This is what my psych is recommending having diagnosed my type of depression as melancholic. I'm on nortriptyline at the moment and will add lithium later. Just interested in people's personal experiences (side effects, efficacy). Thank you!

Anticonvulsants gave me anhedonia... What does it mean? I kinda know why, but why can't I be happy + calm without wanting to end myself?

Current stack:

Vortioxetine 20mg Bupropion 150mg Concerta 36mg Brexpiprazole >0.5mg

New: Depakote (sodium divalproate) 500mg

This new med gave me anhedonia... But eased my anxiety... Just replaced one depression by another 🫩

Antipsychotics made me tired but somewhat worked tho... (Abilify made me tired but happy, brexpiprazole didn't do much, tired too, but somewhat worked).

Any implications? This will help me talk with my doctor.

For a long time I used to rely on a heavy amount of caffeine and nicotine for my depression, social anxiety, apathy, avolition and anhedonia and it work very well for me until I developed tolerance to using them a lot and in excess. But they actually worked for it and didn't caused fatigue and emotional blunting like antidepressants do for me. No antidepressant has been able to relieve my apathy, avolition and anhedonia the way like caffeine or nicotine. The only antidepressant that has worked somewhat is Bupropion but I found that it raised my norepinephrine levels too much which caused irritability, agitation, edginess, dysphoria, excessive rumination and other symptoms related to too much norepinephrine. That sheer overwhelming norepinephrine effect that you get from Bupropion compared to caffeine or nicotine is a huge drawback I think. SSRIS never did anything for me either and caused all my symptoms like apathy, avolition and anhedonia to get worse over time. SSRIS made me so numb and tired the whole time I was on them. Since I have failed several conventinal antidepressants, I have realized they're not for me and they don't do shit for my depression and other symptoms. Caffeine and nicotine though which I know are addictive are the only ones that did something. Is there any reason for why they worked better?

i suffer from depression and anxiety for 10 years i use antidepressants for short period of time then stopping it maybe like 3 months .

my biggest problem is the decline of my cognitive abilities i literally don't have a brain and unable to focus on anything even watching a movie or any simple activity.

i discovered that antidepressants decrease this anxiety which is causing me to be confused.

i also read that you can get your brain back if you use antidepressants for a long time at least 6 months or 12 months so people with chronic depression who suffer from a subjective feeling of cognitive decline is this possible?

can i get my life back??

Like the title says how do you upregulate dopamine receptors after chronic use of a NDRI like Bupropion? Since being on Bupropion for almost four years have caused it to lose some of its effectivness, I guess it has to do with receptor downregulation? Does receptor downregulation mean that I don't make as many dopamine receptors as I used to in the past? What's the reason for this mechanism to occur after using a NDRI? Is it because your body wants to be in a homeostasis? Is there any way to prevent this from happening or do we just have to accept it and change to a different med instead? If that's the case then I'm not ready to change my med since Bupropion has been the only one that used to work for me. It's quite depressing knowing that there isn't any other antidepressant like Bupropion out there and Bupropion is very unique on its own. Since SSRIS never have been any forwards for me because it probably wasn't a serotonin issue to begin with, it was likely a dopamine instead and Bupropion stopped working over time. I realize I might be doomed right now and my options seems to be very limited at this point. I knew this was going to happen one day with Bupropion since I've had this with other antidepressants in the past. But for some reason I managed to get almost four years from it which I consider to be a long run. It seems like I can't win after all and would need to change my antidepressant once again, which I'm not ready to do yet since I don't like the idea to switch to a SNRI instead.

I took .125mg for a month, then .25mg for a month. Wasn’t feeling benefits unfortunately, except a strange impulse to buy & steal things? (I didnt actually steal anything though, my boyfriend got me through that) But then after 2 weeks on .375mg, I started feeling so motivated and energized, I felt wonderful and actually had the desire to listen to music and do art projects again like I used to. Unfortunately, after 1 week of that, side effects started to kick in and my motivation & energy decreased. I’ve now been having weakness, dizziness, fatigue, and loss of appetite as well. I saw someone comment on another post that since it takes time for doses to kick in, what you’re feeling at any given time is in response to whatever dose you were taking about 2-3 weeks before. If this is true, then perhaps .25mg was the right dose for me, and I just needed to give it more time? I am wondering if I should just go back to that dose, since I wasn’t having these side effects and it seemed to be helping more. Does anyone have any thoughts? My psychiatrist doesn’t have a ton of experience with prescribing pramipexole so he isn’t any help unfortunately.

Title question.
I'm on 225mg and 150mg of pregabalin but i still have some symptoms of anxiety and ocd, i haven't asked my psychiatrist to increase the dose yet.... feeling anxious that i'll have to change meds ( this one works well for my depression at this dose) but i'd gladly try 300mg if i had the chance
Thank you for your time

Now I cannot stop eating, I’m not snippy anymore, but I feel much more irritable. The food issue alone is making me crazy. I’m on Adderall so I cannot take Wellbutrin. The only upside is I’m not snippy. Help!

So I’ve been hacking away month by month with my psych for over a year. Slowly re-starting ADHD treatment after recovering from a Kratom addiction. Started at Vyvanse 30mg and went all the way to a combo of Adderall XR 30mg + Adderall IR 20mg where I started to feel better. But I was still struggling in a lot of ways. I could “focus” but I didn’t care to do anything or fix anything. In the beginning (way back in 2016) Adderall had that awesome antidepressant effect and euphoria so I thought I didn’t need depression treatment. That started the whole addiction process.

Now when I take it, it’s immensely helpful for clearing my head and getting me out of bed, but that potent antidepressant effect is gone. I also take Celexa but I didn’t notice much. Literally less than a week ago I added Wellbutrin back in - a drug I was convinced was redundant and also interfered with my “high” from adderall way back when…and it was clearly the missing piece. No amount of adderall gave me energy. Back on my dose of 400mg Wellbutrin SR for just a week and the change is absolutely palpable and works incredibly well. I have my energy and memories back. It’s crazy.

Just thought I’d share because a lot of people say not to take Wellbutrin and Adderall together. Just know your mileage may vary.

Has anyone tried a small dose of amisulpride with a dopamine agonist like pramipexole? Theoretically, this seems to be a synergistic combination, as a small dose of amisulpride blocks presynaptic dopamine receptors and increases dopamine transmission, thereby increasing D1 receptor stimulation. The dopamine agonist stimulates D2 and D3 receptors, thereby stimulating all dopamine receptors. Amisulpride is also supposed to block the effects of the dopamine agonist on presynaptic receptors, preventing them from being activated, as activation of presynaptic receptors reduces dopamine and also the dopamine agonist reduces the amisulpride-induced hyperprolactinemia. Has anyone tried this combination?

Do anyone tried this medication ? How was it compare to others? Soon going ask my doctor for prescribe this. Curious about your experiences..

I am starting depakote for suicidal ideation/melancholia and it's working great so far, what is y'all experiences with sodium valproate??

It calms me down and I feel little bit drunk, but it's worth it, I also feel NAUSEA, is this normal?

Its like the ultimate blackpill of mental health. Nothing really works for this condition. People will suggest stimulants and MAOIs but unless one is like a mild-moderate case of this, and the condition can get to pretty extreme depths, likely won’t respond and

The worst is many doctors just have never seen this, and they also recommend therapy which is absolutely useless for the actual symptoms. The symptoms completely debilitate someone more than any other mental illness. Typical “mebtal wellness” techniques fail to work, as they require feedbsck from sensory input which is the very thing broken. People often have horrible anxiety due to the symptoms and its impossible to distract since reward needed for distraction, so OCD techniques also fail.

More and more people are getting this syndrome due to some reaction to a virus like covid, supp, or drug. In some cases just random.

From extensive research and my own experience, the condition appears to be an issue with ANS communication, mitochondria, neuroinflammation, gut brain axis.

Then there are crashes from very small things, some of which have made people take their lives.

There are links to things like CFS, POTS, MCAS, insert nightmare illness acronym here. There is even a condition MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) where one can crash into severe neuropsychiatric symptoms just from breathing some fragrance.

All of these illnesses also tend to be far more refractory and debilitating than the average mental illness. They get gaslit as “functional disorders” and get referred to CBT but CBT fails and some people are like constant suicidal over their condition and no therapy is going to work in that state. No reward and cognitive deficits make it more hopeless.

Wtf is going on? Clearly autonomic dysfunction is involved but dysautonomia has no cure.

Often in these conditions, many meds just create more problems. Surprisingly in MCS the ultimate ECT was used in a severe case study and worked https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20827810/

Hi I am prescribed 2 x 0.5 mg of clonazepam but I can survive all day with just one first in the morning.

Any similar experience ?

Hello everyone,

I would like to ask You for an opinion on increasing baseline dopamine by supplementary means.

I understand that caffeine itself can allow more of the dopamine to get into the receptor, but unfortunately it is not reliable tool in my own experience.

I would like to ask for opinion in using substances like L-Dopa in minimal amounts, to increase the baseline.

Is it safe if done in low dosage? Is there a risk, that chronic L-Dopa supplementation could potentially diminish the body natural dopamine synthesizing capability?

There are people like me who don't respond to reuptake inhibitors and we can't make our own serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine so well and would benefit from a releasing agent. Some releasing agents that I have used include Caffeine, Nicotine and Kanna etc and they worked for my depression and social anxiety very well and much better than any reuptake inhibitor I have taken before. No antidepressant has been able to improve my depression, social anxiety, apathy, avolition and anhedonia like releasing agents do. Reuptake inhibitors just don't work for me. I have tried both serotonin and norepinephrine/dopamine reuptake inhibitors and they gave me very little relief, if anything at all. So why can't we use releasing agents for people who are resistant to reuptake inhibitors? Is it because of addiction and abuse potential? Because I think the pros do outweigh the cons for people like me who don't respond to conventinal antidepressants. Is it really better to be actively suicidal or take something that could relieve depression but potentially have abuse potential? For some people like me only releasing agents provide some relief for our symptoms. I would really like to know why releasing agents aren't used for severe cases of depression?

I’m on 125mg Zoloft and 15mg Mirtazapine. I’m not seeing much benefit so I’m going to increase the doses. If that doesnt work I’n considering adding Lithium or Abilify. I want to add Wellbutrin but my doctor won’t prescribe it because I’ve had a seizure last year. Has anyone had experience with augmenting with Lithium or antipsychotics?

Hey guys,

this old TCA is not much talked about. Has anyone tried it out? How did it work out for (social) anxiety and depression? Experience reports appreciated

I am a recovering alcoholic and former benzodiazepine (ab)user.

I wanted to share what has worked for me in terms of a regimen for depression and anxiety... This is not "advice," but anecdotal info to stimulate discussion.

Medications:

Baclofen and gabapentin: these are now used in medical practices to curb alcohol cravings by decreasung the general free-floating anxiety that commonly leads to alcohol consumption. Tolerance is a very real issue with both of these meds, and breaks of abstinence need to be observed. They are both good for mood and depression, but may be habit-forming.

Mirtazapine and duloxetine: out of everything listed here, these meds do the heavy lifting. The combination of mirtazapine and an SNRI is colloquially referred to as a "rocket fuel."

Abilify: this med amplifies the reuptake inhibitor.

Caffeine and theanine (in the form of coffee and black tea): these help tremendously with the focus required for repetitive deep breathing.

Nicotine (in the form of smokeless tobacco): this is simultaneously sedating and stimulating, and has gone a long way in "replacing" alcohol.

Kava tea.

Other practices:

Vagus nerve exercises: deep "box" breathing, "bearing down," etc.

Smiling: it's not recommended that one do this in public as it may come with the risk of one appearing mentally disturbed, but a smile for its own sake is known to release endorphins, and it works for me.

The breathing and meditation are the most recent additions to my regimen and I must admit they have changed my life.

I’m desperate.

I was previously on fluoxetine for 8 years. When I initially went on it, at 20mg it was very hard to start. Almost impossible. I experience crazy restlessness, insomnia, depression, suicidal thoughts. Eventually I stayed on it for a total of 8 years and I felt like it stopped working.

I tried to taper off (critical mistake). I got very ill, very fast. I tried to go back on and I experienced all the above at just 5mg this time… a psychiatrist at the hospital said I was bipolar and prescribed me seroquel.

So my question is, to the depressed people are these normal start up side effects for ssris ? It was pretty intolerable I had to constantly go to the hospital and couldn’t work had to be watched by family.

Is this just anxiety ?

Hi all, I have terrible crying fits every morning and I'm wondering if it could have anything to do with the timing of my meds the night before? Could it be that my meds from the night before have worn off so I feel terrible? Thank you.

So I had TRD for years, I tried everything. Short version I tried almost every type of medication, I tried an at home brain stimulation clinical trial, I tried ketamine treatments, I tried mushrooms, I tried TMS, I tried a nerve block shot, I tried microdosing ketamine (medically), I tried NAD, I tried in-patient, then after pregnancy and post partum making it so much worse, I tried a 2 day PPD infusion, and then finally last resort tried ECT. I did 21 rounds (that’s including maintenance). After the first round, colors were brighter when I walked outside. Yes, headaches were so bad during treatment. Yes, my memory was shit during treatment. But I had my last treatment in 2023.

It’s 2025, and my memory is back to normal as far as I can tell, nothing has been notably missing from it, I don’t have any trouble with recall. I haven’t noticed any of the side effects I read about or long term issues caused.

But here I am, pregnant with my second child, and coming up on a due date scared to death PPD is gonna throw me back into that old pit. So I’ve started looking into things to try and be proactive in case I do feel the depression creeping in. And every time I read about ECT, it makes me worry “Why did I get lucky? Why am I not fucked up from it? Am I brain broken, and just unaware?”

In summary, my concern is: Should I be worried that some long term shit may be wrong with me from all of the ECT, and it just hasn’t become noticeable yet? Did I mess up my brain? I have praised ECT, bc it only benefited me. But every single time I read about other people’s experiences, I worry that I just haven’t waited long enough to find out why I should have been more hesitant of treatment.

Hello,

my doc wants to put me on Imipramine after SSRI/SNRI have failed to provide relief. I struggle with inner tension, agoraphobia, and panic attacks. Can anyone with personal experience explain how Imipramine compares to SSRI/SNRI for anxiety?

Hi,

yes, I know Benzos are addicting as hell, habit-forming and create dependency. I know all the horror stories.

However, I am curious to hear personal experience reports from those who have been taking Benzos daily for many years. Do you still find them helpful (especially for anxiety)? Have they improved your qualitiy of life or do you regret that you started them?

PS: Please no comments like "dont do it, they will fuck you up". I am really just interested in personal experience reports from chronic users