Medication Horror Stories

[sabbath92001]

While I was on prozac, I got into 3 accidents, totalled my truck, and generally was manic. When I took zoloft I blacked-out. I've been prescribed wellbutrin, celexa, serzone, klonopin, paxil and some others that I've probably forgotten. None of these helped at all. All prescribed by doctors who missed a clear social anxiety disorder diagnosis. I fiinally had to diagnose and treat myself.

Anybody will tell you that exercise is just as effective if not more so than these "anti-depressants". And the side effects of exercise are all good, as opposed to deadly.

Why did the UK start to ban anti-depressants for children? Becasue they are dangerous and don't work. Just greedy drug companies trying to make money off people's suffering.

 

[Ads7800]

Don't Work!

I realise what your saying. And yes, drug companies are greedy bastards, especially American ones. But you also say that anti-depressants don't work, that isn't true (don't become a George W. Bush on me now). Without anti-depressants I wouldn't have felt open enough to start combatting my anxiety.
Do you think I'm doing the wrong thing?

 

[Anonymous]

facts are facts- the science shows that they are effective for alot of people and not affective for some. Of course the same goes for side-effects- they affect everyone to varying degrees.

 

[Anonymous]

Every medicine has side effects, and won't work for everybody. Consider that aspirin and Tylenol (acetaminophen/paracetamol/APAP) kill thousands of people annually-- yet they're not considered dangerous.

Sure ADs do some strange things. Here's a short list of things I've witnessed due to AD usage (some in myself, most in others): impotence (Paxil); anxiety (Effexor, Wellbutrin/Zyban); priapism (Trazodone); toxic interaction (Prozac and lithium); complete loss of libido (Paxil); weight gain (Effexor); constipation (Effexor); abnormal ejaculation and delayed orgasm (Effexor); intoxication (Wellbutrin/Zyban); subjective intensification of the effects of other psychoactive drugs (Effexor; Paxil); emotional flattening (Effexor); wacKed-out withdrawal syndrome (Effexor).

Yet they also lift people out of debilitating depressions, restoring quality of life, with FAR fewer side effects than the older tricyclic medications. They enable people like me to pretend to be sorta normal some of the time .

If you want medication horror stories, read about what happens to people put on antipsychotics! ADs seem about as benign as a sugar pill by comparison.

 

[MRnomates]

aaaa

 

[Ads7800]

OK. I'm glad some others have posted their ordeals and opinions. Yes everyone had side effects from their medication, I never said that wasn't so. However, my biggest side effect from my medication was sleepiness. I guess I've been lucky.
And what's this talk about coke and speed, I hope you were being sarcastic. I've seen some major horror stories on that crap. Oh well, to each their own.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry but these anti depressants don't work and saying they only work for some is crap. If we all had a pint of vodka we'd all feel the affects not just some of us. These drugs are shit and mess with your thoughts, thoughts of more depression crying and suicide.

It doesn't make sense that cocaine isn't available or speed cause that makes you feel ace

Oh my god! you are such an idiot. They sure as hell work for me. These drugs pinpoint certian neurotransmitters. If you don't have an imbalance of these particular chemicals then they aren't going to work for you. And yes, anyone who takes them will feel an effect, just not always the one they want. For example if you have an abundance of serotonin already your probably just going to feel wired. But if you don't then after a few weeks you will feel normal. God, I hate it when one person speaks for everyone. Yes, yes, we are all just like you!

 

[Anonymous]

some people love the affects of cocaine, but some people just feel wired and anxious- due to chemical differences in different individuals.

 

[Anonymous]

And, some people will pass out and die of poisoning from guzzling a pint of vodka-- and others, such as alcoholics, will be but slightly affected.

The annals of medicine are also full of what are called "idiosyncratic reactions": cases wherein a person has effects/side effects from a drug never seen in any other person. Literally any effect can occur, and with literally any drug.

That said, I personally have found Effexor to aggravate, not relieve, my anxiety. But many people do have less anxiety on it, and numerous studies have shown it to be effective. It's great for my depression; and useless for my anxiety. But I cannot deny that many people have less anxiety thanks to Effexor. Just not me!

 

[Anonymous]

One more thing for Mr nomates: Coke and speed will cause severe anxiety, paranoia, delusional thinking.... they screw with your head worse than any antidepressant ever marketed!! (Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid-- a chemical brother to deliriants like scopolomine.) If they make you feel "ace", then your anxiety may be secondary to your stimulant usage.

Also, ADs often intensify other intoxicants... making the speed even worse for you than it already is.

Lastly, drugs that make you "feel ace" are banned because drugs that make you "feel ace" are the ones that are abused and lead to addiction.

 

[Funnyduck]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who had so many bad side effects on Paxil. That stuff was brutal. It ruined my last relationship because I didn't have a libido.

Wellbutrin worked great for me. No side effects at all. None. The only problem is that while I can socially interact with people I still find it impossible to speak in front of a group of people (such as in class and having to answer a question, read from my text book or to speak in front of the class).

That's my big problem right now. I have to speak in front of my class. I know one day it's going to come and I am terrified.

I think people who severe phobias should face their fear in some sort of therapy. I don't think pills alone will carry a person, it can only help.......but there will always be that nagging feeling at all times. That fear. That's what I am planning to do. I'm so sick of being stressed out about things such as speaking out loud in one of my classes.

 

[Crimefish]

Um, my story isn't about SA meds, it's about crohn's meds. My doctor made me take steroids for three years, which made me fat, thinned my bones and gave me severe stretch marks which will never go away. As if I wasn't self-conscious enough. Then he made me take two different meds which both gave me liver damage, the latter while I was taking prozac, so I had to stop taking both. Now that I stopped taking the liver damage med, I'm still not allowed to take the prozac again. Oh yeah, the med was the kind used in chemotherapy, so of course, my hair is still falling out.
And now I'm going to start using an(other more powerful) immuno-suppressant which may or may not work. I'll be at high risk from autoimmune diseases, blood cancer and pneumonia.

 

[MRnomates]

aaaa

 

[Crimefish]

Meds are a shit waste of space

Well, you're entitled to your own opinion, but I'll die without meds, so by your logic, I'm a waste of space. Thanks so much.

 

[LeeAnne]

The annals of medicine are also full of what are called "idiosyncratic reactions": cases wherein a person has effects/side effects from a drug never seen in any other person. Literally any effect can occur, and with literally any drug.

I usually get wild anxiety on the start up of any AD. sucks when you have major anxiety.

My experiences on Lexapro are ok. It wired me badly. Caused a bit of hyperactivity/agitation. Didn't fix my moods extensively.

A second time around with it, I thought I could go to 10mg from 5mg quickly because I remember a doc telling me I should be able to tolerate 10mg as a starting dose. When I started at 5 mg the first time, my agoraphobia became quite severe. At 10mg I got a bit better.

The second time around when I tried 10mg I became delusional, and so severely anxious I was convinced someone was stalking around the hallways looking to kill me.

Yep. 10mg of Lexapro. I do have a bipolar 2 dx that docs can't decide on because I don't have obvious signs of it. That's until I get on an antidepressant.

So when someone says just try an AD I kinda hesitate. I try to steer them towards mood stabilizers.

 

[LeeAnne]

wow did I ever dig up an old thread