My AST is up too—just slightly, but still, it’s at 39 when the upper limit is supposed to be 38!
GGT looks fine, though.
I’m just going to wait until my doctor gets back from vacation before we figure out what’s actually going on. In the meantime, I’m planning to scale back on the workouts—honestly, I’ve been feeling pretty burnt out lately, which might be part of the problem. Plus, there's the Prozac factor; I've been on 20mg, and if my bilirubin levels are naturally a bit higher anyway, combined with everything else, that could definitely explain this current spike...
So, I'll wait for the doc and see. I'm trying my best not to overthink the whole thing, but it's tough...
Thanks for all the input on this—if anyone has anything else to add, please, don't hold back! 👍
So, I’m looking for some intel on what kind of food is actually good for the liver. Like, how do you "lighten the load" for it—you know, detoxing it or just keeping everything running smoothly? What specific foods, fruits, or veggies should I be loading up on to give it a hand?
Since I’ve already opened this can of worms, why stop there? Give me the lowdown on other organs too—what should I be eating or drinking to keep them happy, and more importantly, what should I stay far away from if I don't want to cause trouble...
I’d keep rambling on about this, but I’ve gotta hop off the web for a bit—gotta handle some real-life stuff—so I'll drop my own "expert" wisdom later on... In the meantime, let's hear what you guys have got >>>>
See, that’s the whole point! I only have a drink maybe once a week—and we're talking strictly moderate amounts here, not some wild weekend bender!
About three years back, I had my blood drawn for a military physical. They asked all those same "questions" about liver health, ran the tests, and they cleared me as "fit for service" without a second thought!
I keep hearing stories about people having elevated bilirubin levels just because it's part of their DNA. So, what actually is bilirubin? Is it some kind of liver enzyme? What exactly is it flagging?
For context, I stay pretty active—I hit the trails along the Hudson River about four times a week, and I'm doing strength training almost every single day. Plus, I don't smoke or touch drugs.
My doctor is out on vacation until early September, so I'm stuck turning to you guys on the forums for some insight!
So, I just got back from getting some bloodwork done at the lab, and I figured I’d toss these numbers here since a few things are definitely sitting outside the "normal" range:
Does anyone know any good vocal exercises? I feel like my voice is undergoing some kind of weird shift—it just doesn't sound like "me" anymore. Now, look, I’ve been diagnosed with a mental health condition and I'm on medication for it, so maybe there's a connection there... but I'm just not buying it. That said, it's not like I've totally lost my mind or my grip on reality during this voice change—that's definitely not it. I mean, in those specific moments when the voice shifts, I do feel incredibly weak and sort of... foggy? Like my brain is stuck in a cloud or something. Any ideas?
So, I’ve got this issue—might sound a bit weird for someone my age. I’m 21, and I’m pretty sure I’m well past puberty. I mean, my voice cracked back when I was like 12, so yeah, I’m making a safe ASSUMPTION here.
The thing is, my voice keeps shifting on me. It’s constant—changes in color, tone, pitch... all of it. Sometimes it just trembles, and there are moments where it honestly feels like I’m not even the one talking—like someone else is just using my mouth to make noise.
Is this happening because I'm having some sort of "out-of-body" moment? Am I just totally drained of energy, or maybe just losing focus? I wonder if it could be tied to some kind of psychological thing, though when these shifts happen, I don't really feel like I'm experiencing any actual mental breakdown or anything like that...
Was Prozac really the first antidepressant out there?
I mean, how were people actually dealing with this stuff before Prozac hit the scene back in '86—or even before antidepressants were a thing at all? Like, what was the go-to move? And is there some kind of cocktail of different meds that could basically mimic an antidepressant effect?
Look, I’m based out of Chicago, so I get it. You really have to wonder what kind of "options" someone living in some tiny rural town actually has when they need a therapist—especially if they aren't right next to a major hub like NYC or LA.
Honestly, I’m starting to think anxiety and depression can be the gateway to psychosis too. I mean, let's be real—"psychosis" is such a massive umbrella term. It covers everything from syndromes and deep depression to anxiety, hallucinations, feeling totally detached... you name it. So, yeah, I’m with Angela Green70 on this one; you really can't draw many conclusions about someone's specific situation just from a few casual chats. People are incredibly complicated creatures. Then again, maybe that complexity is actually a good thing? Everyone develops and processes life through their own unique lens. But for me, talking to psychiatrists has been a total dead end. With my "public" doctor at the county clinic, it felt like *they* needed the therapy more than I did. And then there was the private guy—once I actually started opening up, he kept checking his watch and rolling his eyes. Or maybe that's just my paranoia talking? Either way, the vibe in the room was definitely not what I signed up for. The private doc ended up doing most of the talking, too—like, out of a forty-five-minute session, he spent twenty minutes just tapping away at his computer. Seriously, how do those mental health types do that? It's like some secret skill they all share!
My psych eval mentioned a potential for "personality decompensation," which sounds fancy, but basically means a total system breakdown. That whole "psychosis" thing actually stems from my test results, where it noted "mildly elevated psychoticism." And man, I bet that's exactly what the private doctor fixated on! But hey, right next to that "mild psychoticism" note, it also said I have an "increased objectivity in approach"—whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean.
I’ve got a question for the group: is it possible for someone dealing with a mental health disorder to feel... I don't know, "different" or more sensitive toward the world around them? What do you guys think—would that be a positive thing, or could it mess with a person's stability even more? To me, there's nothing special or "unique" about these disorders; it's just an illness, plain and simple, and the sooner you kick it, the better. Though, in this country, mental health issues are still treated like some big, scary taboo. Even the patients themselves tend to downplay it. I guess we should stick to that foreign philosophy that "everyone should have their own psychiatrist"... though personally, I'm a fan of the idea that "everyone is their own healer and we all have the inner tools to recover"—not that meds aren't always a lifesaver when things get rough!
It wasn't quite at the "seeing white mice and chatting with imaginary friends" level of crazy, but it was getting there. My doctor told me I was basically staring down the barrel of psychosis. I mean, I’ve been wrestling with depression and anxiety for years—sometimes I win, sometimes they win—but things hit a breaking point when I started dodging people entirely. Those irrational fears? They were making life impossible. I finally decided to go see a therapist. What really pushed me over the edge—besides being unable to handle crowds (for me, it was specifically when my local church became too much to handle, and I couldn't even show up to service anymore)—was the physical stuff. My throat would go bone-dry and I’d start sweating bullets after any unexpected conversation, whether it was with someone I knew or a total stranger. Every time I stepped out of the house, it felt like a trigger. It was the turning point. 👋 Fast forward to now: I'm on Prozac, and honestly, I feel better. Though, I’ll admit, there are moments where I’m tempted to skip the 20mg and just take 40mg so I can feel like I'm floating on a cloud—that was the vibe I got from Zoloft. With 20mg of Prozac, I feel more positive and content; the constant dread and those weird phobias have either vanished or dialed way down. But even with the meds, I still have to put in the actual work to improve myself. When I was on that brief stint of Zoloft, aside from all the side effects, I got this unforgettable rush of pure bliss about 20 minutes after taking it—zero effort required on my part. Still, I'm giving the credit to Prozac. It feels like some kind of miracle drug since it first hit the scene back in '86. It's helped tens of millions of people and is probably the most prescribed psych med out there. Honestly, though, I'm starting to worry it's bordering on a cult. What do you guys think?
So, I went to see this private psychiatrist twice—diagnosed me with the onset of psychotic schizophrenia, apparently—and he put me on this cocktail of unknown, Xanax, and unknown. Then my GP was just like, "Whoa, hold on, you don't need anything that intense."
I hit up another psychiatrist—not a private one this time—and saw him twice, and he prescribed me Zoloft. But man, the side effects were brutal. I ended up just going back to my regular doctor, who told me, "Just take Prozac," because honestly, the Zoloft was doing me zero favors.
JUST A HEADS UP: the meds from that "private specialist" are... well, let's just say they're the complete polar opposite of everything else the other doctors suggested.
I'm done with psychiatrists altogether. There wasn't much left to talk about anyway, and besides, everyone seemed so incredibly nonchalant about my situation—like I was just some minor inconvenience. So, I just gave them all the slip. It really just confirmed my old theory: if you want to actually enjoy life, stay far away from doctors, bankers, and lawyers. 🙂
Before all this, I couldn't even function—and trust me, I don't want to get into the gritty details of that mess—but now? Whether it's the real deal or not, Prozac is definitely the right move for me. I'm functioning way better than I was before.🙂
I’ve got a question on my mind. It might sound a little out there—maybe even a bit silly—but I’m genuinely curious>>>
So, here’s the deal: I was on 50mg of Zoloft, and honestly, the side effects were a total nightmare. I eventually made the switch over to 20mg of Prozac. After about a month or two on the Prozac, I felt... well, I felt more like myself again, but that doesn't really get to the heart of what I'm actually wondering about. What does "feeling normal" actually mean? I’m asking all of you who have some experience navigating the world of psychiatric meds. When did things finally start feeling "normal" for you after starting a medication? Like, what was the actual sensation during treatment? When you finally reached that point where you could say, "Okay, I feel good," what did that look like? How did your "world" shift back into a functional, everyday routine? Did you ever hit a wall where you felt like you needed a higher dose just to stay level? And how long have you been riding the psychopharmacology rollercoaster?
Anyway, I’m running out of steam for today, but I’ll definitely drop a post about my own journey next time I'm around...