Firstly, I am doing this with my psychiatrist's and family doctor's approval. Please do not discontinue your meds suddenly or without medical supervision, because to do so can be dangerous.
I have tried dozens of meds over the years (for the full trial period of at least 3 months unless the side effects were too severe). No medication ever seemed to have much effect on my mood, although I noticed that certain meds, including Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) made it so that I didn't cry easily - in fact some made it nigh impossible. I'm not certain this was a good thing since crying can provide a catharsis and some studies show tears of sadness (as opposed to eye watering from pain or irritants) contain toxins thus crying helps to eliminate toxins from the body. Sweat from exercise does the same thing.
The only other thing I noticed from meds was that they affected my sexual response (common with SNRI and SSRI meds). In my case they made it more difficult to climax. But only Cymbalta made it impossible- ugh I hated that med.
I have been taking Pristiq (50mg) lithium (600 mg) lamotrigine (150mg) and mirtazapine (5mg) for the last several years. I have also been taking estrogen for menopausal issues including mood swings. I am not bipolar- the lithium and lamotrigine were to augment the Pristiq, and because my father (who was bipolar) had huge benefits from them. The mirtazapine (tiny dose) was to counter the side effects of Pristiq.
So far I have discontinued the estrogen, lithium and lamotrigine over two months, with no lasting effect. Yesterday I started weaning off Pristiq. I am weaning off with the help of Prozac (as directed by my doctor) due to Prozac's extremely long half-life. So last night I took Prozac instead of Pristiq. Had some weird and complex dreams but nothing too bad and actually slept through the night, about 7 hours.
SNRI meds are notoriously difficult to discontinue, however 50mg is a relatively low dose to begin with.
I wanted to try life without prescription drugs. If I need to I will start them again, but as I said I have never noticed any lifting or stabilizing of my mood from taking these drugs. A lot of people find them helpful, though. I have Atypical depression so perhaps this is why they don't seem to work for me. For a description of Atypical depression, just look at Wikipedia. And despite the name, it's very common and up to 40% of cases of depression may be atypical.
I do take benzodiazepines as needed (usually less than once a week) for anxiety. I have started micro-dosing THC for evening depression and it is the ONLY substance that has ever stopped the depression. I take 2-4mg a few times a week. It is legal where I live.
I'm managing my depression pretty well with exercise, spiritual practice (meditation and study of Buddhism and Stoicism), and I left my toxic job. That last one was a biggie. I also use SF and an IRL group for support.
I take vitamins including D, calcium, magnesium and a B complex, a few times a week. I eat a healthy and varied diet. I want to get more regular about taking supplements. There's a free online book called The Way Up from Down, written by a psychiatrist many years ago, that recommends a regimen of supplements for depression.
I have tried dozens of meds over the years (for the full trial period of at least 3 months unless the side effects were too severe). No medication ever seemed to have much effect on my mood, although I noticed that certain meds, including Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) made it so that I didn't cry easily - in fact some made it nigh impossible. I'm not certain this was a good thing since crying can provide a catharsis and some studies show tears of sadness (as opposed to eye watering from pain or irritants) contain toxins thus crying helps to eliminate toxins from the body. Sweat from exercise does the same thing.
The only other thing I noticed from meds was that they affected my sexual response (common with SNRI and SSRI meds). In my case they made it more difficult to climax. But only Cymbalta made it impossible- ugh I hated that med.
I have been taking Pristiq (50mg) lithium (600 mg) lamotrigine (150mg) and mirtazapine (5mg) for the last several years. I have also been taking estrogen for menopausal issues including mood swings. I am not bipolar- the lithium and lamotrigine were to augment the Pristiq, and because my father (who was bipolar) had huge benefits from them. The mirtazapine (tiny dose) was to counter the side effects of Pristiq.
So far I have discontinued the estrogen, lithium and lamotrigine over two months, with no lasting effect. Yesterday I started weaning off Pristiq. I am weaning off with the help of Prozac (as directed by my doctor) due to Prozac's extremely long half-life. So last night I took Prozac instead of Pristiq. Had some weird and complex dreams but nothing too bad and actually slept through the night, about 7 hours.
SNRI meds are notoriously difficult to discontinue, however 50mg is a relatively low dose to begin with.
I wanted to try life without prescription drugs. If I need to I will start them again, but as I said I have never noticed any lifting or stabilizing of my mood from taking these drugs. A lot of people find them helpful, though. I have Atypical depression so perhaps this is why they don't seem to work for me. For a description of Atypical depression, just look at Wikipedia. And despite the name, it's very common and up to 40% of cases of depression may be atypical.
I do take benzodiazepines as needed (usually less than once a week) for anxiety. I have started micro-dosing THC for evening depression and it is the ONLY substance that has ever stopped the depression. I take 2-4mg a few times a week. It is legal where I live.
I'm managing my depression pretty well with exercise, spiritual practice (meditation and study of Buddhism and Stoicism), and I left my toxic job. That last one was a biggie. I also use SF and an IRL group for support.
I take vitamins including D, calcium, magnesium and a B complex, a few times a week. I eat a healthy and varied diet. I want to get more regular about taking supplements. There's a free online book called The Way Up from Down, written by a psychiatrist many years ago, that recommends a regimen of supplements for depression.
Xx
