Depression, anxiety, stress and other related issues

[HuddersRam]

On 31/05/2021 at 21:05, rammieib said:

Anyone use or used Fluoxetine?

Doctor has prescribed it for me for some anxiety I have. Sadly I read too much about it before just taking it and it actually scared me and I haven't taken it.

I'm interested to know any first hand experience if you have taken it. Were there any side effects and did it help? 

Incredibly late one here @rammieibso this might not be helpful in the slightest, but just wanted to give my own personal experience. I started on Fluoxetine last August after years of just generally being very unhappy and letting anxiety rule. Around the same time I started on weekly counselling sessions too, albeit virtually, to try and understand just why I felt that way. 

My experience of fluoxetine (having previously been on propanolol a few years ago) has definitely been more positive than negative. The only side effects I've noticed have been around waking up during the night more often, which coincides with some pretty mad night sweats, which are actually pretty funny nowadays. I started on 20mg daily and have just had it raised slightly to 30mg after a bit of a downward turn having returned to Germany from the UK and a couple of bouts of illness, but I could not recommend tablets enough. Yes it's not a permanent solution to the real problems, but if they work for you, they at least allow you to get through daily life and be a version of yourself you are happier with. Without feeling like I rely on them, they are a huge assistance just to get out of the fog.

There are also some really good apps out there as well, one of which is a pretty clever AI tool called Woebot which, unsurprisingly, is a robot designed to talk about, well, woe. The talking therapy helps too, as long as you find someone you can fully open up to. 

Even without contributing as much as I should in the forum, just having a thread such as this is a huge asset to anyone who struggles. I hope anyone reading this is doing okay - and if you're not, there's an entire community on here who is with you, whatever you're going through.

[rammieib]

20 minutes ago, HuddersRam said:

Incredibly late one here @rammieibso this might not be helpful in the slightest, but just wanted to give my own personal experience. I started on Fluoxetine last August after years of just generally being very unhappy and letting anxiety rule. Around the same time I started on weekly counselling sessions too, albeit virtually, to try and understand just why I felt that way. 

My experience of fluoxetine (having previously been on propanolol a few years ago) has definitely been more positive than negative. The only side effects I've noticed have been around waking up during the night more often, which coincides with some pretty mad night sweats, which are actually pretty funny nowadays. I started on 20mg daily and have just had it raised slightly to 30mg after a bit of a downward turn having returned to Germany from the UK and a couple of bouts of illness, but I could not recommend tablets enough. Yes it's not a permanent solution to the real problems, but if they work for you, they at least allow you to get through daily life and be a version of yourself you are happier with. Without feeling like I rely on them, they are a huge assistance just to get out of the fog.

There are also some really good apps out there as well, one of which is a pretty clever AI tool called Woebot which, unsurprisingly, is a robot designed to talk about, well, woe. The talking therapy helps too, as long as you find someone you can fully open up to. 

Even without contributing as much as I should in the forum, just having a thread such as this is a huge asset to anyone who struggles. I hope anyone reading this is doing okay - and if you're not, there's an entire community on here who is with you, whatever you're going through.

Thanks buddy. My issues haven't gone away but mentally I feel better. Probably because I've accepted and worked the problem more and this summer some more of the fun stuff I did has been back online.

I may well still try the tablets though come autumn. Thank you for the feedback.

[hales300k]

On 02/08/2020 at 00:34, Ramslad1992 said:

Now then ladies and gentleman... firstly I hope you are all well and secondly sorry for the mother of rants which is about to unfold...

As some may be aware from the ‘new parents’ thread I made last year I am lucky enough to now be the father of the most incredible little lady this planet has ever seen, also from that thread some of you may be aware that the pregnancy wasn’t all plain sailing. 

Unfortunately neither does the living side seem to be. Our daughter had corrective surgery to save her life at 1 day old... in the next 44 days before coming home she would go on to have 5 collapsed lungs, 2 cardiac arrests, 1 blood transfusion, 7 ventilations, 2 more surgeries and numerous amount of pain relief/medication.

last Friday though everything was brilliant and me and my wife were finally able to bring her home... the next few days were the best of my life and something that we were robbed of for the first month and a half of her life, we had numerous visitors and for to introduce her to her family.

on Tuesday we went to the park with our other daughter as quite understandably she was quite overwhelmed and a bit jealous about her new little sister... whilst at the park I was feeding Clara-Leisa who subsequently stopped breathing and vomited blood through her mouth and nose. I had to do CPR in the middle of the park on her as the air ambulance (absolutely amazing) and 2 road ambulances turned up. 

Thankfully I managed to get her breathing again and the incredible paramedics and drs kept her going and she’s on the mend.

i don’t really know the purpose of this post but just felt it would possibly help to have a Release.

photo’s included of how she is today as I realise what I’ve written is traumatic and we could be a lot worse... 

She`s a cute little Rammette m8 ! Nearly kissing the badge already , Hope she overcomes the health problems and takes the world by storm , this thread puts the Rams disasters into perspective , respect to all of you for sharing and supporting each other , let`s Ram it up them Terriers today and put smiles on all our faces COYRs

[Ramslad1992]

6 hours ago, hales300k said:

She`s a cute little Rammette m8 ! Nearly kissing the badge already , Hope she overcomes the health problems and takes the world by storm , this thread puts the Rams disasters into perspective , respect to all of you for sharing and supporting each other , let`s Ram it up them Terriers today and put smiles on all our faces COYRs

Thank you mate ? she’s doing loads better now! Not quite fully out of the woods but home living a happy normal(ish) life. ?

[Miggins]

She's beautiful, @Ramslad1992!

1 hour ago, Ramslad1992 said:

Thank you mate ? she’s doing loads better now! Not quite fully out of the woods but home living a happy normal(ish) life. ?

She's beautiful, @Ramslad1992

 

[Ramslad1992]

1 hour ago, Miggins said:

She's beautiful, @Ramslad1992!

She's beautiful, @Ramslad1992

 

I take full credit for that! ?

[Day]

On 02/08/2021 at 12:21, David said:

Just scrapped a long post to write a more brief and to the point without all the gory details post.

Leanne, my fiancés brother suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, we believe he's been off his meds now the all of this year. He's rapidly declined to the point where we are seriously concerned.

This is where I cut all the gory details out.

Leanne's mum and dad are old, not really capable of getting him the help he needs so I've stepped in. He's been sectioned before and I believe he needs to be sectioned again for his and others safety but it's so hard, reminds me of the trouble I had to get a doctor out to see me when I was really suffering with anxiety and couldn't leave the house, they all insisted I came into the surgery.

I've rang the mental health place where he was sectioned previously, couldn't discuss him with me, patient confidentiality, understandable, will you talk to his parents? No as he's an adult. Basically the only way they would section him is if he volunteers to come in, or is brought in by the police or ambulance service.

So I contact the non emergency police where I'm told they have to be called when he is in the middle of an act that is taking place, I should call the non emergency ambulance instead for general concerns.

I ring the non emergency ambulance where I'm told the same as the police, they don't do general welfare checks and need an incident to be active to be called out.  

In fairness she bent the rules slightly, made a telephone appointment with his GP and directed the call to me, the GP could either decline or accept the request.

This morning his GP did ring me, initially asking for him but I explained what had happened, he wouldn't discuss him or his medical records, again understandable, but would listen to my concerns. He did and after a lengthy call of pouring out all the gory details was told he will try and organise a mental health crisis team to go and assess him, but this could take a week and would only take place if he lets them in. They can't force their way in.

Now this is unlikely to happen, he thinks he's perfectly normal but he's not. Quick example, went to Hull, wanted to experience homelessness, ended up throwing lateral flow tests round the city centre shouting you're all going to die, before at 2am getting a taxi home for £120. 

Anyway, I get a call this morning from his mum, his neighbour has rang her to say he's banging and screaming and put a notice on his door saying don't knock, funeral taking place. I ask if this is taking place right now, it is, so I've got him.

Rang the police, sorry no can do, doesn't sound like there is any immediate threat to his or others life. Call the council to make a noise complaint or ring the non emergency ambulance if you think he needs an assessment.

Getting frustrated by this point I ring the non emergency ambulance and they are despatching an ambulance with police assistance, filing it as potential suicide and threat of violence saying she has made it impossible for the police not to break in if he refuses to open the door and be assessed.

Also made sure the neighbour was told of what's about to happen, please stay in as they may want to talk to you. The neighbour lives downstairs, it's a terraced house split into 2 flats, he's upstairs.

Maybe it's because I'm close to the situation, I feel more can be done, and they are following the correct procedure, but I can't agree that we need to get to a stage where his or another person's life is at risk before they will respond.

Spend 10 minutes with him wearing a jumper as trousers, boxers on his head as a bandana and you will realise that he's not mentally stable and having been beat up a couple of times in the last few weeks, is it going to take a stabbing or something worse to actually get help.

This still turned out to be a lengthy post cutting out all the details. Needs to be more support and easier for someone to get help out to someone with mental health issues. Really pisses me off that they don't appear to be taken seriously yet when it's 2021.

Update. He’s been sectioned today, went down to watch Police, Nurses, his Doctor take him away.

Kinda hard to watch whilst at the same time knowing it’s exactly what’s needed to keep not only himself but others safe.

The tipping point was being seen shouting F off to old people in the park and saying he was off to get a gun to shoot them.

Police still sat on their hands, however after a lot of phone calls and pleas to Navigo they finally arranged it.

Tough part now is that he’s told them he no longer wants them which has upset the family a fair bit, tried explaining that this lad is not their son talking, once they get some meds back inside him things will be ok. 

Confirmed to us that he doesn’t have the mental capacity to look after himself and not to worry, he’s in a secure unit now.

Parents are old though, finding it hard to understand and accept so lining up a couple of days getting them out and occupying them.

Just thought I’d pop on with this update and not to send the search party out for me again. I’m all good. ?

[ketteringram]

1 hour ago, David said:

Update. He’s been sectioned today, went down to watch Police, Nurses, his Doctor take him away.

Kinda hard to watch whilst at the same time knowing it’s exactly what’s needed to keep not only himself but others safe.

The tipping point was being seen shouting F off to old people in the park and saying he was off to get a gun to shoot them.

Police still sat on their hands, however after a lot of phone calls and pleas to Navigo they finally arranged it.

Tough part now is that he’s told them he no longer wants them which has upset the family a fair bit, tried explaining that this lad is not their son talking, once they get some meds back inside him things will be ok. 

Confirmed to us that he doesn’t have the mental capacity to look after himself and not to worry, he’s in a secure unit now.

Parents are old though, finding it hard to understand and accept so lining up a couple of days getting them out and occupying them.

Just thought I’d pop on with this update and not to send the search party out for me again. I’m all good. ?

That's just about the best outcome, especially given most of the alternatives. Awful story though. Particularly hard for the parents.

I've no idea how you'd keep someone on meds , if they don't want them though. 

[G_Kinkladze]

I've just finished reading Jason Fox' book, Battle Scars.

His lifestyle/working career are clearly quite unique and finding parallels in terms of events is a bit of a challenge but there's some really solid admissions in there relating to his mental health battle.

It largely covers PTSD but I am of the opinion that his issue was more depression focused (later on, once he'd left the service) and I think that could certainly relate to a few who might be struggling with that side of life.

Worth a read, especially if you've suffered any trauma in life, and certainly has straightened my thoughts out in a few areas and takes a different approach to any other books on the subject I've come across.

[Anag Ram]

On 17/08/2021 at 16:43, David said:

Update. He’s been sectioned today, went down to watch Police, Nurses, his Doctor take him away.

Kinda hard to watch whilst at the same time knowing it’s exactly what’s needed to keep not only himself but others safe.

The tipping point was being seen shouting F off to old people in the park and saying he was off to get a gun to shoot them.

Police still sat on their hands, however after a lot of phone calls and pleas to Navigo they finally arranged it.

Tough part now is that he’s told them he no longer wants them which has upset the family a fair bit, tried explaining that this lad is not their son talking, once they get some meds back inside him things will be ok. 

Confirmed to us that he doesn’t have the mental capacity to look after himself and not to worry, he’s in a secure unit now.

Parents are old though, finding it hard to understand and accept so lining up a couple of days getting them out and occupying them.

Just thought I’d pop on with this update and not to send the search party out for me again. I’m all good. ?

Awfully difficult situation for you. I hope you and Leanne are coping with what must be a heartbreaking decision.

Make sure you look after yourselves.

[shakey]

rammieb - yes used it. found it helped significantly. takes the "edge" off things - both positive things and negative things i.e. lowered the highs, and raised the lows .... make sense ? I also dropped it like a stone - which i know you aren't supposed to do - supposed to be gradual etc. but it didnt do me any harm. hte only reasom ic ame off it was i had terrible toothache during lock down and couldnt get treatment - so was chocking so many pain killers down me - i just felt i had to cut back on tabs.

I wouldnt hesitate recommending a course - it defo helped me.

[angieram]

 

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

Should be interesting

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58843884

 

[angieram]

I hope everyone has a loving and relaxed Christmas.  But, just in case you need it ....

 

[Boycie]

Anyone else suffering from the lack of a bit of sunlight?

Its that time of year again, has anyone used the lights you can buy?

[Tyler Durden]

9 minutes ago, Boycie said:

Anyone else suffering from the lack of a bit of sunlight?

Its that time of year again, has anyone used the lights you can buy?

I've taken Vit D supplements for a few years now 

[sage]

1 hour ago, Boycie said:

Anyone else suffering from the lack of a bit of sunlight?

Its that time of year again, has anyone used the lights you can buy?

I've got a sunlight light. I just use it for an hour at dusk to make the day slightly longer. 

I also take vitamin D tablets for 4 months every winter. 

Ive had my issues over the years but have developed the strategies to keep going 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

12 hours ago, angieram said:

I hope everyone has a loving and relaxed Christmas.  But, just in case you need it ....

 

I’d love to say I’m having a loving and relaxed Christmas back home, but I’ve been told to stay in my room until Christmas Eve in case I caught anything out on the town last night?

[Mucker1884]

23 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

I’d love to say I’m having a loving and relaxed Christmas back home, but I’ve been told to stay in my room until Christmas Eve in case I caught anything out on the town last night?

Oh No!

How on Earth are you going to keep yourself entertained for a whole week alone, with nothing but the internet for company!   ?

[sage]

5 hours ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

I’d love to say I’m having a loving and relaxed Christmas back home, but I’ve been told to stay in my room until Christmas Eve in case I caught anything out on the town last night?

Is your Mum worried about you catching Covid too?