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Originally Posted by MPD-AvPD-BPD
But at what dossage ??? do you cut back the dosage recommended or are they slower acting types??
Most of the time they not worth it for me.. My job requires me to think and problem solve almost daily, and if i'm 'droned out', i get nothing done for weeks...
Most of them are what I remember been on or am still currently on,
Lorian - Antidep : Been on them on and off for ~5 years, But after 2 or 3 days on them I'm zoned out for a week or so, realy dont give a S! about work.. (prescribed by GP)
Purata - Tranq : Again on and off for 10 - 15 years, However sometimes they work so slow i took 4 tabs one after the other, so i could relax and get over my anxiety at the time. The wife freeked and had me marching up and down to make sure I don't fall asleep, and this kept my anxiety up ... (prescribed by GP)
Normison - Sedative : Only recently been on these (for ~ the last year), So far it's been OK. only problem is i find my self waking up almost exactly 4 hours after going to sleep, when using these.. (prescribed by GP)
These i remember because for them, i still got the packaging with tabs in laying around. I've been on several other heavier meds years back (in 97), but beat me dead with a stick and i still cant tell you what they were.. How ever they were prescribed by a psychiatrist.. The Sedative would knock me out cold in 15 min, My flatmates attested to this, and often had to 'Put me to bed' if i passed out on the couch.. The Tranq zoned me so far out, i'd often do 20 or 30 Km's extra on the freeway, before i realized i'd passed my offramp, then rockup at work over an hour late, and truly not give a S! about it..
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You ask about medication vs. lifestyle management. It's really not an either-or issue. It can be both. From your descriptions, it sounds like you have some strategies for lifestyle management but that you are still fighting a pretty hard battle. Replacing doors...not such a good quality of life. You deserve better.
The right meds at the right doses, along with counseling and continuing lifestyle management may make things easier in general. Note that I said the right meds and right doses. Some meds at doses that are too high can definitely zone one out - and if that is the case, you need a psychiatrist who will work with you on the goal of symptom relief without being a zombie.
My job definitely requires my brain to be turned on, and I sympathize - medications that cause cognitive impairment or apathy are a definite "no" for me. It sounds like you need something faster-acting for anxiety so that you don't feel compelled to take more than you need to help your immediate symptoms. For sleep, a small dose of an atypical antipsychotic now and then works amazingly well if it gets rough and I just cannot sleep. And there are things to help with depression that don't make one totally apathetic. There are options.
Also, with any drug, finding the lowest dose that works for you is a good goal. My doctor knows to try me on a quarter of the lowest recommended dose for an adult and go either up or down from there since I respond to very low doses (some folks are the opposite and need unusually high doses). The pill splitter is my friend. Some doctors do not think in terms of being super flexible about dosing and just go with the "typical" adult recommended doses. It's all about patience, and experimentation. And you REALLY need to be working with a psychiatrist, not a GP. A GP will probably not have the facility with the meds to really help you finesse things. There may be side effects with anything (although I have known people who had zero side effects to their antidepressants), but you shouldn't have to compromise THAT much. Good luck to you.