Posts by Douglas Long10

Great topic!
The one pattern that jumps out at me immediately—the only one that actually bothers me and keeps me from finally "growing up"—is this protector role I took on for my mother way too early. Even though I’ve told her (and myself) several times that I can't and won't do this anymore, I haven't quite pulled it off yet. We’ve talked about it, and she’s even asked what she could do differently, but the truth is, it’s on ME to change how I react to her.
Beyond that, we’re incredibly enmeshed; we mirror each other's moods constantly. Even now that I haven't lived with her for about six months, I still get this sudden urge to run back to her like a child, even after counting down the days until I moved out.
She has such a massive influence on me. If she’s in a bad mood or feeling down, I just soak it up like a sponge and carry it into my own life. For a long time, I blamed her for it. Maybe that was fine when I was eighteen, but at nearly thirty, I can't do that anymore.
We’ve been through so much together, supporting each other through some truly awful situations, and I know I can always count on her, but I have to let go of this burden.
Here is what I learned from her: when someone you love complains about something, you feel obligated to do everything in your power to fix it immediately. She doesn't seem to grasp that sometimes—more often than not, actually—people just want to talk about their problems. She views a complaint as a task she needs to solve. That's exactly how I react when she's struggling; my brain immediately shifts to: "What do I need to do?" It's like a part of my mind just shuts off, and everything I just wrote disappears. Even when I manage to discipline myself around her, it weighs on me and stays stuck in my head.
I know it's a cliché: the mother-daughter dynamic. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff.

A few other patterns come to mind, but maybe next time.

"CCHR was co-founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology"... hahahahaha, I'm not even going to finish reading this. Thanks for the link, I guess.

Ryan Palmer2 said:Then how do you explain psychiatrists basically admitting they're flying blind? No standardized tests, no hard evidence, and zero track record of actually curing anyone. Isn't that just a massive breach of trust? People put their faith in these doctors and swallow all kinds of junk, believing they're dealing with someone competent and well-meaning, when in reality—it’s a scam. 🤷

Come on...

Where are you even getting this from? Are they really openly admitting they have no clue and are just messing with people? Like, they meet up once a week for coffee, laugh at gullible fools, and gossip about their patients' private lives?
I know people who recovered from depression. I also know people who didn't. Similarly, I know some people who beat cancer, and others who didn't. Are we going to label oncologists charlatans just because a significant number of their patients die?

Kenneth Scott41 said:You forgot to factor in that certain level of aggression and that "I know everything" attitude she carries, which usually shows up in her posts while she's sitting at home under her parents' roof feeling frustrated. Let's be realistic... it's pretty obvious.

😕 I don't get it. maybe my brain is already shrinking.

Look, every medication is a poison in its own way, and this one might even shrink your brain, haha
There aren't any actual details provided here, and even the title says it "could" shrink the brain. I assume this refers to long-term use of tranquilizers or perhaps drug abuse, which is a different conversation entirely. What I’m talking about—what I mean specifically—is taking psychiatric medications under strict medical supervision when they are absolutely necessary. In those cases, even if side effects like brain shrinkage are a possibility, they are negligible compared to the illness being treated. It’s like how chemotherapy or radiation can absolutely wreck a person, yet they go through it anyway just to get cured. A smaller brain equals fewer problems 😁

Robert Collins2, my colleague 🙂
Nessada, look, I’m all for a good conspiracy theory, but this stuff about psychopharmacologists is reaching the level of claiming they replaced Marshall with a body double. Personally, I don't care what you think about depression or medication; there will always be people who view depression and anxiety as some sort of fragile emotional crisis—not to mention the total snowflakes out there. The biggest issue with your post is that plenty of people read threads like this looking for advice, help, or some comfort, and this kind of rhetoric might just completely discourage them.

What’s wrong with you? What kind of illness is this? Just eat some bacon and you'll be fine. 😉

If someone actually claimed that Advil was never tested and was just a glorified placebo, everyone would call them a complete idiot. But let’s be real—most of these medications are basically nectar from the gods or some kind of alchemical potion. Seroxat was my lifeline, even if I spend half my time now complaining about wanting to get off it. That isn't really about the meds, though; it's more about my desire to close one chapter of my life and finally move on. I'm pretty sure I didn't take these pills just to end up face down on the floor. Or partying with Zeus.

Robert Collins2 said:Look, it's not 😵, honestly. I went through the exact same thing when I tried to get off my Helix way too early. Your body just isn't ready for that jump yet, that's all there is to it. It's really not the end of the world. 😉

I suppose so, but the medication isn't even fully mainstream yet. Once it hits full stride, then things will be 🎉

Moving on from Zoloft, blah blah blah 😵

I guess there's nothing much to say about rejoflajt. Maybe it’s worth looking into, but I don't have much of an opinion yet. Just one of those things. kaže:
Maybe you aren't quite ready to taper off yet. I guess her doctor hasn't even brought up tapering as an option for you?😲

I guess maybe there's something worth saying about nectarines. Just my two cents. kaže:
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Kod:

Douglas Long10 says: Ugh. At first, I looked at Paxil like it was some kind of miracle drug because it actually kept me breathing, but now? I’d honestly rather toss the whole damn thing into a dumpster. Whatever. I guess I'll just wait and see how things play out. At least I got all the crying out of my system. :D

Kod:
Back in August, I was tapering off Paroxetine, and honestly, I felt like absolute hell. Every single symptom you listed? Yeah, I went through all of them. I was dropping from 20 mg down to 10 mg. It triggered this brutal panic attack that woke me up in the middle of the night. Just pure terror and depression. I even started having those dark, intrusive thoughts—the kind that really hurt. I called my doctor immediately, but since it was a weekend, she wasn't interested in playing around with my dosage. She just told me to take the whole pill.👎
I was doing a little digging online and found out that the antidepressant I'm on is basically just paroxetine. I guess you can taper down by 10 mg, but only on a weekly basis.
So, if you were taking 20 mg daily, that adds up to 140 mg a week. I guess you could try tapering down by just 10 mg, which would put you at 130 mg per week. I think I saw something like that in the Paxil insert online or something. I'm not exactly a pharmacist, but maybe you should double-check.

I went ahead and restarted my full dose on my own. I’m actually heading to see my psychiatrist in about an hour, so I'll run it by her then. I saw another girl posting earlier saying she was dealing with the exact same symptoms. Anyway, I guess I'll just have to taper down slowly—just a tiny bit at a time. We'll see...
Or, more simply, I just am not ready. 🤷

Ugh. At first, I looked at Zoloft like it was my absolute lifeline because it actually kept me from spiraling, but now? Honestly, I’d rather just toss the whole damn bottle in the trash. Still, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how things play out. At least I got all the crying out of my system. 😁

I guess I should probably mention that I've been thinking about Rejulyte lately. Maybe it's worth looking into, though I can't say for sure. kaže:
Maybe you aren't quite ready to taper off yet. I guess she didn't even bring up tapering as an option, did she?😲

When I first started tapering off, all she ever talked about was that constant shifting sensation and that weird, unsettling feeling. Even though she kept telling me it was just due to low blood pressure, I went ahead and finished the whole pill anyway. 😕
It’s pretty depressing. This is the second time I've tried tapering down—specifically when I halved my dose—and about ten days ago, this wave of constant crying and hopelessness hit me. I couldn't even make it through a workday without taking some Lexapro. Based on how everything is going, I guess I'm just not ready to do this yet. I have an appointment scheduled for Monday, so I'll go over all of this in more detail with my doctor then.

I thought I was ready, but work has been a complete nightmare lately. My contract renewal is hanging in the balance because some guy is trying to muscle in on my position, and honestly, if I lose this job, I have no idea what we’ll do—it’s just me and my kid. To make matters worse, I just started tapering off my medication. This morning, I woke up in tears, feeling exactly how I felt before I even started therapy: that overwhelming urge to just pull the covers over my head and shut out the entire world. So, yeah, I ended up taking the full dose today. Clearly, I'm not done with the meds yet; just popping Lexapro isn't going to cut it. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist next week, so I'll be going over all of this in detail with her.
Thanks for the replies, they really mean a lot.

Tapering off Paxil, attempt #2. The first time, less than a month ago, I told my psychiatrist about the side effects—dizziness, this incredibly bizarre sensation, hard to even describe, like my brain was stuck in a jar of water—and she just told me to take the full dose again (since I had been tapering by cutting pills in half). When I finally sat down with her, she claimed it might not even be the Paxil, but low blood pressure (which is total bull...). So, I went back to taking half a pill a day, and naturally, I’ve been dealing with these dizzy spells and that "brain in a jar" feeling for a week now. I could probably handle that part, but my mood is a disaster. Today I spent a solid two hours crying; if someone even looks at me wrong, I start sobbing. By the afternoon, I was actually praying for something to hit me and just end it all. Then I felt okay for a bit (after I overdid it on some Lexapro), then an hour later I was bawling again. Now I’m mostly fine. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist next week, but I think I've lost all trust in her. So, my question for those of you who have tapered off Paxil: how long does this terror last? My biggest issue is keeping it together at work. God forbid I fall asleep on the job.