Medication Side Effects ?

[Youkai]

Hi there,
Anyone here ever had side effects taking medicine ?

I just got a very small dose of Antidepressant because I cannot sleep well (hardly more than 4 hours a night)

Now the Problem is that I notice side effects rather harsh ... first time ever that I had any side effects at all oO !
Now I am sleepy the whole day and feeling numb (can't even make a proper fist, like the first few seconds after waking up but the whole time ^^V) and sometimes when I close my eyes I see funny colours swirling around like I took some drugs or whatever XD

I am currently not sure if I should still take that stuff and hope for the Side effects to wear of as Wikipedia says for some people especially those effects like being sleepy often stay until you drop the stuff plus there seem to be a "high" (1/4) risk to get a Restles Leg Syndrome ...


P.S. Anyone else here who might have had similar Sleeping problems and got a good working medicine ?
I can't fall asleep mostly because I cannot come down and think about everything and nothing sometimes even playing Tetris in my head without ever being able to clear all the lines ... oO
and If I actually fell asleep I wake up by even the slightest sound ! That is why every electronic device is turned off when I sleep except for the smoke detector.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

Um... don't take medical advice from Wikipedia... or any random person here. Consult your doctor.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Um... don't take medical advice from Wikipedia... or any random person here. Consult your doctor.

Yeah, use WebMD instead.
On a more serious note, it's fine to read up on conditions online, just don't trust what you read too much as it's not the same as a professional opinion, which only a doctor can give you.

Hi there,
Anyone here ever had side effects taking medicine ?

I just got a very small dose of Antidepressant because I cannot sleep well (hardly more than 4 hours a night)

Now the Problem is that I notice side effects rather harsh ... first time ever that I had any side effects at all oO !
Now I am sleepy the whole day and feeling numb (can't even make a proper fist, like the first few seconds after waking up but the whole time ^^V) and sometimes when I close my eyes I see funny colours swirling around like I took some drugs or whatever XD

I am currently not sure if I should still take that stuff and hope for the Side effects to wear of as Wikipedia says for some people especially those effects like being sleepy often stay until you drop the stuff plus there seem to be a "high" (1/4) risk to get a Restles Leg Syndrome ...


P.S. Anyone else here who might have had similar Sleeping problems and got a good working medicine ?
I can't fall asleep mostly because I cannot come down and think about everything and nothing sometimes even playing Tetris in my head without ever being able to clear all the lines ... oO
and If I actually fell asleep I wake up by even the slightest sound ! That is why every electronic device is turned off when I sleep except for the smoke detector.

Which medicine is it?

 

[Youkai]

I know that I should not just take any medicine
the one I got now is called mirtazapin and I got it from my Doctor as it is not possible to get it without a recipe from a doctor.


After I noticed that I am very tired all day long and have problems not falling asleep while walking, I looked online if this is "normal" and it seems that many people have that problem and others.
And if someone here had a similar Problem and some good experience with something else I could always ask my doc if this might not be a suited replacement if the side effects won't go away.


For me it seems a little bit weird to use an Antidepressant to cure insomnia

 

[Pedeadstrian]

And if someone here had a similar Problem and some good experience with something else I could always ask my doc if this might not be a suited replacement if the side effects won't go away.

That's not how it works. A pill that works great for one person could give the type of side-effects you're experiencing to another.

 

[DinohScene]

Max allowed dosage of Prozac, 80 mg.
Yeh I've had major depression problems ;')

Lots of side effects, they did fade (most of them) after a few weeks.

 

[Lucifer666]

I'm on a high-ish dosage of an antidepressant (Cipralex/Lexapro depending on where you are), I was on a much higher one before and the side effects I had, which were listed on the leaflet, were nothing like what you just mentioned

Do you know what type of antidepressant you're on? Mine's an SSRI and they all have similar side effects

For me there was quite a bit of headache, nausea, fatigue (but not drowsy to the extent that you mention), feeling actually more depressed (but only for a short while before it got better), but I never felt like I was high or seeing colours or anything and wow, that's really weird, I think you should get that checked out

For me it seems a little bit weird to use an Antidepressant to cure insomnia

Actually, off-label medical prescription is a lot more common than you think. When I had really bad insomnia I was actually prescribed antipsychotic drugs, which are usually given to the clinically insane. It did help tho

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I know that I should not just take any medicine
the one I got now is called mirtazapin and I got it from my Doctor as it is not possible to get it without a recipe from a doctor.


After I noticed that I am very tired all day long and have problems not falling asleep while walking, I looked online if this is "normal" and it seems that many people have that problem and others.
And if someone here had a similar Problem and some good experience with something else I could always ask my doc if this might not be a suited replacement if the side effects won't go away.


For me it seems a little bit weird to use an Antidepressant to cure insomnia

You should look into switching to a less harsh medicine, or maybe a melatonin supplement.
You can get melatonin prescription-free online from sites such as Amazon, eBay or online pharmacies if you cannot find it locally. It's less harsh than sleep medication because it's a natural hormone that our bodies produce that tell the body when it's time to go to sleep. If your body isn't producing enough of this hormone, then you can supplement it with tablets.

A lot of things could have an effect on melatonin production, like not getting enough daylight, or staring at screens all day. Ideally if you take the right dosage of melatonin for you (it's different for everyone) then you will not have any "hangover" the next day but do note that taking too much can actually make sleep more difficult. Somewhere between 1-3mg should be a good dose of melatonin, maybe even less, but no more. You can get the tablets in doses as large as 10mg and that is just a ridiculously high dose that will likely not benefit sleep for most people and will just cause morning groggyness. There are time release tablets intended for insomniacs to promote long-lasting sleep and short-lasting ones that are intended to help you fall asleep. The latter is preferable if it works for you as the former can cause some morning grogginess due to the longer lasting effect.

Don't take the things I say as fact though, you should look up melatonin yourself and see if it's right for you, maybe even talk to your doctor about it. I've used it a few times and it seems to work without causing much additional morning groggyness.

 

[FAST6191]

Americans on the internet/saying things in public seem to have to start with I am not racist but a lawyer, however should they actually be one then the phrase morphs into "I am a lawyer but I am not your lawyer". I dare say a similar thing would apply to medicine.

To that end go speak to a your medic, perhaps even get a referral to a sleep specialist. Low doses might not be so bad but quitting antidepressants just by yourself on a whim is not a good plan, some will be OK but some will not and if you do not know then do it with consultation from your doctor. I assume before then you did the usual things of no electronic devices for a few hours before bed, basic warm drinks, going for a long walk/run/cycle/something physical during the evening/day, basic medication, over the counter medication...
I should also say there is a growing feeling that ? hours straight through of sleep is not the only way.

As for the general discussion of side effects I have never had serious medications as an outpatient before. That said I have been put on broad spectrum antibiotics on several occasions and at times during that I very much considered investing in toilet roll companies. Likewise I suppose I can induce a nosebleed more easily if I am on decongestants.

 

[osirisjem]

Mirtazipine, an Antidepressant to cure insomnia

it can help sleep, can be good for your mood in a few weeks.
if you can't tolerate it (too groggy in day), try taking 1/2 for a while, build up to 3/4 maybe, then maybe a whole pill.
the main problem is weight gain, if you are on it for 3 months and you are gaining alot of weight .... you might consider something else.
15mg = small dose, 30mg = medium dose, 45mg = large dose.

Other options: (sleep + mood) = Note: they all *CAN* have the S/E of daytime grogginess.
Trazodone
Amitriptyline
Seroquel (strong, hard to get rid of).



Sleep only pills: Zopiclone (short acting), Lorazepam (medium duration acting, addictive), doctors try to avoid them because they can be abused.
Melatonin - very mild, but great if it works for you.

Most sleep problems are not cured with pills. Less computer, more exercise, less stress could help alot. Read about Sleep Hygiene.
Alot of people with "just sleep problems" also don't have the best moods. Not sure about you .

 

[Youkai]

Well the Doctor that gave me the pills told me he would prefer if I would to to a psychologist and I told him I might consider even though I have no idea why as I have no stress and nothing at least not as far as I notice.
But than again he told me that it could be because of my personality and self protection that I always seem to be very calm ... even when there are important things where all my co-worker and whatever were really stressed and scared of doing something wrong I always seem to be really cool ^^V (but at a time like this I once had problems like forgetting where I am and stuff like walking somewhere with something in my hand without knowing why XD)

I would prefer the "easy" way with taking some pills and everything is good again but yeah if this won't do ...

I read about that Zopiclone you mentioned osirisjem, while searching for Mirtazapin someone mentioned this one as a good replacement but some people said it is only for short medication and all of these stuff can cause so many bad side effects -.-V the only thing that has close to no side effects are some natural stuff that usually don't work at all for me

 

[sarkwalvein]

Well the Doctor that gave me the pills told me he would prefer if I would to to a psychologist and I told him I might consider even though I have no idea why as I have no stress and nothing at least not as far as I notice.
But than again he told me that it could be because of my personality and self protection that I always seem to be very calm ... even when there are important things where all my co-worker and whatever were really stressed and scared of doing something wrong I always seem to be really cool ^^V (but at a time like this I once had problems like forgetting where I am and stuff like walking somewhere with something in my hand without knowing why XD)

I would prefer the "easy" way with taking some pills and everything is good again but yeah if this won't do ...

I read about that Zopiclone you mentioned osirisjem, while searching for Mirtazapin someone mentioned this one as a good replacement but some people said it is only for short medication and all of these stuff can cause so many bad side effects -.-V the only thing that has close to no side effects are some natural stuff that usually don't work at all for me

My policy regarding pills is that they are just a patch, that should only be used when really needed.
Your real problem is down there (psychologic) and it is getting worse or staying the same who knows, but you are patching it with pills (the psyche painkillers) to keep on going.
Imagine you break your leg but you want to keep walking, then you take painkillers like hell and keep going on... It can't turn good after sometime.
If your leg injury is permanent and has no cure, well, I understand you will have too keep taking the painkillers, but if you can get proper medical assistence for your leg it would be way better.

 

[Pedeadstrian]

I once had problems like forgetting where I am and stuff like walking somewhere with something in my hand without knowing why XD)

...you've had that kind of problem and you haven't seen a specialist? Seriously, go get yourself checked out. It's not normal to have bouts of temporary amnesia. Heck, I tend to have a bad memory/attention span, but I've never said to myself "Wait... how'd I get here?" Plenty of "What did I come to the kitchen to get...?" but that's quite different.

 

[Youkai]

Well I went to a neurologist and he told me it is because of stress even though I never noticed having stress at all. (this was some years ago)
now I went to another neurologist because of the sleeping problems and he told me as well that it might be because of stress and in addition to giving me the pills he already told me to get psychologist ...
I always thing psychologists are just expansive people pretending to listen to you and not being able to help at all
My GF thinks different about that but I for one am not really into talking about feelings and such.

 

[VinsCool]

I used to take Anti-anxiety medication last year (technically, i should still take it, but i refused...), and that shit was giving me a lot of side effects, so i understand the annoyement.

- Always sleepy
- headaches
- became very emotionnaly sensitive
- dizziness in the morning
- trouble to stay concentrate

But at least that stopped the panic attacks heh

 

[RevPokemon]

I used to take Anti-anxiety medication last year (technically, i should still take it, but i refused...), and that shit was giving me a lot of side effects, so i understand the annoyement.

- Always sleepy
- headaches
- became very emotionnaly sensitive
- dizziness in the morning
- trouble to stay concentrate

But at least that stopped the panic attacks heh

My dad was on medicine like that and also had all those things as side effects plus weird ass dreams.

 

[Redhorse]

"Doctors Pour Drugs of which they know little,
to cure diseases of which they know less,
into people of whom they know nothing'-Voltaire.​

(not much has [really]changed in hundreds of years. Doctors don't cure anything, the body cures itself with the doctors [proper medications] help.

That being said, not all doctors are good, BUT find yourself a good one, Plenty of trained pewople are allowed to hang their shingle out that know LESS about medicine than some of their patients. I've lost two family members to Doctors Malpractice, and 5 (!) Veteran friends (this last year alone!) due to poor medical practice. The 5 were all at the hands of medical practitioners working for the US Veterans Hospitals, but they're not all bad, some are great. FYI Many Vet. hospitals hire civilian Doctors (that can't get a successful practice going on their own) to carry the excessive load of patients that need being serviced.

PS No I don't hate Doctors I've worked for several as a Clinical Hypnotherapist, one of them taught me that statement above.

 

[Attacker3]

Meh, you can fiddle around with your meds. You can take a bit more, or a a lot less to change the side effects.

 

[bitjacker]

valerian root will put you to bed without becoming addicted

 

[Gruntzer]

i too use anti-depressants "20mg Cipralex"
the side effects are truly annoying but i would rather have them than go back to my state before i used medication

side effects :

sleeping : about 13 hours a day +-2
restless leg
occasional headaches but nothing serious


SSRI are really effective antidepressants <3, the side effects are tolerable considering their effectiveness in treating depression