Medication isn't helping

[Ruby]

I have schizo affective disorder and relapsed last year. I had started going to college and doing other 'normal' things and now i'm trapped inside my own head. Whenever a certain medication starts to work I seem to develop side effects that require intervention from the medical doctors. I've been on fluoxetine (stopped working), olanzapine (caused my blood sugar to go too high), risperidone (caused my prolactin to go high) and now i'm on seroquel 800mgs and citalopram 40mg and they don't seem to be working. It's so depressing that I can't just go on a tablet that'd work well and not cause medical problems. The MH team want to put me on venlafaxine and/or lithium and leave me on the seroquel.

Has anybody got any experiences with lithium or venlafaxine? I've heard of depakote but apparently that wouldn't be suitable. My other option is ECT which i'd rather not have.

 

[iracund]

times two. i'm terrified of telling my shrinky dink that i'm not getting any better with this cocktail because i do NOT want to take lithium. period. and i don't know what else he has in his bag of tricks. and no, after all this time i haven't yet told him about cutting. and i think this is going to be the visit where it all comes out. and my mate is pushing like hell to let him come with me because i tried to explain to him that his fucking yelling pissy temper tantrum triggered the shit out of me a few days ago.

yup. i'm scared. two more weeks to think about it and figure out wtf i am going to do. i dunno ... i can't decide what the best path is. is there one? cycling out of control vs. being all sorts of sedated. hmmm ... wtf? why is this a choice i have to make? fucking unreal.

 

[Ruby]

So nobody takes venlafaxine or lithium? Yeah right..

 

[the_me_that_you_know]

So nobody takes venlafaxine or lithium? Yeah right..

I know someone that was on lithium. It made her extremely angry. That's all I know about lithium. Sorry that they can't find a med that actually works. It took my state facility over 3 years to find a schizophrenia med that works on me..... but the side effects.....:ohmy: :blink: :sad:
What is the venlafaxine? A mood stabilizer is all I know about depakote, which they tried on me. It was completely ineffective.

 

[silent_enigma]

I'm on venlafaxine AKA Effexor. At first I would feel good a week, then super suicidal for a week, then good, then bad, etc. Now it seems to have FINALLY fully kicked in after 2.5 months. It helps a lot with getting angry and upset. Halfway decent for depression. It doesn't change your thoughts or anything, tho. Meds can only do so much.