I thought inquiring minds would like to know about all the medications I’ve been on and how they worked, and what the side effects were.
Antidepressants:
Prozac – helped my depression but sent me into a hypomanic state with aggression when dosage was increased.
Zoloft – seemed to work fine in my early 20s, but made me sleepy. Took it again in my late 20s and had mixed episodes with psychosis and anxiety.
Paxil – worked fine for a while, then made me have hypersomnia.
Welbutrin – I only took this for a month while I was pregnant to help me quit smoking, seemed to help with no side effects.
Celexa – made me sleepy. Took it for less than a month.
Effexor – seemed to help with anxiety but made me sleep alot.
Mood Stabilizers:
Depakote – Minimized mania and cycling, and helped me to focus and concentrate better at work. At first there was some drowsiness while I was adjusting to it but that went away. The problem with it was my white blood cell count being low and I can’t afford to have a compromised immune system, due to another medical condition I have.
Lithium – I was never able to get to the therapeutic dosage because my lithium levels were so high, so it didn’t really do much. I don’t remember any side effects.
Benzos: (These are my favorite)
Ativan – Good for anxiety but didn’t last but a few hours.
Klonopin – This is my drug of choice. It lasts a long time so it worked well for my chronic anxiety and also helps me sleep at night.
Stimulants:
Concerta – Felt “buzzed” the first day I took it but after that just awake and alert which is a good thing for me. I felt more focused, but didn’t really notice an improvement in short-term memory.
Ritalin – Like concerta but not as good. Doesn’t seem to last long and there is a crash at the end of the day.
Antipsychotics:
Seroquel – BAD. Never was able to get to the therapeutic dosage because it made me so drowsy. Still was having racing thoughts and anxiety.
Abilify – Took this for 3 days. It made my throat feel like it was swelling up. I think it was an allergic reaction.
Risperdal – Worked fine for about a year in managing my moods. Was not overly drowsy. Then I started lactating and had to discontinue the med.
Invega – What I’m on now. It seems to help with the mood swings, racing thoughts and anxiety but it makes me very drowsy throughout the day. The ritalin helps to offset the drowsiness caused by the Invega.
So there you have it. That’s a lot of meds. But at least I’m on the right stuff now – I think!
I thought inquiring minds would like to know about all the medications I’ve been on and how they worked, and what the side effects were.
Antidepressants:
Prozac – helped my depression but sent me into a hypomanic state with aggression when dosage was increased.
Zoloft – seemed to work fine in my early 20s, but made me sleepy. Took it again in my late 20s and had mixed episodes with psychosis and anxiety.
Paxil – worked fine for a while, then made me have hypersomnia.
Welbutrin – I only took this for a month while I was pregnant to help me quit smoking, seemed to help with no side effects.
Celexa – made me sleepy. Took it for less than a month.
Effexor – seemed to help with anxiety but made me sleep alot.
Mood Stabilizers:
Depakote – Minimized mania and cycling, and helped me to focus and concentrate better at work. At first there was some drowsiness while I was adjusting to it but that went away. The problem with it was my white blood cell count being low and I can’t afford to have a compromised immune system, due to another medical condition I have.
Lithium – I was never able to get to the therapeutic dosage because my lithium levels were so high, so it didn’t really do much. I don’t remember any side effects.
Benzos: (These are my favorite)
Ativan – Good for anxiety but didn’t last but a few hours.
Klonopin – This is my drug of choice. It lasts a long time so it worked well for my chronic anxiety and also helps me sleep at night.
Stimulants:
Concerta – Felt “buzzed” the first day I took it but after that just awake and alert which is a good thing for me. I felt more focused, but didn’t really notice an improvement in short-term memory.
Ritalin – Like concerta but not as good. Doesn’t seem to last long and there is a crash at the end of the day.
Antipsychotics:
Seroquel – BAD. Never was able to get to the therapeutic dosage because it made me so drowsy. Still was having racing thoughts and anxiety.
Abilify – Took this for 3 days. It made my throat feel like it was swelling up. I think it was an allergic reaction.
Risperdal – Worked fine for about a year in managing my moods. Was not overly drowsy. Then I started lactating and had to discontinue the med.
Invega – What I’m on now. It seems to help with the mood swings, racing thoughts and anxiety but it makes me very drowsy throughout the day. The ritalin helps to offset the drowsiness caused by the Invega.
So there you have it. That’s a lot of meds. But at least I’m on the right stuff now – I think!