cannabis as an Alternative medicine - Page 9

America · #1 02-15-2019, 06:29 PM

I don't like the sexual side effects of SSRI. If I were a meat sex haver, it would be intolerable. However, my form of eroticism still works pretty well. Other than that, I am a way more functional and thus decent person and my network is stronger than it's ever been cuz I roll pretty fearlessly right now.

It totally erased my social / being-out anxiety when I was crippled by it, so I think Lexapro will have proven worthwhile so long as I don't remain crutched by it for life. It was really astonishing how effective it was. I had felt like I was reduced to my adult infancy, when I was a 15-yo total agoraphobe, when my appearance started changing to the point I had to be read as some kind of queer. You don't seem like you have that problem tho (actually, Cecily, I think you are "so brave". I am really impressed at how you attack transition.) but you do have other mood issues.

My read on it is that it's totally dandy to take during the really tough hingey part of transition. Appearance problems will produce less anxiety and embarrassing incidents cause less PTSD. etc. In fact, it may turn out that it's a good idea on average to give a SSRI prophylactically for a year or two at commencement of hormones.

Cecily · #2 02-15-2019, 06:36 PM

I’m curious how sexual sides interact with what you get from hormones anyway. At least mine doesn’t have weight gain as a side effect. Think that and being conscious of my emotions being capped at palpable min/max always turned me off of them. I think... this is the same one I tried a decade ago and it actually did help. I just wasn’t me.

Ty about “so brave” lol. I’m absolutely terrified tbh, but I’m able to get out of the house and desensitize myself to interpersonal interaction. 50-50 on anxiety choking my voice up when I talk to strangers, but I’ve gotta do this or I’m gonna relapse to neckbeard.

I credit CBD during late 2017 and early 2018, along my canvassing job this past fall. CBD seemed to lessen my lifelong crippling social anxiety permanently and knocking on 80 stranger’s doors at day got me over the rest of it. I feel like I’m definitely below clinical threshold for it now and just deal with what I assume is normal anxiety. I can effectively kill new anxieties in the course of a week or so with 2-3 exposures. It’s fucking nice.

Just throw yourself into things - like you have been and it’s not so scary after whatever worst case scenario doesn’t happen. Your field reports and insights helped me out considerably with all this btw.

Wish I had a mind trick to make depression fuck off, but it’s wrecking my prospects atm so desperate measures in pill form for the moment.

There actually is one come to think of it. I’ve seen it suggested depresssion is due to a disregulated circadian rhythm. There’s been some success with keeping people up 48 hours at a time on lithium with estimated 5% perma success per treatment cycle. I might try to experiment on myself with it, minus lithium. Might just play nirvana’s to be safe.

I used to work graveyard shift for like 8 years so I’m sure mine got trashed in between that and video game binging during the same period.

Just considered that quitting video games might also be likely reason for the anxiety relief. Lack of gaming only correlates to positive things in my experience. EQ was the real neurotoxin.

America · #3 02-15-2019, 07:03 PM

Thank you. I'm honored to have helped.

I don't think you suffer enough of a problem for lithium to be worthwhile. Trying lithium made a treacherous period for me. It is toooo hard of a drug. this is me trying to override the advice of a potential future doctor you encounter, because I know I am smarter than him.

Cecily · #4 02-15-2019, 07:11 PM

Yeah let me be very clear that I hold antidepressant medication in the utmost contempt. This is really hard for me to try this route again. I’d rather just use CBD but my adderall is contingent on my urine testing clean. 18mg THC in the last vial I bought and that’s plenty to trip a false positive.

America · #5 02-15-2019, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cecily [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Yeah let me be very clear that I hold antidepressant medication in the utmost contempt. This is really hard for me to try this route again.

leave your biases at home nurse lady [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] you'll save people with this stuff. Or, manifest your contempt by learning about your patients' RL stressors and as they pass, be pushy about titrating the dose downward.

Cecily · #6 02-15-2019, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by America [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

leave your biases at home nurse lady [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] you'll save people with this stuff. Or, manifest your contempt by learning about your patients' RL stressors and as they pass, be pushy about titrating the dose downward.

I mean it as far as for myself, I used to be militantly against psych drug all together, still am to an extent, but my human growth and development teacher simply told me, “these medications save lives.” That changed my view and I wholeheartedly agree now. Still don’t trust them as a primary means of care at all, but yeah I’m for them if they’re absolutely needed. A lot of my issue is how the field isn’t very... scientific in its method. Well trial and error is actually, but you know what I mean. There’s not an objective dosage criteria for any individual patient. Let’s try this and see how it works seems unethical to me when you see the effects of withdrawal medications like effexor had on my ex.

I’ve written my own prescription for adderall and Wellbutrin through carefully worded suggestions because I’m absolutely convinced I’m as capable as a MD in medicating the limited problems I have, including hrt. Breaking news: Dunning Kruger effect and all that but I think I’m right still.