

There was so much there where I could relate, especially about the getting off certain meds. You said it's a process, and more intelligent words have never been uttered.

I am fighting like hell to get free of all BZDs in my life, as I feel they are nothing but a frickin' trap we walk right into, shortly thereafter creating their own tidy little vicious circle: You gotta have them to quell the anxiety they create as their blood-levels drop and we need more. lol

Now down to just about a milligram of Xanax and a couple milligrams of Klonopin, I have made fantastic progress as my previous level was 2, 3x that amount.

But it's a process.

That much for sure.

Slow and easy is working for me, and I try to always be gentle to myself.

Thanks again for the post, Becky.

Ten