Mental Health what antidepressants have actually worked for you?

[Mycophile]

I'll keep this about antidepressants and not anti-anxiety meds (which I also need, but better to stay on topic as that could be another thread, or at least later in this thread).

I've got depression along with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and some other stuff, but just for the depression I've tried Prozac and Lexapro and they have not worked.

The only things that TEMPORARILY made me feel not depressed are things that are really not meant for depression and which are short term like: Kratom, Dexadrine/Adderall, alcohol, Phenibut, F-Phenibut, and when over used, which is what I will of course do with all of them...they've all WORSENED my depression.

I want Ketamine infusions/nasal spray but I don't have the cash and would need my family to lend me money for it which they Refuse to do out of some puritan notion that only TRADITIONAL antidepressants work, and the only way I could imagine getting a prescrition for that is if with a new psychiatrist HE PERSONALLY goes along with it, which I have my doubts about most psyhchiatrists doing.

So, for those with depression, NOT including Prozac or Lexapro which I've tried but which have not worked, what meds have worked for you??

A few I've considered are Wellbutrin, Effexor and again, Ketamine, and yeah, psychedelics, but I'm not big on going on the dark web to try and find stuff as I could easily mess up and get in trouble as I'm not good with that stuff (and of course I'd never ask for links...).

Wellbutrin is one of the few traditional ones that sounds interesting, but thing is, I am skeptical about anti-depressants you take for a few weeks and then suddenly "feel better".

I'm pretty treatment resistant, and in my experience the only things that have a pronounced effect on either my depression or anxiety are things I can legit FEEL kick in and FEEL wear off.

That being said, those are often the things that are more easy to abuse or get me in trouble, but better the RISK of getting in trouble but possibly finding something that works (at least IN THEORY) than just taking something that doesn't work at all (and also, it not working does NOT mean it can't also have negative side effects....)

Thanks.

 

[hunter1]

Tried all major SSRI and SNRI’s.
Avanza, that Melitonin agonist, forget its name, none ever did anything.

The only one that has ever done anything good is Stablon. Currently on 50MG of it, am in Singapore where it is legal. It’s not in most of the western world which is a shame because I’ll be back in Australia shorty.

Past that, dexamphetamine has been a god send but it’s not really an antidepressant, it works too well.

 

[mtu mwendawazimu]

I have low anxiety so Wellbutrin worked for me. If you're already on an antianxiety med it might be worth bringing it up with a doctor.

 

[checktest]

If you have had a habit of abusing substances and kratom, probably best to avoid using tianeptine.

Wellbutrin can be worth a shot if you haven't tried it before, though it can make some people anxious. Others less so.

If you have only been on SSRIs (fluoxetine, escitalopram) you would probably be put on an SNRI or wellbutrin. Tricyclics are older but still have efficacy in many cases- I find anticholinergics to be better for my anxiety than many other agents, notably benzos.

Mood instability and such - sometimes lamotrigine can be quite beneficial. I'm guessing you want to stay away from AAPs, which can be understandable, though they work for some.

Parnate (70-80mg, not lower) worked for me, notably when combined with methylphenidate. Vortioxetine was even better for me, also combined with methylphenidate, and mirtazapine has been useful. Memantine as an adjunct has worked for me, but I can't recommend it due to minimal effective studies, especially relative to ketamine.

Agents I've been on- sertraline, escitalopram, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, buspirone, duloxetine, trazodone, lithium, lamotrigine, amitriptyline, desipramine, tranylcypromine, benzos (lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam), vortioxetine, mirtazapine, methylphenidate, modafinil, some others?
EDIT- seroquel, aripiprazole, zolpidem
EDIT.2- ketamine, memantine, LDN

Tianeptine made me feel worse. Actually now that I think of it hydrocodone after a surgery made me feel worse as well.

Adjuncts- methylfolate, SAMe, melatonin (& rozerem), magnesium, glycine, 5-HTP, L-tyrosine, phenylalanine, agmatine, others?

Bunch of nootropics which were not beneficial. Cholinergics are not my friends and racetams seen quite variable.

Herbal- Rhodiola, ashwagandha, a whole bunch I wasted money on, some others

Other Modalities- rTMS

Buspirone is kind of a dumb drug but some people it just works for. Somewhat beneficial

I might suggest trying to work to learn that agents can be effective without needing to 'feel' them strongly, but that can be hard. But you have seen it for yourself that temporary positive effects have led to negative results over time. Any of the high side effects drugs can fit the bill in an odd sense. Working with a therapist or someone to manage goals / mood / expectations can be useful. What works for people can be quite individual.

Gonna go out on a limb and guess you probably have used copious amounts of caffeine and are on benzos, and probably have passed through periods of drug abuse. May be good to have a 'washout' period. Would you say you have 'atypical' depression and mood reactivity, or more melancholic? Not that it is a straight dichotomy. Can be helpful to clarify with psychs.

Many psychs are embracing ketamine and some are starting to return to psychedelic exploration.

Besides venlafaxine/mirtazapine and the tricyclics, for atypical depression and social anxiety the MAOIs are a possible choice (parnate, meclobemide, nardil), but they don't exactly play nice with other things. I mean I was on methylphenidate, buspirone, and parnate, and amphetamine adjuncts are possible, but you have to work closely with a psych and be careful, and some may be hesitant.

Best of luck!

 

[Phobos]

What's stopping you from self prescribing Ketamine? Maybe you do not consider acquiring it illegally a viable option?

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

I take an SSRI. It works decently.

 

[Mycophile]

Tried all major SSRI and SNRI’s.
Avanza, that Melitonin agonist, forget its name, none ever did anything.

The only one that has ever done anything good is Stablon. Currently on 50MG of it, am in Singapore where it is legal. It’s not in most of the western world which is a shame because I’ll be back in Australia shorty.

Past that, dexamphetamine has been a god send but it’s not really an antidepressant, it works too well.

Well Dexadrine has only made me worse in the sense that I just felt I couldn't stay on it (a number of reasons) and now trying to get off of it is hard and giving me a lot of depression and just making my usual depression worse.

What were you diagnosed with?

What kind of depression?

I'm hoping my situation isn't as bad as yours, but frankly, after trying both Prozac and Lexapro I'm unimpressed.

They worked for OCD symptoms as a kid, but not depression.

I think Western psychiatry is pretty far behind when it comes to medications for depression, though we have ones that work pretty well for ANXIETY, I kind of think psychedelics and stuff like Ketamine probably would work best, but I'm much more wary from buying them on the deep web than most people on here, and for reasons I'm not gonna get into, I'm not sure if I could really pull of using them right now.

 

[Mycophile]

I take an SSRI. It works decently.

Which one?

Neither Prozac or Lexapro has effectively worked for mine.

I mean how do people just take something for a few weeks and "feel better"?

I would prefer something that kicks in and wears off so I KNOW it's doing something.

 

[Mycophile]

What's stopping you from self prescribing Ketamine? Maybe you do not consider acquiring it illegally a viable option?

I PMd you.

Respond when you get the chance please.

 

[Mycophile]

If you have had a habit of abusing substances and kratom, probably best to avoid using tianeptine.

Wellbutrin can be worth a shot if you haven't tried it before, though it can make some people anxious. Others less so.

If you have only been on SSRIs (fluoxetine, escitalopram) you would probably be put on an SNRI or wellbutrin. Tricyclics are older but still have efficacy in many cases- I find anticholinergics to be better for my anxiety than many other agents, notably benzos.

Mood instability and such - sometimes lamotrigine can be quite beneficial. I'm guessing you want to stay away from AAPs, which can be understandable, though they work for some.

Parnate (70-80mg, not lower) worked for me, notably when combined with methylphenidate. Vortioxetine was even better for me, also combined with methylphenidate, and mirtazapine has been useful. Memantine as an adjunct has worked for me, but I can't recommend it due to minimal effective studies, especially relative to ketamine.

Agents I've been on- sertraline, escitalopram, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, buspirone, duloxetine, trazodone, lithium, lamotrigine, amitriptyline, desipramine, tranylcypromine, benzos (lorazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam), vortioxetine, mirtazapine, methylphenidate, modafinil, some others?
EDIT- seroquel, aripiprazole, zolpidem

Tianeptine made me feel worse. Actually now that I think of it hydrocodone after a surgery made me feel worse as well.

Adjuncts- methylfolate, SAMe, melatonin (& rozerem), magnesium, glycine, 5-HTP, L-tyrosine, phenylalanine, agmatine, others?

Bunch of nootropics which were not beneficial. Cholinergics are not my friends and racetams seen quite variable.

Herbal- Rhodiola, ashwagandha, a whole bunch I wasted money on, some others

Other Modalities- rTMS

Buspirone is kind of a dumb drug but some people it just works for. Somewhat beneficial

I might suggest trying to work to learn that agents can be effective without needing to 'feel' them strongly, but that can be hard. But you have seen it for yourself that temporary positive effects have led to negative results over time. Any of the high side effects drugs can fit the bill in an odd sense. Working with a therapist or someone to manage goals / mood / expectations can be useful. What works for people can be quite individual.

Gonna go out on a limb and guess you probably have used copious amounts of caffeine and are on benzos, and probably have passed through periods of drug abuse. May be good to have a 'washout' period. Would you say you have 'atypical' depression and mood reactivity, or more melancholic? Not that it is a straight dichotomy. Can be helpful to clarify with psychs.

Many psychs are embracing ketamine and some are starting to return to psychedelic exploration.

Besides venlafaxine/mirtazapine and the tricyclics, for atypical depression and social anxiety the MAOIs are a possible choice (parnate, meclobemide, nardil), but they don't exactly play nice with other things. I mean I was on methylphenidate, buspirone, and parnate, and amphetamine adjuncts are possible, but you have to work closely with a psych and be careful, and some may be hesitant.

Best of luck!

Wow, VERY detailed post!

Thanks!

You've been on a LOT of meds, lots more than me.

Well, I'll answer (and ask) what I can.

Yes, I'm thinking SSRIs are not the right route, although what Prozac initially worked for as a teenager (before I'd ever messed myself up with recreational drugs) was actually OCD and social anxiety, but it stopped working and I needed Klonopin for the symptoms of social anxiety I initially used that for.

I don't want to try MAOIs as they are so strict with different drugs and foods and I put all kinds of crap in me haha (need to work on that), but that doesn't seem a good idea.

What are "anticholinergics"? What are some examples?

I've considered Wellbutrin...and I also may need a new anti-anxiety med because while Klonopin works well for the social anxiety it leaves me tired and doesnt' work well for generalized anxiety and mood and not worrying incessantly about things, and I've heard Gabapentin to work well, so that's a thought, but I'd need a slow taper from Klonopin first I think...

Buspar is bullshit to me, I've tried it.

What are AAPs?? Some examples please?


Yes, I've used copious amounts of caffeine and benzos....problem about "washing out" right now is I'm doing that with Dexadrine, only 5 days off so far, and it has GREATLY worsened my depression, and caffeine and Klonopin are all that are helping...caffeine to wake up and for the dex WD and Klonopin to get to sleep, and I can't do without them.

What is the difference between "atypical depression and mood reactivity" and "melancholic"??

Thanks

 

[karambit]

Tranylcypromine ~ 60mgs/day (morning) with Nortriptyline -100mgs/day, Remeron@ 15mgs at night. Dexedrine or Modafanil @ 10mgs tid or 200mgs of Moda (y)

Sometimes I switch out the Dex and Moda for Wellbutrin SR @ 600 mgs/day. Titrate carefully to avoid seizures

 

[checktest]

Well if a SSRI did show some benefit, it may still be worth exploring another one (sertraline, with ?DAT affinity [likely not that strong] , for anxiety / depression / OCD). I mean they can work for generalized anxiety. They also may not, and I can understand the reluctance.

How exactly SSRI mechanisms work over time (desensitization, neutrophic factor influences, HPA) is still unclear. I guess something that may be beneficial in patience with medications is viewing some biological processes as taking time. Changes in transcription and expression of genes, receptor density / profile remodeling, neuron/neurite growth, hormonal responses may not happen instantly. Just as we adapt to say, exercise, or gain muscle over time, so we can have changes in our mind. Not to say that this is wholly the case, and some people definitely respond faster than 6 weeks, but just throwing it out there.

Yeah, MAOIs definitely require following some rules, though they aren't as strict for some as they are made out to be.

Anticholinergics include the old (and newer) antihistamines, tricyclics, some antipsychotics, wellbutrin as an anti nicotinic. They are mainly known for causing side effects but do seem to be effective for some anxiety. Actually scopolamine was the single agent with one-off large effects for me, but as a standard for memory impairment tests, it certainly isn't great for the mind in other ways.

Gabapentin and pregabalin are certainly worth a shot if you haven't tried them for anxiety. I had some suicidal ideation on gabapentin so I didn't stay on it long, but I've known some people who it jives with. Here on bluelight you can read about abuse/dependence, but that's all in the realm of your other drugs anyway. I knew someone with borderline on gabapentin, ?alprazolam XR, and topiramate, but man her thinking / memory was shot.

Well the question with giving time off of some substances is whether mood disturbances are from baseline issues, situational, from drug withdrawal, or some interaction / combination thereof. I suppose it depends on your timeframe. I think some people go on drug cycles that can be harmful in terms of mood stability, but also it can be difficult for some to not be on something.

Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) include risperidone, quetiapine, abilify, cariprazine, olanzapine, and more! Fun! Fairly common augmentation for some psychs nowadays. Side effects, issues. Sometimes you look at the combinations of SSRIs and AAPs and such and wonder why they don't just try a tricyclics ( I mean of course they are different but still by profile.) I had a horrible experience with abilify, and was skeptical of their effects in the long term (still am to some degree), but over the past 10 years I've seen some people who really benefit from that use.

Melancholic depression is the 'classical' type classified by these general symptoms- general anhedonia, lack of reactivity to events (seeing friends, positive activities), weight loss, insomnia, waking in the early morning, excessive guilt, and psychomotor abnormalities. Face touching. One of the times I got hospitalized it basically sounded like I was slow and slurring, from the psychomotor retardation. Waking up at 4 feeling like a horrible person and that you had done something irretrievably wrong and deserved to be punished while getting a BMI under 19 unintentionally isn't so fun. Or so I have heard. Of course you don't need all the symptoms and there is overlap.

Atypical depression is actually more common, and usually is characterized by reactivity to events (mood switches due to things going on), possible weight gain, hypersomnia/excessive sleep, a 'heavy' / weighted feeling, and rejection sensitivity (particular negative reaction to rejection). Again not all criteria are necessary and categories aren't as clear cut. Sometimes people can have anhedonia in atypical depression that muddies the picture. Significant anxiety can commonly disrupt sleep and weight that would otherwise be more characteristic of atypical depression. Anticipatory anhedonia and anxiety interactions complicate these general categories.

I skipped over bipolar because that's a whole other area. I had been diagnosed with bipolar II briefly in the past, but that was incorrect from recent psychs. I just happened to be inconsistently functional, and when my anxiety kicked in in a certain way, I could be quite active while depressed. There was definitely a current of thinking that bipolar syndromes were underdiagnosed for a while and that mood stabilizers would be beneficial for a wider range of depressed states.

 

[Mycophile]

Well if a SSRI did show some benefit, it may still be worth exploring another one (sertraline, with ?DAT affinity [likely not that strong] , for anxiety / depression / OCD). I mean they can work for generalized anxiety. They also may not, and I can understand the reluctance.

How exactly SSRI mechanisms work over time (desensitization, neutrophic factor influences, HPA) is still unclear. I guess something that may be beneficial in patience with medications is viewing some biological processes as taking time. Changes in transcription and expression of genes, receptor density / profile remodeling, neuron/neurite growth, hormonal responses may not happen instantly. Just as we adapt to say, exercise, or gain muscle over time, so we can have changes in our mind. Not to say that this is wholly the case, and some people definitely respond faster than 6 weeks, but just throwing it out there.

Yeah, MAOIs definitely require following some rules, though they aren't as strict for some as they are made out to be.

Anticholinergics include the old (and newer) antihistamines, tricyclics, some antipsychotics, wellbutrin as an anti nicotinic. They are mainly known for causing side effects but do seem to be effective for some anxiety. Actually scopolamine was the single agent with one-off large effects for me, but as a standard for memory impairment tests, it certainly isn't great for the mind in other ways.

Gabapentin and pregabalin are certainly worth a shot if you haven't tried them for anxiety. I had some suicidal ideation on gabapentin so I didn't stay on it long, but I've known some people who it jives with. Here on bluelight you can read about abuse/dependence, but that's all in the realm of your other drugs anyway. I knew someone with borderline on gabapentin, ?alprazolam XR, and topiramate, but man her thinking / memory was shot.

Well the question with giving time off of some substances is whether mood disturbances are from baseline issues, situational, from drug withdrawal, or some interaction / combination thereof. I suppose it depends on your timeframe. I think some people go on drug cycles that can be harmful in terms of mood stability, but also it can be difficult for some to not be on something.

Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) include risperidone, quetiapine, abilify, cariprazine, olanzapine, and more! Fun! Fairly common augmentation for some psychs nowadays. Side effects, issues. Sometimes you look at the combinations of SSRIs and AAPs and such and wonder why they don't just try a tricyclics ( I mean of course they are different but still by profile.) I had a horrible experience with abilify, and was skeptical of their effects in the long term (still am to some degree), but over the past 10 years I've seen some people who really benefit from that use.

Melancholic depression is the 'classical' type classified by these general symptoms- general anhedonia, lack of reactivity to events (seeing friends, positive activities), weight loss, insomnia, waking in the early morning, excessive guilt, and psychomotor abnormalities. Face touching. One of the times I got hospitalized it basically sounded like I was slow and slurring, from the psychomotor retardation. Waking up at 4 feeling like a horrible person and that you had done something irretrievably wrong and deserved to be punished while getting a BMI under 19 unintentionally isn't so fun. Or so I have heard. Of course you don't need all the symptoms and there is overlap.

Atypical depression is actually more common, and usually is characterized by reactivity to events (mood switches due to things going on), possible weight gain, hypersomnia/excessive sleep, a 'heavy' / weighted feeling, and rejection sensitivity (particular negative reaction to rejection). Again not all criteria are necessary and categories aren't as clear cut. Sometimes people can have anhedonia in atypical depression that muddies the picture. Significant anxiety can commonly disrupt sleep and weight that would otherwise be more characteristic of atypical depression. Anticipatory anhedonia and anxiety interactions complicate these general categories.

I skipped over bipolar because that's a whole other area. I had been diagnosed with bipolar II briefly in the past, but that was incorrect from recent psychs. I just happened to be inconsistently functional, and when my anxiety kicked in in a certain way, I could be quite active while depressed. There was definitely a current of thinking that bipolar syndromes were underdiagnosed for a while and that mood stabilizers would be beneficial for a wider range of depressed states.

There's probably more in your post I'll ask about later.

SSRIs never worked for my depression, only OCD and anxiety.

What I am really concerned about is that so much of my depression and fatigue have been caused by and/or exacerbated by my Klonopin use for my social anxiety (it's worked well for the social anxiety but NOT the generalized anxiety) and that I may never be able to get off it or switch to another med that works equally well for social anxiety with fewer side effects.

I can't know for sure how much it has worsened the depression, but i think a lot, and I KNOW it's the #1 reason I'm tired all the time.

I would say I have Atypical depression: hypersomnia and "embarrassed to say this, but not really as this is mental health"....when NOT working and having time off like over the summer (I'm a teacher) I have hypersonnia and will sleep for 12 hours (often during the day as I find night time more peaceful) and lie in bed as much as possible and do barely anything but watch TV and use the internet a lot because I often don't feel I have the energy or motivation to do much, and I know the Klonopin makes me more tired so that I can sleep so much. At other times things have been much better but they have been bad lately, probably also due to some Dexadrine WD. I gain weight and then have to lose it again. Beat myself up endlessly over all sorts of shit and worry about all sorts of shit and feel shit will never get better and eat a lot and use drugs LOL.

How's that sound to you? hahaha

"Atypical?" (aka--More common?)

I don't know man, this is my new worry (well, not new, but TODAY and lately), that the Klonopin has permanently damaged me, that I'll never be able to switch to something else (I'm probably getting a new psychiatrist soon so we'll see what happens...)

I got off it for 9 months once (barely had any WD suprisingly...) but despite my fatigue and hypersomnia going away (which was GREAT) my social anxiety came back and I had to get back on them.

Do you think there's anyway for someone with bad social and generalized anxiety to get off it and find something else that works as well with fewer side effects?

 

[checktest]

Well, per your report of clonazepam worsening your depression and fatigue, #1 reason, it does appear to have significant side effects. You just happen to be more familiar with them. So changing to another agent may also have side effects, but may be more beneficial overall. I know this is Bluelight and you hear horror stories of benzo withdrawal and addiction (and with 27 million prescriptions of xanax in the US alone there are plenty), but that doesn't mean you are destined to be stuck with benzos or are forever damaged by them. It can be scary when you read a lot, and it is beneficial to be careful, but it doesn't dictate your situation. It is possible to taper and perhaps take PRN or not at all.

No reason to be embarrassed, I mean this is the mental health section of Bluelight. I've certainly beaten myself up and had self-destructive episodes, and I think quite a lot of users can absolutely relate. There should be spaces to speak about some of these things, and there can be areas to talk about making changes and breaking some of these cycles. (Also recognizing some struggles as shared by a lot and finding helpful communication.) We can work to accept some of ourselves and help ourselves out, no matter what level we are at. [Again, I'm throwing a bit of positive spin out there but I think with predominantly negative spins we can sometimes fall into, it can be beneficial at times.]

I would make the argument that if many of those depressive mood changes went away off the drug, while your anxiety returned, why not try something that has worked for the anxiety in the past (an SSRI) as a trial, if it has been a while, and do concurrent therapy/CBT/behavioral changes? Hopefully the new psych will be beneficial.

I have had pretty bad social anxiety in the past (major eye aversion, not working, not going out of the house except for food [even then not much thus weight loss], not posting online), and I benefited from parnate and vortioxetine, as well as therapy / exposure. Again, that is just my experience as the thread asks. Supposedly atypical depression responds better to MAOIs vs. Tricyclics, and SSRIs have benefit as well, but individual reactions can vary. It is good that you are able to work as a teacher.

I've been hospitalized a few times and part of some groups, as well as helped out with some medical records, and I've been struck by some of the transformations over time that have occurred. Remarkable resiliency and changes even after quite significant periods of destructive times. [Yet again I'm throwing some positive bias, but I believe it is quite easy to read the opposite perspective online relative to some other viewpoints. People involved with other things because of positive changes may not post as readily. Neither do dead people, however.] There are definite possibilities of struggles, but good change can happen.

Short answer: it may be possible and definitely is worth a shot.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Well Paxil is likely best for anxiety disorders (save Luvox, which is great for OCD). Zoloft has some, some NDRI activity due to a metabolite. Prozac is more uplifting. I found Celexa to be good enough for me.

 

[Chris42393]

Ketamine legit cured my depression. I didnt do the infusions. Im able to pharma grade IV/IM ketamine and just IM'd 25mg twice a week for like 4 weeks and after that... depression was all gone. Felt better just after the first time, like A LOT better. Its been like 2 years and im still going strong.

 

[Iceman1216]

Lexapro has worked well for me

 

[Mycophile]

Well, per your report of clonazepam worsening your depression and fatigue, #1 reason, it does appear to have significant side effects. You just happen to be more familiar with them. So changing to another agent may also have side effects, but may be more beneficial overall. I know this is Bluelight and you hear horror stories of benzo withdrawal and addiction (and with 27 million prescriptions of xanax in the US alone there are plenty), but that doesn't mean you are destined to be stuck with benzos or are forever damaged by them. It can be scary when you read a lot, and it is beneficial to be careful, but it doesn't dictate your situation. It is possible to taper and perhaps take PRN or not at all.

No reason to be embarrassed, I mean this is the mental health section of Bluelight. I've certainly beaten myself up and had self-destructive episodes, and I think quite a lot of users can absolutely relate. There should be spaces to speak about some of these things, and there can be areas to talk about making changes and breaking some of these cycles. (Also recognizing some struggles as shared by a lot and finding helpful communication.) We can work to accept some of ourselves and help ourselves out, no matter what level we are at. [Again, I'm throwing a bit of positive spin out there but I think with predominantly negative spins we can sometimes fall into, it can be beneficial at times.]

I would make the argument that if many of those depressive mood changes went away off the drug, while your anxiety returned, why not try something that has worked for the anxiety in the past (an SSRI) as a trial, if it has been a while, and do concurrent therapy/CBT/behavioral changes? Hopefully the new psych will be beneficial.

I have had pretty bad social anxiety in the past (major eye aversion, not working, not going out of the house except for food [even then not much thus weight loss], not posting online), and I benefited from parnate and vortioxetine, as well as therapy / exposure. Again, that is just my experience as the thread asks. Supposedly atypical depression responds better to MAOIs vs. Tricyclics, and SSRIs have benefit as well, but individual reactions can vary. It is good that you are able to work as a teacher.

I've been hospitalized a few times and part of some groups, as well as helped out with some medical records, and I've been struck by some of the transformations over time that have occurred. Remarkable resiliency and changes even after quite significant periods of destructive times. [Yet again I'm throwing some positive bias, but I believe it is quite easy to read the opposite perspective online relative to some other viewpoints. People involved with other things because of positive changes may not post as readily. Neither do dead people, however.] There are definite possibilities of struggles, but good change can happen.

Short answer: it may be possible and definitely is worth a shot.

Great post thanks.

Well, I'm kind of tired so I don't want to write a lot but had a couple questions.

First, you mentioned that like me, you have "eye aversion", which is really entirely how my SOCIAL anxiety manifests (whole different story for generalized) and the reason I take Klonopin.

Could you describe what happens when you get eye aversion? Is it like what I described?

And which medication that you took worked the best for eye aversion?

As for parnate and vortioxetine, I know nothing about the latter, but isn't paranate an MAOI?

If so, not sure I wanna risk interactions with so many drugs and foods.

But what class is vortioxetine in??

And does it not have all the side effects of Klonopin like fatigue and depression??

I don't know if just an SSRI would work well enough for me anymore, certainly not Lexapro, though one doc thought Luvox might and for some odd reason, because it said on the pamphlet that it can interact negatively with caffeine and I drink a SHIT TON of coffee (which GREATLY exacerbates my anxiety), I was only on it a week before I ask for Lexapro, but now I may want to give it a shot.

That's the last thing I'll say, is that there could be a number of things that could work for me IF I were just to not treat my body like shit and take so many other substances, most notably in fact, caffeine, which has probably been the number 1 thing to increase my anxiety, but I have never been able to quit...though I did dramatically reduce it from what it used to be but I still drink more than most people.

Then, I probably do drink more because the Klonopin makes me tired, then the caffeine makes me more nervous and also makes it hard to fall asleep so I take more Klonopin and the circle goes around.

I bet if I could just get down to ABSOLUTE MAX 2 cups of coffee a day (1 would be better but I don't know if I can drink NONE), and exercise regularly and not take many other substances that a lot of psych meds might be enough for my anxiety and depression, and I know that's something I'll have to do.

 

[Mycophile]

Well Paxil is likely best for anxiety disorders (save Luvox, which is great for OCD). Zoloft has some, some NDRI activity due to a metabolite. Prozac is more uplifting. I found Celexa to be good enough for me.

Is Paxil an MAOI?

I'm more wary of those.

What class are Zoloft and Celexa in?

I was recommened Luvox and never gave it a fair shot, and I have pretty damn bad OCD which at times is almost indistinguishable I think from my social and generalized anxiety, so maybe that would work.

As an aside, am I the only one that HATES the popular idea that if you have OCD it means you are neat freak that likes to clean all the time??!!!

I mean SERIOUSLY, that's like ONE of MANY forms OCD can take yet everyone who doesn't know much (which is most people) basically thinks that's always what OCD is.

 

[Mycophile]

Ketamine legit cured my depression. I didnt do the infusions. Im able to pharma grade IV/IM ketamine and just IM'd 25mg twice a week for like 4 weeks and after that... depression was all gone. Felt better just after the first time, like A LOT better. Its been like 2 years and im still going strong.

I'm considering this, but 1) I'm on Klonopin and Lexapro and was just warned that benzos have a bad interaction with ketamine

(were you on any other drugs or benzos when you got Ketamine?)

2) I was warned many of the ketamine doctors are taking advantage of people for a cash grab, and I'm personally wary of using it illegally, for fear of being arrested, but also because I really want to get better and don't want to mess myself up by taking too much or mixing it with anything I shouldn't be.