Non-AP psych meds - mostly placebo?

Does anyone else feel that most psych meds are completely useless? It seems to me if it’s not an AP then either it is addictive and you get tolerance or it does nothing for me. Except APs I’ve been on buspirone, mirtazapine, lamictal, mianserin and escitalopram. Escitalopram made me psychotic and the rest had no effects or side-effects and could just as well be sugar pills. Is it just me or are they basically placebo?

When I was in jail there was this one black guy who they were giving 10 mg a day of Prozac to. He started talking about how good he felt. I wish I had realized what was going on so I could have told him to keep taking the Prozac when he got out of jail. If a guy is saying he feels good when he is in jail something is working for him.

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Many of the Medications have hurt me in the past - Imipramine, an old fashioned Tricyclic Antidepressant triggered manic and mixed episodes in me for years, keeping me psychotic.

Lamictal made my moods unstable, making me irritable most of the time.

Abilify triggered psychotic/Auditory Hallucinations and intense paranoia.

Risperdal has worked great for me, but its full of side effects, even increasing my heart rate at certain doses above 3.5 mg.

My paranoia has increased and I could probably use more meds, but at what cost? More side effects - is it worth going up on my meds? or do I learn to live with more paranoia and remain on my current dose.

Taking psych meds are important, but one has to find the right balance in dosing - these meds come with a cost and price to pay.

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[quote=“Wave, post:3, topic:33411”]
Many of the Medications have hurt me in the past[/quote]

I believe escitalopram induced rapid cycling in me. I still had rapid cycling when off AP meds years later.

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It’s funny/interesting that our brains, chemical makeup s are so different. What works for one individual may not work for another. For example, wave said risperdone worked for him while for me it had no effect except side effects.

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I’ve tried 8 or 9 different anti-psychotics and none of them worked for me. I concluded they were simply too dangerous and my body was too sensitive to the side effects.

I have no need for mood stabilizers, so basically the rest of non-AP’s would be pointless to me.

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Like all medications - they affect different people differently. We all have different genetics and biologies - so this is to be expected.

The good news is that there are a lot of different medications out there - at least 30+ anti-psychotics, and many others that can help you.

Here is the list. I recommend you work with your doctor / psychiatrist to find something that works for you. Don’t give up. Keep forcing them to find something that works for you.

and

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Why would you stop after trying only 30% of the medications.

Talk with your doctor - don’t give up so quickly.

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