Hello, I have a close friend in another country who needs some help that he’s not getting at home. His medical problems started about seven years ago with insomnia which snowballed into myriad other afflictions, many of them side-effects of the medications: depression, anxiety, muscle pain/weakness, persistent nausea/vomiting, total lack of appetite, ED and suicidal ideation. He and his doctors have tried an astonishing array of drugs (detailed below) but have made no progress in treating his insomnia and the other problems reduce his quality of life to near-zero. To complicate things further, an unfortunate family situation routinely serves to make things worse.

I’m posting here today because we’re hoping to find:
- medical professionals who don’t believe that the answer is “more drugs”
- other individuals struggling, recovering or recovered from similar circumstances
- recommended courses of action
- facilities or support organizations with relevant expertise

As his friend, I believe that his doctors at home (in a country with public healthcare) have neither the resources nor the incentives to make him better, and so their efforts to medicate him are more about stabilization than recovery. In other words, I believe that his doctors have basically given up. I will not. We eagerly welcome anything positive that this community has to offer. Thank you.

Drug List

Currently:
- Pregablin (Lyrica) — 3x daily, 150mg
- Mirtazapine (Remeron) — 7 years, daily, 30mg

Infrequently/Recently:
- Lorazepam (Lorazepam Dorom) 2.5mg
- Flurazepam (Dalmadorm) — 30mg
- Zolpidem (Ambien) — 10mg
- Levosulpiride (Levopraid) — 2x daily, 50mg
- Rivotril/Clonazepam (Klonopin) — 50 drops

In the past:

- Olanzapine (Zyprexa) — 1.5 years, varying dosages (5-20mg)
- Quetiapine (Seroquel) — 6 months, varying dosages (25-800mg)
- Melatonin (Circadin)
- Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
- Trazodone
- Clotiapine (Entumin)
- Solian (Amilsupride)
- Aripiprazole (Ablify)
- Venlafaxine (Effexor)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Escitalopram (Lexapro)
- Citalopram (Celexa)
- Xanax
- Valium
- Samyr