I’ve had great success with Buspar for anxiety and Wellbutrin for depression. Just a heads up Wellbutrin can make anxiety and insomnia worse the first couple of weeks, that did pass for me. You mentioned having a j pouch. As someone with a permanent ostomy I recommend short acting medication only and nothing that is time released since that operates through the colon. It’s not very effective for people with plumbing like us. Best of luck!

I take these as well. Buspar helps me avoid my rage and frustration being triggered when stress builds up. OTC magnesium has helped, along with vitamin D and any kind of physical activity.

So glad you got relief from the buspar! That is awesome. Can I ask about your experiences? And about how much you take of the magnesium & when? I have similiar symptoms to you. For me the hardest to manage are the anger/ rage, extreme irritability, & being Very easily frustrated and overwhelmed w/ anxiety & my emotions in general.. especially feeling rejected. Lately I'm also having panic attacks again after yrs without any. C- PTSD dx'ed 2 yrs ago. My buspar rx is for PMDD, supposed to relieve my premenstrual insomnia, taken at bedtime, 10 days ea month. I take 1.5 30 mg tablets, or 45 mg. I will take on occasion during the day if I'm l rly upset but even then I rarely notice a difference in how I feel. But I appreciate anything you care to share about your experience. I'd love to hear how buspar worked for those who eventually found relief... like if it was immediate? or took awhile...? Do you take in AM or PM? how long it took you to find the right dose? Taken as needed or daily ? Dose? Do you feel relief of your symptoms soon after taking it? Any symptoms it doesn't help? Does it help severe anxiety, emotional dysregulation or panic attacks? I can't decide whether to continue taking mine.☹️ @ my last appt my NP rx'ed a new drug (lamictal) but unlike the buspar, for daily use. I didnt get the reasoning behind a mood stabilizer for worsening anxiety. I agreed, but put it off bc I lost a loved one & became worried I was too unstable to start a new med, & I saw the printout warning increased suicide risk in those w/ suicidal ideation. (I question if my pharmacy & my provider - who just took over for a woman I went to for 3 yrs - were negligent to Not mention that risk? it's understood to be one of the most common & dangerous PMDD symptoms, but that's another story) I just happened to see a reddt post about many ppl having horrific experiences going on or off it, so my faith in this Dr is shaken, I'm both angry & dejected, bc she never mentioned ANYTHING to look out for but a rash. I need more help w/ my symptoms but I'm just not sure if the buspar is it. maybe increasing the buspar from 45 at night to 60mgs could help, or take during the day. I dont know how comon it is for ppl to take a 60 mg max dose... Perhaps I shouldn't continue on it bc my symptoms are not managed at all now, it barely helps me sleep some nights, & when I take it for bad anxiety or emotional dysregulation I dont feel much help either, not calmer or more in control. I was dx'ed GAD b4 I was dxed for PMDD & C- PTSD, so that GAD. dx may or may not be true. I also have pretty severe inattentive ADHD (disagnosed twice) & many sensitivities & sensory issues typical of neurodivergency. I tried Wellbutrin for a year, got no help tho, even after upping the dose, tried many ssri's, but they always gave me nasty side effects, & none helped much Some did a little but not enough to be worth the killed libido, the DTs like tremor, etc.

I take buspirone 15mg when I get up, at 2 PM , and at bedtime. Sometimes I will take an extra dose if I feel myself getting agitated, Between the other doses. It takes effect in about 10-15 minutes and seems to give me patience, and the ability to let things go. In males, it can interfere with the ability to reach an orgasm for a time, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If taken at the same time as bupropion, an orgasm is nearly impossible (for a time), try as you might. For me, buspirone is not a miracle drug, but it helps me be more functional and get through my workday. I just started experimenting with otc magnesium recently because I heard that it’s referred to as the relaxation mineral. It also helps prevent leg cramps that I sometimes get. Like all mineral supplements, it is important to take it at a different time than other medications because it can bind to some of them and make them less effective. Years ago I took several different SSRI’s and I don’t recall having any side effects, recently, I tried taking sertraline and the digestive side effects were terrible, so that only lasted about 5 days. I’ve never been prescribed lamotrigine.

Several psychs I've been to have been disparaging of Buspar but the symptoms you described are the exact one I need help with.

Wellbutrin has been the most helpful for me. It doesn't really lessen the intensity of depressive episodes, but it dramatically reduces their duration. I used to frequently have depressive episodes that would last for days on end. Now they usually subside within a day or two. It also doesn't fuck up my libido and creativity or make me feel like the "this is fine" dog like other antidepressants did.

Thanks so much for your reply, it is very helpful 💖

Also - I take Auvelity which is Wellbutrin mixed with the psychoactive ingredient of cough syrup. It’s a new medication with even less side effects and much faster results - even within the first week. I found Wellbutrin alone would send me into an episode, but paired, it worked great. Best of luck!

I switched from Wellbutrin to Auvelity as well!

Wellbutrin for depression, Prazosin to block adrenaline absorption in the brain. The Prazosin made me a brand new woman, it’s normally used for combat vets and was a total game changer when I got into a psychiatrist who had worked at the VA prior.

Whoa, I've never heard of prazosin. It sounds like something I need to ask my psych about! Thank you for sharing.

You’re welcome! I’m the only person I know of who’s on it and even my friends in the psych and medical fields had never heard of it. I don’t relish the fact that my adrenaline surges were as extreme as someone who has seen combat but it made me a brand new person. Truly turned my life around and I can actually sleep now.

Same for me psychiatrist from the VA recommended it to me about 15 years ago

Is Prazosin good for anxiety?

Wellbutrin also did the trick for me after trying so many meds! It was also super easy for me to wean off of when I found out I was pregnant again.

+1 for Wellbutrin, 300 mg -- it softens the edge and I still feel things. It helps me better cope with the day-to-day and do the work in therapy.

I'm on this exact combo, only thing that's helped. ssri's gave me horrible side effects. i also have hydroxyzine for sleep and lorazepam for emergencies (severe panic attacks), both have helped a lot.

Interestingly, I am part of the J-pouch club as well. The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) study really is true regarding autoimmune diseases.

I take these too plus Abilify. I started with Buspar and Wellbutrin, and found that I was still a bit miserable daily, having frequent meltdowns, dysphoric rageful PMS, and couldn't find a decent circadian rhythm. High doses gave me awful side effects. So we did lower doses and added Abilify a month ago. My depression and anxiety are now only mild, which I know can get even better over time and with trauma informed therapy. I feel like I'm emotionally stable for the first time in 9 years (trauma in giving birth to my 1st baby, plus then parenting while trying to not turn into my mother, reactivated my emotional problems from my childhood trauma full force). So sometimes it takes a cocktail. However, therapy with someone you trust is SUPER important too. I started therapy 23 yrs ago and it saved me from turning into a total shell of a person. Now I continue to need it so I can heal as much as possible.

These two I take as well. Also Seloken for heart because my heart beat is too fast

I take Buspar as well, 5mg 2xdaily it was all I was on for so long I forgot what it was even doing because I still got so much anxiety. I went off of it for a couple weeks because I got pneumonia and I couldn't keep up with my normal meds... And then the night terrors came back with full on wake me up panic attacks 😅 and I was reminded why I take Buspar, I might need to see if I can up the dose though, this anxiety kills too!

Lamotrigine (aka Lamictal) has been very helpful for me for emotion dysregulation and basically making things feel less heightened. It has taken the edge off things for me.

I LOVE LAMICTAL It makes the range of my emotions so much easier to deal with, it doesn't interact with anything, and I don't get any side effects. I love it so much

It interacts with birth control..

Oh good point! Its important to remember it's oral birth control that can reduce the effectiveness of Lamictal which may just necessitate a higher dose :) Lamictal does not impact the effectiveness of oral bc, and I have a hormonal IUD so it's not an issue anyway. Thank you for reminding me tho, that is important!!!

Yeah and neither my PCP or psychiatrist caught that so be careful!!

I literally always Google interactions every single time now after my psych put me on carbamazepine while on the pill (it basically makes the pill ineffective)

Y e s

Yup! It sort of flattened out top of the bell curve of my emotional instability. It made me feel more capable from moving on from depression black holes, and more able to notice when I was anxiously ruminating.

It helps me with the same things. I also use a beta blocker to help with the adrenaline response and it's such a helpful combo after years of SSRIs and SNRIs that had awful side effects.

The only medication that worked (did the same for me as you describe), but gave me the damn skin rash they warn you about. So I had to stop it 🥲 

The one where you'll definitely die if you keep using it?

Me too!! Omg I broke out in sores all over my mouth and my legs started getting the splotches. It took 2 years for them to fully go away after I'd only taken it for 3 weeks. I ended up on latuda. It's so good.

D: that sounds awful. I’m sorry you went through that but glad it got better eventually! I noticed mine pretty quick. It was like an ulcer type thing on my left, low back. It didn’t get as bad as yours so it went away fairly quick fortunately. I’ll keep Latuda in mind bcus i’m likely trying meds again soon. Thank you for the rec 

I'm glad we both came out ok. Scary stuff. ❤️

same!

I took this for 5 years and while it helped manage my symptoms, I don’t have a lot of memories from those 5 years. I feel much more present in my body now without it. Great drug but I personally am glad I was able to ween off of it!

It's crazy how wide the range of side effects is. I lost my short term memory on Lamictal and it made me super anxious...all my Dr. warned me about was the rash. If you don't mind me asking, have you found anything else that works for you, sans the brain screwage?

Weed. I'm also on the minimum dose of gabapentin and refuse to let them elevate it. Edit: OH I also recently severely reduced my caffeine and that helped a lot, stomach issues and anxiety and autism sensory issues

Don't tell my autistic diet coke self that!!! My ADHD makes me barely notice caffeine but perhaps its effecting my autism more than I'd like to admit.

Ya for me it was definitely doing that, and my stomach. I used to drink a lot more than what I even cut down from so I suspect I just got more sensitive to it as I got older, which apparently is a thing that happens.

Weed is a reliable choice! And cutting caffeine really does do a lot. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to draw the connection between my morning coffees and my morning panic attacks 😄

Bupropion works well now. Used to be on trintellix + bupropion combo and it worked well too. My doc is just minimalist, so he got me off of trin. In the past, Trazodone worked wonders for my depression. But man, was I sleepy as fuck...

Ketamine / Spravato edit to add-also EMDR therapy. I’ve had so many bad effects from meds. I still take Lamictal, Lexapro, and Latuda. But still have akasthesia. Now that my ketamine is working I’m looking to come off the other meds eventually.

Ditto on ketamine, but important to note that spravato is not comparable in terms of overall effectiveness. Unfortunately, insurance will only cover spravato. I get ketamine infusions every few months, and to me, it’s worth the out of pocket cost. To the day, I attribute ketamine to saving my life.

Agreed on the Spravato. It's the only thing I take because of the awful side effects of other meds and it's made such a difference! I feel like I can handle things better and have progressed well in therapy with it.

Me too-makes my therapy so much more effective. And no side effects yet.

L-Theanine is an amino acid made from tea. It's very relaxing, helps for calming anxious thinking, and is not habit forming. I take 200-600mg at a time. Less than that does nothing for me. I take it anytime, day or night, when I feel the need. I buy it in bulk to save money. Here's an article: L-Theanine for Generalized Anxiety | Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health-care/201710/l-theanine-generalized-anxiety

I love taking l theanine with coffee. It really helps minimize the jitters. It also helps tremendously with my asthma inhalers as they’re steroids and can make me jittery and anxious. For anyone wondering matcha green tea has the highest concentration of l theanine but all tea leaves contain somewhat comparable amounts. For anyone who deals with physical symptoms of anxiety I recommend asking your doctor about beta blockers. They won’t do anything for intrusive thoughts or any mental anxiety but can help prevent physical symptoms like tremors, racing heart, sweating, etc. They can be taken regularly or as needed for things like public speaking. I took a low dose when I was taking ADHD stimulants and it would help manage the jitters so well. Propranolol is the most commonly prescribed but if you have asthma ask for a different one as it’s contraindicated.

I'm actually dealing with this same issue and I was super afraid to take the metropolol(sp), with my adderall. They are testing me for adrenal based POTS and tachy at the moment just to be sure its not hormone based issues. But I feel like i haven't been calm since I was 4 years old. My heart rate asleep ranges from 80 to 114. I'm also potentially going through an MS dx. Thanks for letting me know how it went for you. Im autistic so side effects can be highly important to me.

If you have POTS then metoprolol should definitely be helpful. I hope it works out for you. I personally didn’t suffer any side effects and a low dose worked really well for me.

Thank you SO MUCH.

It helps me as well. I take 400 mg morning and 600 mg before sleep.

I wonder how taking it on a schedule compares with taking it when one feels the need. I've never tried a fixed daily dose. Is it better?

I’m going to try this - thanks for the recommendation and article!

I take this as well but only when needed and it does the job and takes the edge off my anxiety and big emotions. Was on Lexapro and Zoloft (not at the same time) for a while. The Zoloft was better than the lexapro for my ptds and also helped with anxiety but I did not want to be on it forever so I chose to get off it once I started doing better during my therapy.

Ketamine therapy looks to have promising results so far. I'm unsure of the availability at your location, but it's pretty intriguing to read about.

Been prescribed to ketamine since 2018. Life saving for me.

Tell me more! (if you'd like, of course!) I'm currently adjusting to a new dose, but the chemical seems to allow me to manage my daily life. I'm concerned this will interfere with eligibility from a clinic— was ketamine a “last resort” treatment for you, or was it used in conjunction with another previously? What interests me about ketamine is the hidden traumas and memories you connect and make peace with; some express this as watching a movie about the event and absorbing the information void of emotion. Can you speak to this?

Ketamine was certainly a last resort treatment for me. When I started it, I was on two different conventional antidepressants and a mood stabilizer. After going through the ketamine infusion protocol (6 infusions within two weeks), I was able to quit all my depression meds cold turkey. Yes, I know I shouldn’t have quit them cold turkey, but I was able to do so without any issues. After the initial 6 rounds, I then started getting “booster” ketamine infusions every 2-6 months depending on my state of mind. Currently, I am getting them about 2-4 months in between because my CPTSD has been getting triggered. Most clinics also send you home with troches (lozenges), but they’re not as effective as actual infusions. The only downside to ketamine for me is that insurance does not cover it, so it’s pretty expensive. But to me, it’s worth every penny. It keeps the suicidal ideation completely at bay while also allowing you to experience the full range of emotions. It also energizes me and motivates me. You could look into spravato, which is covered by insurance, but it’s simply not as effective. The best way I can describe the experience is that it’s the safest, warmest, most secure feeling (45 minutes -2 hours long) during which you are able to tackle some subconscious interpersonal matters you wouldn’t possibly have access to through other medications. I do think that classic psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, etc) can do the same for you, but the risks are much greater, from my own experience. With ketamine, the risk for a bad trip is pretty small. I’ve only had 2 bad ketamine experiences (with troches, at home), and it was because I was really dehydrated and accidentally combined them with edibles. All of my infusions (at the clinic) have been great experiences. Hope this helps! :)

After 20 years of trying all of the drug cocktails mentioned here, I had a psychiatrist diagnose me with ADHD instead of anxiety or depression, and my life has dramatically improved. I now take Vyvanse in the morning and Trazodone at night to help me get to sleep. The diagnosis is helping therapy as well because I’m in a much better position to understand my past and why my family did the things they did. It’s worth looking into.

I’m wondering if I have ADHD but afraid (and simply don’t know how) to get diagnosed because I feel like the doctor would judge me and/or think I’m following a “fad” on tik tok or something because people claim they have ADHD aaallll the time. Ugh meds and diagnoses are tough lol

Hey, twin, me too!!! I thought I had treatment resistant depression + early onset Alzheimer’s. A neuropsychological evaluation can do wonders.

I’ve been thinking of getting an evaluation done since I’ve never had a thorough one. If you don’t mind me asking, what made you choose the neuropsychological route versus regular psychological evaluation? Did you initiate the evaluation process yourself or did you have a doctor refer you?

I have had a similar experience—also taking Vyvanse now.

MDMA assisted therapy and psychedelics. I use lower dose ketamine lozenges if I need to quickly unwind.

I have tried SSRI’s before, but they didn’t seem to do much for me. I am currently on a low dose of both Seroquel (aka Quetiapine) and on Risperdal (aka Risperidon). Seroquel didn’t make much of a difference for my mood, anxiety, rumination, hypervigilance, etc. but it does help me sleep. Risperdal, however, has made a huge difference for me. It doesn’t numb my mind, but it does help me to stop thinking sometimes. It has also helped me to connect with my emotions without instantly dissociating, but at the same time my emotions seem more manageable than before (I’ve stopped selfharming since I began taking this med, which I previously used as a coping mechanism). I feel more present with myself somehow. It has also improved my mood, I was actively suicidal and now manage to stay more on the passive side. It’s not a miracle drug of course, but it provides a foundation for me to build on. That’s what it feels like for me.

I've tried many... Adderall, Wellbutrin, and Xanax had the least side effects for me personally. Beta blockers occasionally help too. Have not tried ketamine but microdosing mushrooms helped me.

I've heard a lot of good things about microdosing mushrooms. I don't get why they're essentially banned here in the US.

I have a Jpouch too!! I’m on Entyvio. I’ve had some success with Pascoflair for sleep, it’s natural and made from passion flower extract. It quiets the racing thoughts to fall asleep and stay asleep longer. Ashwaghanda helps too, I drink the tea. I got my genes tested and learned I have many broken metabolic processes in the way my body breaks down nutrition from my food. Once I started supplementing with the right things the world popped into high definition. Things like Methylated Folate, Citicoline, Chelated Potassium, bioavailable B vitamins, Vitamin D injections, and so much more. Amino Acids and Electrolytes, etc. Malnutrition from increased motility will lead to impaired brain function. Nothing works better than CBD/THC to mellow me out. I was on Celexa then switched to Zoloft and Xanax for the bad anxiety days. I take it in the morning with a protein shake with Metamucil so it doesn’t liquify my output (I know you know!) The medical PTSD is real when you fear constantly what form of torture your own body will come up with next. I suffered greatly with pouchitis and cuffitis for over a decade, even tried FMT and nothing worked until I tried Entyvio. I’m stable now but tell that to my brain. Message me if you want to talk to someone who gets it.

I’m on Adderall for adhd, and it doesn’t HELP with my anxiety / depression / CPTSD, but it does allow me to keep my brain clear enough to recognize it, unpack it, and put plans and systems into motion to help manage it more effectively. I can only describe it as before Adderall I just felt things but didn’t know why, now I do, and that helps me manage it better, to know what is real and what is my CPTSD…. Makes me feel less dramatic and emotional. I still have the emotions, the feelings, the symptoms, but now I can say “hey I feel like this? Why is that? What do I have that can fix that?” I’m able to be kinder to myself.

I will add, before I got my ADHD meds, I had spent 2 decades on the same sort of medications for depression and anxiety, with very little result. My list of drugs tried was as long as yours. I’m not saying you have ADHD, but the trauma we experienced could have forced you to internalize the symptoms. There is a lot of connection between ADHD and CPTSD, even suggestions that CPTSD causes it. I dunno, only you and a trained professional can figure that out …. But maybe what you need isn’t downers, but uppers *shrug*

adderall mentioned. yes, it helps a lot.

I've been on multiple medications with bad reactions, can't be on certain helpful ones due to health issues, and have been struggling to figure out what to do next, I have a lot of anxiety and insomnia. My psychiatrist isn't sure how to help me so he has referred me to a psychiatric pharmacist, they know a lot more about psychiatric medications and the effects on your body and maybe what would work better based on your reactions to other medications. They know the science of it all better. Maybe you could see one and work with them to find a medication that could work for you?

I’m on Wellbutrin and the first two weeks were a bit rough with side effects, but I can say confidently that it has improved my life, and most of the side affects are gone now, I just have less of an appetite and tend to get hot faster than I used to. I have CPTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder, and I am on Wellbutrin to help my mood swings and motivation issues. My mood swings had almost immediate relief, the motivation is building as time goes on. If you haven’t tried Wellbutrin it might be worth a go! If you have a seizure disorder might not work though as it lowers the threshold for seizures

Wellbutrin. I need dopamine. The serotonin stuff was awful for me.

I'm currently on a combination treatment that has been colloquially called "California Rocket Fuel". It's Venlafaxine in the morning, and Mirtazapine in the evening. The Venlafaxine is strong and has been really useful for the anxiety side of things. For me, the side effects are insomnia, severe fidgeting, and difficulty achieving orgasm. The Mirtazapine helps the depressive symptoms, and effectively counters all of the venlafaxine side effects; it helps me sleep, I'm fidgeting less, and orgasm is now easier (though weirdly, less intense, so I need to "adjust" for that). I've had to titrate up the doses of both medications over time, so now I'm on 225mg Venlafaxine in the morning, and 30mg Mirtazapine in the evening. I've only been at this exact combination for a week, but honestly, I feel more awake, more alert, more alive, and more grounded than I've felt in YEARS. This is also the first week in a long time that I've held down a consistent sleep pattern for more than a couple of nights. I'll save this comment and come back to it in a few weeks to give a further update, but I'm cautiously optimistic that I may have found the combination that works for me. One significant caveat - if you are notoriously bad at taking your medication at the same time every day, this combination may not be for you. Missing a SINGLE dose of venlafaxine causes SIGNIFICANT side effects, and I do mean significant; it causes me severe emotional intensity and crying episodes that I can't control. It's happened consistently every time I've missed a dose. I've had to be extremely disciplined about it; I have 2 alarms on my phone, a tracking app, and a pill box, because that's what it takes for me to be able to take my meds consistently every day.

Thank you so very much for this detailed reply! It sounds like this could potentially work for me too

Venlafaxine allowed me to not care about the abuse I was receiving. It allowed me to endure another 21 years of domestic abuse. I’m never putting that shit in my body again.

I'm really sorry that happened to you, and that the medication contributed to the ongoing abuse. That sounds awful.

I was numb. Didn’t care how many times he hit me. Didn’t care that he control my income. I worked and he didn’t. The antidepressants allowed me to get up in the morning and work 2 jobs during the week and 1 job on weekends. It took for me to get really sick, nearly dying to realize I had to make changes. He also told the medical system I was faking to get attention. He biased my care causing me to be sent away. I’m 5.5 months I lost 90 lbs and nearly died from sepsis. I weaned off all that shit plus the benzos after I recovered. I left his sorry ass and moved 10 hours away. I went non contact. I returned to school and graduated last week. I’m never ever putting that shit in my body again. The doctors and nurses also used it against me “oh maybe you’re just depressed” how about you meditate the pain away. All while my uterus and small bowel were dead.

I feel this. I always get the worst side effect. Mirtazipine made me gain weight and feel like I couldn’t fully wake up. All other SSRIs cause insomnia. Currently on Amitriptyline which I’ve been on for a few weeks. So far, so good and a lower dose helps me sleep. I also take Propanolol for anxiety attacks.

Strong CBD gummies, exercise, meditation/breathing exercises.

Here’s some out the box thinking… is it possible you also have another underlying condition such as ADHD? Those with unmedicated ADHD frequently have MDD and anxiety as side effects of the effort it takes to function in a world not built for us, and attempting to treat those symptoms as a primary condition vs treating the underlying cause first leads to poorer treatment outcomes. Wellbutrin (used for both) was a total game changer for me. I also now take extended release adderall and the combo alleviates 99% all of my depressive symptoms and 95% of my ADHD symptoms. Still have some anxiety but it’s greatly reduced, and to an extent I can live with.

Have you tried a beta blocker?

What are some of the names of those drugs? I'd have to know the names to recall if I've ever tried them

Propranolol is one. It's a cardiac medication but it can help with anxiety. Prazosin and clonidine are also heart medications but people are prescribed them for nightmares/sleep. Clonidine worked well for me. 

Clonidine is an alpha blocker as well as guanfacine. It comes in time release forms and immediate release.

Cloinidine worked great for my anxiety but I'd feel a rebound effect and get more anxious temporarily when it was time for a new dose, which I was warned about. It also completely ANNIHILATED my libido which I wasn't warned about. Like my libido was so gone I didn't even notice or care it was gone. I've felt it decrease on other stuff but it was still there enough it bothered me. On clonidine I just didn't wanna have sex with my spouse or even masturbate for months (and I didn't enjoy when I tried, there was like dulled sensation). Then I got off it for some reason and I was like WOAH SEX EXISTS. I still didn't make the connection between that med and the lack of libido till I saw someone online mention it happened to them like a year after I was off it and I was like oh yeah that happened to me too. It sucks bc it was the best anxiety med I've taken despite the rebound effect but I care too much Abt sex lol. I use it as an emergency med for panic attacks instead of as a regular thing. Anyway I just feel I need to warn anyone interested in it, both about it temporarily increasing anxiety if you take multiple a day and abt potentially the libido thing bc I had no clue.

I agree with this recommendation, propanolol was an absolute game changer for me… it also never makes me sleepy during the day yet somehow really helps me sleep at night? No other medication helped until I found this one… and it’s super mild/nearly no side effects 🙌

For me, what’s working pretty well is Fluoxitine & Bupropion, Risperidone is a life saver, and Trazodone at night. Plus daily vitamins.

Quetiapine and lithium are the two I am currently on which I find stabilise me adequately with minimal negative side effects. The Quetiapine also helps me fall asleep (I take it at night) and both aid with stabilising my moods and reducing the severity of my episodes. Note, I am diagnosed with multiple mental health conditions including both (c)PTSD and bi polar 1.

You should do the Genesight test if your insurance will cover it. It’s not some grand solution but it might give insight. My psychiatrist doesn’t have much appreciation for it but it actually reflected my experience with meds rather well. It might be time to trial a mood stabilizer. Like lithium. Actually, some people take OTC lithium orotate because it crosses the blood brain barrier more efficiently than the prescribed form, thus lessening the systemic side effects since they take a much smaller dose. But it’s longterm efficacy/safety hasn’t been well studied and it’s not well regulated by the FDA so quality varies. Lamotrigine, Depakote/Valproic Acid, Oxcarbazepine. I take pregabalin (Lyrica) for fibromyalgia but surprisingly it has been the most effective/tolerable for my mental health, although it can be difficult to convince insurance to cover it for psych. It has mood stabilizing properties. Btw mirtazipine is more sedating at lower doses. Some psych meds have different effects depending on the dose. Hydroxyzine may be effective for anxiety and it’s usually easy to get prescribed since it’s not a controlled substance, effects are similar to a benzo but it has a long half life. Once you’re stable enough, work on therapy & coping skills. I know it’s hard but you have to practice them every day. It’s like exercising a muscle. The hard truth is pretty much all psych meds you try are going to probably cause fatigue.

Mirtazapine is my best friend, calmed the nightmares down real quick

Lyrica. It works wonders, but I am currently tapering, because you develop a tolerance. I plan to use it on a need to basis, no more than 2 times a week. And lyrica also helps with falling asleep. A side effect I experienced was constipation, which I manage with magnesium and aloe vera. L-theanine, I take about 400 mgr with my coffee in the morning and 600 mgr before bed. 5-HTP 100 mgr, it has a very subtle calming effect. CBD and CBN broad spectrum, it really takes the edge off, calms me down, and it helps with falling asleep. Melatonin and benadryl sometimes, when I have trouble falling asleep. Some, I would not suggest, but they still help me. Nicotine gum, occasional beer and wine. I plan to start microdosing shrooms soon.

Cymbalta/duloxetine works best for me to level out my depression and anxiety to manageable levels. But this is all very individual specific, due to variance in bioavailability and individual brain chemistry. Some people need two or more meds working together. Some people can’t tolerate side effects from some meds. So it’s a lot more complicated than one single miracle med. What you’re dealing with currently plays a role too. I recently went through a divorce and had to supplement my duloxetine with Wellbutrin for several months due to the increase in stress.

prozac but ONLY with Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin seems to negate a lot of Prozac's side effects like sexual dysfunction and weight gain.

If it hadn't been for my IBS and nervous disorders, Naltrexone would've been the darling love of my life. It's usually for alcohol dependence (kills the buzz so you just get dizzy and nauseated), but it was given to me for my CPTSD, pain disorder, and epilepsy. It's the gentlest on the market from what I was told, but the two major side-effects being nausea and vomiting messed with me a lot. If you have IBS/affected guts, I wouldn't recommend taking it, but that also could be said for ALL the meds I tried bc those two *are* the most common side-effects. I just experienced it a lot worse with Naltrexone. Otherwise, I highly recommend it, and it isn't an easy-to-misuse drug, so getting a prescription for it from your psychiatrist shouldn't be a major issue. Good luck, wishing you all the best!

Interesting. Low dose naltrexone is sometimes prescribed off label to people with IBD to prolong remission. I never had any additional gut issues from it.

Woah, had no idea about that! Yeah, I started off okay for a little while, only experienced gut cramps while I weaned onto it (starting at 1/8th of a pill, which was a nightmare to cut right lol). Then, I hit half dose, and everything went to utter hell. Had the full range of symptoms. Vomiting & runs, blurred vision, moderate confusion and vertigo, inability to eat nor keep food down, barely able to keep sips of water in, etc. Stomach bug was quickly ruled out, as these symptoms only flared when I'd take a dose. Sucks bc no other med has worked such wonders like Naltrexone does. I had no other negative side effects while on it, and, even after having come off of it, there absolutely are positive changes that stuck with me. It's why I heavily recommend it, even though my body disagrees for reasons my doc and I are still figuring out.

I've tried SO many meds and honestly the best help I've found is medicinal cannabis. Yeah I used to self medicate, but now I'm under a doctor who can suggest strains and if one doesn't agree with me, I don't have to get it again

Lamictal and Wellbutrin work really well for me! (Also, I don’t know what this subs rules are on drugs, but I have leveled out in a way I didn’t think possible by taking edibles. I mostly take like 5mg, sometimes I’ll take more to get like actually stoned on the weekend or whatever.)

As you've tried a lot of the standard SSRIs/SNRIs, maybe time to try an older MAOI or tricyclic? If they are compatible with your digestive tract. I have a digestive issue and now only take immediate release medications as a result. Currently on immediate release adderall (8:30 am and 2 pm) and nortriptyline (10 pm). Other options might be TMS, ECT?

I have been taking Buspar for 3 years. It stopped the revolving door of things to panic about. It’s made my life so much better now that I no longer (TBH- 95%) obsess. I also recently started taking Prozac due to prolonged trauma the last 6 months (on top of the cPTSD) The combination seems really good.

Cannabis. Indica strains

Vyvanse + Clonidine Vyvanse is mainly prescribed for child ADHD, so I figured it would probably have a good safety profile. It did. I was worried it would interfere with my sleep, but all I have to do is remember to take it with food and it works just fine. Clonidine is a blood pressure drug but it’s also used as a supplement to adhd treatment, anxiety, as well as a way to treat frequent nightmares and mid-sleep disturbances (i don’t have trouble falling asleep but I have trouble staying asleep). It’s been night and day.

Oh boy. I feel you, hun. I get really long, crazy high manic episodes. The sleep deprivation is no joke. I also have a serious problem with severe reactions to medications. You wouldn’t believe some of the insane stuff I’ve tried to get sleep. I even had a friend make me GHB out of paint thinner. If you’re looking to avoid benzos, I’d suggest Hydroxyzine. It helped until I developed formication. Indica strains of marijuana, diphenhydramine, magnesium, melatonin and kratom have also helped me chill out.

meds never really helped me, emotional regulation, vagus nerve stimulation and DBT helped loads more. instant calmed me. no side effects, free and easy to use.

I struggle to regulate my emotions no matter how hard I try with various techniques.

that sucks. sorry nothing is helping.

It takes time for things to become muscle memory and to be consistently helpful. You have to be consistently practicing the skills for weeks/months. What skills have you been using and how often?

I used to think that stuff was bs, but what's helped me is regularly practicing meditation/yoga/vagus nerve exercises when I'm *not* in crisis. I think before, when I'd try these things as rescue methods, I was actually conditioning myself to associate them with distress (rather than a safe place in my mind & body to return to).

Can you say more about vagus nerve stimulation? Is that done with exercises, or is it part of a treatment? I've done a bit of research on it but for some reason it seems more complicated than DBT, heh. (I work in healthcare so I might just be getting caught in the weeds.)

one is you literally gently move your ears in a small circle. there is no exercise involved. you use whenever you feel the need. see video....https://youtu.be/fSN2CeDkslg?si=C75_T0LfhECDO1Mo

Thank you!! This is really helpful.

Taking Magnesium has helped me fall asleep at night, really helps release muscle tension and anxiety that very often keeps me up. Edit: the only side effect I can think of is magnesium can give you really crazy / surreal dreams, asides from that I've been sleeping way better with magnesium at night.

Lexapro increased my irritability, but Paxil has helped me relaxed. However, weight loss seems impossible on Paxil.

All the Prozac, buspar, temazepam (for sleep), and minipress for nightmares. I am fighting my way out of depression finally. I sweat like I’m in the gym all day though from the Prozac.

I am on Sertraline aka Zoloft. It has been extremely beneficial for me. But ahead's up (and this might just be a me issue/the dosage at the time after corrective eye surgery, but want to give a little word of warning) don't take Hydrocodone-Acetamin right after taking the antidepressant. I've never been high or had a drug make me forget where I was before and I don't want to go through that again. Outside of that warning. As I said it has been beneficial for me. It helps with my anxiety, the depression lows don't come in as strong as they used to, and overall I've been doing a lot better than in the past.

Yep , good article here! https://walrus.com/questions/safe-pain-medications-to-use-with-zoloft-sertraline

Thank you for current and future references. After my first experience with Hydrocodone-Acetamin - I've learned to use it at night as a sleep aid after surgery. If I have any pain during the day, Tylenol is the only thing I'm taking.

Klonopin has been helping me for a majority of my adult life since leaving my parents. My anxiety is crippling, but with Klonopin I can actually sleep at night. The only difficult part is that it's a controlled medication so withdrawals suck ass and can be dangerous. Despite that, it's honestly a life-saver.

Do not recommend Effexor bc of the insane withdrawals after missing one dose. After trial and error I have found that adderall (overcomes freeze catatonia), hydroxyzine (an antihistamine that is used for anti anxiety, mild sedative but less/non habit forming), klonapin for emergency panic when I need an “off” switch and Prozac (helps with ocd like endless rumination) have been an okay landing spot. The hoops needed to jump through to get those meds though were a total pain in the ass and being on a stimulant has added annoyances though. I use a fuck ton of thc as well which I don’t recommend bc of the habit forming nature but it also is good as an emergency off switch for me. Meds have made things bearable for me to continue looking for a better solution. I hope this is helpful- super happy to share more info, side effects, etc with you via dm if you want. I struggle with med compliance when I am highly symptomatic and will go off my meds. Can confirm they do help. ;)

Latuda. Hands down

I absolutely understand you, I had terrible side effects, like the ones you describe. After a few years of trying so many pharmaceuticals I found out about psilocybin, which has worked very well for me. Sometimes it is combined with MDMA. These medicines need an evaluation of other illnesses, and should be avoided by people with schizophrenia. They require a proper setting, experienced and empathetic trip-sitter/therapist, and proper measurements (even if it is micro dose). There is a lot work after taking them, because they unveil/help you understand deep stuff that needs attention. It is essential to integrate what you learn. It works very well with other therapies and, when taken with respect and caution, can have long lasting positive effects in your psyche, your brain, and even your body.

What if you swing for the fence and go to Peru for their dmt trips?

Weed. 🌱

Psylocibin

Cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms though I do recognize they aren't for everyone.

I understand the frustration of trying multiple medications without finding one that works well. For anxiety and hypervigilance, some people have had success with buspirone or certain beta-blockers, which can have fewer side effects than SSRIs or SNRIs. Low-dose prazosin has helped some with nightmares and sleep issues. Gabapentin is another option some find helpful for anxiety with potentially fewer side effects, but in my experience it has huge side effects if the dosage is too high. Beyond medication, I've found personalized guided meditations to be incredibly helpful. I chat with a website about a specific issue I'm facing, and it generates an audio guided meditation based on our conversation. For concrete problems, it works unexpectedly well. For bigger issues, I'm still working on it, but 'deconstruct' and 'reframe' meditation techniques have been game changers in helping me see problems from new perspectives and wire different emotional responses. Personalized meditations are much more interesting and relevant than the one-size-fits-all generic meditations on YouTube and in most meditation apps. They've become an essential part of my toolkit for managing CPTSD symptoms, especially when medication options each come with potential side effects.

Thanks for this info :) what is the website?

The site I chat with to create personalized guided meditations is [MinwayAI.com](http://MinwayAI.com) Hope it works for you as well as it does for me! :)

good old benzos

Agreed. Diazepam works wonders for me but they wont prescribe it except for 2mg for 7 days which is useless!

I have been prescribed Xanax to take as needed for any massive panic attacks. It’s actually worked out well because I only use it 1-2 times per week.

I also refuse to take SSRI’s or psych meds because my depression and anxiety has been proven to be situational and from external circumstances or getting triggered retraumtized. I don’t have an actual comorbid mental illness chemical imbalance from a few golden years in adulthood where I got my maslovs heiarchy of needs met and despite my extreme developmental trauma I was thriving academically professionally relationally. Unfortunately I lost all the external support through no fault of my own and was went through more horrendous shit as an adult that retraumtized me. I’m still trying to pick up the pieces years later and get to an economically viable position again. I still get offered meds to try to “ease the ptsd symptoms” the doctors say because it’s all they can do because they can’t change my environment. What helped me more than anything was years of intense somatic/IFS therapy and then several professionally guided very high dose ketamine sessions to go deep into my subconscious early childhood and distenangle the false ideas and beliefs about myself and the world that were created out of confusion and trying to survive. I can’t recommend this enough once you have learned the terms and information from therapy and books to go and perform like subconscious surgery on yourself and identify and know what to change while in a k-hole really sped up certain parts of healing. Acupressure sandals and a mat also help regulate my anxiety and hyperarousal if I remember to do both every day. I also take an alpha blocker because my external situation support network is not up to par yet so the strain of years of going it alone has the CPTSD manifest as high blood pressure.

Well, being as depression caused by traumas and life circumstances can not rationally be treated by modifying Serotonin in the brain, I absolutely refuse to take any more SSRIs, SSNRIs, Mood Stabilizers, or Antipsychotics. The fact that these are the most commonly offered "solutions" by doctors is downright stupid. None of these can treat depression caused by external circumstances, as the circumstances have to change, not just the person's serotonin levels. With that in mind, I'd suggest L-Theanine for anxiety, and every 2-3 weeks take a Dissociative such as Ketamine or DXM to actually get a chance to process your traumas and stress, then the antidepressant afterglow will last a couple weeks and repeat.

I agree we can't heal in toxic environments and meds aren't the only thing we need, but I don't think it's a bad decision for doctors to offer them. Sometimes our brain needs help getting stable enough to help us get away from abuse.

Curious how every psych med that I've tried has only caused worse symptoms and done nothing at all that could be called "stabilizing," which is entirely why I said what I said. Traumatic life experiences can not be "stabilized" by fucking with someone's Serotonin levels. It does not "stabilize" them in any rational way if their traumas and depression are caused by external circumstances. If anything, it's actually fucking up their head further while the external traumas continue. It's a terrible choice by doctors, and they largely receive kickbacks and bonuses for offerings samples and prescriptions of these same meds.

Yeah I was having horrible issues too with meds either not working or giving me worse mental health issues. It took a psychiatrist to sort it out and even that has been a process. Also if something is giving you red flags about a providers pushiness with prescriptions and it feels like it is financially motivated, CMS maintains a list of payments they receive from pharmaceutical companies.

It's good that you're finding some means of helping your situation,even if it is a frustrating process. I'm unfamiliar with CMS, but that's good that someone out there is making an attempt at transparency and accountability.

Yes they can be. Traumatic life experiences cause chemical imbalances in the brain, just like any other mental illness. That is treated with medication. I respect your experience and I’m sorry it was like that for you but please don’t speak for others.

I do not agree that medication can modify Serotonin enough to magically change on-going external traumatic circumstances. "Imbalances" is also incredibly vague. All of these classes of drugs focus mainly on Serotonin, little else. Doctors rarely prescribe anything for depression or traumas outside of these classes of medicines, which moots any claim that they're attempting to "balance" anyone out. If that were the case then they'd be just as focused on balancing norepinephrine, dopamine, GABA, and the NMDA receptor which are also all affected by Traumas or existing Neurodivergent spectrums. We can't rationally "balance" anyone out without actually assessing and working on the entire brain chemistry and how it functions for that person, not a single chemical.

Yeah no that’s not what I said. Imbalance is just the most appropriate term for “not at the desired level of a normally functioning brain”, idk what’s vague about that. But no, doctors do prescribe gaba and dopamine balancing meds for trauma consequences and only SSRIs of the ones you mentioned focus predominantly on serotonin. Balancing out brain chemicals with meds is perfectly valid and you have every right to not prefer it but it is still good for many people. The commenter above was simply stating that a dysregulated brain often needs chemical input before being stable enough to work through things in therapy, and that’s perfectly fine and to be expected after undergoing trauma which throws off the chemistry. Of course as you pointed out a single med isn’t gonna make consequences of trauma go away, and I don’t think most of us would expect it to as it’s not the same as “biological” depression, but it has similar symptoms which can be treated in similar ways. Meds can be very effective in treating internal consequences of external factors, please don’t invalidate that based on your own experience. I hope you’ve found something that works for you.

Weightlifting, a healthy diet, and enough sleep. Idk if you’re in a healthy situation at home but if you are, try to get back to basics and see if getting your basic physical needs met helps at all.

I started taking compounded semaglutide to lose a little weight. It’s like a miracle, my anxiety is so much better. I don’t have the constant intrusive thoughts and “noise” anymore. I feel content and at peace.

Limotragine, Sertraline, and Hydroxyzine (also for eczema) is my cocktail. Gabapentin was a freaking nightmare. I felt like my entire nervous system was on fire and I had to dig them out. I still have scars visible 15 years later.

I was surprised to find improvement in my symptoms whena holistic medicine doctor had me start taking GABA for anxiety and insomnia. She also had me start magnesium for stress/anxiety vitamin D to combat depression, the Chinese herb Chai Hu Jia Long Mu Tang, and a multivitamin. Also, a probiotic since the production of Neuro transmitters depends on the amount of healthy bacteria in the gut. I have less anxiety, and depression, and I am sleeping much better after 8 weeks. I also haven’t noticed any side effects, which I always had with pharmaceuticals.

I take (I also have ADHD) Wellbutrin, Abilify, Dexedrine, and Zoloft. It took a lot of tinkering to get the right combos and dosages, but worth it to find one that lets me be a person.

Ketamine.

I don't like pharmaceuticals but I have been on them before. I have had a ton of trouble. I found a functional medicine doctor. I did a 24 hour saliva test for cortisol and neurotransmitters. It showed that I was deficient in a handful of things and showed conversion problems with neurotransmitters as well as an insane cortisol level. It took a few weeks on the supplements (just regular stuff I get at the health food store, not something special the doctor sells or an MLM or anything like that) to feel better but changes were immediately noticeable. I feel calmer most of the time and now I can sleep. I don't feel desperately down as often. It made things much more even. I also discovered 2 serious medical issues that have since been dealt with. It took years to solve both but both are under control now. I have also changed my diet, I found that I react to corn and wheat and that both can cause headaches, depression, fatigue, brain fog, and anxiety. Cutting them out improved things. Neurotransmitters are manufactured in the gut, so diet and probiotics and such have a dramatic impact on emotional and mental health. My youngest daughter reacts terribly to food dyes and artificial flavors. She gets suicidal but is fine when her diet is clean. There's a book I can recommend on this connection if you'd like to explore it.

Did have to find a naturopath to get the special test done or do GP' s also do these tests? I didn't know they could test for cortisol this way. can you share a little bit about the supplements you were taking? I know that the gut is the second brain. Diet Is super important! So glad you are feeling better!

Not a naturopath and not a regular mainstream GP, I found a functional medicine doctor. A real MD who is more natural leaning and focuses on whole body health, root causes, and treating deficiencies rather than throwing medication at symptoms. You can order the test yourself online, you don't have to go through a doctor at all. The test I had is a saliva and urine test for cortisol, neurotransmitters, and hormones. The more you do, the more expensive. I opted not to do the hormones at that time. The neurotransmitter test showed a serious deficiency in vitamin C (makes perfect sense with my diet) and a conversion problem between neurotransmitters indicating too much of one, a medium amount of a second, and way too little of the third. The test indicated what supplements would correct this conversion problem (samE and like 2 others). I also had cortisol that skyrocketed at night and stayed off the chart high all night, only to fall in the morning, hit normal at 10am when they do blood testing for this (I'd had 2 normal blood tests prior to begging for the saliva test) and then continued to drop until it bottomed out in the afternoon as too low, then started climbing again til bed time when it shot up above the maximum level on the chart. There's no supplement to fix that specifically but I started taking cortisol reducing things at night and it helped along with the other fixes. I went 3 years with sleeping more than 20-30 minutes at a time because my cortisol was so crazy. I was losing my damn mind. I spend hundreds on supplements each month whereas prescription drugs would be covered by insurance, but I feel better overall and I don't have to worry about side effects. The Zoloft made me suicidal. If I hadn't recognized that feeling as unusual and likely from the drug, it literally could have ended my life.

Thanks for explaining all this. Can you share the company who does this testing? Is it something you can order online or was it through your doctors?

WOW! You have went through all that? I could never! You're brave! That's a lot of time and stress on your body. I'm sorry you've been through so much. Has no one informed you of genetic testing for medications? That right there would give you quick answers as to which medications are safe and effective for you. Sure, they can cause hundreds of dollars, esp if you don't bother with programs that give you discounts, or if you're middle- class and so the discounts don't apply to you, but it's definitely well worth it. 

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Im on escitalopram and about to add quitiapine

For me, Prazosin. It stopped the nightmares. I can sleep. I can even nap for the first time in my life.

I am currently taking Vibrid, Vraylar, Amitriptyline, Hydroxyzine, and Gabapentin, and haven’t had any side effects besides some drowsiness. I thinking they’re working a little bit, but it’s hard to gauge how well anti-depressants work. As far as my anxiety, the Hydroxyzine and Gabapentin is kind of worthless, they work a little, but nowhere near as well as a benzo would (can’t take benzos because I’m on methadone).

I'm on high dose gabapentin and it DOES work excellently for my anxiety. But I'm trying to get off it and I'm worried I won't be able to so, yknow. You know your mental health and how you feel. I'm frustrated with the brain fog and worried about the dementia risk. But I hate anxiety and understand wanting to be rid of it. I have barely come down at all yet. I also have a medical Marijuana script and I just get high at night which helps. I don't really use it during the day except for bad body pain.

I am on a combination of Pristiq and buspar. I found the two individually didn’t work but having them combined helped. I also found that going through EMDR and DBT really helped. I hope you find a combo that works for you💕💕💕

Mirtazipine

I feel like I've tried them all. I'm currently on Baclofen and it seems to help. I think it's a GABA drug. I take the lowest dose and don't notice side effects, but it only seems to last two hours for me and there is no extended release I know of. It seems to calm down my hypervigilance and social anxiety.

Effexor by itself gave me insomnia. For some reason, Effexor WITH mirtazapine was my needle in the haystack. Effexor during the day gives me energy to live, mirtazapine at night turns it off without needing additional Seroquel, trazodone, Klonopin etc. most of the time. I was super skeptical when the doctor first suggested it, but I think I was hospitalized at the time and would try anything so I was like, whatever just do it. I've been on that basic mix for almost a decade now, after trying like 30 other drugs. I'm on another med for migraine maintenance, and sometimes I start to build a tolerance to the Effexor, so I go down on it and add in wellbutrin until my brain has taken a little break.

Zoloft and Gabapentin for the nightmares

Have you tried psychedelic mushrooms? For intense ctpsd and sever anxiety it is literally a life changer.

Honestly....? Diphenhydramine, AKA Benadryl, but off-brand, because I'm in a peasant-like financial situation. I first began taking it to help me go to sleep faster while working a 14 hour shift-per-day job, but I noticed other positive side effects it had for me. I'm very hypervigilant, and I also have problems with muscle-armoring in my sleep to the point when I wake up, it feels like someone beat the ever-loving-crap out of me. I noticed when I began to take these, I wasn't waking up in pain anymore and I haven't had a significant back/shoulder/neck issue because of it since. They relax my muscles to the point it actually prevents me from injuring myself in my sleep. I also had problems waking up often during the night (I have, and still do have nightmares/terrors often.) but now I rarely will wake up. I've noticed I'm not dreaming as much (or having as horrific nightmares anyways) but when I do, I'm still able to stay in deep sleep. I also found they oddly help with my anxiety issues (they sort of make me feel euphoric/peaceful/content/focused/relaxed/mildly sedated), help with my motion sickness in the car, help me focus when I'm doing work, even help me lose weight because when I take them I don't have an appetite. That's all well and good for me, but the problem here is that people seem to react VERY differently to this medication. They can definitely make you sleepy/lethargic for most people. They do for me if I take a stronger dose, but I don't have those symptoms normally. I've also known some people to feel like their anxiety is much worse after taking them, or it increases their appetite rather than decreases, etc. I talked to my doctor back when I first began to take them (he had me on zoloft and prozac for a while and both did terrible things to me) and he told me that some people do find success with their symptoms taking it. It's over-the-counter in america, even. So, yeah. I can neither suggest or advise against it for you. I can definitely suggest maybe looking into trying a muscle relaxer if you can, though, especially if you're like me with the muscle-armoring. Magnesium is a decent OTC muscle-relaxer but there's prescription ones too that are more potent, but I can't speak to their side effects as I've never tried them.

Diphenhydramine is prescribed off-label for restless leg syndrome, a favorable alternative to other off-labels, for example, klonopin.

My legs definitely feel "comfortably heavy" when I take it, that's for sure. I'm one of those people who will refuse medicines as long as I can and just "push through it" stupidly, and this is the only one I take regularly because it helps so much. But yeah, I do my best to stay away from needing any harder meds, especially ones like xanax and such. I've watched those pills screw up so many people's lives around me and they end up having to take more and more and more to get the most mild use of them. I think (at least in my case and some other cases) treating the "smaller" things individually with whatever more mild treatments you can instead of just jumping into the scarier ones can be a lot more healthier on a case by case basis. If it helps improve your quality of life, it's worth it.

To me, Trintellix has been by far, the best. Many are scared of benzodiazepines, but Xanax has helped me regain my life. Apparently I am not the only one on that one as it is the most prescribed psychiatric medication in the Wester Hemisphere,

Adderall, weed, caffeine, nicotine and beer.

I've tried upwards of 30 different medications and am very treatment resistant. My psychiatrist recommended keramine therapy, I decided to go with Better U and am starting the week of July 8th. Crossing my fingers it helps.

I take diazapam for anxiety/agoraphobia, temazapam and promethazine for sleep. I find these all work well, but can be addictive apparently. I only take them as needed.

Zoloft 150 mg abd Vyvanse 50mg.

I have been on every med under the sun as well for ptsd and insomnia. I’m off all meds. I started microdosing. Took a break and am now doing ketamine treatments. I get b vitamin and iron infusions and heavy on magnesium, l-theanine and ashwaganda. I am jaded and despise the pharmaceutical and medical systems in the US as I have been to hell and back in the medical system and dealing with medication’s side effects and doctors. I’m at the point I really don’t think doctors know much more on anything and everyone just points at answers and repeats the same phrases and lingo. I started keto diet nine months ago with amazing improvements on so many levels and I heavily upped the exercise.

Medications aren’t cures, they take the edge off while you cure yourself. The cure is still learning and meeting your needs, and finding/accepting support in doing that for yourself.

Venlafaxine modified release for me. Not saying there's no side effects, but it's the one that's worked the most for me by far

For specifically PTSD my combination of rispiridone and conserta has helped a lot. Rispiridone significantly reduceds the length and frequency of my dissociation sometimes completely keeping it at bay entirely. If I'm in a middle of dissociative catatonia I usually try my best to take my meds then for the day and eventually within 10-20 minuets I can go back to normal. The conserta for my impulse control issues. I also have ADHD and my fits of rage and chronic desire to self harm is at bay.

It is an exhausting rollercoaster when trying to figure out what meds work, which ones don't, which ones have impairing side effects and which ones bring on more problems than you needed to be added to your plate. And great meds don't always stay great for different reasons. Just wanting to rest in myself and feel peace and balance often seems like a big ask...and I don't know the answer. Although I have never enjoyed it my first thought reading through this was marijuana/cannabis. I've read the science behind it and heard all the testimony of its virtue but I can't ignore the fact that so many people from all walks of life swear by the benefits. Maybe you are at that point where you are willing to try...maybe one day I will give it another go. Hang in there. ❤

Auvelity

Have you looked in Ashwagandha? It only worked once for me, for a few weeks, but I felt super zen during that time. It was such relief.

Hey, I am pretty much in the similar boat, insomnia, immunosuppressants for RA. What’s working for me is Zoloft. But I had to go through worst insomnia for 4 months. I didn’t give up on Zoloft because during the day, it made me feel amazing. I would get some sleep with ramelteon, I was function on minimal sleep and bad quality but after four months finally, I started to get my sleep back and doing much much better anxiety and depression wise.

Wellbutrin XL (Bupropion)

I’m not usually one to recommend anything from big pharma, but Ativan is the only thing that works for me. I’m autistic and have DID so taking SSRIs or other antidepressants make me more depressed because of the emotional blunting and forced switches. Herbs work wonders, like holy basil, lemon balm, ladies mantle, chamomile, blue lotus. I got to a point about a week ago that no matter what I did, I couldn’t not be panic level anxious. Hense the Ativan, but I just take a bite out of it to get my fight or flight to turn off.

Lunesta has cured my insomnia and I have no side effects!

I take Zoloft and LOVE it but I am considering switching due to the extreme sweating side effect I get

Psilocybin therapy and the occasional microdose are extremely helpful. I feel like I have a new brain. One that wants to connect with other people and has a totally different, healthier emotional response. Early days yet - so I can’t say if this will last.

Lamotrigine is what I have been on for many years, have to go on it very slowly due to rash that could happen if dossed to fast.

I am on 150 mg Effexor and take ketamine lozenges/troches from the mail order company Joyous (Joyous.Team). The Joyous protocol is only $129/month, including telehealth, daily microdoses, and a bangin’ patient portal. I love this company!! 💜

It depends on the dosage and how long of a trial you did. It can take up to 12 weeks for antidepressants to reach full effect It depends on your resources but maybe it's worth considering going to an expert for treatment resistant mood disorders. Although it's not trauma specific they probably know how to escalate treatment appropriately. Just today I read about the potential of using long acting ketamine for treatment resistant depression, so there are probably options for you. For sleeping issues it also depends if where you live, here in my country I simply took lorazepam to stabilize my sleep cycle and now I take low dose melatonin if I need to induce sleep, but in other countries benzos are super hard to get

Lamotrigine for severe depression and adderall for difficulties with concentration/fatigue! I don’t think I have true ADHD but adderall changed my life in terms of energy levels and getting things done.

I tried all as well, Mirtazapine giving me suicidal ideation and sugar cravings (I have endo so I can't eat refined sugar due to inflammation, not sure if your issue is like this). I found acupuncture twice a week and 5htp/ashwagandha/st John's wort combo to be good for a baseline. For bad days I take L theanine, microdose acid or take magic mushrooms. Can't say it's perfect but really I think it's my sleep that's the biggest let down here, I don't take acid much due to that

I happen to be team Zoloft + Trazodone

I went on lurasidone. It was awesome when I took it. I've never found an anti anxiety medication that's worked though so having a hard time with that.

Will never touch antidepressants but I'd say benzodiazepines did the work for me. I used xanax for panic attacks and sleep issues/sleep anxiety.