Posts by Raymond Ortiz69

My apologies for feeding the trolls earlier, I really won't 🕺

Daniel Chase13 said:Quincy:

mariana3 As you mentioned: I was chatting with a group of kids from an average elementary school class over in Washington, D.C. the other day, and I picked up something pretty interesting—or maybe just a bit sobering. It turns out about three-quarters of them are sitting through religious education classes simply because "that’s what their parents want," even though they aren't actually interested in it themselves. One kid even told me straight up that they "don't really believe in those things." It’s a candid little snapshot of where things stand with that generation. It’s funny how these students work—they’ll spend the whole period throwing out these "awkward," challenging questions during class, only to have the teacher shut them down or cut them off mid-sentence. But despite all that questioning, they’ve already mentally checked out. They’ve accepted that this is just another credit to chase—just another subject where they need to cram a bunch of facts into their heads, pass the test, and move on. It’s just a complete waste of time for them—honestly, I don't see the point.

From chatting with a few teachers I know, I’ve seen cases where kids actually look forward to their religion class—I’m being literal here. To use the exact phrase those teachers always use: they absolutely adore their instructors.

It feels like we’re back at it again—focusing entirely on one single mistake made by one specific religion teacher. It’s funny how that works. You see teachers and professors across every other subject making the exact same kinds of errors, yet somehow, this one instance gets singled out for scrutiny.

It also really comes down to how students actually approach the questions—I mean, there’s a massive difference between genuine curiosity and just being disruptive. If they’re constantly cutting people off or throwing out random, off-topic questions just to derail the lesson, then you can't really blame a religion teacher for setting some boundaries. It’s only natural that they’d want to maintain control over the classroom environment when things start getting disrespectful or completely lose focus.

You know, I hear this all the time from students—and honestly, even from their parents—that spending so much time grinding through advanced math is just a massive waste of energy. Their argument is always the same: they’ll never actually use these complex formulas or equations in their day-to-day lives once they graduate. It’s a common sentiment, and when you look at how much time is dedicated to it, I can see why they feel that way.

For some students, the bulk of the required reading list for American literature feels like nothing more than a tedious slog—honestly, just a massive waste of time.

For some students, certain sections in their biology or history textbooks feel like absolute nonsense—just a total waste of time spent memorizing fabricated stories that don't seem to have any real-world application.

Honestly, I feel like for certain students, memorizing all those granular details about different countries and their economic structures—stuff you'd typically find in a geography textbook—is just a complete waste of time. It feels pretty unnecessary to most of them.

For some students, memorizing every single historical date feels like a complete waste of energy—honestly, it can feel pretty pointless when you're sitting there staring at a textbook.

For some students...

I don't think anyone would actually support cutting entire subjects from our school curriculum just because of a single "for certain students" argument. Honestly, that logic shouldn't apply to any subject we teach—it’s just not how a solid education system should work.

Honestly, this whole thing where you pretend not to understand what people are posting is getting a little exhausting.

Jason Ortiz5 said:Does anyone know if there's a way to check the average final grades by high school class for both religion and ethics courses? 😬

Even asking that feels kind of ridiculous, since teachers are allowed to teach both anyway. It's enough to make your head spin.

Hold on a second. Don't you dare ---- 🤦

Joseph Sanchez10 said:I honestly wonder how many kids would actually show up for religion class if it was just another elective offered during the afternoon shift instead of the morning one.
Or, you know, if getting access to sacraments wasn't tied directly to whether they sat through those classes.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard parents say, "Ugh, let them just power through this year since they need their First Communion... once that's out of the way, we're done."

After chatting with some students in a typical middle school classroom over in Washington, D.C., I found out that about three-quarters of them are only sitting in religion class "because their parents make them," while they personally "don't really care" or "don't believe in that stuff" (to quote the kids directly).

The funny thing is, these exact same students ask all sorts of "awkward" questions and really try to challenge the teacher during class—though the instructor usually shuts them down pretty quickly—but they've ultimately just accepted that it's just another grade to chase, requiring them to memorize a bunch of stuff for a test.

To them, it feels like a total waste of time.

I'm totally on board with the complaints I've been seeing above, and I really want to throw my support behind hollowwalker24, because honestly, I've never once felt like their posts were an issue or like they were "ruining the conversation."
Everyone just jumps in whenever they have a moment, and sometimes that means a string of replies comes in quick succession, or maybe you stumble upon a few really interesting data sources or news links all at once and end up dropping two or three posts back-to-back. To me, that’s really not a big deal at all.
At the end of the day, this forum exists specifically so we can chat, swap information, and share our different perspectives.

I’ve been following this thread for a bit, so I figured I’d jump in and share my own experience...

I started elementary school back in 1982 in Washington, D.C., and we used "good morning" as our primary way to practice reading during first through third grade. We worked on large printed letters as well as both uppercase and lowercase handwriting throughout the first grade, and then we moved on to learning cursive in the third grade.

coppereagle3 said:How much does aspirin actually help with anxiety?

Well, before I finally got my "official" diagnosis (anxiety and depression), I had been taking AktivinH on my own for about eight weeks. Honestly, I wasn't expecting any miracles from it, but after just two weeks, I started noticing that I felt generally a bit more level-headed—which, back then, felt like a massive win—and that little shift really helped ease both my anxiety and my depressive moods.

By the third week on AktivinH, I hadn't experienced a single panic attack, whereas they had been hitting me pretty frequently for about a year and a half prior, regardless of how intense they were.

After finishing my initial eight-week stretch of AktivinH, I finally went in for a checkup, and my doctor immediately switched me over to a standard prescription antidepressant because she felt AktivinH was just too mild for what I was dealing with. Even so, it still provided some relief, so overall, my experience with it was quite positive.

Since I definitely went through that "I can handle this all by myself" phase, my best advice would be to please go see a doctor if you haven't already. It was such a hard step for me to take, and I put it off way longer than I should have until things got pretty dark, so looking back, I really wish I’d just reached out for professional help sooner.

There is one other thing to keep in mind, especially since summer is right around the corner: AktivinH (specifically the hypericin in it) is phototoxic. This means being out in the sun can cause things like rashes, allergic reactions, or even vision issues in some cases. The pharmacists were really careful to warn me whenever I bought it, and the last one actually suggested I stop taking it before summer hit, particularly since my job requires me to spend a lot of time outdoors.

If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me a private message!

steeltrucker3 said:Thanks, I'll look into this and follow up if I have questions. $33 Is the prescription covered under my supplemental insurance plan?

I don't actually carry supplemental insurance myself, but from what I gather, I think the price would end up being about the same anyway.

steeltrucker3 said:I might have phrased my last question a bit clumsily. I'm currently taking Prozac for anxiety and depression, but I'm also struggling with constant insomnia and staying up way too late. Since I can't be taking any more sleep aids at this point, could switching my medication help with the sleeplessness?

So, I also deal with anxiety and depression, and for the last few years (or however long this stretch has lasted), I've had non-stop issues getting to sleep—it’s like my brain just refuses to "shut off" at night, and then in the morning, it just "flips on" before I even open my eyes, whether it's 4:00 or 5:00 AM, and I just can't drift back off.

I've actually been on Nexium (which is agomelatine) for about a month now, and it's a newer type of antidepressant that doesn't really fit into any of the "classic" categories.
You might want to look into it a bit; you take it right before bed because it stimulates melatonin receptors, so besides being an antidepressant, it actually helps with insomnia by helping normalize your sleep cycle. It's primarily for clinical depression, but it helps with anxiety too. Of course, just like with any medication, everyone's experience is totally different—it works wonders for some and does nothing for others.

In my case, since starting this therapy, I haven't dealt with panic attacks or even those heavy "lows" in my mood, and I honestly sleep like a baby. I'm actually working on tapering off my anti-anxiety meds now, so I'm hoping waking up in the morning will get even easier (since I'm still on a moderate-to-high nightly dose). Naturally, I won't know for sure how the anxiety holds up once I'm strictly on the antidepressant alone, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic that it'll be fine.

The only downside is that it's a bit pricey, roughly around $33 for a box of 28, and you take one tablet a day. But personally, I think it's worth every penny. Oh, and from what I can tell, it doesn't seem to cause weight gain or increased appetite, which is a huge plus.

Lady, also thanks so much for sending over that link to the calculator, I honestly had no idea a tool like that even existed!

I think it’s finally clicking for me now why I just can't seem to pull myself out of bed when my alarm starts blaring in the morning.🤦

silentpuma3 said:Who knows? Honestly, medications were nothing more than a flat plank to me... and not even a springboard. Just a plain, boring piece of wood that ended up backfiring and completely wrecked my head. 😁

If you ask me, the best kind of springboard is actually having a solid support system around you—like good friends. But fine, I guess that's going off-topic.

Anyway, look, I'm just at the very beginning of this whole journey, so we'll just have to wait and see if this stuff actually helps me bounce back or if it's just going to be another heavy plank cracking my already somewhat scrambled brain. 😵

(Most of the people in my "inner circle" give me advice that makes me want to grab the first available plank and just knock myself out immediately 🤦 ... yeah, sorry, getting off topic again, I'll stop now.)

silentpuma3 said:But let's be honest: meds never actually tackle the root cause, they just mask the symptoms... And that's fundamentally flawed.

Well, they definitely ease those symptoms—or even wipe them out entirely—which finally gives you enough breathing room to actually engage with phase two, you know, doing the actual heavy lifting on yourself through things like psychotherapy and all that...

For example, about two years ago, I stumbled upon this amazing CBT workbook that I thought might be my ticket to feeling better, so I dove right in. I was honestly pretty shocked when I realized just how much damage those "negative thought patterns" were actually doing to my headspace... But then, life happened, and I had to stop because my depression hit me with everything it had. It felt like being swallowed by a black hole where no amount of self-help books or wise advice could touch me. If I hadn't had to show up for work every day, I probably wouldn't have even left my apartment. And all of this was happening before I’d even seen a doctor, back when I couldn't quite admit to myself that I needed professional help—you know, thinking there wasn't some magic chocolate bar that could just fix my messy brain chemistry. Fast forward to now, and I'm finally seeing these tiny, step-by-step improvements, and honestly, it's almost entirely thanks to the medication.

In my own experience, I look at medication like a springboard. It’s kind of like being in gym class—without that spring to give you a little boost, you’re just going to run headfirst into a wall. But with that extra momentum, you can actually clear the hurdle, even if it takes a little practice. Only after you've cleared that jump can you move on to the rest of the workout (which is phase two: the "work on yourself" part).
I know that's a huge oversimplification, but it's the only way I can make sense of it all in my head. 😉

silentpuma3 said:My issue was that because of the meds, I felt exhausted all day long, even when I was getting ten hours of sleep. Every single time I woke up, it was just pure brain fog, weakness, and total disorientation...

Hmm, I'm really not sure, since I've only just started (today is actually only my fourth day on these meds).
The antidepressant I'm taking (Trintellix 25 mg) knocks me out in about 10 minutes, and then I wake up feeling totally fine after 7 or 8 hours of rest, without that heavy "cotton wool" sensation in my head. Though, I suppose that's exactly what it's supposed to do..

My main issue right now is my morning dose of unspecified (1mg), which calms me down a little *too* effectively. I guess that's kind of the whole point, given how terrible my anxiety has been, and being on unspecified these past few days has actually been wonderful in the sense that panic attacks aren't tearing me apart, but shortly after I take it, I feel incredibly drowsy and just... shaky. Plus, for about an hour or two, I get these chills, almost like my blood pressure has suddenly dropped (which, if you check the side effects, is actually listed there). Hopefully, this should settle down once my body gets used to it. I'm really hoping so, because as much as I love feeling relaxed—I'd almost forgotten what that feels like!—this mental fuzziness makes it a bit hard to focus on work, so... I guess I'll just see how things look next week.

It's funny how differently we all react to medication; it's so incredibly individual. Personally, I tend to be sensitive even to tiny doses of "basic" stuff like Aspirin, and everything just makes me sleepy, yet with some other "stronger" medications, I can basically swallow them like they're Gatorade candies and feel absolutely nothing. Who knows? We're all just unique individuals when it comes to this stuff.

fadedbear92 said:Here are some links, just in case you haven't had a chance to look them over yet😉
experiences with trintellix1
experiences with trintellix2
http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/...C500046227.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0061425/
http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1888
http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/us_US/...C500046224.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agomelatine

more info on Zoloft over here

Heh, I've read bits and pieces, for sure... definitely bookmarked!

Thank You 🙂

So, just to give you an update, I took my evening dose of Zoloft a little while ago, and then I just popped my Trintellix about ten minutes before sitting down to write this. Honestly, as I'm typing this out, I can barely even see the screen—I'm yawning so much you'd think I hadn't slept in days.
I better head to bed before I start typing complete nonsense🥱
LP

Michael Hill2 said:

I don't know. Maybe? Honestly, I’m just sitting here staring at my screen, trying to make sense of all this. It's a lot. Sometimes you just have to take a second to breathe and realize that none of this is as simple as it looks on paper. Just my two cents. Or maybe just a few cents. Whatever. kaže:
Hey everyone, what's up?

So, last week I finally got hit with that anxiety-depression diagnosis. Just my luck, right? Anyway, I officially started the meds yesterday.

So, I went into this thinking the diagnosis would be clinical depression plus panic disorder—mostly because I was checking off every single symptom in the manual like it was a damn grocery list—but turns out my doctor just prescribed an antidepressant specifically for clinical depression. I guess that’s supposed to cover everything? Like some kind of 2-in-1 deal? Or am I overthinking it?

Well, here we go. I've got a new friend. Trintellix So, we're looking at 25 mg. That's agomelatine, right? Or whatever it's called.I'm paraphrasing some technical text here:It basically hits those melatonin receptors, blocks the ones that usually kick serotonin into gear, and then—presto—you get this surge of dopamine and norepinephrine right where your brain handles mood. Simple enough, I guess.
Maybe. But you should probably check this out. 😁
I’m still not entirely sure I follow. Are we talking about it actually boosting serotonin levels—like, making more of it available in the system—or is that not quite how it works?

There isn’t much out there online regarding Trintellix, so I figured I'd just document my own experience as I go. Most of what I've managed to dig up ranges from "this is life-changing" to "complete waste of time." So... yeah. It seems like a total roll of the dice. The main thing to keep in mind is that it doesn't fall under the usual Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor or SNRI categories. It's doing its own thing.

It’s pretty pricey, honestly. Even with Medicare covering a chunk of it, I still ended up shelling out about... $33 Just enough to cover me for the month.

His biggest headache is the potential impact on his liver, so I’m really crossing my fingers that doesn't turn into an issue. Aside from that, he supposedly shouldn't have any other major side effects to deal with.

Yeah, and apparently there's no addiction factor either—they claim you can just quit cold turkey without having to deal with any kind of slow taper.

From what I can gather, it’s mostly used over in Europe and I think Australia too. It actually hit the market in the US a few years back, but it hasn't quite caught on here yet—at least, I couldn't find anything to confirm that.

My psych gave me an official diagnosis of Insomnia, but honestly, that’s not even the main issue. It's more like my brain refuses to shut down at night, only to kick into high gear the second the sun comes up. It's not that I'm getting zero sleep or anything—just not enough to function. Anyway, they put me on Trintellix, just one 25 mg pill before bed. Apparently, adding some melatonin should help get my circadian rhythm back on track.

Took it yesterday and, honestly, within ten minutes I was yawning like crazy. Ended up sleeping like a baby—didn't dream about anything weird, no nightmares, no tossing and turning all night. Just woke up naturally when my alarm went off. Well, at least that’s a win to start with.

Yeah, plus I’m on 1mg of Lustral (morning and night). Honestly, this morning was a total wash. I had to head out today, hopped on the subway, and felt like a complete zombie just stumbling around. Is there actually an adjustment period with benzodiazepines? Like, does the brain eventually get used to them so this constant brain fog finally clears up?

Hey everyone.
😉

Interesting Ad. I haven't really dug into much about it yet, honestly. Keep me posted on how things are going for you. 🙂

Since you take that antidepressant at night, I’m guessing it hits you a little hard—kind of like how Faverin does. That probably explains why they prescribe it for anxiety when you can't sleep either.

Look, that Lustral is really just a temporary bridge to help you weather the initial side effects of the antidepressant. Benzodiazepines aren't actually a long-term fix; they’re just a tool to blunt the edge of anxiety and panic attacks while things settle down. You shouldn't be popping them for more than six weeks straight—the addiction potential is real, and trust me, nobody wants to go down that road.

My advice? Don't go taking it twice a day. Just save it for when you actually need it—you know, those moments when the anxiety really starts to claw at you. I mean, honestly, it won't kill you if you take it twice daily at first while you're settling in, but if you don't strictly need it, better to keep it in your back pocket for when things get rough.
The body gets used to that "fuzzy" feeling pretty fast. I’m thinking within a week of steady use, you probably wouldn't even feel that grogginess or sleepiness anymore.

Best of luck to you. 🙂

🙂

Yeah, Trintellix definitely has a sedative quality; basically, the melatonin causes a very rapid "shut down" in the brain...

I tried using Sweet Dreams (Enzo) before, which is essentially melatonin, and it was the same story: about ten minutes in, I’d start yawning uncontrollably and then it was straight to bed for me.
The one issue was that Sweet Dreams always gave me a headache the next morning, so I ended up stopping. At one point, I was also drinking St. John's Wort tea (back when I was trying to tackle my depression on my own), and I actually asked on Enzo if it was safe to take Sweet Dreams at the same time since my brain stays so hyperactive at night—they told me not to. Looking back, it makes total sense, because it seems like the melatonin and serotonin receptors share some similarities, so it would be a bit like taking an antidepressant (like St. John's Wort) alongside something that works in a similar way (melatonin). At least, that's my understanding of it, anyway.🤷

I've been prescribed Zoloft once in the morning (1mg) and once at night (1mg). I'll stick to the instructions for now, as I assume it'll take a few days for my system to settle into the effects.

I'll be sure to post updates here to let everyone know how it's going. I actually wrote a slightly longer post over in the Depressive-Anxiety Disorder thread, so I'll be popping in and out of there quite a bit.
Honestly, everyone here on Psych Couch seems so incredibly normal; so much of what people say feels familiar, and I feel like I can really relate to what's being written.😁

Thank You 🙂

Hey everyone,

So, I finally got officially diagnosed with anxiety and depression last week, and I actually started my medication yesterday.

By the way, I honestly thought the diagnosis would be clinical depression plus panic disorder—mostly because I feel like I check every single box in the manual—but it turns out they prescribed me an antidepressant specifically for clinical depression, which I guess just covers everything? Like a 2-in-1 deal?

Anyway, my new little companion is called Valdoxan (25 mg). It’s agomelatine, which is basically to paraphrase the medical jargon: / it stimulates melatonin receptors while blocking the ones that usually activate serotonin, which eventually leads to a boost in dopamine and norepinephrine in the mood-regulating part of the brain.
At least, that's what it says. You should probably look it up yourselves though! 😁
To be honest, I'm still a little fuzzy on whether it actually affects serotonin levels directly by making more available, or if it works differently.

I haven't found much personal experience online regarding Valdoxan, so I figured I'd report back here and let you all know how it goes. From what I've gathered, reviews range from "this is life-changing" to "complete waste of money." So... I guess we'll see. The main thing is that it doesn't fall into the usual categories like an SSRI or SNRI.

It's also pretty pricey. Even with Medicare covering some of it, I ended up paying about $33 for a month's supply.

The big concern seems to be its potential impact on the liver, so I'm really crossing my fingers that everything stays healthy there. Aside from that, it's supposedly not supposed to have many significant side effects.

Oh, and apparently, it isn't addictive—the literature says you can just stop taking it without having to do a slow taper.

As far as I can tell, it's mainly used in Europe (and I think Australia too), and while it started rolling out in the US a few years ago, I couldn't find any definitive info on its status here... at least not easily.

My doctor also noted Insomnia on my chart, though my real struggle isn't necessarily sleeping too little, it's just that my brain refuses to shut off at night, then suddenly kicks into high gear early in the morning. I get enough hours, technically... but the quality is off. That's why I was given Valdoxan, since I take one 25 mg tablet right before bed. The melatonin component should help reset my circadian rhythm.

I took it yesterday, and wow, within ten minutes I was yawning, and then I slept like a baby. I had absolutely no idea what was happening around me—no crazy dreams, no nightmares, no tossing and turning. Just a perfectly normal wake-up when my alarm went off... So, hey, at least that's a win to start with.

Oh, right, I'm also taking 1mg of Lorsilan (once in the morning and once at night). This morning was a total fog; I had to head out and take the bus, and I felt like a complete zombie stumbling through the day. Does anyone know if there's an adjustment period for benzodiazepines where the body gets used to them and that initial "brain fog" starts to lift?

Sending love to you all,
😉

Matthew Castillo5 said:Look, if you’ve been grinding through depression and anxiety for this long, and that Activia supplement is only giving you a tiny bit of relief, you’re probably looking at a transition to actual pharmaceutical antidepressants. It’s usually a gradual process—you start with low doses and slowly scale up to whatever the doctor prescribes. Plus, most people find they need to take a sedative or an anxiolytic alongside the AD at first, just to help manage those initial side effects while your body adjusts.
Look, let’s get one thing straight about antidepressants: they aren't like benzos. When you're dealing with stuff like xanax, you hit that wall where your tolerance skyrockets, and suddenly you're chasing a higher dose just to feel baseline. That's a vicious cycle. Antidepressants don't work like that. They don't trigger that "more, more, more" physical craving. You can stay on them for a long stretch—hell, some people take them for life—without that constant upward climb in dosage just to stay level.

Oh, I’ve actually been dealing with this stuff for much longer (I used to have what I called my "phases" all the way back in elementary school, though I didn't really know what was happening other than realizing my brain was just a little bit... 😵different)), but about a year ago, I finally realized that things had taken a turn for the worse, as they say. I won't go into all the details here, but it took me a few pretty rough days to finally accept that I couldn't just "willpower" my way out of that hole.

About two weeks ago (which would be week 5 on AktivinaH), I noticed that I've generally been a bit calmer and haven't had one of those... I don't even know how to describe them, let's call them "crises" (actually, more like a low where my mood just plummets in seconds, like someone threw me into a pit and I can't get out, so I just cry for an hour wishing I could disappear—that used to happen to me at least once or twice a month, totally out of the blue)).
I haven't really experienced full-blown panic attacks with that intense irrational fear, but everything else (heart racing, restlessness, blood pressure spikes, etc.) is definitely there... anyway, in the last four weeks or so, none of that has happened, so I'm attributing that to AktivinaH too.
Last week, I realized that I'm suddenly finding interest in things that I hadn't felt motivated to do for about two years... it's such a strange feeling, like I've finally "switched on," even if just a little bit, compared to that total lack of interest I had in my hobbies, my career, everything. Before, I couldn't even force myself to work through one of those great KBT workbooks I have—I'd start, see that it helped, but I just lacked the initiative for anything. If I didn't have to work, I probably would have spent my days sitting in a dim room staring at four walls.
Things are a tiny bit better now. Clearly, it's working, though obviously, I'm not expecting a magic pill to fix everything overnight.

I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow, so we'll see what the next steps are. Regardless, it's good to know that antidepressants aren't addictive. I wasn't entirely sure if I needed to "taper off" the AktivinaH first.

Whoops, I guess I went on a bit of a tangent there. Sorry! It's like free psychotherapy on a forum 😁

Thanks for the reply!

Has anyone here ever made the switch from unknown to a standard "chemical" antidepressant?

Right now, this is all just theoretical for me since I’ve been taking unknown on my own for about seven weeks. It’s actually helped a little—though, if I'm being honest, I wasn't really expecting much given that I've been battling depression and anxiety for nearly two years straight. I'm assuming my doctor will probably put me on a traditional antidepressant once she hears everything that's going on in my head 🙄 (I've been a bit slow to schedule my check-up because I foolishly thought "I can handle this myself," and then there was all that annoying insurance paperwork to deal with just a bit of a delay, you know?). From what I understand, unknown works similarly to an SSRI.

I'm just curious to hear about your experiences so I know what to look out for or what specific questions I should bring up at my appointment. I see conflicting things online where some say antidepressants aren't addictive while others claim they are, so... I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Thanks!

George Sullivan7 said:I don't think you have anything to worry about. You should be fine to keep drinking your coffee while taking Aktivin H.

Modern research is constantly changing and studies often contradict each other, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Real-world experience is usually the best indicator anyway. If people like us who take SSRIs and drink coffee regularly aren't seeing side effects, I think that's all the proof we need.

Look, if your gut tells you to stop, then stop. But medically speaking, there's no proven reason to skip the coffee. I've spent years drinking coffee and St. John's Wort tea—which is basically the herbal version of Aktivin H—not at the exact same moment, obviously, but still—and I haven't felt any negative effects.

Also, if you're dealing with serious depression and anxiety, forget the herbal supplements. Go find a real antidepressant that can actually fix your brain chemistry so you can function like a normal person. It's exhausting. At least, it was for me, when every single tiny thing in life felt like climbing Mount Everest.

Yeah, I definitely noticed there's a lot of conflicting info out there, which is why I wanted to ask you guys since you actually have personal experience.

I've only been taking Asset Corp for a few days, and the only thing I've noticed is my heart racing just a little bit on the first day (just briefly, for maybe half an hour) about four or five hours after taking the capsule, which I think is when it hits its peak effect. I'm not sure if that was actually related or just a coincidence. Other than that, I actually feel a bit more relaxed than usual—though again, I don't know if it's possible to feel the effects that quickly. It might just be "normal" for me because my mood tends to be all over the place; it'll be a mess for a few weeks, then jump back to normal for a few days, then crash again, and it just keeps going like that.

I'm planning to see a doctor as soon as I can; right now I'm without insurance (I can't afford private specialists), but that should be sorted out soon. I'm not expecting miracles from Asset Corp, but I just couldn't take it anymore, especially since I'm surrounded by people who expect me to just "snap out of it" with a square of dark chocolate 🙄 ) I also have a pretty good workbook from KBTa that helps me out, but my concentration is absolutely shot, so no matter how hard I try, I'm just not functioning quite the way I should.

Anyway, thanks so much for the reply 🙂

Hey everyone!

Does anyone here have any experience or insight regarding how activin h (St. John's Wort) interacts with coffee, specifically caffeine? I don't mean literally swallowing a capsule alongside my latte—though I can see how that would be a mess—but more just about the general routine of taking activin h while still enjoying my usual morning brew and maybe a little afternoon pick-me-up.

I’ve honestly thought about cutting out coffee entirely since I feel like I can't even wake up without it, but it’s such a lifesaver for my focus; without it, I feel like my brain is basically just offline. (I have my own theories on why that is, given how much of a stimulant caffeine is, but I won't get sidetracked by that right now).

I stumbled upon this recent article about St. John's Wort , which mentions that based on current research, it acts similarly to an SSRI and potentially even like a MAO inhibitor. That’s where I start getting a little nervous, because if that's true, you aren't supposed to mix it with anything containing tyramine. According to the authors, coffee is actually listed among the things you should avoid combining with the herb, along with stuff like beer, wine, and soy. It might not be set in stone yet, but they suggest staying away just to be safe.

When I picked up my activin h at the local CVS a few days ago, the pharmacist didn't really give me much guidance when I asked about the timing of my capsules versus breakfast or coffee, so I'm left feeling a bit unsure about how much I should actually worry.

To give you some context, I've been struggling with long-term depression and anxiety, including panic attacks, over the last year. I haven't received an official diagnosis yet, so I'm just sort of navigating this on my own for now. Since I won't be able to make it to a doctor for another few weeks, I decided to take matters into my own hands and start the activin h because I just couldn't keep functioning like this anymore. It hasn't worked like instant magic, which I wasn't expecting anyway, but I'm really hoping it provides at least a little bit of relief as a first step.