i feel like i'm on a lot of medication?

hey there, i'm currently taking (or so i think) a lot of pills. i'm currently on:

- lamotrigine: 200mg once a day
- pregabalin: 200mg twice a day
- aripiprazole: 15mg once a day
- largactil: 25mg twice a day
- buspirone: 10mg twice a day
- methylphenidate (concerta): 36mg once a day
- xanax - 0.5mg once a day
- lorazepam (sos in case i'm nervous): 1mg

personally, i feel like this is A LOT of medication. i barely feel things, i don't react to anything except to possible threats or paranoid thoughts or suicidal thoughts, i'm super apathetic and i'm constantly sleepy/drowsy and i barely eat or sleep at night. do you guys have any opinions on this? i'm a bit concerned and i won't have a new psychiatrist until next week :'(

Yes, that is a lot of medication!

How did you get to that many meds? Did your psychiatrist keep adding them without taking away ones that weren't working well? Or did he add multiple medications at once? Just wondering.

What do you use pregabalin (Lyrica) for? If it's for anxiety, then you're literally on 3 anxiety meds. But I know that pregabalin can treat other things.

Why 2 antipsychotics? (It's not unheard of, but just wondering...)

It sounds like you're flat/numb, which is not good.

exactly pal!! i totally agree, i feel awful about so many pills. it's ruining me. i feel like my doctor is plotting to drug me so he gets me completely unresponsive and gets me in a psychward, though he is a good dude, outside of, well. being a doctor.
i'm on pregabalin for anxiety, 2 antipsychotics because i was previously diagnosed with paranoid delusions, and yeah. it's a total mess! i wish i could just stop takin' them. but, gladly, i'm going to see a new doctor soon, which i'm very happy about.
thank you for answering me friend!!

Yeah.

I'm obviously not a doctor, but 3 meds for anxiety seems overkill. Maybe you need them. I'm not sure. But therapy can help you A LOT here by teaching you tips and techniques for coping with anxiety. Then maybe you can get rid of 1 or more anxiety meds.

How many antipsychotics have you tried before?

i really don't need so many, tbh, pal. i deal with anxiety yes, but i find them to be excessive.
i have also tried three different antipsychotics. olanzapine, seroquel and another i cannot remember.
ty for answering!!

It is not for anyone but your doctors to decide whether the meds you're on are necessary, or not. I was on as many meds as you are 6 months ago because I'd had a severe breakdown. I am currently dropping some of my meds. What I'm saying is, you might need the meds you're on for now. Definitely tell your new pdoc how you feel...tired and checked-out. See what s/he says.

By the way, I am quite sure that your pdoc is not plotting against you. If he wants to hospitalize you, I'm sure it's because you need to be IP. Best to you & keep us posted

Heya Angelicwings, I've been on alot of different meds. I've stayed on meds that made me feel like a doped up zombie while I "stuck it out" to see if they helped. It's really hard. The thing to do is document what works and what doesn't, which is extra hard when you're doped up.
The next step is to communicate openly and freely with your doc on how you are doing. Remember, the doc works for you, despite what he would have you believe. If your current doc doesn't listen to you or respect you then find another doc. That's also hard because good docs are far and few between. When you find a good doc it may hard to get an appt. because they will be in high demand. Just know there is always hope. Always another drug combo to try, another doc that can really help you get on the right set of meds. Don't ever settle for feeling crappy or mediocre.

I think I take a lot of meds but they all work together. I take
Latuda
Haldol
Lamictal
Ativan
Ambien
Zoloft
I think that's it.

I take several too, but I'm finally stable. Here's mine:

Lamictal Latuda, pristiq, haldol, Neurontin, Ativan (prn, rare) and cogentin (haldol
Side effects)

Here's my mix:
Vyvance 35mg
Adderall 10mg
Prozac 40mg
Wellbutrin 100mg
Thyroid T4 50mcg
Thyroid T3 10mcg
Lithium 900mg
Metformin 50mg
Hydroxyzine 50mg

I'm down to 2, but that took some doing. When I was freaking out, it was 4 daily, 2 as needed. I also take tons of high dose supplements, and that helps (took time for it to help, but it does seem to help).

looking over your list...wow. You've got antipsychotics, you've got sedatives, you've got a stimulant. I've been there; its no way to live, not long term. I hope this new doctor can straighten things out.

I used to take 5 but now im down to 2. I was on heavy doses. I felt the same way. Im much livelier now.

Hi,

Above all else, I'd recommend letting your new psychiatrist know about how you're feeling with your current medication regimen and about any relevant medication-related concerns that you have. You might also want to give your new psychiatrist a timeline of sorts that will allow him or her to see when you started taking the various medications that you're currently taking. From reading your post and also looking at your signature, it looks like the Concerta might have been prescribed to treat your ADHD symptoms and that the antipsychotics might have been prescribed to help reduce feelings of paranoia and maybe also to help with mood, possible borderline personality traits, and symptoms related to depersonalization and derealization. But I have to wonder how much the stimulant Concerta and the tranquilizers that you're taking might be counteracting each other more than anything else and if taking less of your stimulant, for instance, might reduce the need that you have for some of your other medications (the Xanax, lorazepam, largactil, and the aripiprazole that you're taking -- although I know that aripiprazole isn't necessarily tranquilizing). Of course, it isn't for me to decide what to do with your medications, but if you think that simplifying your medication regimen (whether it's by cutting back on medications that would likely be counteracting the effects of some of your other medications or by doing something different) would be a good idea, expressing such an idea to the psychiatrist that you're planning on seeing is something that I'd definitely advise.

I also take gabapentin.

Yeah, that sounds like a lot to me. I have been on that many, but not all at once.

I do feel that more and more are steadily stacked onto you. I've been on 13 overall, 5 of which I am currently taking. Lithium, Seroquel, Xanax, Concerta and Fluanxol. Not nearly as many as you take.

Yeah it sounds like a lot especially if several are for the same things. I would tell my doctor about this immediately and say that you want to get off some of them. Otherwise, find a new doctor.

Hi Angelicwings,
Xanax and lorazepam are in the same class (benzodiazapines). My doctor gave me the option of one or the other, but I'm not supposed to mix them. You might consider asking about the safety/necessity of both.

Secondly - you absolutely deserve a doctor you like and trust. It took me years to realize that I actually did have good instincts about doctors, but wasn't following my instincts. Trust is hard for me, as I have PTSD, but I can still divide doctors into "reasonably comfortable with them" and "heinously uncomfortable with how they treat me."

As far as numbers of medications, some people need a combination. That being said, if you're still not feeling reasonably well, it's okay to tell a doctor it's not working for you. Things like sleepiness and apathy can be a depression symptom, but they can absolutely be side effects, too.

Sending good wishes in your direction.