I’m considering trying meds again but my main concerns are weight gain and sexual side effects . I know everyone responds differently but I’m curious what people have found that works for them? Also if anyone has any tips for working through the shame/stigma that’s something I’ve battled with a lot. I value more of a holistic approach so it sometimes feels like going against my values which is why it’s conflicting for me.
Saffron is great both on its own and as an add on to help negate some of the side effects of SSRIs Trintellix is great for side effects as long as you can get through the first couple weeks of nausea, but it’s expensive until generics come out. Hopefully in the next couple months, the patent just ended. With meds it’s really helpful to know your COMT and SERT genes as they can have an impact on the type of med I’ve always been against medication, I was big in the straight-edge culture growing up so I saw the need for meds to be a weakness. But it got to the point where I wasn’t going to be able to live without meds. It’s a hard stigma to get past but if taking a pill everyday helps you live the life you want then it’s without a doubt worth it. I struggle a lot with self-compassion, it’s the theme of every talk therapy session I have 🤦🏻♂️ but I think it’s important when allowing yourself to receive help from things like medication.
Hi, I’m treatment resistant to SSRI/SNRI/TCA medications and happen to be a medicinal chemist. After 15 years of terrible side effects and no improvement, I got a GeneSight test. Cost varies by income. Turns out I’m a poor metabolizer of the enzyme primarily involved with psychotropic meds. My body follows an unusual metabolism with 2 ultra-rapid enzymes. Incredibly validating to my experience all these years and would highly recommend before the trial and error of choosing medications. For example, the MAOI Selegeline is structurally an amphetamine. Usually the nitrogen is demethylated then dealkylnated. My body does this in reverse, so the primary metabolite is methamphetamine. You can guess how well that went. Luvox has been the only one tolerable and actually works for me. Also, most medications are derived from natural products (~60%). This goes up in psychiatric meds because they’re considered “me too” drugs, mimetics, of our natural neurotransmitters. Knowing they’re analogs of things found in nature really helped make peace with medicines versus natural compounds in whole organisms. There’s also a lot of safe ways to augment medicines with natural compounds. Think krill oil for hyperlipidemia, or beet root extract for nitrous oxide vasodilation to counteract sexual dysfunction. There’s also plenty of not safe combinations like 5-HTP, so always ask your doctor when unsure.
I remember telling my mum I felt strange about starting medication because of the stigma around it. She said ‘Its like taking paracetamol for a headache, if you’re sick, you take the medicine to feel better’. I always think that when I start to feel like a ‘crazy person’ for being on medication ❤️🩹
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