I believe “psychotropic” is the right term that I’m looking for - drugs that alter mood/personality/whatever, like anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, etc.
I’m going to go to the mental hospital because I’m a bit crazy, but I’m extremely leery of psychological medications… but I’ve put aside the leeriness and decided to try to go with the flow of what they give me.
I know, however, that they’ll want to give me some pretty severe stuff, and I don’t have time to research every drug they could possibly give me.
So, is there any drug that you’ve had a horror story about that you think I should avoid at all costs, or at least probably avoid?
Anything that has lasting effects would be the worst thing, obviously… as anything else, no matter how bad, would be temporary. Of course, you never know with these things. I got mild (I guess you’d say) permanent brain damage with an SSRI, which isn’t supposed to have a lasting effect.
I guess I’m mostly worried about drugs that will wreck my brain in one form or another - give me a hugely distorted sense of reality or a disconnect from reality, ones that will cause bad physical side effects, severely alter/wreck my personality, or take away the “sharpness” of my mind… but any severe negative effect would be unwelcome.
In any case, I’m mostly looking for horror stories, I guess… warnings to keep in mind. Thanks.
Xanax, a drug for panic attacks, has often been prescribed for depression. A small percentage of users experience uncontrollable rage. Now for the “my own experience” part; two people I knew committed murder while taking Xanax. One of them, I had barely known, the other, I had known for twenty years. I never suspected either of these men to be capable of such brutality.
An article in Consumer Reports magazine said Xanax was very addictive, and mentioned the rage thing.
I am not a doctor, nor a pharmacist. I would rather be panicky than take Xanax.
I had a really, really, really bad experience with Effexor when I took it for four days. By the end of that time I would go into impulsive rages, i.e. picking up my computer monitor and preparing to throw it into the wall, or unthinkingly directing my car into a concrete barrier. Fortunatley, I recognized the attitude as being a side-effect of the behavior. Fortunately I had a health plan that allowed me to go to the ER without risking my entire savings.
Unfortunately, both the attending and the head-shrinker they brought down to consult poo-pooed my concerns, 'cause the literature indicated that violent and self-destructive tendencies are not a recognized side-effect of venfalazine.
This not being *The Pit, I won’t really say what I think about effing Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, my worse-tha-useless not returning phone calls psychitrist, and the ill-informed medical profession as a whole, but my experience with it was real and definite.
Other anti-depressents, SSRIs and Wellbutrin, only caused minor aggitation and anxiety but did nothing for the underlying depression.
The stuff, collectively, works differently on everybody. Start with small does and work up; discontinue if anxiety or anger becomes unbearable. Psychopharmacology is one step higher than voodoo on the scale of scientific knowledge.
Stranger
These drugs all have strong effects, and all drugs can have idiosyncratic effects. I don’t think anecdotes from users here are a good way to decide the course of your treatment. Better to make sure you have a physician who seems competent and engaged.
SenorBeef, I wholeheartedly agree with Excalibre. Everybody’s chemistry is different, and the med(s) that work for you may affect someone else in an adverse way.
The key is to find a good psychiatrist, and have patience. It may take a while to find what works best for you. Tell your doc about your fears of certain drugs, and ask him/her about side effects. And make sure you’ll be able to contact him/her at the first sign of an adverse reaction, no matter how trivial you think it may be. And by all means, do research on whatever you’re prescribed. But keep in mind, what may cause horror stories with some people, may work well for you.
I wish you peace and good luck.
See. A. Doctor. We all have our stories, and they vary from person to person and drug to drug: what’s sunshine and rainbows to one person may be clowns with axes to another. A bunch of random strangers with interesting anecdotes, however well-meaning, are not a substitute for professional help.
I thought I might support my previous post about not relying on anecdotes with a personal anecdote (see how limited the scope of my principles is?). For a few years now I’ve been on drugs for my ADD - mostly Ritalin as it happens, but I briefly tried Adderol. Now, I know a number of people who’re on it. There’s nothing distinctly different about their condition from mine. But they take Adderol and are perfectly functional. I take it, and I grind my teeth constantly, and suffer headaches. I get irritable. I get fidgety. I get this uncomfortable feeling of pressure behind my thoughts - I think in circles and can’t stop obsessively thinking the same thought over and over. It’s a horrible sensation, actually. And it certainly doesn’t help me concentrate.
That’s minor compared to some people’s effects on certain psychiatric drugs - the ones to treat heavier conditions of course have correspondingly worse side effects. But the reason the huge variety of drugs exists to treat any single condition is that everyone’s reactions are going to be different.
How long are you going to be away for? I wish you the best of luck in your treatment. And make sure your doctor is truly engaged with you; you don’t want to feel like you can’t ask questions or raise concerns. Or that he or she will ignore them.
- Please do not ask for anecdotal medical advice.
- Please do not give anecdotal medical advice.
I think I’ll just lock off this thread.