The Mental Health thread - depression, bipolar, ADHD, you name it

[eversonpoe]

Feel like I have to break out of an unhealthy routine. Too often I’m just waking up, taking edibles, and then zoning out doing nothing. The only time I’ve ever felt more lethargic was sitting in a hospital bed. I need to start actually getting on the exercise bike more and forcing myself to lift some weights, take the corgi for a jog... that last one is really a workout though. As soon as you start jogging he gets this big smile like “oh we’re going fast now?!?! Weeeeeee!!!” And then he’s dragging you along.

Just some physical daily thing to offset sitting around on the net, playing games, reading books, and tinkering with synthesizers. That all sounds like heaven in the short term, but it’s not sustainable.

i'm in about the same place (without the edibles haha). i used to be an early-riser and for months now, i mostly sleep til 10ish, and i don't really do anything all day. maybe listen to some records/read, but mostly just go on the internet, play some video games, watch tv. except on days that i go work on music, and those are the only days i feel good.

i miss having structure, and motivation.

[botley]

Child care has added a semblance of routine to my day but the tradeoff is a HUGE disruption of my typical sleep pattern. I haven't had it nearly as bad as my partner — who hasn't slept a full night since the baby started kicking her insides! — but we both hit a real breaking point this week. Cannot stress enough how important good sleep is to mood. Mine is in the fucking toilet right now.

[Demogorgon]

Child care has added a semblance of routine to my day but the tradeoff is a HUGE disruption of my typical sleep pattern. I haven't had it nearly as bad as my partner — who hasn't slept a full night since the baby started kicking her insides! — but we both hit a real breaking point this week. Cannot stress enough how important good sleep is to mood. Mine is in the fucking toilet right now.

When my daughter was born, we had to sleep in shifts, it was the only way either of us were going to get any rest. I'd stay up all night, she (my wife) would stay up during the day.

[poinoup]

Went to work yesterday at 2 feeling pretty damn good. About 2 hours later, I was completely drained of everything. I came home and crashed 5pm to 10am. I feel alright so far this morning, but we'll see what the day brings.

Luckily I'm off a few now.

[eversonpoe]

love to hear a pharmacist tell me there's no interaction between two of the meds i'm on (lamictal & estradiol) while i'm staring at the paperwork that says there is

systemic sexism in medicine is real and is (sadly) also perpetuated by women (as in this case)

[allegro]

love to hear a pharmacist tell me there's no interaction between two of the meds i'm on (lamictal & estradiol) while i'm staring at the paperwork that says there is

systemic sexism in medicine is real and is (sadly) also perpetuated by women (as in this case)

I think by reading the interaction documentation, it appears that the interaction is flagged as “dangerous” if you are taking Lamotrigine for a seizure disorder, because estrogen in higher doses can greatly decrease the efficacy of the seizure medication (Lamotrigine), making you more susceptible to having a seizure.

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-8.../intrtype-drug

Conversely, if you’re taking Estriodol for menopause, the Lamotrigine can greatly decrease the efficacy of the Estriodol, although that interaction is not flagged as dangerous.

But since you are not taking what I assume is a high dose of Lamotrigine for seizures, and don’t have a seizure disorder, the only possible interaction could be decreased efficacy toward your depression with bipolar disorder. So the pharmacist probably was too lazy to interpret “interaction” as also including less efficacy in treating depression (vs. textbook “dangerous” side effects).

When calling Walgreens now, you nearly always get directed to a national switchboard that is not the local store. I find I’m often talking with TECHS and not licensed pharmacists. My Mom’s prescriptions are all at the Walgreens in Deerfield, and I can’t BELIEVE how hard it is to get through to the ACTUAL PHARMACISTS at the store. It’s total bullshit.

I’m on low dose topiramate, which is a seizure medication, for migraines, twice daily.

I saw my primary internist and he asked how my depression was going. I said shitty, because I’m on a diet and I gained weight.

He said, while looking at the computer screen, “Well, you’re on TOPAMAX (topiramate), did you know that’s a DIET DRUG?? You should be LOSING WEIGHT.”

I’m thinking, dude, I’m no doctor but even I know that topiramate only has a weight-loss component in higher doses that seizure patients take; not the low dose that I’m on, YOU DICK.

I swear, none of these people know anything about these drugs.

[eversonpoe]

just finally heard back. my psychiatrist is apparently aware of the interaction (which, like...why didn’t she think of this before, when i started the hormones and told her right away?)

i’m being increased from 150mg to 200mg of lamictal so hopefully that helps

ughhhhhh

[eversonpoe]

tw: suicide

checking back in to PHP at Compass tomorrow (that's where i went in the fall of 2019 when i was having a really rough time). 9:30-2:30 weekdays until i move down to IOP (9:30-12:30). really hoping they can help me because i'm really not doing well.

my therapist is really worried about my current suicide risk gave me an option during our appointment on thursday: either go to the hospital, or call compass. i really, really do not want to be in a hospital right now and get checked into a psych ward, so i chose compass.

[Serene Nymph]

I started therapy last year, and it's been a bumpy ride.

My therapist, my family and I have all been bouncing between candidates for diagnosis such as autism, adhd, or add.
I know for certain that I'm anxious and depressed. I've shied away from getting down to the bottom of my problems for a long time because where I grew up, it wasn't safe to admit that you had problems. There wasn't enough room for expression when I was a kid cause I would just be labeled "obnoxious", "disruptive", "stupid", or "retarded".

I'm tired of not expressing myself because of the way I'm labeled. Those labels hurt, but now I'm meandering through a suppressed and depressed life wondering what would have happened if I had been myself and that hurts more. I'm talking here because I know it's a safe space, and it's not Instagram or Twitter which is so plastic and impersonal (the last thing I want!) Um, what I'm saying is: it's fun for me to rant after holding my emotions in . Maybe this will be part of therapy.

[Serene Nymph]

First off, I've been so uncomfortable with my particular reality. To put it simply, it's boring and unfulfilling but part of that was me waiting to find emotional fulfillment at the hands of others. That's only good if you want to isolate and dissociate from the entire world unless it reaches out it's hands to you.

I'm starting to change my feelings about a lot of things, particularly the way I felt about myself in this world. In the past, I felt like I couldn't trust my ability to function. Now I'm trying to change that but I'm running into new obstacles every day.

At least I know I'm moving forward because that wasn't always true.