Thanks. im just looking for input... I started taking them last night, but the dr only gave me enough for 10 days? im confused cause what i read it says that you cant just stop taking it.

10 days worth of meds is pointless. it takes a month for the full effect to take place, and generally the less-serious side effects disappear in that time.

i take an antidepressant for sleep and an antipsychotic so i don't think the FBI is going to break down my door. i also take omega 3-6-9, at 1200 mg. the minimal psychiatric dose is 1000 mg

it's a personal thing.

I was on meds for a while.....and it was wonderful. I smiled even when I knew I should be upset. But, I didn't care. It got to a point though when I realized that all that smiling wasn't solving the real issues. Weaning myself off was painful. Absolutely.

Today I am better at voicing my issues. I genuinely feel that my emotions speak for themselves.....and I am entitled to them, rather than brushing them off.

Boo- right now, I feel like I could use a bit of that...

For some, maybe it's just the temporary break from the overload of emotions that is good. Kind of pushes the reset button???

Best of luck- let us know how it goes for you, Dracona.

I hated it.I almost drove into the sidewalk it made me so drowsy.

Of all the meds i've tried prozac and wellbutrin were the ones with the lesat side effects....But i still do not like meds.

Wellbutrion doesn't affect sex drive..its a pretty good med..you may like that one.It works different than the others.

You've already gotten a lot of sincere input. I just wanted to toss in my 2 cents worth:

1. finding the right med often takes trying a few different ones, because there is so much individual variation in response. It took a lot of false starts and bad reactions before I found what works well for me.
2. Sometimes you will know right away that a med makes you feel very off and is not the right one for you. This may be why your doc have you such a short dose. I hope you have a follow-up appointment scheduled with him/her for next week.

Best of luck getting the mental comfort we all need.

Ive decided to start taking them. im on day 2. i dont feel too off except for drowsiness, which is ok cause i need to sleep. i had gone nearly 10 days with maybe 2 hours here and there, and was still going. I hope they work, i also hope I can get off them as i learn more natural remedies and dosages of the natural stuff. i just need to get everything straight, especially with the relationship issues im going through. thank you all for your input, it was helpful.

Well, it's tricky.

It really depends on who you're psychiatrist is.

Right now I have the best psychiatrist that I would trust with my life in a second. Im on about 5 different medications and have no side effects. For me, they are the distinct difference between functioning and not. For me, if I didnt have them I would not be able to move or think, almost literally be paralyzed with anxiety and depression.

That being said, I dont feel nearly that same way about any of the many psychiatrists Ive had before. And Ive had many. Tried many medications before, too. Some of them had more side affects than others, and there was definitely one point where I was overmedicated.

But. For me anyway, it is definitely worth it. It was still worth it when I wasnt under the best care on the best meds.

Do they fix everything? Absolutely not. But they cut off a significant edge that enables me to think and function to be able to process the big problems that I need to take on without breaking.

Remember, that you are always your best advocate. A doctor prescribing you medication doesnt mean that your life will be over upon taking it for a couple days or few weeks. If you do take something and you dont like how it makes you feel, its your right and you damn well should speak up for yourself and say so. No one will force your hand. You have just as much of a right to discontinue service with any doctor, and keep searching for one that does work.

Remember that going to a psychiatrist doesnt give them ultimate power over you. Your profile says you are in the US, and here there are definitely limitations to a doctor's power in this day and age.

If you dont feel good about the medicine you are taking and stop, the most your doctor is going to be able to do is have you taken to the ER to be evaluated. At that, they will only do that if they believe you will, in the immediate future, kill yourself or someone else.

And even then, a trip to the ER only means that someone will come and ask you questions, also to make sure you are not in danger to yourself. AND EVEN THEN, say hypothetically you were such a danger to yourself in the immediate future, or appeared so to them, one doctor does not have the power to commit you. Now you would have to be evaluated by three doctors who all agree. And the probability of anything getting to that point is pretty low. I mean I know at least in NJ, if you go in from such a situation voluntarily you can legally sign yourself out of any inpatient situation after 3 days.

What I am trying to say is, with the exception of some very, very extreme cases, you are still and will remain totally in control. And you have the ability to maintain control. You only need to do, or take, what you feel comfortable with.

Its a very personal choice, and everyones struggle is different. For me personally its a necessity.

Listen to your physician, please.

Yes, I tried paxil in 1997 for major depression, not anxiety. It wasn't a good fit for me but it might be for you.

I stopped it straightaway, no tapering off. No withdrawl syptoms whatsoever.

I guess what I am trying to say is that because everyone is so different, what works for one person may not work for another. But you keep trying until you hit upon the right one, at the right dose, alone or in combination with others.

I at least have a semblance of a life thanks to Big Pharma. 20 years ago there were far fewer choices available to me, and I lost many years of my life. I know a good thing when I see it, because I remember all too well how miserable my life was in the bad old days, when there was precious little available to try.

I feel ripped off that I lost so many years of my life - which wouldn't happen today. So my advice would be to take advantage and try everything that offers you a glimmer of hope instead of spinning your wheels in the air needlessly. That's time you will never get back.

Good for you, Dracona. Whichever way things go, facing the fear of meds openly here was a big step, and it helped a lot of us process the pros and cons. In the meantime, it sounds like you might get caught up on your sleep as you do this try-out. 2 hours a night? Eek. Sleep well.

i second what muji said: good for you. it takes guts to fight this disease, and you got `em.

believe me, i wrestled w/ the idea for years. it just got to a point where my genuine need overruled my intense fear of meds.

putting out good mojo that the med is a good fit. day 2 and nothing bad is a VERY GOOD sign.