[raspberrytorte]

Do you ever feel meds have just made your situation worse?

In 2007 I went to a psychiatrist for the first time and she prescribed me sertraline, telling me that if I was bipolar it would probably make me manic. It did make me manic and I ended up in the hospital.

Prior to being put on sertraline I had just gotten through rehab for alcohol abuse, and I was depressed. She also put me on alprazolam, which got upgraded to clonazepam 4mg a day.

I went through clonazepam withdrawal because my psychiatrist at that time had me wean off of it in only two months, which was too fast. It lasted four months and was one of the worse experiences of my life.

Then about three months later I overdosed on clonazepam, propranolol, and gabapentin. I think it was some sort of residual effect from my too fast taper.

I'm sort of sick of all these meds messing with my mind! I can't get over the feeling that they've made things worse.

And no, I can't go med free. My husband said he'd leave me if I went off of them.

[franz kafka]

I took lexapro as treatment for OCD and became manic on it. After that it was downhill for 2-3 years, with diagnoses of BPII, BPI and then schizoaffective. Would this have all happened without the SSRI to catalyze it? I don't know. All I know is that my attempts to reduce meds recently haven't been very successful.

[Nammu]

There have been a great many meds that made my life worse but now I'm on a AP, propranolol and a sleep med and it's the miracle med cocktail. I think geee maybe I'm not bipolar and I don't need meds....but I know better

[Guiness187055]

The med merry-go-round can be tough but when the meds are right life is really good. I am on the right combo they just need tweaked a little bit.

[~Christina]

Yes numerous meds over the years made matters worse, I have a nifty list of meds I personally add to my allergic too list.

It's a shame

[jacky8807]

I see where you are going. Did one med lead to a a downward spiral that ended in a lifetime of handcuffs to polypharmacology? They speak about this often in the very controversial MAD in America.
I guess it does not matter now. If you are doing better on meds (which I think you are?) then that is what matters at this point.
I hope you are doing well over there Ras.!

[Sunflower123]

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time. You're not alone. I don't feel like I've taken meds that have made things worse or had any bad side effects (except for the dreaded rash from Lamicatal). I've just had medications that did absolutely nothing. I can't even imagine coming off something like Xanax or Klonopin. I am on both and if I go for even one day without them, the withdrawals are severe.

I hope you start feeling better soon. It sounds like your husband really care for you. Best wishes.

i've often wondered this question to myself, and aloud

without meds I certainly couldn't cope

but with them it's like I can't cope either

been on so many that have just messed me up, it's like what's the point?

but I know I need to continue trying new ones

sort of don't have a choice in the matter

Yeah, I've got a long list of meds that made me worse. Ad's that caused manic type symptoms and several other classes of drugs that made me physically sicker, therefore made my quality of life poorer. I think AP's created a sort of reliance issue for me and made my future psychosis deeper and scary. This all started more than 20 years ago when Prozac and Paxil unleashed a side of me I'd wish I'd never met and caused lifelong consequences. My advise to anyone is to avoid meds unless you really have no other choice. I have no other choice now. I hope you find what works and I'm so sorry about the benzo withdrawal. I've never had to contend with such a thing but I've heard it's horrific and my heart goes out to you.

[Faltering]

Yes. I have tried several meds that have hurt more than helped, both physically and mentally. I am skeptical of what psych meds actually do and I tend to deny my diagnosis, so I've gone without meds for months or years on end. Inevitably an episode comes (usually mixed) that is so unbearable I resort to medication again. Long term I hope I can taper off meds. But I know deep down that may not be in my best interest.

[gayleggg]

No, meds have only helped me or did nothing at all.

[Cocosurviving]

I was misdiagnosed with depression and put on Celexa. It sent me into full mania for months. I went for a second opinion. I was then diagnosed with bp1.....put on Lamictal and Lithium....plus I was tapering off Celexa. I started having problems with the Lamictal and was taken off. I then was put on Risperdal and a sleep aid. I got better. A year later I tried Lamictal again because I was having depression and had no problems. But eventually became immune and was tapered off. I now take a low dose of Zoloft with my Lithium and AP. I'm doing just find. I also take Restoril

[Unrigged64072835]

At first I was feeling worse, but now I'm doing better. Meds have made me worse as far as side effects go, but it was a choice between being alive but sick or being dead. I'm not ready to die just yet.

[LadyShadow]

In the beginning, meds were my enemy, making me feel like a zombie and so numb. Then I met a brilliant psychiatrist with both a PhD and MD who took me off everything and started from scratch resulting in only one antipsychotic and Klonopin for sleep and a bit of anxiety. That's it.

Sometimes it takes a brilliant mind to take a chance on you to improve your health.

Feel better soon.

[Wild Coyote]

I have great difficulty tolerating meds. Those I can tolerate often do not help.
I feel I am becoming increasingly med-resistant over time. Very few meds help, if any.

WC

[jacky8807]

Originally Posted by gayleggg

No, meds have only helped me or did nothing at all.

wow that's great! you are one in a million!

[hahayeahtotallylol]

I was over medicated until recently, and today i feel fine on lithium and seroquel. When i feel bad i always make adjustments without telling the doctor.