I think knowing your meds and what they are used for is always a good rule of thumb. I rarely went on anything without the doctor having to explain absolutely everything about it... and even then, I would ask a million questions. My body tends to respond with the most unlikely side-effects to most everything. Psych meds just ended up screwing me up way more than when I am not on anything. I have found that my symptoms are much more manageable un-medicated, so I chose to remain that way (I still have a whole host of uncomfortable and scary symptoms, but I'm not as likely to act on urges and thoughts when not medicated, and everything passes faster)...

good thing you were able to address the mess, and I'm glad you are more involved in your med decisions now.