Ugh the last two weeks have been CRAP!!! But, some good has come of it. I'll share some good, bad, and ugly.
This week, I have learned:
1. Lexapro is a hell of a drug.
2. My body will crash my brain after 7 days of insomnia, and I will hallucinate by day 10.
3. My spouse has the patience of a saint.
4. The kickback of a gun is nowhere near as forceful as it looks.
5. I'm good at shooting!
6. I may or may not have a job right now.
7. I never expected to feel so indifferent regarding my employment status. It feels revealing to me to realize how unattached I feel to it. Maybe my dislike for it has really grown that much.
8. I feel like the Boy Child has suddenly grown more mature and its freaking me out a little. I know he's in the pre-teen zone, but I'm not ready for this. I find myself checking in on him often and smothering him with mama love just to make sure my boy is still my boy. *sigh* This poor child is stuck with me.
9. If you tell them to stop building....
They will.
(I find this hilarious to an inappropriate degree.)
10. The A-Hole Dog only likes the dog park if she's on her leash. She also acts like she feels incredibly violated when another dog sniffs her butt.
11. Go to the following thread. Go to top comments, find on page, type "Robb Stark". Only do this if you are caught up on GOT. Also, only do this if you are not offended by politics, and if you do not plan in any way to come back here and blast me for sharing a comment that compares Trump to Joffrey and Balon Greyjoy.
12. I like my ellipses with 4 dots, just like I like my lights (THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!!!!). Farawyn, we can take this outside if you want....
13. The spouse and I owe so much money in taxes that I can't even. We changed exemptions when we got blasted by state last year. Didn't matter. We owe thousands to federal and the state we live in. As in, we owe thousands to federal and thousands more to state. Can't wait to see how much the state I work in swindled. I swear to the Bearded Commander Riker that we had more money on one crappy income than we have now, with me working, too. Maybe I need to not work during grad school. :\
14. I am so excited for grad school!!!
I know I'm forgetting stuff. Boo! I'll remember right after the edit window closes, I'm sure!
Earlier in this conversation, you were all talking about the negatives of SSRIs. I'm not on any. I occasionally have some issues with anxiety, which journaling/exercise and occ visits to a pyschologist help to handle.
Years ago, before I figured out how to "treat" my anxiety, I briefly tried zoloft. Even at half doses taken at night, I was SO tired. The fatigue was worse than the anxiety and I quickly quit taking it. (I'm super sensitive to many meds). My dtr has some "issues" and I forsee that she may need SSRIs in her future, but my experience with them makes me very hesitant to ever consider them.
Are the side effects worth taking the meds? I'm serious. Because everything you all are saying sounds so awful that I wonder if you regret taking them in the first place?
I had PPD, so I get being in a really dark, terrifying place. I'm assuming you only went on the meds because things were. that. bad. But I'd like to know - are you glad you started taking SSRIs? Or do you wish that you had never started them in the first place?
Thanks in advance for your answers
When I needed them, SSRIs were, perhaps literally, a lifesaver. I had no real side effects during treatment. A lot of what has been mentioned here was in regards to stopping or tapering off of these meds. Starting Lexapro was the best decision for me, at the time. It let me breathe and enjoy my infant for the first time since giving birth. I stopped waiting for something catastrophic to happen, could sleep again; life got better. I'd say that's worth it.
Dogen, I had a "Qualified Professional" start me on Cymbalta and taper Effexor. I thought I was going to die ! My muscles hurt so bad, it felt like the Flu ! I had muscle spasms, insomnia, headache, not to mention my BP went sky high ( 170/90's 180/90's. He was going to put me on Lexapro and I said no way! I'd rather go back on the Effexor ! So now I'm back to square one and still feeling Depressed !
kdkout. There are other classes of Antidepressants. I have been on Lamictal which is a Dopamine receptor and is used for Seizures and also Depression. There is another class of Antidepressants which are SNRI's. The doctor just has to find the right drug for the patient. I can't take Tricyclics. But Iv'e done well on Lamictal and Effexor. Sometimes if you have been on Antidepressants for a long time, they aren't as effective so you need to change to another drug.
I learned that if I begin to read a thread started by Ixchel with comments by OrganizedChaos I will find myself glancing up a couple of hours later wondering where the time went. Time well spent. What a valuable support system all of you are - thank you!
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
What I learned this week:
The world does look different when the sun finally comes out after a winter in New England. This year I was really craving for some spring and here it is!
"Palliative care" has a such a negative image - in quite some cases when I introduce the palliative care program, patients or family ask "Am I dying?".
Related to the above - the other day I introduce myself and a patient smiles with a big smile and says she is happy that I stop by ! That really threw me off...
I wish I could speak Spanish ! I like the way the language sounds so much - perhaps I can take a class once my graduate studies are done.
The Mayo diet is sort of working for me in terms of eating habits and foods but I am not loosing much weight - to be more accurate : The weight loss in minimal. I blame it all on menopause.
I'm seeing a palliative care doctor, and I'm not planning on kicking off any time soon.
Spanish is a beautiful language. One of the best decisions I ever made when I was in HS was to take it; it has served me quite well.
i'm not sure i understand. are you tapering off? if so, why? i have been on lexapro for years and it was a lifesaver. i have no plans at all to stop taking it because depression is for life with me. i have had depression since i was a child. i am not bipolar though. yes, lexapro has some bad side effects, for me it was weight gain. If you are indeed trying to taper off for some reason, do it properly, which will take months and months. Good luck.
Yes Studentnurse365, I know what you mean. I was tapering off Effexor and starting Cymbalta. It was horrible ! Headache,muscle pain,muscle spasms, insomnia. Didn't have any brain zaps. What is the bead method ?
I learned that if I begin to read a thread started by Ixchel with comments by OrganizedChaos I will find myself glancing up a couple of hours later wondering where the time went. Time well spent. What a valuable support system all of you are - thank you!
I am so, so glad you've gotten that out of this! These threads aren't meant to be educational bonding experiences with sidebar LOLs and hugs. Join the party anytime you'd like! There are new threads weekly, with OPs going up on Saturdays.
BeckyESRN
1,263 Posts
When I needed them, SSRIs were, perhaps literally, a lifesaver. I had no real side effects during treatment. A lot of what has been mentioned here was in regards to stopping or tapering off of these meds. Starting Lexapro was the best decision for me, at the time. It let me breathe and enjoy my infant for the first time since giving birth. I stopped waiting for something catastrophic to happen, could sleep again; life got better. I'd say that's worth it.