Meds are complicated. I have taken quite a few over the years, and every med I have tried comes with its own desired effects, side effects, and unique experiences. Some of the side effects are good. Some are neutral. Some are unbearable. Let's briefly talk about some side effects.
Right now, every med I am taking causes "dry mouth", which can be just awful. It gets unbearable some days. No amount of water seems to help. Eating anything like a cracker feels like chewing on sand. It can get pretty terrible.
Another side effect that is common is a change in appetite. I once tried a med that made me gain about 30 pounds over the course of four months. I made my doctor try something else. Right now, I just started taking a med that is doing the exact opposite. At times, I have no appetite, and will sometimes skip meals, or eat tiny portions at meals.
I also have taken meds that cause odd movements and/or tics. Right now, I sometimes experience this. On the meds I am on now, when it happens, it is the worst late at night and first thing in the morning. I just feel like I need to move. Drumming my fingers or a pencil on the table, pacing, tapping my foot on the floor. If I try to force myself to stop this energy and movement, and just be still, I feel twitchy, and people say I am making odd facial expressions or tics.
Another side effect of some meds is changes in my smoking habit. I have taken meds that make me smoke like a fiend. My new med makes me not want to smoke at all for most of the day.
Some meds act as "downers", others as "uppers". They may change your energy levels and mood - sometimes in the opposite way you would think. An antidepressant may make you tired and apathetic, a med to treat manic episodes might increase your energy and drive. Sometimes they seem unrelated. A med to treat ADHD may also decrease anxiety and panic.
Some meds keep you awake, and others make you tired and sleepy. I take a med right now that I can't function on when I first take it. I take it one hour before bed, quite literally. Once I have taken it, I know I have one hour before I fall asleep, wherever I am. If I want to sleep in my bed, I better make it there before the hour is up. One of my morning meds has the opposite effect. For 8-12 hours after I take it, I couldn't fall asleep if I tried.
Some meds act different ways when you take different meds with them. For example, a med may cause an increase in weight when taken with one med, and a decrease when taken with another. A med can change your mood one way when taken with A, and completely different when taken with B.
A lot of findings the right combo of meds is a mix of guesswork and trial and error. It can be frustrating at time.
Meds, though, are worth it. They are 100% worth it.
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