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OD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic
Misc Antidepressants
- Thread starter juniorcat
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velmwend
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- Jul 1, 2012
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I've been taking anti-depressants on and off for 7 years. Started in my late twenties with 20mg citalopram then progressed over the years, ending my journey on 80mg venlafaxine, at which point I went cold turkey (not recommended). All I can really say is that, like all meds, they have their pros and cons. They can work wonders for your mood and can change your life for the better, but keep a close eye on side effects. Some side effects (loss of libido, nausea, brain zaps, restless legs...) can be short-lived and clear up over a couple of months. Some side effects can remain for the duration. Loss of libido was always one of my worst side effects and something like that *can* affect your relationships and general well-being. If you're going to be taking a low dose ssri (such as 10-20mg) it may well be worth talking to your gp about whether it might be better for you to take something like 5-htp instead (?) Always worth a mention. Do be warned that SSRIs can cause problems when used with recreational drugs.
Good luck and I wish you all the best in future health and happiness
Good luck and I wish you all the best in future health and happiness
junglebook
Bluelighter
When you say recreational drugs you mean basically stimulants right ? I ask because i am on 40mg fluoxetine daily up from 20mgs. Im perscribed certain benzos along with them so im guessing thier safe. Could anyone elaborate on which kind of recreational drugs could pose a problem with SSRI'S ?
P.S I smoke weed, dabble in a few uppers/tryptamines occasionally. Use Etizolam/Pryazolam.
In answer to the OP's question i find they can give you a mood lift with various side effects mine being vivid dreams which i consider a positive effect (dont mind a few crazy dreams)
I do get some down days at the sametime thats the only negative effect i have found since ive been on them (around 2 months).
As for anxiety, in my case they dont come close.
P.S I smoke weed, dabble in a few uppers/tryptamines occasionally. Use Etizolam/Pryazolam.
In answer to the OP's question i find they can give you a mood lift with various side effects mine being vivid dreams which i consider a positive effect (dont mind a few crazy dreams)
I do get some down days at the sametime thats the only negative effect i have found since ive been on them (around 2 months).
As for anxiety, in my case they dont come close.
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velmwend
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From what I've read (erowid, on here, etc) SSRIs can diminish the effects of psychedelics and can, if paired with some drugs, cause neurotoxic effects, such as 'serotonin syndrome'. Not the safest of combos when you think about it. I was taking 20mg prozac but I've decided to swap and use 100mg daily 5-htp instead...it's well known to have good effect and doesn't mess with psychedelics (although some reports suggest it heightens the effects positively). I find 5-htp gives me good, vivid dreams and helps with sleep and mood. Gave me the same initial 'high' that prozac did when I first started taking it. 5htp isn't an SSRI which, in my opinion, is a plus because SSRI side effects can be a real bummer. But saying that, some people get along famously with SSRIs and they really change lives. I've been taking benzos (diazepam and etiz) recently but found they killed my sex drive pretty quickly. Don't want that, so I'm using them solely for smooth trips/comedowns, and the occasional sleep aid, and that is all. Basically, I don't want anything messing with the FX of my psychedelics so I chose not to take SSRIs. For some people that may not be an option - depending on the severity of depressive symptoms. I mean, five years ago I couldn't live (quite literally) without high doses of anti-depressants and hypnotics. Things are different now and everyone is different. All fair enough reading about other people's experiences, but we don't all share the same wiring
I have tried mirtazapine, venlafaxine and sertraline at different doses. No effect whatsoever, except the venalfaxine WD syndrome which is a bitch. And the sedative effect of mirtazapine. My anxiety or depression doesn't react to these in any way, however I do not get any side effects either.
velmwend
Bluelighter
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- Jul 1, 2012
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Just a little note: I've found daily 100mg 99% pure 5htp (no b6 added) to be as effective as 20mg prozac. *AND* I still have a sex drive, lol. Really, really, weird and vivid dreams though. seriously, take 50-100mg an hour before bed and get into some lucid dreaming research - I bet you have success in no time, lol.
SSRI's are not all bad
Having spent 3 years heavily abusing predominantly, MDMA and Amp base with a bit of hash and some coke thrown in. I'd become pretty depressed but wasn't really accepting the possibility of just how depressed I was. I had smoked hash bit it had recently started to make me very paranoid so had to knock it on the head.
After a night out with a few friends, we ended up back at someones house and I fancied something else to do to replace the smoke, as I'd just given up hash due to paranoid side effects, I said "Anything else I can do?" "Well I've got prozac (fluoxitine 20mg)" sayed someone "Yes I'll give that a try" Said I with no idea what I'm being offered but trusted my friend" Anyway I was handed this capsule which I split and racked into 2 lines.
I snorted the lines which felt like they'd set my nose on fire for a bit but the effects in my head were profound. It was as if my head had been full of stress and confusion and illogical thought and almost like a switch had been flicked, the confusion cleared, the stress evaporated and suddenly everything seemed to make sense. I felt as if I could rationalize for the first time in as long as I could remember. I could approach issues in a logical manner which I had lost long time ago. I also felt self assured and felt confidence that I had lost long ago,. I felt functional in a way I hadn't felt for years.
What followed was the most organized and productive week that I'd had for as long as I could remember and achieved many things.. After about 7 days the benefits had pretty much faded to nothing and I was back to being my confused, lethargic, depressed, unconfident , self again.
I went to my doctor and relayed this story and was greeted with a bit of sceptticism but he signed me up for a regular fluoxitine prescription saying it couldn't do any harm and I didn't look back after that. I took them for a couple of years and just got out of the habit of taking them when I no longer needed them. To me they were an absolute Godsend and I'm just sorry that more people don't generally get any thing like the benefits that I did.. I found that it made me think a lot but in a logical way so was able to resolve issues in my head as or even before they arose.. The thoughts didn't suddenly switch off at bedtime so found it hard to settle down initially but soon found that if I cleared my mind of all thoughts and images, I could soon drop off to sleep. It did take a bit of practice but I soon mastered it. Wonderful stuff IME
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I'll return later to tidy this up when I've not been up for 3 days nor experiencing double vision .
I'll try to add some useful detail though this was 7 years ago.
Having spent 3 years heavily abusing predominantly, MDMA and Amp base with a bit of hash and some coke thrown in. I'd become pretty depressed but wasn't really accepting the possibility of just how depressed I was. I had smoked hash bit it had recently started to make me very paranoid so had to knock it on the head.
After a night out with a few friends, we ended up back at someones house and I fancied something else to do to replace the smoke, as I'd just given up hash due to paranoid side effects, I said "Anything else I can do?" "Well I've got prozac (fluoxitine 20mg)" sayed someone "Yes I'll give that a try" Said I with no idea what I'm being offered but trusted my friend" Anyway I was handed this capsule which I split and racked into 2 lines.
I snorted the lines which felt like they'd set my nose on fire for a bit but the effects in my head were profound. It was as if my head had been full of stress and confusion and illogical thought and almost like a switch had been flicked, the confusion cleared, the stress evaporated and suddenly everything seemed to make sense. I felt as if I could rationalize for the first time in as long as I could remember. I could approach issues in a logical manner which I had lost long time ago. I also felt self assured and felt confidence that I had lost long ago,. I felt functional in a way I hadn't felt for years.
What followed was the most organized and productive week that I'd had for as long as I could remember and achieved many things.. After about 7 days the benefits had pretty much faded to nothing and I was back to being my confused, lethargic, depressed, unconfident , self again.
I went to my doctor and relayed this story and was greeted with a bit of sceptticism but he signed me up for a regular fluoxitine prescription saying it couldn't do any harm and I didn't look back after that. I took them for a couple of years and just got out of the habit of taking them when I no longer needed them. To me they were an absolute Godsend and I'm just sorry that more people don't generally get any thing like the benefits that I did.. I found that it made me think a lot but in a logical way so was able to resolve issues in my head as or even before they arose.. The thoughts didn't suddenly switch off at bedtime so found it hard to settle down initially but soon found that if I cleared my mind of all thoughts and images, I could soon drop off to sleep. It did take a bit of practice but I soon mastered it. Wonderful stuff IME
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I'll return later to tidy this up when I've not been up for 3 days nor experiencing double vision .
I'll try to add some useful detail though this was 7 years ago.