[natalyarostova]

While I never used alcohol, some many number of years ago my drug cocktail used to not be so dissimilar from yours.

All I can say is that, for me personally, and many others, being able to eventually move off that chemical dependency has resulted in richer and healthier days. This isn't a judgement on what works for you, or a suggestion that you do some radical change. Just something to chew on in the back of your mind if the day ever comes where you get sick of it all.

[sjg007]

There’s evidence that all of the effectiveness of antidepressants is due to the placebo effect. Contrast this with bipolar or schizophrenia where medications actually seem to benefit vs placebo.

[snagglegaggle]

A relative of mine is on a very strong SSRI and stimulant combination; talking to them is almost impossible, they're constantly interjecting and changing the subject. They're a coked up toddler with a particularly large vocabulary.

A lot of SSRIs have the expected mechanism of action of disrupting your executive function. This is usually explained as making you more likely to act. The other is disrupting the linking and creation of long term memories, especially negative ones. You can find research evaluating SSRIs and antidepressents looking for these things. Maybe it's not bad, but long term memory and good executive function are the main components of IQ.

In the above case the stimulants were originally prescribed I think to counteract a loss of focus, they might be worse off without them.

Personally I lost a year and a half to Lexapro. It made me happy (or made me think I was) but completely removed any motivation I had to do anything. In my observations this is typical, and a concern I expressed to the doctors involved. People I've known turned into shells of themselves who never left the house.

[hestefisk]

What do you mean disrupting the executive function? I have taken citalopram (an SSRI) for years without any impact.

[ben_jones]

I'd recommend a book that dives into this topic before downvoting: Lost Connections by Johann Harl