Venting Medication side effects

[ferrie]

Please no conspiracy theories on this thread, but I am getting so frustrated with how my psych meds are handled. Currently I'm on Buspar, Remeron, Lithium, Prazosin, and Seroquel & I start Spravato next week if I'm still around. The buspar makes me super dizzy, so I'm thankfully getting weaned off of that. It took me months to get them to agree to stop it though bc I got put on it at the psych ward by a doctor that literally only talked to me once & never did any dose adjustments. Now they want to wean me off of prazosin too bc it's not as effective anymore & could partially be causing my heart rate issues, but I'm only on 2 mg & I was on it with no issues before my overdose that made my heart problems worse. I really like my psychiatrist & know she's just trying to follow what the cardiologist thinks is best, but my cardiologist didn't even look at my full medical history. It makes sense to pinpoint the medication that lowers blood pressure as a potential problem, but my history is really complex & he didn't even have all of the records regarding my overdose bc that hospital is being a pain in the ass. That's like the one thing helping me get any sleep & there isn't a medication to replace it, so I wish they would try to explore other avenues first. I was given Seroquel off label for sleep bc my psychiatrist doesn't want to give me benzos. I understand and respect her reasoning. I am a high risk patient with a history of overdose and abusing my medication. Doctors also often shy away from giving me anything considered a stronger drug bc by weight I start on pediatric doses & with my health I can have really intense reactions to medications. But that's exactly the problem with Seroquel. It's not helping me sleep at all, I got maybe two hours last night, and it's making me feel very odd. Today I feel like I'm on a boat every time I try to walk & it's really hard to think. Talking & writing feels difficult bc I can't really string together sentences, which isn't an issue I've ever had outside of migraine brain fog. I know that there isn't a perfect combination of drugs that they can just give me off the bat to work & with any condition it takes trial & error. I really don't blame any of the doctors involved (except the psych ward one, fuck him). I just wish there was a better solution than 6 different medications that get adjusted every few weeks & "try some ketamine!"

 

[Nettles]

The Seroquel gave me similar side effects or that I existed under a bell jar of thick glass. Have you tried Promethazine? I sleep well on two 25 mg plus 0,5 tablet of Zopiclone (Imovane) 7,5 mg

 

[cowboypants]

The side effects are the major reason I gave up on psych meds. That despite seeing the best doc i ever could

 

[ferrie]

The Seroquel gave me similar side effects or that I existed under a bell jar of thick glass. Have you tried Promethazine? I sleep well on two 25 mg plus 0,5 tablet of Zopiclone (Imovane) 7,5 mg

I might have tried promethazine when I was a teenager, but not recently. My migraines usually get treated with antihistamines, so I don't respond well to them anymore. I'm in the US so zopiclone isn't available here We have eszopiclone/Lunesta, but I was addicted to zolpidem as a teenager so they try not to give me anything that can be addictive or cause a dependence

The side effects are the major reason I gave up on psych meds. That despite seeing the best doc i ever could

That's kind of the boat I'm in. Love my doctor, the side effects just aren't livable

 

[Nettles]

Please no conspiracy theories on this thread, but I am getting so frustrated with how my psych meds are handled. Currently I'm on Buspar, Remeron, Lithium, Prazosin, and Seroquel & I start Spravato next week if I'm still around. The buspar makes me super dizzy, so I'm thankfully getting weaned off of that. It took me months to get them to agree to stop it though bc I got put on it at the psych ward by a doctor that literally only talked to me once & never did any dose adjustments. Now they want to wean me off of prazosin too bc it's not as effective anymore & could partially be causing my heart rate issues, but I'm only on 2 mg & I was on it with no issues before my overdose that made my heart problems worse. I really like my psychiatrist & know she's just trying to follow what the cardiologist thinks is best, but my cardiologist didn't even look at my full medical history. It makes sense to pinpoint the medication that lowers blood pressure as a potential problem, but my history is really complex & he didn't even have all of the records regarding my overdose bc that hospital is being a pain in the ass. That's like the one thing helping me get any sleep & there isn't a medication to replace it, so I wish they would try to explore other avenues first. I was given Seroquel off label for sleep bc my psychiatrist doesn't want to give me benzos. I understand and respect her reasoning. I am a high risk patient with a history of overdose and abusing my medication. Doctors also often shy away from giving me anything considered a stronger drug bc by weight I start on pediatric doses & with my health I can have really intense reactions to medications. But that's exactly the problem with Seroquel. It's not helping me sleep at all, I got maybe two hours last night, and it's making me feel very odd. Today I feel like I'm on a boat every time I try to walk & it's really hard to think. Talking & writing feels difficult bc I can't really string together sentences, which isn't an issue I've ever had outside of migraine brain fog. I know that there isn't a perfect combination of drugs that they can just give me off the bat to work & with any condition it takes trial & error. I really don't blame any of the doctors involved (except the psych ward one, fuck him). I just wish there was a better solution than 6 different medications that get adjusted every few weeks & "try some ketamine!"

Hm thought of Alimemazine, a liquid but there are tablets too, but it's an antihistamine too often given when benzo is not recommended.

Hm thought of Alimemazine, a liquid but there are tablets too, but it's an antihistamine too often given when benzo is not recommended.

Melatonin?

 

[idk3]

Would it be possible to let your Dr know this, and ask for a really small amount of Benzos to see if they help at all? It seems you're at the point where the Dr needs to be taking some chances here.

Benzos are like a miracle drug for my anxiety and sleep

 

[ferrie]

Hm thought of Alimemazine, a liquid but there are tablets too, but it's an antihistamine too often given when benzo is not recommended.

Melatonin?

I've never heard of alimemazine, I'll look into it thank you Melatonin just makes me cry lol. It makes me more tired but doesn't help me fall asleep or stay asleep. I do take magnesium supplements which is a similar idea

Would it be possible to let your Dr know this, and ask for a really small amount of Benzos to see if they help at all? It seems you're at the point where the Dr needs to be taking some chances here.

Benzos are like a miracle drug for my anxiety and sleep

She's out of town this week, so she won't even see my message about the seroquel side effects until Monday I just started it, so she'd probably keep me on it for a few weeks to see if it evens out anyway. We've talked about benzos, and she's gonna try everything possible before prescribing them. I slept great when I was on zolpidem, I haven't slept so well since

 

[pocket7]

I'm currently on haloperidol and it made me a vegetable. All my dreams are shattered. I will never have a life which I wanted. And the doctor doesn't seem interested in changing my medicine. It's so horrible.

 

[ferrie]

I'm currently on haloperidol and it made me a vegetable. All my dreams are shattered. I will never have a life which I wanted. And the doctor doesn't seem interested in changing my medicine. It's so horrible.

I'm sorry to hear that. It's so hard to find doctors that truly listen to their patients. I hope things turn around for you or that you're able to get a different doctor Would you be comfortable sharing what side effects you have from haloperidol?

 

[pocket7]

I'm sorry to hear that. It's so hard to find doctors that truly listen to their patients. I hope things turn around for you or that you're able to get a different doctor Would you be comfortable sharing what side effects you have from haloperidol?

Thank you.
My side effects are slow thinking, hard to concentrate, depression, very low energy, can't even go to shower. I feel like I'm 80 years old.

 

[ferrie]

Thank you.
My side effects are slow thinking, hard to concentrate, depression, very low energy, can't even go to shower. I feel like I'm 80 years old.

Ugh yeah slow thinking is so hard to deal with. It makes everything seem so foggy. It's honestly mind boggling too that it's making you depressed & they still don't want to take you off of it. That's like the biggest warning sign they're supposed to look for besides motor control symptoms from the dopamine. Your doctor is not doing their due diligence

 

[pocket7]

Ugh yeah slow thinking is so hard to deal with. It makes everything seem so foggy. It's honestly mind boggling too that it's making you depressed & they still don't want to take you off of it. That's like the biggest warning sign they're supposed to look for besides motor control symptoms from the dopamine. Your doctor is not doing their due diligence

The doctor is afraid my psychosis might come back, that's why she is afraid to change medicine. But yeah, I agree that she must have found another medicine for me. I've been on them for 3 months already.

 

[ferrie]

The doctor is afraid my psychosis might come back, that's why she is afraid to change medicine. But yeah, I agree that she must have found another medicine for me. I've been on them for 3 months already.

3 months is more than enough time to determine that the side effects aren't going away. I obviously don't know your history, but you'd think she'd want to try something with a different method of action. Quality of life is just as important as symptom management. I hope she comes up with some different treatment options for you