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Crone
Nammu
has no updates.
Member Since: May 2010
Location: Some where between my inner mind and the solar system.
Posts: 70,979
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#161
Quote:
__________________ Nammu …Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. …... Desiderata Max Ehrmann |
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*Beth*, BeyondtheRainbow
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Legendary
HALLIEBETH87
Tired
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: usa
Posts: 11,177
2,739 hugs
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#162
It’s required by law in my state to be drug tested once a year while on benzos and your pdoc can monitor how often and where you pick up any medication. My agency does not prescribe benzos they’re habit forming and get abused and new studies show long term
Use can cause dementia. Be thankful you’re not in my state. __________________ Bipolar 1 w/psychotic features or schizoaffective bipolar type PTSD generalized anxiety OCD celexa, prazosin, Lybalvi and prn zyprexa and klonopin |
BeyondtheRainbow, wildflowerchild25
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catches the flowers
*Beth*
is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind,
body, spirit.
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701
(SuperPoster!)
23.7k hugs
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#163
Quote:
The only worthwhile place in this town imo (besides the movie theater, which really is a terrific place) is the grocery store which is, fortunately, very close to my apartment. It is pretty upscale (i.e., fairly pricey). But the staff is angelic, every one of them. I was 49 cents short 2 days ago - so one of the baggers says No problem! Pops 50 cents into the till. That's just how they are there. Lovely selection, sweet little cafe, beautiful bakery...and a section I'd call rich hippie stuff (products that used to be so out of the mainstream they were dirt-cheap and have now become so "in" they're priced over the top). Anyway, they sell those little solid perfumes! I just don't use them any more (and I am guilty of ordering almost everything like that online now), so I haven't really paid attention to which scents they have or cost. I sure will, though, next time I shop there. __________________ |
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BeyondtheRainbow, Nammu
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Nammu
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catches the flowers
*Beth*
is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind,
body, spirit.
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701
(SuperPoster!)
23.7k hugs
given |
#164
Quote:
This state is so tightly regulated I actually feel nervous when I go to pick up my Klonopin prescription, and I have not done 1 thing out of line. It's ridiculous, because if people want to get around the law they sure can. But for people just taking our meds *shakes head* __________________ |
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BeyondtheRainbow
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Wise Elder
BeyondtheRainbow
has no updates.
Member Since: Apr 2015
Location: US
Posts: 9,194
(SuperPoster!)
9,275 hugs
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#165
I got some good news today. The re-order of my Emsam has made it to my pdoc and I can pick it up when I have my biopsy next week. I have to cut patches until then but that will be fine, just a little stressful because I have trouble figuring out the best way to cut them to get my dose. But once I do it once I'll remember.
This does make the biopsy easier to look forward to; at least one good thing will happen that day. I looked it up and it took a week for the pathology at this hospital with my last biopsy so I'll need some distractions for the week after the procedure. I need a new Christmas tress so maybe I can find one and get that set up. So far I've only looked at Walmart and didn't like any that they had in my price range. So relieved. I can't even begin to explain how glad I am that the patches are in safe-keeping for me. ETA: I also got the bill for my MRI. I was really worried because the MRI costs nearly $7000 and I had no idea how Medicare would adjust for it. But today I got the bill and it was not bad. More money than I'd like to spend at Christmas but a lot less than I expected it to be. I can manage that cost twice a year. It's supposed to be once a year but has to be clean once to go to that schedule. I wish I'd kept track of my medical costs this year. Sheesh. __________________ Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD. Clozapine 250 mg, Emsam 12 mg/day patch, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1700 mg & 100-2 PRN,. 1.5 mg clonazepam., 50 mg Seroquel |
*Beth*, Nammu
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*Beth*
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Crone
Nammu
has no updates.
Member Since: May 2010
Location: Some where between my inner mind and the solar system.
Posts: 70,979
(SuperPoster!)
53.4k hugs
given |
#166
Quote:
__________________ Nammu …Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. …... Desiderata Max Ehrmann |
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*Beth*
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*Beth*
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catches the flowers
*Beth*
is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind,
body, spirit.
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701
(SuperPoster!)
23.7k hugs
given |
#167
I hope anyone who is not asleep is having a peaceful night. I hope we ALL have a peaceful Wednesday.
I had my appointment with med dude. I'll be candid, because I don't know how else to be in life. He began prescribing less than a year ago and it shows. He is empathetic and he does care. He's friendly, he has a sincerity about his manner that touches me, and that I'll carry with me when I remember him 10 years from now. His thinking lacks creativity because he lacks confidence, which causes him to be somewhat falsely arrogant and easily threatened. Logically, it follows that he gets defensive easily. So, after about 6 months I do finally understand how to negotiate with him; I don't feel lost. What follows is how I've arrived at my conclusions. I explained to Dude how hard this month has been (what you all know), that the Topomax has blurred the sharp edges of the depression but that the dose is still very low, that I am having terrible anxiety with waves of panic. And I told Dude that a friend who has bipolar disorder uses Emsam to treat her depression. I told him that my therapist also said she has had clients with BD who have had success with Emsam. Med dude asked me how to spell it. He scrolled through his phone. OH, nah. That's an MAOI. Those aren't really used anymore. Too many side effects. I pushed a bit. (read: DUDE: Deep depression has side effects, too, hello) Disappointment - major. But I gave up. I gave Dude the information that my GP referred me to an MD at the clinic where I receive my health care & that the MD is a doctor who specializes in addiction. I am seeing him, I explained, because I hope to be able to get off Klonopin (about 30 years on it). I explained that Dr. D. uses the Ashton Method for benzo withdrawal. Med dude wanted to know which benzo Dr. D. would use to short-term replace the Klonopin. When I told him "Either Xanax or Valium" he came back with, "Xanax! That's a highly addictive benzo! That wouldn't be a good one to use, and I don't know why he'd even use it!" Dr. D. is in his late 60's and has several decades of experience with treating addiction. It's his specialty, he's highly rated, etc. So... Maybe he knows what he's doing? Then I told med dude that Dr. D. said we will most likely raise my Gabapentin dose much higher than it is. Dude became threatened. Kinda shrill Wanted to know "Can the guy prescribe, or what? I mean, is he a psychiatrist, or what? Because 1800mg of Gabapentin is the HIGHEST for Gabapentin unless it's being used for seizure disorder, so what is this guy doing, anyway?" I had to be the calm one. I felt like med dude's mom. Except my own son never loses cool like that, because he wouldn't have his super-high-stress job if he did. I backed up. *Empower Dude* I suggested that we start with me giving Dude Dr. D's name. Med dude liked that. Then he scrolled on his phone and discovered that Xanax can be successfully used as part of the Ashton Method. He scrolled some more and admitted that Gabapentin can be raised much, much higher to treat not only anxiety, but a number of medical conditions and that yes, we could raise it at some point (BS, if Dr. D. would raise it tomorrow, great, I'm at that pharmacy with my hand out). Let's face it: I am one of med dude's guinea pigs. He did agree (praise the Lord in all His mercy) to raise the Topomax to 100mg/day and "check back in 2 weeks." And that, dear ones, is the story of today's chapter of Med Dude. __________________ |
Aurelius710, BeyondtheRainbow, Fuzzybear, Mountaindewed, Nammu, wildflowerchild25
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catches the flowers
*Beth*
is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind,
body, spirit.
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701
(SuperPoster!)
23.7k hugs
given |
#168
Quote:
Oh,hoho! Back in the '70's I used to work 90 minutes at our food coOp for a bag of groceries, anything I chose to fill the bag. Anytime I wanted to work. Also, I was a calligrapher and sign painter so I hand-lettered signs and traded them for food. Those were the days! Then the '80's hit and THAT era. Need I say more... But yes, I do feel extremely lucky to have the dear Nugget Market here. __________________ |
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Nammu
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Nammu
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catches the flowers
*Beth*
is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind,
body, spirit.
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701
(SuperPoster!)
23.7k hugs
given |
#169
Quote:
All such good news, Rainbow I'm really glad you're getting the Emsam. I wonder if you're pdoc would do telehealth with me __________________ |
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BeyondtheRainbow
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BeyondtheRainbow
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Legendary Wise Elder
Mountaindewed
NoahsArk30
Member Since: Jun 2016
Location: Where the sidewalk ends
Posts: 35,842
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8,655 hugs
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#170
Another shooting.... Looks like an employee went postal on his coworkers. There was a guy like that at my last job. My coworkers would joke all the time that he was going to come shoot up the place one day. He did have issues but I think he was pretty much harmless. Me and him were polite to each other. But it obvisouly happens in places.
__________________ Ridin' with Biden |
BeyondtheRainbow
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*Beth*
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Member
unlived
has no updates.
Member Since: Mar 2013
Posts: 443
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#171
Quote:
Very true. I’ve made some wrong choices with psych meds (Zyprexa with the weight gain for one - but they had already put me on Seroquel which had caused massive weight gain to begin with so it didn’t do too much more damage) but I think it’s easier to deal with when it’s you making the choices and taking the risks with the side effects and choosing what you will and won’t accept. |
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*Beth*
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*Beth*
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Member
unlived
has no updates.
Member Since: Mar 2013
Posts: 443
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#172
Quote:
It won’t let me edit my post for some reason…. Just wanted to clarify I’ve made some bad choices but also some really good ones. If you can find a psychiatrist that will let you make some choices stick with them coz it’s a great way to do things! |
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*Beth*
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Elder
Soupe du jour
has no updates.
Member Since: Jun 2015
Location: Czechia
Posts: 5,149
13.4k hugs
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#173
Hubby and I had a pleasant afternoon. We managed to finally meet the parrot and zoo neighbor. We gave her 5 kg of the carrots. Soon after stepping into her compound I felt something rubbing against my leg. I looked down and it was...the lynx I mentioned a while back. I touched Hubby's arm and motioned downwards as it rubbed against his leg, too. Apparently "Gerry" was a rescue and is clearly quite a spoiled "kitty" (diminutive) as the neighbor calls him. During the visit she was petting him and even kissing him on the head. When he got annoyed at some things, he hissed, and the neighbor scolded him. We thought it best not to pet Gerry, but weren't really scared by the frequent leg rubs. It's so horrible that people think it's "cool" to adopt an animal like a lynx and not even know how to properly care for it. The zoo (neighbor and colleagues) had to save Gerry who was dangerously calcium deficient. Many animals are illegally smuggled in to various countries. And of course other rescues were also neglected with many traumatized.
The neighbor took us to see dozens and dozens of parrots of all kinds (budgies to amazons to macaws and cockatoos and more). She even had two kookaburras, which upon seeing I started to sing the song my great grandma taught me. It's a major place where she has employees and a veterinarian that are regularly there to help. Most birds are rescues. We also saw that she had two servals (another type of cat), but they were in very large caged areas. Her set up is nice for all of them, especially the servals. She said that "Gerry" sleeps in the house on the sofa. She also said that in the past, at one point she took care of four lion cubs on the property. Yesterday Hubby and I virtually "adopted" a parrot in need by making a contribution. She knew about it. I'm sure the neighbors all think she's a bit nutty. __________________ Dx: Bipolar type 1 Psych Medications: * Tegretol XR (carbamazepine ER) 800 mg * Lamictal (lamotrigine) 150 mg * Seroquel XR (quetiapine ER) 600 mg * Seroquel IR (quetiapine IR) 50 mg * Lyrica (pregabalin) 100 mg Last edited by Soupe du jour; Nov 23, 2022 at 10:00 AM.. |
Aurelius710, BeyondtheRainbow, Fuzzybear, Nammu
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*Beth*, Aurelius710, Nammu, ~Christina
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Crone
Nammu
has no updates.
Member Since: May 2010
Location: Some where between my inner mind and the solar system.
Posts: 70,979
(SuperPoster!)
53.4k hugs
given |
#174
Oh soupe, how cool.
Wow Beth, way to manipulate med dude into a better place. __________________ Nammu …Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. …... Desiderata Max Ehrmann |
*Beth*
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Crone
Nammu
has no updates.
Member Since: May 2010
Location: Some where between my inner mind and the solar system.
Posts: 70,979
(SuperPoster!)
53.4k hugs
given |
#175
Quote:
__________________ Nammu …Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. …... Desiderata Max Ehrmann |
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*Beth*
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*Beth*
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catches the flowers
*Beth*
is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind,
body, spirit.
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701
(SuperPoster!)
23.7k hugs
given |
#176
Quote:
Oh, no. Where? __________________ |
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catches the flowers
*Beth*
is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind,
body, spirit.
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701
(SuperPoster!)
23.7k hugs
given |
#177
__________________ |
Nammu
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Nammu
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Wise Elder
BeyondtheRainbow
has no updates.
Member Since: Apr 2015
Location: US
Posts: 9,194
(SuperPoster!)
9,275 hugs
given |
#178
Quote:
I wish you could see her or someone like her. She specializes in difficult cases so options like Emsam and clozapine are available and in my case she's not afraid to combine the two strong meds. She's been my pdoc for 19 years so I can barely remember fighting with previous ones although I did. I'm sorry it's so hard. I'm glad med dude at least raised your topamax dose. Are you anywhere near a big teaching hospital? I have been seeing my pdoc since she was in private practice before she moved to the big hospital but it's more likely to find doctors like her at teaching hospitals. That's why I drive so far to see her (that and it's so rural here that there aren't any options, much less someone experienced in difficult cases). __________________ Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD. Clozapine 250 mg, Emsam 12 mg/day patch, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1700 mg & 100-2 PRN,. 1.5 mg clonazepam., 50 mg Seroquel |
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*Beth*
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*Beth*
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Poohbah
Scooter9
has no updates.
Member Since: May 2018
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1,189
79 hugs
given |
#179
So it turns out I was taking triple doses of gabapentin! I was taking 3 pills but they were 300mg per pill and I was supposed to take just the 300mg, but when I took it before I was on 100mg pills, which is why I needed to take 3. I just assumed I was oh the same dose so I took 3!
No wonder it was working so well on my anxiety! I'm back on 1 pill now. I joined a health club which has a sauna, hot tub, pool, and lots of machines and free weights. I'm getting a fitness constitution on Monday where they'll tell me what to do to meet my goals. I just want to lose some weight and improve my heart. __________________ * Dx: Unspecified Bipolar and Related Disorder * Rx: Latuda, Remeron, Prozac, Klonopin, Vraylar My avatar picture is a photo of the Whirlpool Galaxy I took in April 2023. I dedicated this photo to my sister who passed away in July 2016. |
*Beth*, Aurelius710, BeyondtheRainbow, Nammu
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Legendary Wise Elder
Mountaindewed
NoahsArk30
Member Since: Jun 2016
Location: Where the sidewalk ends
Posts: 35,842
(SuperPoster!)
8,655 hugs
given |
#180
Beth a Walmart in Virgina.
I didn't sleep good last night. I was out of my regular melatonin and I tried my old stuff and I didn't have much luck. This morning I picked up my Geodon and more melatonin. My anxiety was kind of off today too because my brother in law was taking me to get my haircut and my beard trimmed at a certified barber. I had never been to one and I was nervous. But my hair was a mess and my facial hair was all over the place and I really needed a barber to do it not just a regular hair stylist. So he took me this afternoon. They were nice and I got a super nice masculine haircut and a really nice beard trim and now I feel Iike I can leave my house without my hat. I'm actually looking forward now to Thanksgiving. My brother in law paid and he was so excited for me. Now I am at home trying to rewind but I also have to get ready for my trip. My mom finally fixed our hotel situation so we will be staying at 2 different ones. One Thursday night and one Friday night. Just based on our plans for both nights she says it makes sense driving wise. Idk if thats true or not but I don't drive so I guess I don't have a say. __________________ Ridin' with Biden |
*Beth*
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*Beth*
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