Posts by Matthew Castillo5

wanderingcyclist20 said:Hey there! How's it going?

So, I’ve been on Prozac for about seven months now. It started because of the whole panic attack thing—you know, that constant, gnawing anxiety and those intrusive thoughts that just won't quit. It's been quite a journey so far.🙂.
My therapist told me I’m going to have to be on Prozac for at least six months before we even start looking into psychotherapy. I guess that's just how it goes, right?
In the meantime, I got a massive amount of crap from her, and now I’m stuck without a psychiatrist.🙂.
So, I’ve been on these pills way longer than I was originally supposed to be. But honestly? I feel great. And if I’m being real, the idea of stopping the meds and having to face those same old panic attacks all over again... yeah, that sounds like a nightmare I'm not ready to revisit.🙂.

Quick question—does staying on antidepressants longer than originally prescribed actually do any harm?
Sometimes I totally blank on taking my pill until late in the afternoon, and honestly? I don't even notice a difference... I guess it doesn't really move the needle for me one way or the other.

I honestly can’t tell the difference whether I’m sipping a Schwarzkopf here or over there—it all tastes exactly the same to me.

I feel like I’m doing too well, and honestly? It’s kind of terrifying. I know this probably sounds completely ridiculous, but am I overdoing it with the Prozac? Like, is it actually possible to have too much serotonin? I guess I’m just spiraling a little bit because things feel... fine. Too fine.

Honestly, if you ask me, I could probably drink them forever. I swear, they make me feel like my old self again.

Thanks in advance for any help or answers you guys can throw my way!

If they're working for you, you should definitely keep taking them. If you just quit cold turkey, there's a very real chance the anxiety, panic attacks, and intrusive thoughts will come roaring back.

That said, it probably wouldn't hurt to find a new psychiatrist—ideally someone who also does psychotherapy—so you can start that process and talk to them about your long-term plan for staying on the meds.

urbanskipper4 said:Finally got my period today. Yessssssss!!! It was a little late, but hey, it finally showed up.
I seriously hate it when my meds mess with my cycle.
I just demolished some chocolate, ice cream, and cookies. Feeling much better now.
Yeah, yeah, I know—total sugar overload, but I needed it.
If I don't pig out on sweets like this when my period hits, I start feeling like absolute garbage and get the shakes.

Glad to hear things are back to normal for you, but just a heads-up: Seroquel can definitely cause you to miss your period. It works by bumping up your prolactin levels (which can even lead to galactorrhea—that's when you produce milk in your breasts)—and it also tends to drop your estrogen. You should definitely have a chat with your doctor about whether you should keep taking Seroquel long-term.

Kenneth Scott41 said:To circle back to the subject of psychotropic meds for depression... I had an appointment with my psychiatrist today regarding my current depressive episode, and she suggested that the Lexapro I’ve been on for such a long time just isn't quite potent enough for my specific situation. Consequently, she prescribed Ladiomil at 25mg to be taken once in the evening alongside my other medication.

I’ve been lurking on this forum and following this particular thread for quite a while now, yet I haven't really come across anyone who has actually used Ladiomil. I suppose I'm wondering if anyone here has any firsthand experience with it? Has anyone ever tried taking it?
From what little I could dig up online, it seems like it might be an older medication that isn't used much anymore...

Anyone out there? Any thoughts?

Yeah, Ladiomil is definitely an older drug. I was on it about 12 years ago, and honestly, it worked pretty well for me over a few months—side effects were minimal, mostly just some dry mouth and the occasional bout of constipation.

I’ve been thinking about this lately, and honestly? It feels like we’re all just walking around wearing masks, pretending we actually know what we’re doing. You see these people on LinkedIn or at some high-level corporate mixer in Chicago, acting like they have their entire lives mapped out, and you can't help but wonder if they’re just as terrified as the rest of us. It’s that classic imposter syndrome—that nagging little voice in the back of your head telling you that any second now, someone is going to tap you on the shoulder and say, "Hey, we figured it out. You don't belong here." We spend so much energy trying to curate this perfect, polished version of ourselves for the world to see, but underneath the surface, most of us are just winging it. I remember my first big role at a firm in New York; I spent half my time staring at spreadsheets feeling like a total fraud, waiting for the inevitable moment I'd be exposed. Turns out, everyone else was just as lost as I was. We're all just playing parts in a play we didn't write. kaže:
Look, it’s pretty simple: you need a dick. And I mean that both literally and metaphorically—in the bedroom and out of it. Women are out here suffering from a lack of masculine energy, and frankly, they end up resenting men for it. All this physical and emotional discomfort women deal with? It’s the direct fallout of centuries of toxic chauvinism, where men have spent ages trying to degrade women just to compensate for their own insecurities and fragile egos. The end result is a mess: a whole generation of frustrated women and an endless supply of idiots running the show. Honestly, a little bit of old-school chivalry wouldn't hurt most women. It’s not about being outdated; it’s just about basic decency.Just make sure you don't forget it. 😁

Here we go again. Honestly, I’ve been having this ongoing issue with one particular gentleman. He’s firmly of the old-school mindset—you know, the type who thinks being a "gentleman" means he absolutely *has* to pick up the tab for the ladies every single time. It’s his whole identity. Then there’s me. Growing up, I was obsessed with those classic Western movies, and I guess that translated into a bit of a competitive streak. I still play this little game of "who can draw their wallet first"—and no, I don't mean a six-shooter, just my purse. Well, naturally, I managed to outdraw him, whip out my credit card, and cover the round before he could even blink. The reaction? You’d think I’d personally stripped him of his dignity. He looked so mortified, almost like I’d emasculated him right there at the table. He’s been dodging me ever since. Apparently, letting a woman pay for a drink is a total dealbreaker for his ego. 😵

Charles Lopez3 said:Democracy isn't perfect, but it’s still the best system we've got.

What you and your crowd are really looking for is a nationalist dictatorship, but let's be real: that's never going to happen. ☕

Just one tiny correction here—you're actually living in an elitocracy right now.
It's a pretty small distinction, really. 🤣
Personally, I’d go a step further and say we’re living in a kleptocracy (where the people in power are simply the best at stealing) or, to be even more precise, a kakistocracy (rule by the absolute worst).

It feels like my posts are being constantly wiped away, whether they're part of the protest thread or just random discussions over in the Politics subforum.
To make matters worse, you'll see some reply sitting right underneath mine that doesn't even address what I actually wrote—it just attacks something in my signature instead. So, that irrelevant comment just hangs there, completely out of context, looking like a total eyesore.

Can one of the moderators over in Politics please, for the love of God, explain the logic behind how these deletions are being handled?

Roger Rodriguez said:Even today, there are plenty of people willing to abuse their positions for the wrong reasons; isn't it true that the maybe underlying motivations have simply shifted?

True. You only have to look at how Radovan Karr and Jovan Rašković turned their medical backgrounds into weapons—not to mention the fact that, unfortunately, there are sexual predators hiding within the psychiatric profession too. But honestly, that’s a whole different rabbit hole, and we're already drifting way off-topic here.

dustygardener25 said:If you thought the title was about criticizing the healthcare system by comparing it to old-school communism, then you're totally missing the point. Back in the day under the old regime, healthcare was actually among the best in the world—not to mention how skilled the psychiatrists were. A friend of mine bounced between hospitals and modern-day doctors for ages before he finally ran into a retired psychiatrist from a VA hospital. That guy pulled him out of schizophrenia without any heavy meds, and not one single doctor in this current government setup has ever helped him like that. I've even had minor surgeries myself during that era. That was real medicine. Today? They aren't doctors anymore; they're just bureaucrats and paper-pushers. ☕

Sure, maybe those old-school psychiatrists were technically skilled, but their ethics were practically non-existent. They were more than happy to weaponize psychiatry for political gain, essentially locking up perfectly sane dissidents in mental institutions just because they disagreed with the government.🙄 🤮

hollowtrucker77 said:Sure, but let’s be honest, you wouldn’t even fall for some experienced woman
if some MILF walked up to you on the street and said, "Hey kid, why don't you come with me so I can show you something," you’d probably bolt home and hide under your covers
The truth is, you only messed up the carpet because she wasn't just some teacher who looked like Pamela Anderson, but because she was the most dominant force you've ever encountered in your life
I mean, you really only need to look at those groupies—those girls who spend their entire lives chasing after bands and getting wrecked just because they have this delusional fantasy about how special these musicians actually are
A relationship like this, between a student and a teacher, is basically doomed from the start; there’s almost no way for it to end without everything turning into a total disaster

I actually know someone who proves otherwise. Back in the day, a high school teacher fell for one of her students—he was a minor at the time and at least 15 years younger than her. They started dating, eventually tied the knot, and they've been happily married for ages now with two grown kids. So, yeah, there are exceptions to the rule.

Brandon Newman95 said:Nah, pass. Maybe I'll end up picking some up myself in the meantime.🙂

Look, these aren't exactly Pokémon, so you don't really need to go out and collect every single one. 😉

Lawrence Allen49 said:Change is possible, sure. But you’d need to actually shift their environment and circumstances to make it stick. Adults don't learn through idealism or big visions like kids do; they react to what’s happening right in front of them—their life experience and the grind of reality.

That's probably where the phrase "you're too young for that" comes from.

Most people start out full of optimism, thinking they'll conquer the world. Then they hit 50 and spend most days looking in the rearview mirror, obsessing over youthful mistakes that steered them away from their original plans. They just live—and realize—within those limitations every single day.
Usually, that’s why someone is labeled "troubled." If you want to "un-trouble" them, you're looking at a massive undertaking. You have to dig through layers of their past, earn enough trust to get them to actually open up, and then use some pretty sharp rhetoric and wisdom to dismantle that tiny, fragile ego in their head—the one built on skewed logic that keeps dragging them down.

People who actually pulled off their dreams tend to be happy when they get older. Those who didn't? They’re usually a bit "off," stuck in this constant loop of self-analysis and internal turmoil.

If the person is fundamentally disordered—meaning their very perception of reality is warped—then the job gets much harder. But hey, it's not impossible.

Though, if I'm being honest, I think for most adult women, it’s basically impossible. Men might eventually bend toward change, but women tend to hold onto their instincts way too tightly to let anyone else interfere.

So, if that "troubled person" happens to be a woman, you might as well not bother.

Look, sorry, but I don't buy that for a second. Hardly anyone is willing to overhaul their entire personality unless there's some massive internal or external motivation driving them, and I really don't see gender playing any significant role in that equation.

Jack Gomez19 said:Since she’s from the Midwest, I haven't really given much thought to the specific customs, but honestly, all this insistence on them is getting a little annoying to me.

She’d probably feel like a terrible, uninviting hostess if she didn't push it on you. Personally, I find her insistence a little easier to stomach (even if I think it’s way over the top) when I remind myself it's just tradition and coming from a good place.

Jack Gomez19 said:Are these psychology topics actually good?🙂

Some of my relatives seem to think being hospitable means badgering you twenty times to eat, and then they get all huffy and offended if you turn them down—honestly, why even invite people over if you aren't prepared for a polite "no"?😁

Maybe they're just from the Midwest? That kind of thing is practically a local tradition there.

Robin Diaz4 said:This actually reminds me of something... my friend's mother is never pushy at all. If you tell her you don't want food, she just drops it, no questions asked. It's perfectly fine...
But then some guests came over who seemed to think it was totally normal to be badgered multiple times before finally agreeing to have a slice of cake.
She brought the dessert out to the table—just waiting for someone to grab a piece—and they all insisted they wouldn't, thank you very much. So, she just picked the tray right back up since nobody was interested...
You should have seen the sheer look of bewilderment on their faces... 🤣

hahhaha, it's always funny when people have such wildly different social rituals. 😁
Personally, I’d probably just leave the plate sitting there in case someone changes their mind, but I wouldn't play the "please, just one bite!" game either.

Rebecca Scott3 said:...I’d say stick to the spinach, honestly. It can be a bit tricky to prepare sometimes, but you really need it—it gives you that extra boost of strength. Plus, it's loaded with iron, which is huge right now, especially since you've been dealing with that health issue lately. But hey, things are going to get better, I promise.
...As for those leeches... try upping your garlic intake. If you can manage a clove or two with every meal, they’ll eventually clear out.

...And one last thing... maybe go see a therapist to deal with all those people talking behind your back. A good pro knows exactly how to handle them—they can figure out how to flip the script so those people actually end up working in your favor instead of against you.🙂

Then why am I still anemic if we all have those damn nettles running through our veins and they're supposedly loaded with iron? Or are those selfish little weeds just hoarding all that iron for themselves instead of letting a tiny bit trickle into my bloodstream? 🤷

Nicole Miller5 said:Laughter is the only response here. Max Kolb. A literal saint. In the middle of a camp, facing a firing squad, he steps up and says: "Take my life instead of this young man's. My name is Max, and I am a Catholic priest!" And what does the SS commander do? He just shrugs, takes him, and coldly executes him right there in place of the kid. Honestly, if the political climate had been different back then, who knows how that would have played out...
Maybe I’d be tearing up.

They didn't just shoot him cold-bloodedly; he was left to starve to death for a month, which is honestly way more brutal.

crimsontinker7 said:As if I'd know about something like that, since nobody even told me where she was headed. All I saw was her leaving, and then she hasn't been seen for over a month.

It honestly makes my blood boil when kids are treated like they’re too dim-witted to handle the truth, so people don't even bother trying to explain anything to them. 🙄
I mean, if someone had actually sat him down and explained where Mama was going and why, he probably would have grasped the situation. He wouldn't be sitting there this anxious and worried, and things would look a whole lot different right now.

I feel like we really ought to pin down our basic definitions before we dive headfirst into this debate. For instance, what are we actually talking about when we say "love"? Is it just some internal feeling, or is it more of a lifestyle choice—a commitment to giving someone everything you've got? Or are we defining it strictly as a mutual connection between two people, which would mean unrequited love doesn't even count as love at all?

Larry Howard8 said:Honestly, I'm wondering the exact same thing.
👍

And you're seriously expecting us to provide the answer to that? 🙄
If I were you, I'd suggest you start taking some initiative on your own.

I ended up with the exact same split—60% female, 40% male. 🤷