**The Mental Health Thread**

MOOGLEYS said:
Anxiety for me causes all sorts of weird feelings from pain to just feeling generally horrid. Have you tried any talking therapies ? It’s not for everyone but it helped me they say it can be more effective than prescribed meds in some people.
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Tbf, I speak to a lot of friends about how I feel etc. They’re great people and do offer advice but I’m still left feeling the same.
 
Anyone using Prozac ? Doctor changed my medication Friday to 50mg Prozac and so far I been off my nut everyday been told it could be a week or two before the side effects wear off but I just feel like I’m drunk and tired all the time .
 
Psymonkee said:
Fair to middling here. On a slightly higher dosage for ADHD medication and the exhaustion has largely gone (still get the odd bad night but who doesn't?), I can focus/get stuff done assuming I actually put my mind to starting it.

Just gotta deal with all the other things I let slide the last 2 years - namely weight, exercise and some form of employment. Steady progress but for diet it came at the worst time with Christmas on the horizon!
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How far in are you? I'm ~5 weeks in on the higher dose and am starting to feel the benefits wrt to productivity and focus. But still having issues with nausea/loss of appetite. BP is higher and I'm feeling a bit 'jittery' too.

MOOGLEYS said:
Sorry to hear mate I went through a pretty messy separation and divorce 16 years ago it was not a nice time but once I got my head around moving on things improved massively .
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Thanks, I've been trying to 'choose me' over the past 12 months or so - to try and make myself a bit happier and more fulfilled. Unfortunately this was started to drive us a little apart and make things seem like a choice of making my self happy or making someone else happy. Leaves me with a lot of guilt which I'm bottling up.
 
Scottland said:
How far in are you? I'm ~5 weeks in on the higher dose and am starting to feel the benefits wrt to productivity and focus. But still having issues with nausea/loss of appetite. BP is higher and I'm feeling a bit 'jittery' too.
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Had ~4 weeks of Methylphenidate 18mg (Concerta although I have the generic, supply issues) with maybe a little improvement but still not sure if it was working.

Back to the psychiatrist and he upped me to 36mg and the difference was night and day. Instantly slept better which improved everything! Previously had been disinterested in food (although still eating, parents yo!) but now happily eating, mostly right. Better focus which includes some reading, writing and running of D&D adventures and able to actually enjoy my hobbies again! Less prone to snapping at people too and certainly feeling like my old self

Then the meds ran out because the GP/Surgery were the usual useless SOB's and took too long. 3 days without meds and I reverted fairly quickly to exhaustion/food struggles/irritablility. Finally got my hands on them, took a pill at 10am after a crap nights sleep, had a nap for 2 hours and BAM! Back to 'normal' again.

So yeah - big improvement. Still got some personal stuff to work through but getting task initiated/stopping walking by messes is much easier.
 
Psymonkee said:
Had ~4 weeks of Methylphenidate 18mg (Concerta although I have the generic, supply issues) with maybe a little improvement but still not sure if it was working.

Back to the psychiatrist and he upped me to 36mg and the difference was night and day. Instantly slept better which improved everything! Previously had been disinterested in food (although still eating, parents yo!) but now happily eating, mostly right. Better focus which includes some reading, writing and running of D&D adventures and able to actually enjoy my hobbies again! Less prone to snapping at people too and certainly feeling like my old self

Then the meds ran out because the GP/Surgery were the usual useless SOB's and took too long. 3 days without meds and I reverted fairly quickly to exhaustion/food struggles/irritablility. Finally got my hands on them, took a pill at 10am after a crap nights sleep, had a nap for 2 hours and BAM! Back to 'normal' again.

So yeah - big improvement. Still got some personal stuff to work through but getting task initiated/stopping walking by messes is much easier.
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I didn't see any improvement on 18 and 36mg. I'm only just starting to see some improvements on 54mg, but unless the appetite and BP issues taper off - I might opt to try Elvanse instead.
 
Sounds smart. I think I got lucky and just got the right medication first time out. My BP is raised but that is mostly a weight issue for me and it's luckily remained stable.

I'd suggest running through your current supply and talking to your psych again. Slow progress really sucks.
 
Psymonkee said:
Sounds smart. I think I got lucky and just got the right medication first time out. My BP is raised but that is mostly a weight issue for me and it's luckily remained stable.

I'd suggest running through your current supply and talking to your psych again. Slow progress really sucks.
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I'm on 54mg xaggitin (now concerta due to shortages, not that it matters)...when I had my review the doctor talked about changing as I still feel really restless and struggle to focus.
 
I’m struggling to understand how you know when the SSRIs are working or not. What are you supposed to feel like? And how do you work out whether to up the dose or change to a different drug altogether?
 
ic1male said:
I’m struggling to understand how you know when the SSRIs are working or not. What are you supposed to feel like? And how do you work out whether to up the dose or change to a different drug altogether?
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After a few months you should start to feel a bit better with your symptoms. They can at first make you feel a bit worse as they start to kick in. If your not noticing any improvement after 6-8 weeks it might be worth speaking to your GP.

Im struggling with my Health Anxiety at the moment. I have a tiny dark dot on my lower eyelid that has been there for years and never changed. My Anxiety is currently trying to convince me it’s the worst and making me feel awful even though logic and common sense says otherwise. It’s a horrible master is Anxiety…..
 
I've only been on sertraline for a couple of weeks but all I feel so far is totally knackered and can't stop weeing! It's acting like a diuertic. Have a follow up in 10 days to get the next prescription.
 
This is the way I've always looked at it - everyone has has a 'natural' sine wave of ups and downs. For some people they'll be spaced far apart with low amplitude and some people will be closer together with a higher amplitude etc. The SSRI will lower the amplitude of your sine wave so the lows (low mood, depression etc) won't be as low, but also the high won't be as high.

I know it's not quite a simple as that, but it's an easy way for me to correlate the effects it should be having. It's not going to stop you feeling whatever it is you feel, but it will reduce the amount by which you feel it. The side effects will vary from drug to drug, but the desired effect is much the same. I've never had much noticeable side effects from the 2/3 I've been on in the past - but the initial period you need to adjust to each can be 6-8 weeks I think. There's also a certain amount of learning when is best to take it, for some people taking at night is best and vice versa.
 
Yes and no. RSD 'should' be added into the next version of the DSM criteria as I understand it (v6). I acknowledge it as a thing, and it definitely resonates with me - I'm not sure what to do with it though other than acknowledge it and be aware of how it affects me.

Aromatherapy, not tried - doesn't seem like something that would benefit me, but am open minded that it may help.
 
Yep - RSD is definitely something I've (unknowingly) been struggling with for a number of years. Namely some crazy over reaction to something very minor followed by me going off the deep end/shutting everyone else out for hours/days/weeks until I could rationalise things again.

It kinda sucks but it's nice to have a description of what I'm struggling with.
 
Has anyone ever gone to couples counselling? We’re looking into it but no idea what to expect, what to pay (been quoted £66 a session from one provider?) or what happens! There are a few issues we need to and want to fix and realise we need some help getting there.

I’ve been to see a therapist/counsellor before and it was useful though paid for through employment private health. This time I haven’t actually opted into the private health plan (I had thought it was auto enrolment but my mistake) so paying for it myself/ourselves. Any words or advice welcome!

I’d rather face to face but would be comfortable enough doing it via Zoom.
 
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Scottland said:
This is the way I've always looked at it - everyone has has a 'natural' sine wave of ups and downs. For some people they'll be spaced far apart with low amplitude and some people will be closer together with a higher amplitude etc. The SSRI will lower the amplitude of your sine wave so the lows (low mood, depression etc) won't be as low, but also the high won't be as high.

I know it's not quite a simple as that, but it's an easy way for me to correlate the effects it should be having. It's not going to stop you feeling whatever it is you feel, but it will reduce the amount by which you feel it. The side effects will vary from drug to drug, but the desired effect is much the same. I've never had much noticeable side effects from the 2/3 I've been on in the past - but the initial period you need to adjust to each can be 6-8 weeks I think. There's also a certain amount of learning when is best to take it, for some people taking at night is best and vice versa.
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That's a great description and some good advice
 
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