a reminder to take some days off when starting new psych meds

    disclaimer: mental health tw. and if you have an issue with this that's not trigger related, you are the problem and part of the stigma.



    this is probably oversharing and whatever, and yes i know this may not apply to everyone and it's different from person to person blah blah


    but i am sharing because this may be important for some other people to hear in the future.





    i'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty details, but i am on a LOT of meds and my psychiatrist and i decided on trying prozac (10 mg) a little over a week ago.


    i did some research on reddit and heard that when you first start it, it can cause very intense anxiety etc. (which is what i'm taking it for) and that it's supposed to get worse for a couple of weeks before it gets better. but i disregarded all of this because i was on prozac for 10 years and had stopped it back in 2021 because i didn't really have a need for it anymore when i had wellbutrin handling everything. (plus i didn't remember prozac giving me anxiety when i first started taking it, but then again i have a shit memory and that was 10 years ago)


    my anxiety got very bad in february and much worse recently, so that's why we decided to try it again. and for the first couple of days i felt fine. then i felt a little skittish with slight paranoia, but that was supposed to be normal, right?





    well yesterday i experienced an episode of psychosis while at my full-time job.


    thankfully, to everyone else, it came off as weird behavior (i won't go into detail but it was odd), and later in the day a couple of people saw me crying and that was the end of it.


    but i don't remember most of yesterday and i can easily say that was the scariest fucking experience of my life.


    i said and did things i would never say nor do for no apparent reason whatsoever, and experienced intense paranoia. i remember driving home with a super dry mouth (side effect of prozac) and feeling like i was not in my body for most of the day.


    as an ex-psych major, and someone who used to study shit like this, it is beyond terrifying to have it happen to you. ESPECIALLY in a public environment with high stakes.






    i know some people cannot afford to take time off etc, but if you're starting a new psych medication and you have the option to take time off (a couple of days to a week). PLEASE DO IT. you have no clue what medications can do and the last thing you want is a workplace incident.



    love to u all.

    -FeLiNa

    Edited 3 times, last by FeLiNa ().

  • FeLiNa

    Selected a post as the best answer.
    Quote from blingyblinger

    Also remember when going off psych meds to wean off SLOWLY. They're things that shouldn't be messed with



    THIS!!!!


    there's a medication that i purposely did not take for this exact reason. it's very complicated to wean off of and i have a lot of other health problems that sadly make whatever i'm taking a revolving door of meds sometimes. i've found a good regimen in the past but these days it's harder. most of them you can wean off of slowly and normally, but the one i didn't take (Effexor) is HELL to come off of. you get withdrawals and shit and sometimes you have to go on a different medication (i forget the name) that's similar to Effexor but less potent for the time being just to finally stop taking it.

    Quote from FeLiNa

    THIS!!!!


    there's a medication that i purposely did not take for this exact reason. it's very complicated to wean off of and i have a lot of other health problems that sadly make whatever i'm taking a revolving door of meds sometimes. i've found a good regimen in the past but these days it's harder. most of them you can wean off of slowly and normally, but the one i didn't take (Effexor) is HELL to come off of. you get withdrawals and shit and sometimes you have to go on a different medication (i forget the name) that's similar to Effexor but less potent for the time being just to finally stop taking it.

    Oh thats nice to know..im currently on effexor :pepe-life-support:

    Quote from TikiTiki

    Oh thats nice to know..im currently on effexor :pepe-life-support:


    i think you'll be fine as long as you don't stop it abruptly. and if you do plan on it, keep daily contact with whoever prescribed it. it takes a different amount of time for each person so just always make sure you keep in tune with what your body feels etc. and tell your doctor if you're feeling weird or anything if you do decide to come off of it.


    and as always, if you're staying on it (completely fine as i heard it is pretty good for some people), do not miss any doses.


    look up "effexor withdrawal" and you will see why you never ever should quit cold turkey or on your own, always have a professional give you instruction for that stuff ;(

    My experience with medication has not been good and it's so frustrating how hard it is getting quality care.


    Thank you for writing this post and I wish you and everyone who can relate all the best.

    :music-raccoon:

    Quote from FeLiNa

    i think you'll be fine as long as you don't stop it abruptly. and if you do plan on it, keep daily contact with whoever prescribed it. it takes a different amount of time for each person so just always make sure you keep in tune with what your body feels etc. and tell your doctor if you're feeling weird or anything if you do decide to come off of it.


    and as always, if you're staying on it (completely fine as i heard it is pretty good for some people), do not miss any doses.


    look up "effexor withdrawal" and you will see why you never ever should quit cold turkey or on your own, always have a professional give you instruction for that stuff ;(

    Yes thank you, i'll make sure to keep all this in mind! It's been working well for me thankfully.

    But i didn't even know this was an issue :pepe-sad:

    Note to self : Read more abt the shit that gets prescribed to u :pepe-notes:

    Quote from biene

    My experience with medication has not been good and it's so frustrating how hard it is getting quality care.


    Thank you for writing this post and I wish you and everyone who can relate all the best.

    :music-raccoon:

    This so much :( i was only able to get proper medication that works for me after 7 years and after various meds and psychiatrists. Also really scary how incompetent they can be and can do more harm instead.

    Quote from TikiTiki

    Yes thank you, i'll make sure to keep all this in mind! It's been working well for me thankfully.

    But i didn't even know this was an issue :pepe-sad:

    Note to self : Read more abt the shit that gets prescribed to u :pepe-notes:



    for sure!


    and i'm lucky to have found a really good psych that i've seen for more than half of my life, (out of network though so that shit hurts my wallet lmao). though i do have a curse of reading up on every med possible that could be prescribed to me ever. :clown:. last week i could've been prescribed seroquel instead. he brought it up and was explaining it but in my head my answer was already no because one of the side-effects is weight gain and that's a deal breaker for me. and then he was like "and i know this maybe an issue, but one of the side effects is weight gain-" and i had to respectfully stop him right there ;(. so that's how i ended up on prozac (which clearly didn't work out so we need to try something else lmao).


    but yeah i'm glad he had the honesty to tell me that stuff because i know some psychiatrists just write prescriptions and just don't care. i wish everyone was able to receive good care and honest from physicians too.

    I'm on psych meds too and recently changed to a different med which was prescribed to me. The adaptation period (both withdrawing from my previous one and getting used to the new one - all of which had specific dosage reduction and increase prescribed by my doctor) was horrible and I never experienced as much anxiety as I did during that week. I legit thought I had hit rock bottom and I felt awful both mentally and physically. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that feeling worse before feeling better was "normal", because it had happened to me the first time I started taking the old meds last year (although to a much smaller extent).


    Now I'm used to the new meds, but it really messes with you and your system.

    Quote from butterbutterfly

    I'm on psych meds too and recently changed to a different med which was prescribed to me. The adaptation period (both withdrawing from my previous one and getting used to the new one - all of which had specific dosage reduction and increase prescribed by my doctor) was horrible and I never experienced as much anxiety as I did during that week. I legit thought I had hit rock bottom and I felt awful both mentally and physically. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that feeling worse before feeling better was "normal", because it had happened to me the first time I started taking the old meds last year (although to a much smaller extent).


    Now I'm used to the new meds, but it really messes with you and your system.



    i feel that. i'm like that whenever i adjust my dose of wellbutrin due to mania etc. i called my psych yesterday and told him about what happened and it was an immediate no more prozac, he didn't even want me to wait it out. a little bit of me is kind of scared i'm never gonna find something that makes me feel okay, but that's kind of a lie since i took a prescribed ativan once and it was the most peaceful day of my life. i'm too scared to tell him though.


    this shit is no joke. i hope you're doing better these days :borahae:

    Quote from FeLiNa

    for sure!


    and i'm lucky to have found a really good psych that i've seen for more than half of my life, (out of network though so that shit hurts my wallet lmao). though i do have a curse of reading up on every med possible that could be prescribed to me ever. :clown:. last week i could've been prescribed seroquel instead. he brought it up and was explaining it but in my head my answer was already no because one of the side-effects is weight gain and that's a deal breaker for me. and then he was like "and i know this maybe an issue, but one of the side effects is weight gain-" and i had to respectfully stop him right there ;(. so that's how i ended up on prozac (which clearly didn't work out so we need to try something else lmao).


    but yeah i'm glad he had the honesty to tell me that stuff because i know some psychiatrists just write prescriptions and just don't care. i wish everyone was able to receive good care and honest from physicians too.

    I feel you!! The same thing is a deal breaker for me as well and the new one i have has been kind enough to tell me if its a side effect!

    Now im on the hunt for mood stabilizers because every time i take some the side effects hit me bad :pepe-sad: Last ones worked really well and im really bummed that i had to stop them and look all over again for something new.


    Lmao that curse u have- i have a friend who does the same thing and she also reads up on every med im usually prescribed too lol


    I really hope u find something that works for u soon! :borahae:

    Quote from FeLiNa

    This sounds terrifying. Thank you for sharing your story, which might help someone else. :borahae:


    With so many younguns at this site, I hope it shows them that sometimes it may take time to get the meds right and that adults struggle too. It’s a process to get it right and that process may not have all the right answers.

    ..............................................................................................................perfume

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    I've been on Lexapro for 3 months after weaning myself off it after 8 months last year. I'm currently weaning off it again and take it every other day (my Doctor said it was okay). The only thing I hate about weaning off is the withdrawal symptoms which aren't very nice, but I prefer natural remedies to depression and anxiety to popping a pill every day. It was also my choice to go on it. I'm feeling ok in my mental health right now.

    Quote from MY-Kwangya

    I've been on Lexapro for 3 months after weaning myself off it after 8 months last year. I'm currently weaning off it again and take it every other day (my Doctor said it was okay). The only thing I hate about weaning off is the withdrawal symptoms which aren't very nice, but I prefer natural remedies to depression and anxiety to popping a pill every day. It was also my choice to go on it. I'm feeling ok in my mental health right now.

    Lexapro is one of the better medications in terms of side effects from my experience, some anti-depressents can be hardcore. but I'm glad your feeling good enough to wean off :)

    I take Zoloft and honestly never had side effects with it which is great. I've tried Wellbutrin before, but I couldn't sleep at all on it which sucked sigh

    Quote from MY-Kwangya

    I know. I found Effexor the worst one, I'd only been on it for 2 days once and I was having suicidal thoughts which I heard is a common side effect of that one.

    that sounds terrible </3 , the worst I've had is not being able to sleep. sigh

    Quote from MY-Kwangya

    I've been on Lexapro for 3 months after weaning myself off it after 8 months last year. I'm currently weaning off it again and take it every other day (my Doctor said it was okay). The only thing I hate about weaning off is the withdrawal symptoms which aren't very nice, but I prefer natural remedies to depression and anxiety to popping a pill every day. It was also my choice to go on it. I'm feeling ok in my mental health right now.


    Quote from ultraaviolet

    Lexapro is one of the better medications in terms of side effects from my experience, some anti-depressents can be hardcore. but I'm glad your feeling good enough to wean off :)



    i'm pretty sure that's the next one my psych is gonna try to put me on (lexapro). because life right now is bordering on unbearable :love:

    Quote from FeLiNa

    i'm pretty sure that's the next one my psych is gonna try to put me on (lexapro). because life right now is bordering on unbearable :love:

    lexapro is quite gentle IMO, its a good choice

    About the weight gain thing I had one psychiatrist not tell me the side effects of a pill and I gained around 30 pounds very quickly! I actually needed to gain about 20 so it was a good thing but I was very much scared off of that one and forced the doc to tell me side effects of every one after that. Ended up finding something that did its job and I didn't react to in about a year of trial and error

    Antidepressants don't have a great success rate, around 50% at best will fail their first antidepressant medication and the success rate just goes downhill from there as you try different antidepressant medications and constantly fail them.


    A doctor will prescribe you one of the first-line medications which include the SSRI's, SNRI's, Bupropion, or Mirtazapine. All can increase risk of suicide more so if you are under 24 years old and can take 1-2 weeks to see any difference in effect (usually in the form of better sleep and appetite) and up to 4-6 weeks for the full benefit. The best evidence is when they are combined with psychotherapy. I'll go over the differences between the classes and medications real quick.


    SSRI's and SNRI's main issues as a class is sexual dysfunction, so don't use these meds if that is a concern. They can also be activating if you also have anxiety, which is why you start at lower doses than normal if that is the case. Most SSRI's and SNRI's can also be used to treat anxiety.


    SSRI's:

    - Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the only antidepressant that doesn't need to be tapered off

    - Paroxetine (Paxil) has the worst weight gain, dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, drowsiness out of all the SSRI's

    - Sertraline (Zoloft) IMO is the cleanest first-line antidepressant as it has no relevant drug interactions and is well tolerated

    - Citalopram, Escitalopram (Celexa, Lexapro) are generally the same drug. Would not use if you have any kind of cardiovascular issues but in the younger population, it's also pretty clean.

    - Fluvoxamine sucks as it generally is worse on the side effects and is taken twice a day as opposed to the others


    SNRI's only difference with SSRI's is that it can increase blood pressure and heart rate with higher doses. They also tend to cause a lot of stomach upset and nausea. They include:

    - Venlafaxine (Effexor) can also be used to prevent migraines so you can hit two birds with one stone

    - Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) is basically Effexor but it doesn't need to be tapered off, but is more expensive in general

    - Duloxetine (Cymbalta) can also be used for neuropathic pain.


    Bupropion (Wellbutrin) should not be used if you have a seizure or eating disorder. It is widely used because it can cause a bit of weight loss and help with smoking cessation. However, it has the worst insomnia which is why you should take it in the morning. It can also worsen anxiety and cause tremors at a high rate.


    Mirtazapine (Remeron) is great if you have sleeping issues, as it is widely used solely for that purpose. However, this one has the worst weight gain from all the first-line drugs. Fun fact: the sleepy effect actually decreases with higher doses.


    There are other drugs like Abilify, Seroquel that can be combined with the above but I won't get into them. St. John's Wort you might have read has some mood-stabilizing effects but it has so many drug interactions that you better not be on anything else.


    My advice: These things take awhile to work so give them a couple of weeks and try not to miss doses. If any of your parents or siblings have had success with a certain drug, that is a great place to start as a suggestion to your doctor as that tends to have a higher success rate. Make sure to follow up with your doctor as directed.


    Source: Recent Pharmacy Graduate :borahae:


    If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer.

    Quote from ultraaviolet

    lexapro is quite gentle IMO, its a good choice

    Yes I recommend Lexapro or Zoloft as a first-line drug in most cases unless sexual dysfunction is a concern.

    Quote from blingyblinger

    Also remember when going off psych meds to wean off SLOWLY. They're things that shouldn't be messed with

    Yeah absolutely. Only ones you don't have to ween off are Pristiq or Prozac since they metabolize very slowly in your body and self-tapers.

    Quote from Jichu

    Yes I recommend Lexapro or Zoloft as a first-line drug in most cases unless sexual dysfunction is a concern.

    Yup, I take Zoloft. No noticeable side effects for me. Started on Lexapro tho, but it didn't help me much.


    Welbutrin made it so I couldn't sleep, which really sucked.

    Quote from FeLiNa

    i'm pretty sure that's the next one my psych is gonna try to put me on (lexapro). because life right now is bordering on unbearable :love:

    you could ask about zoloft as well maybe? I have no side effects taking it, and I know it's very widely prescribed and tolerated.

    Quote from ultraaviolet

    Yup, I take Zoloft. No noticeable side effects for me. Started on Lexapro tho, but it didn't help me much.


    Welbutrin made it so I couldn't sleep, which really sucked.

    Yeah hopefully they warned you about that before you started. It increases your dopamine and noradrenaline levels so it is almost a stimulant of sorts.

    Quote from Jichu

    Yeah hopefully they warned you about that before you started. It increases your dopamine and noradrenaline levels so it is almost a stimulant of sorts.

    The psychiatrists I meet with now is quite good. Took some time to get there, however. Has a psychiatrist who prescribed gabapentin, but I honestly wasn't really sure if it was supposed to do anything lol

    Quote from blingyblinger

    About the weight gain thing I had one psychiatrist not tell me the side effects of a pill and I gained around 30 pounds very quickly! I actually needed to gain about 20 so it was a good thing but I was very much scared off of that one and forced the doc to tell me side effects of every one after that. Ended up finding something that did its job and I didn't react to in about a year of trial and error

    That is a very bad psychiatrist if they don't tell you about the side effects. In the US, it is technically law for pharmacies to attach a Medication Guide with certain medications, including all antidepressants.


    However, some pharmacists don't especially if it's a refill. The med guides are also wordy and overwhelming which I really hate.

    Quote from ultraaviolet

    The psychiatrists I meet with now is quite good. Took some time to get there, however. Has a psychiatrist who prescribed gabapentin, but I honestly wasn't really sure if it was supposed to do anything lol

    That's not supposed to be used for depression.


    It can reduce anxiety though. But gabapentin is heavily abused across US and is not even regulated in most states.

    Quote from Jichu

    That's not supposed to be used for depression.


    It can reduce anxiety though. But gabapentin is heavily abused across US and is not even regulated in most states.

    yeah the new psychiatrist took me off of it really quick. Its relaxing but addictive which is not good :hazmat-pepe:

    Quote from ultraaviolet

    yeah the new psychiatrist took me off of it really quick. Its relaxing but addictive which is not good :hazmat-pepe:

    Yeah it has more of a pain-relieving, sedating, calming affect. It doesn't work on serotonin or any neurotransmitters that are thought to be associated with depression.


    I fking hate counting it out because they are chunky capsules and can be dispensed to upwards of 1080 pills at a time.




    i'm sure you saw my short discussion about some of those meds (and how i almost went on seroquel) above. as someone with a psych major background, mentally ill, (and someone who has just done a lot of research in general), i'm generally aware of the whole "range" of psych meds and what they do etc. burpopion/wellbutrin did wonders for my depression, and i've found over the years (even when i had it paired with prozac, trileptal, and topamax) that thankfully it had no effect on any sexual aspect lol. in fact, i'm pretty sure it made me more horny? (LMAO???!!). i'm sure it def doesn't help the bad anxiety i've developed but it keeps me from low lows and keeps me skinny. but i do have to adjust it carefully these days when i have a manic episode.


    i didn't know that antidepressants had such a failure rate though, omg. i'm a little concerned that if nothing works then i'll have to reconsider seroquel, abilify, lamictal, etc. (let's hope i don't get to that point lol). i was on hydroxyzine (antihistamine) as needed for anxiety but it's gotten so bad that my anxiety has broken through it and now i've been prescribed 3 ativans/lorazepam (i've only tried it once before and it was positive).


    thank you so much for this though holy shit. i hope this is helpful to others and i'm so glad this thread sparked such healthy discussion <3

    Quote from FeLiNa

    i'm sure you saw my short discussion about some of those meds (and how i almost went on seroquel) above. as someone with a psych major background, mentally ill, (and someone who has just done a lot of research in general), i'm generally aware of the whole "range" of psych meds and what they do etc. burpopion/wellbutrin did wonders for my depression, and i've found over the years (even when i had it paired with prozac, trileptal, and topamax) that thankfully it had no effect on any sexual aspect lol. in fact, i'm pretty sure it made me more horny? (LMAO???!!). i'm sure it def doesn't help the bad anxiety i've developed but it keeps me from low lows and keeps me skinny. but i do have to adjust it carefully these days when i have a manic episode.


    i didn't know that antidepressants had such a failure rate though, omg. i'm a little concerned that if nothing works then i'll have to reconsider seroquel, abilify, lamictal, etc. (let's hope i don't get to that point lol). i was on hydroxyzine (antihistamine) as needed for anxiety but it's gotten so bad that my anxiety has broken through it and now i've been prescribed 3 ativans/lorazepam (i've only tried it once before and it was positive).


    thank you so much for this though holy shit. i hope this is helpful to others and i'm so glad this thread sparked such healthy discussion <3

    No problem. It is quite overwhelming for young people starting these medications so I thought I might share my wisdom from my schooling. Yeah psychiatrists throw the fking kitchen sink at people that they can't seem to get into remission and do all types of untraditional shit like prescribing two SSRI's. Then there are those super expensive medications like Viibryd that honestly don't have that much benefit over traditional therapies.

    Quote from Jichu

    No problem. It is quite overwhelming for young people starting these medications so I thought I might share my wisdom from my schooling. Yeah psychiatrists throw the fking kitchen sink at people that they can't seem to get into remission and do all types of untraditional shit like prescribing two SSRI's. Then there are those super expensive medications like Viibryd that honestly don't have that much benefit over traditional therapies.


    i've never heard of viibryd but it sounds insane ;(


    i am just in absolute shock that me going back on prozac after a year without it caused THAT reaction?!

    Quote from FeLiNa

    i've never heard of viibryd but it sounds insane ;(


    i am just in absolute shock that me going back on prozac after a year without it caused THAT reaction?!

    Yeah that is pretty crazy. The activating effects of SSRI's like prozac can revive and exacerbate mania in those with bipolar and worsen anxiety, though you were started on the appropriate dose of 10 mg (normal dose is 20 mg with people without anxiety)

    Quote from Jichu

    Yeah that is pretty crazy. The activating effects of SSRI's like prozac can revive and exacerbate mania in those with bipolar and worsen anxiety, though you were started on the appropriate dose of 10 mg (normal dose is 20 mg with people without anxiety)


    it wasn't even mania, it was intense paranoia and delusion and other shit that definitely qualifies it as psychosis. definitely a learning experience for the future. we can discuss more in dms if you want?

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