Posts by Michael Reed45

fadedbear92 said:This is absurd. Medication is meant to help you function just enough, while psychotherapy handles the actual core issues.

I feel the 😢

I assumed they would only prescribe pills if absolutely necessary—maybe for two or three months to stabilize you before starting therapy. That wasn't the case. I've been on medication for a year and a half. What now? Do I just keep taking them until I die? Or should I follow that logic where they decide you're "fine" a year after you report feeling okay? Is being "okay" just about sleeping and eating properly? Is that all that matters?

How naive was I to think that if I were prescribed anything, it would last maybe two months and then everything would be fine? I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Anyway, I'm back to my original mindset: the whole system is useless. There's no point in seeing them. Private doctors just want to grab your money and rush through appointments so they can pick up their kids from school. As for the ones covered by insurance... forget it.

In any case, I am doing something I wouldn't recommend to anyone else. I can't format this properly on my phone right now. 😁

I am tapering myself off these meds without his permission. And not the slow way—not the gradual reduction by quarter doses over ten days. I'm doing it fast. We'll see how it goes. I'll deal with the fallout of these pills while others... honestly, what others do doesn't matter. What matters is what I'm doing. Maybe you'll notice the change, maybe you won't. Maybe I'll lose it in some local park. Just kidding. 😬 Hopefully. 😁

Bottom line: psychiatrists are useless. 👋

Good luck to everyone. 😘

Can you give me a similar breakdown for Effexor if you know it?

I have my next psychiatrist appointment on March 5th. 🙄

I am honestly just sick of all of this. It feels completely pointless. 😢

Nobody even bothers to ask how you’re doing. Not once in a year and a half. Absolutely nothing.

My friend is a much better therapist. A million times better.

And I can't afford private care anymore, though I really want to go. Honestly, I'm fed up with the constant cycle of pills—taking them when I wake up, then again at night, then before bed, worrying if I packed enough for a trip, checking if I have enough for the flight, paying for prescriptions, making sure I have the right referral for March 5th... fuck it! :2up:

I feel like such an idiot for ever letting someone else influence me enough to do this to myself and my body. Nuclear love. 🙄 I haven't even dared to get liver function tests done in months. I've had enough.

Olivia Cooper27 said:28 hours🙏

Now I feel like I was mixing pills and alcohol😁 And I actually was😁

If I had taken that many pills along with all that alcohol, there’s no way I could have typed out a coherent post... then again, maybe some people just have a higher tolerance for booze 😁

ps. So, you slept for 48 hours? Just hang in there. Unless something truly serious happened, things should be fine 😕

Lately, my dreams have been more intense than ever. I mean, they feel incredibly vivid. For the last two nights, they’ve been so lifelike that I’ve woken up several times feeling 100% convinced that whatever happened in the dream actually took place in real life.

I mentioned this to my doctor, and he suggested that my psyche might finally be ready to confront the issues that have been bothering me, essentially processing them through these dreams. But that isn't what's happening at all. The dreams aren't about any of that. It's like they won't listen to me.😁

5 mg or 10 mg?

I always forget to ask my doctor—how much does taking two or three different medications every single day for over a year actually impact the liver? I really don't want to wreck it 😢

I don't have any kind of box 😁 But maybe one day I'll have that one tied up, sitting in a cozy room with checkered floors 😍 🤣

slymaker9 said:I have no appetite at all. Food tastes like nothing. I basically eat one tiny thing once a day, usually only when I start feeling dizzy from hunger and need to shove something down my throat.🤷
He claims this is normal for depression.
Those psychologists think everything is "normal."😂

I went through the same thing, though it was before I started the medication. For me, there were days when I couldn't manage to eat a single thing.

Good times. 😬 Just kidding. It didn't happen again. Never. 😱 )

slymaker9 said:I have no appetite at all. Food tastes like nothing. I basically eat one tiny thing once a day, usually only when I start feeling dizzy from hunger and need to shove something down my throat.🤷
He claims this is normal for depression.
Those psychologists think everything is "normal."😂

Yes. 🤣

I haven't eaten a single thing. Not even my favorite Hershey's bar. 😁 It’s perfectly normal given what you’re going through.

The first time I ate like there was no tomorrow—let’s call it what it is, emotional binge eating. The second time? That was just a side effect of my medication.

Give me a break. 🤣

If only I had lost weight instead... I’ve actually gained pounds faster than most pregnant women would warn against 🤮

I completely blanked yesterday on the fact that I needed a referral 😂 from my doctor. I ended up rushing around trying to track it down. It’s happened so many times before—I honestly feel like I could just walk in there with my hands in my pockets and they'd let me through. 😁

ambermason16 said:Thanks, babe. 🙂

On a side note, I've been on Pfizer for five days now... and my sleep has completely vanished. I have this weird sensation that it's actually starting to kick in, which makes zero sense on several different levels. 🤔

Maybe it's just all in my head—pure autosuggestion. Could be. Either way, I'm happy with it. 😁

I actually wanted to ask you—how was it for you when you first started FedEx? 🙂

Wait, do you take the normal dose on day 15? Or are you already on the higher 2mg ones? 😁

ambermason16 said:Thank you, thank you, thank you! 🙏 🙏 🙏

I've got enough chaos running through my head already; I can't stand it when my primary care doctor keeps insisting I need yet another one...

She can blow her trumpet in C-major all she wants about them being the same, but I know what I feel.

By the way, Valium rocks for me... 😁

Oh, and she caught on to that, so now she won't give it to me... 🙂

Anyway, now I'm begging my mom to have her doctor write me a script ("because at my doctor's office, I'm stuck waiting five hours just to get one single prescription 😢" )

P.S. I just realized you guys are having a full-blown argument over my little blue pills... 😢 Oh, please don't... 😢 ...do you want some Valium? 😬

I do. 🙏 😁 🤣

Are you asking on your mother's behalf? Mine would be thrilled if I even asked. 😬 Besides, she's been asking for months when I'll stop taking them because they just make me gain weight 🙄 and sleep all day. 🙄

So, private prescriptions are only valid for six months now instead of a full year?

The woman at the pharmacy just told me mine had expired 🙄 and turned me away 🙄

Fight Club

Well, Se7en

I haven't seen it yet.

restlesspanther1 said:but my blood pressure is low

The same goes for me. My readings are consistently 🙄

I’ve been using my heavy winter duvet even through the summer months 😢 😁

Now I’ve got that plus two extra throw blankets layered on top. And winter hasn't even arrived yet 🙂

Is it possible it's just my metabolism?

Can I get these markers tested privately at any lab?

Also, is there a required waiting period after my last test? I assume this isn't as invasive as something like a scintigraphy, right?

Angela Wright said:A rise in markers doesn't necessarily mean everything has returned. However, you shouldn't wait. Go get checked immediately to see if there's actually an issue. These tests work by monitoring concentrations; if the marker is climbing, it might suggest those levels are creeping up. It needs to be verified as soon as possible.

😢

She has an appointment in a few days, but I can't help the constant worrying while we wait. Thank you so much for the response.

Last time her level was 24 (with a limit of 25). It has been rising gradually, and her doctor hasn't mentioned anything concerning yet...

Angela Wright said:Look, markers on their own aren't a foolproof diagnostic tool. They’re mainly used to track progress during treatment—basically, doctors use them to see if a medication is actually working or to flag a suspicion of illness.
Markers are almost never at zero. These specific values are completely normal.

My mother had surgery for breast cancer five years ago. Over the last year or two, her markers have started creeping up again, increasing by about 2 or 3 points each time. Last time, they were right on the edge (24, with a limit of 25), and now they've hit 27. Is it possible for them to steadily increase like this without it meaning the cancer has returned? Thank you...