Misc friend had seizure while back just finally setting in

[oswald1963]

A little while back while I was still reckless and a dumbass. I had a close friend almost die right in front of me. It was me, my friend R, and my friend S. Well my friend R convinced us to try his anti depressants, but we didnt know that our friend S has wierd reactions to it and apparently he didnt know either.

So we downed a few lines of it (I know it dosent do anything but we were being idiots) and my friend S started to act weird. I was having thoughts of suicide and apparently so was he, but much worse. We ended up in S's room and he is getting worse and worse. Eventually he runs out of his house and is running screaming down the middle of the street. I grab him after he runs head on into a truck as he is screaming his ass off. I calm him down but hes still having convulsions. We were near a hospital and were lucky enough to have a doctor near us who was evaluating him and trying to help him before the ambulance came.

They took him away and he turned out fine, but I never really hung out with him after just out of sheer guilt. Since then I have grown up and stopped hanging out with irresponsible people.

I felt bad but put it out of my mind until I got the call from my insurance that ive been approved for my psych appointment for anxiety, and that they pre approved me for anti depressants. After I heard that I had this rush of fear that shit like that was going to happen to me since I had thoughts of suicide on it. I dont know what to tell the psych and right now just thinking about it is making me sick

does anyone know anything about this? Ive gotten vague reports on the internet about this happening to people but not as bad as what happened to my friend. Im just terrified about this happening to me and if I should even try any anti depressants ever again. Please dont flame me I know it was stupid but we were being dumb and it wasnt even my idea I was just going along with idiots which I know gets a lot of people into trouble

 

[Jabberwocky]

if you aren't prescribed an anti-depressant recommended from your doctor it's best not to try snorting any for recreational effects. ther.e are a number of psychiatric drugs (ssri's, anti psychotics) that have specific warnings that the meds may cause suicidal ideation, anxiety, aggitation, etc. which is why a patient needs to be assessed by a professional

are you able to tell us what anti-depressant you guys were snorting? and are you certain you friend wasn't under the influence of anything else that may have contraindications with whatever you guys were using?

i've had bad side effects from prescribed anti-depressants in the past and yeah they're not too flash.

 

[Cyc]

First of all, find out which anti-depressant you were taking. That's a pretty broad category of medications, that span several sub-categories as well. Second, nobody can force you to take any drug. If you don't want to take anti-depressants, then don't.

My suggestion is to tell your doctor what you told us.

If you don't want to risk confrontation, or appear uncooperative, take the prescription, fill it, and flush the pills down the toilet. Then report that the drug is not effective.

In the end, people are responsible for their own treatment decisions. To what degree you want to take the advice of medical professionals is your own prerogative.

 

[oswald1963]

ah sorry for not answering sooner my boys learning how to talk and ive been busy with him. It was effexor xr he took about 35mg and was up all night the previous night on some amount of adderall (I think it was 80mg) this is all from memory im sure of the effexor but not that sure bout the addy.

 

[monstanoodle]

The combination of Adderall, no sleep and the Effexor is usually going to turn out badly
It's likely he didn't react well to the Effexor anyway, but the combo would have made things much, much worse.

As for yourself, if you're scripted an Antidepressant then trust your doctor and take it. If it doesn't work or makes things worse then stop taking it straight away and notify your doctor.
Because you experienced suicidal ideation from Effexor then, if you're ever scripted that, then tell your doctor that it doesn't agree with you (explain the situation as to why) and they will try something else.

I'm glad you're now older and wiser

 

[oswald1963]

thanks for the info I thought that the lack of sleep had a big effect on it but I had done a lot of shit with this guy (including tweaking and rolling and staying up for days on end) and I never thought petty rx drugs would do anything close to what happened to him Im glad my sister walked out on her baby now that I have him ive been forced to stop doing almost everything and grow the hell up

quick side question has anyone noticed a increase in cigarette smoking after ceasing drugs? Since im stuck at home and not doing anything anymore I feel like I gotta smoke a lot more. Im not addicted I ran out for 2 days and nothing happened its just when I have them I feel the need to dip out into my yard every now and then for a cig..hmmm

 

[monstanoodle]

Well it's possible, but personally when I'm in withdrawal from Opiates I tend to smoke a great deal less.
I'd imagine that if I were to fully stop that I might end up smoking more yes.
I don't know why this would be for certain, possibly it's the act of smoking taking your mind off the act of using other drugs?

 

[happygoluckygal]

(LONG POST ALERT...LOL)

Hello! I have a LOOOONG history of anxiety and have taken many different antidepressants over the years. First of all, you can't really use the situation with your friend as any way to guage how you will react to antidepressants in general...first, b/c you snorted it, and secondly, because you had never taken it before. So, while that info is important when deciding whether or not you want to try a med...it isn't something to weigh toooo heavily.

While there are many different meds in the same class of medication (SSRI/SSNI antidepressants), they all vary a bit in their chemical make-up, so while one may be a lifesaver for one person, the next one may be a nightmare. Many of these meds are activating, which causes an initial surge in anxiety and many of them cause more depressive symptoms, which is usually where people end up with suicidal thoughts/feelings.

You need to be thoroughly assessed by the p-doc, given a proper Dx and discuss treatment options with him/her, including your reservatons about taking meds...and mention the incident with your friend. The decision to try meds for anxiety/depression is a personal choice that must be made carefully after weighing all the options. There are several things that are important to remember when starting a medication regimen like this...one, these meds typically take 4-6 weeks until you can fully assess whether or not it is doing anything. many times after that, it is still necessary to make dosage adjustments (via your doc of course) to get to where you need to be...any time a dosage change is made..you have to wait another 4-6 weeks to again assess the efficacy. Some people end up having to try a few diff meds to get where they need to be...it is largely a "trial and error" process.

So, for a person who wants relief from anxiety and depression, which can be debilitating, it is a tough wait. Also, for SOME people, it actually takes even longer to allow the med to do its job. For me, this was the case many times. I noticed some changes after about 4 weeks, but wasn't until after about 8 that I could REALLY assess if the med was working or not. Patience is a must during this process. The other aspect of antidepressant medication that requires patience and perserverence is the intial side effects that these meds are famous for. The SSRI meds commonly cause an initial onset of unpleasant side effects for a large portion of people taking them. They can include an INCREASE in anxiety, feeling "jittery" (imagine the feeling of drinking 2 pots of coffee all at once), and yes, some people experience suidical thoughts, especially younger folks. The bad news is...these side effects are sometimes annoying and bothersome, the GOOD news is that for the majority of people these side effects dissipate after a week to a few weeks, and completely go away at about the 2 month mark (typically).

If you are embarking on anxiety treatment for the 1st time, it is essential that you also inquire about therapy. Even if you don't feel you have a lot of issues to discuss or get off your chest...how therapy is helpful for people with anxiety is that it teaches you coping mechanisms that you can use any time anxiety strikes. "CBT" or "cognitive behavioral therapy" is a very sucessful form of therapy for anxiety sufferers.

Sooo, basically...go into your appt with an open mind, ask any questions you have on your mind (write them down ahead of time so you don't draw a blank on that day), definitely discuss the situation with your friend/Effexor with the doc...believe me they have heard it all...and we all have done dumb ass stuff. Ask what the treatment options are, and ask about including therapy into your treatment program. If you start on a med...try to be as patient as possible, knowing there will likely be some rough patches ahead...but if you stick with it, you may just find that a med is a lifesaver for you as they have been for so many people (myself included...I went from being almost totally unable to function to living a normal life). If meds aren't for you...there ARE other options. Many go with therapy alone...many go with natural methods, including adopting a healthy lifestyle..as diet changes and exercise have been greatly recommended by people that had success with that as a form of treatment.

Lastly, if you decide to try a med, just remember that you must take it as Rx'ed, consult with your doc if you feel changes need made with the dosage, or if you ever decide you want off of the med. DONT stop taking it abruptly...it would need to be gradually tapered to minimize the discontinuation syndrome that is common with these meds.

I know this is long...but this is an area I feel passionate about as I have lived it...and while meds aren't for everyone...they truly HAVE tremendously helped a LOT of people and are worth at least giving some serious thought to.