Happy Pills

[Verres]

Look, it was nothing personal. I just resent being treated like a complete t***. I may be one, but you dont have to make me feel like one

[st_swithin]

Does that count as an engraved invitation?

[Ted Striker]

Si

[st_swithin]

Send a limo, then, cuz we ain't walking.

[Ted Striker]

Hey, you just keep your people off the streets and out of their Toyota Camrys!!!

[st_swithin]

I don't know WHAT you're talking about. I would NEVER send my peeps out in camrys. They'd at least get RAV4's.

Or maybe mini-coopers. But who gives a sh1t about those, anyway?

[Ted Striker]

RAV4

Torun on riight torun signa and torun leff!!!

[MattH]

Advice from E2:
*

When taking Lexapro, you should have regular checkups with your physician and/or psychiatrist. DO NOT EXCEED THE RECOMMENDED DOSE or take this medicine for longer than prescribed. Drug therapy should also be accompanied with counseling or psychotherapy.
*

Continue to take Lexapro even if you do not immediately feel better. Although some people notice improvement in a week or two, it can take about 4 weeks before you feel the full effect of Lexapro.
*

If you have been taking Lexapro regularly for some time, do not suddenly stop taking it. You must gradually reduce the dose, or your symptoms may get worse.
*

When first starting Lexapro, use caution when driving until you know how Lexapro affects you.
*

Avoid alcohol while on Lexapro. Not only is alcohol a depressant that will worsen symptoms of depression, but while taking Lexapro, alcohol may be more intoxicating or more depressive than usual.
*

Do not combine Lexapro with MAO inhibitors (also called MAOIs: examples are Nardil, Parnate, Marplan, and Eldepryl). Allow a couple of weeks between use of Lexapro or Celexa, and use of an MAOI. Use caution when combining tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) with Lexapro.
*

Lexapro is the active isomer of Celexa, therefore the two drugs should not be taken at the same time.
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Lexapro is usually taken once a day, with water.
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If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

[Ecthy]

yeah but what about Effexor

[MattH]

Here you go:

-------START-E2--------
Effexor does indeed have a relatively short half-life, which means that the onset of SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome is quite rapid after eliminating or lowering your dosage of the drug. However, with proper supervision, one can titrate off of the stuff with few if any side effects and no lasting changes; it just takes several weeks of fairly careful dose modifications as opposed to a few days (or worse, immediate) cessation.

I have found Effexor to be a noticeably different drug than the other SSRIs which I have experienced. Unlike Zoloft, the short half-life and severe symptoms mentioned by NeuralTangle make life on Effexor essentially a twisted version of addiction. When your entire encephalic functionality depends on ingesting the proper dose of the stuff daily, you will find that you will need to bring an addict's focussed monomania to your logistical planning in order to avoid the sort of crash more usually associated with heroin or other nastiness. While getting more of the stuff isn't nearly as problematic, I find that this simply contributes to the tendency to avoid proper planning, which results in my running out of supply just as I have reached maximum temporal and spatial distance from a decent pharmacist.

The actual intended effects of the drug are harder to convey. It does provide a 'brighter' and 'more flexible' effect than Zoloft, at least in my case. On the outset, that seemed a good thing. However, there is a distinct and unpleasant schizophrenic effect - schizo in the classic sense of becoming detached from one's emotional impulses and responses, as opposed to the more common (and incorrect) usage describing multiple personality disorder.

I find that I just don't care.

I cannot get anything done that requires connecting the action with any form of abstract motivation (such as, you'll lose weight, you'll be happier in the end, you need to do this because it will help you carry out a more detailed plan, etc. etc.) The link between volition and any form of emotional or even analytical expectation or prediction is shattered completely. As a result, I find myself unable to meet deadlines, unable to complete projects, unwilling to take care of basic but abstract tasks, or in factdo anything at all that doesn't offer immediate results (I'd say gratification, but that's not the only emotion involved).

At this point, the effect of this stuff is far worse than that of Zoloft. After the fifth month, I find myself in constant danger of doing stupid things that might jeopardize my job, creditworthiness, trustworthiness, or even family relationships - not out of pique, but simply through my inability to carry out promised or assigned (or even commonsense expected) tasks.

At a higher level, there is a complete shutdown of most of what I might term my more 'artistic' outlets for my emotions. I cannot write; I can't play keyboard (I usually improvise) and I am entirely unable to hack on projects useful or fun.

While this is an improvement over the Zoloft, I must say that I find myself wishing that Effexor was limited to use as a 'recovery' drug, or an agent used solely to effect a single change or at least a single period of change in the patient, before the numbing effects described above can set it. On the other hand, I'm not sure what my options would be - Zoloft eventually reached the same stage of sheer disconnectedness for me, so I have to wonder if it's truly this particular compound or rather a symptom peculiar to my personal version of depression.

In any case, be warned about the 'side effects' and always, always do your own research about the stuff. I'm not trained, and none of this information can substitute for the advice of a professional and personal experience.


---AND------


I am on 150mg of Effexor daily. My doctor prescribed it to curb my bipolar disorder (manic depression). At first, I was convinced it did absolutely nothing, I was still miserable one second and giddy and psychopathic the next. After about 3 weeks, this very gooey feeling of well-being slid over my mind, shattering the depression and the insanity I felt at both ends of the mental spectrum. Now I have been on this prescription drug for one whole year, and have discovered the disturbing side effects. If I happen to forget to drop a little brown horsepill (Effexor, of course) in the morning, I will slowly throughout the day freak out little by little, starting with a headache, slowly increasing to muscle twitches and finally absolute paranoia with delusions. I believe my brain has stopped creating any brain chemicals at all, dependant on this prescription drug. My doctor never told me any of this. Now I'm screwed. What if I want to get off it? What if I want to stop taking a pill every day? What happens then? Effexor works, but it's permanent. Never-ending. Permeates your life. You aren't you on Effexor.
-----END-E2---------------

Remember, talk to real people. I can't vouch for the correctness of any of this information

[Ecthy]

I have lost weight recently, can't confirm the indifference though.

I hope it's NOT permanent I'm on 75

[MattH]

That Effexor looks like serious ****e...
petition
and

[Ecthy]

nah.... my doc put me on it as a first step, befor etrying anything else, can't be too bad

[Ecthy]

ah well, I use different medication from Effexor, it's just equivalent because of the same agent.

maybe my manufacturer makes better Effexor than yours

[MattH]

Of course, this isn't from personal experience