Shadow's medical updates: Phun with pharmaceuticals

[shadowknows69]

Disclaimer-This thread has no legitimate medical information whatsoever. It is merely silly. You have been warned.

I can feel the various chemicals I'm on hacking and whacking away on the old synapses today more than usual. Done nearly every drug known to man, except those nasty intravenous ones. Far too much effort for any high in my opinion. I blame Jerry Garcia and his ilk mostly. Had I been listening to hair metal in the 80's like I was apparently supposed to as opposed to finding my current and mostly deceased musical idols, I could have become a hardcore drunk and drank myself to death by now like my friend Mary Jo did. Being a "head case" is significantly less dangerous if you're not of normal violent tendencies to begin with.

Still the transition from normal to "un-ordinary reality" never ceases to amaze me.

Anti-depressants? I suppose they work for some but I maintain that I'm not sure they're for me. Tried to tell the doctor this but he just smiled and threw another month's worth of free samples of Lexapro at me. Must get a bonus for most cookies sold at the end of the year. As far as their effects, I'm feeling more confused than anything else. I suspect this is partially by design. It's like you're too preoccupied with the little twitches your brain is doing to think about the things that depress you. Fair enough chemical strategy I suppose but it makes me feel stupid in a way.

These are doing the same thing good old Prozac did to me back in the days when you actually had to have a psychiatrist monitor your usage regularly so you didn't go goobly and chop up the family pet, or the family as apparently happens in some amount of rare frequency. Today however they are handed out by doctors fresh out of med school like free condoms from a Planned Parenthood office. Take thirty of these and call me in a month if they haven't microwaved all your neurons by then.

But I digress, this was supposed to be silly. Ziggy Stardust is assembling his band on my Itunes right now so that should get easier.

Speaking of music, or should I call it mucis? If I hear another Nickelback tune on the radio or that talentless throwback to the "angst" years Seether, I think his name is? I will leap from the top of their label's main offices carrying a banner condemning them and their families to hell for giving such people a medium to annoy me with. Seether, dude, maybe you could sing a little better if you didn't have that gaping piercing in your lip and a 4 pound barbell in your tongue. I'm sure it thrills the ladies man but it does shit for your breath control.

No I can't sing a note to save my life so who am I? Can't sing now but I was all-state chorus back in the day. Fuck you jocks, all the hottest chicks did chorus and drama and some of us guys weren't gay. Hell, I played the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz once and ended up dating the wicked witch. What football player gets to live out that fantasy?

Nobody writes the epic albums anymore man. Was just listening to "Sparks" from the "Tommy" album. Just a simple and amazing little instrumental interlude (mmmm, ludes) that just takes you away. Dylan wrotes songs that I had no personal connection to it but it transported you to wherever he was singing about. "Tangled up in blue" should be considered literature. Yeah, Nickelback wants to be a rock star. BFD, heard it, drugs, girls, drugs, money, drugs, blah blah blah. A hundred groups said it better 30 years ago.

We seem to be switching from the slightly manic and jittery phase of the anti-D pills now into the klonopin's smoother vibe. Sam Roberts is making this easier. Canadian artist, you should listen. Canadians you guys fucking rock!!! Had a lot of listeners in Kingston actually when I was on the air. Strange thing the airwaves. You couldn't hear our station like 15 miles south of the city but 90 klicks up into Ontario and you get us clear as a bell. Used to have a woman call me all the time and nearly molest me over the phone lol. Nancy Woodcock. Would ask me to run away with her with her husband sitting right there in the room with her. All based on my sexy voice. Still can't get over shit like that.

Well that was a pretty good little ramble wasn't it? We'll try to keep the pill updates coming if they entertain anyone. Feel free to add to the general rants. We'll be here all week. Don't try the veal you carnivorous bastards, its young cows!!! And Soylent Green is people.
Shadow out.

[Eurobabe]

1. just curious, how did your thyroid tests come out?

lots of docs like to throw ADs at you when the real underlying problem is thyroid related. Any good endo knows that, but they are really hard to find.

[shadowknows69]

2. Don't know

my last appointment the doc was supposed to have them but the freaking hospital managed to misplace them. Welcome to my world. They told me they'd find them and only contact me if they showed anything. Haven't heard so I guess no news is good news? Still don't know what's wrong with me, 3000 dollars later already.

[Eurobabe]

7. Shadow, demand those tests, get a copy for yourself

and then let me know if your TSH is above 2.0, that is why you feel like crap. Most people feel best when their TSH is between 1.5 and 2.0

Don't let them tell you it is within range, that is BS, the ranges reflect both ends of the spectrum, plus the ACCE (American College of Clinical Endocrinologists) has lowered the feel good range. Most docs are not even aware of this. A month's worth of thyroid meds cost only about $20 vs. ADs, mucho bucks, depending on your cocktail.

I get really annoyed about this practice because my mother had a thyroid meltdown (probably Graves disease, hyper) in her late 30s and the docs stuck her on ADs, she finally was dx'd with hypothyroidism in 2005. Her endo said she was probably for 20 years after her thyroid burned itself out. But she's been on ADs for most of that time.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

8. Armour Thyroid is cheap and the drug companies don't like it.

It's a byproduct but it WORKS. It has t3 and T4 both in it.
Get your doctor to monitor your dosage by how you FEEL, not by the blood tests.

[Eurobabe]

9. I was on NatureThroid for a year, but I convert T3 and don't

need the extra, it put me over the edge and made me hyper. Can only take synthetics now, unfortunately.

[lyonn]

3. Pills, gawd they are fun

Never was into the drug scene, a bit before my time, but... those suckers they gave me after my first child were pure heaven. They must have been taken off the market by the time I had child 2 and 3. Then not too many years ago had a bad tooth and got some pain pills that stopped that horrible (can't close your mouth pain) and was chattering away on, of all things, DU, until someone thought I might need to hold off on the pills??? Then, when my gynecologist recommended Zyban so that I might quit smoking I decided to give it a try, she said since the tornado took my house that I might be a bit depressed anyway, so, what the hell, took the Zyban. That was dreadful. Sure, I only smoked a couple a day and for me was unreal, but, the world went by and I didn't, couldn't get excited about anything. And they call them anti-depressants. Feeling zero isn't my idea of living, but, cigs were bad and it was helping. After 3 months I blew off the Zyban. Doctors need to know more about what they prescribe and keep up with their patients progress. Where is that rare doctor? So, Shadow, it is entertaining, if not harmful to ones health, to hear these stories. One must keep a sense of humor!!

[meldroc]

4. Antidepressant advice:

It will take a few weeks for an SSRI antidepressant such as Lexapro to kick in. It usually takes 4-6 weeks to get the full effects, though you'll start feeling it maybe in two weeks. You'll, of course, get the side effects sooner.

[shadowknows69]

5. I'm on my third week now

and I think I may have some more interesting things going on than just simple depression. Just unerving how easily they give it out these days. I told him I had some concerns about it and he literally asked me what I'd rather be on. Like I knew my anti-Ds and had a personal favorite. I know we can't solicit med advice here but I guess I should read up on them and find one that suits me? Strange days indeed. Most peculiar mama.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Definately check out the thyroid

as someone who has had a thyroid condition most of their life, I can tell you that when that little gland isn't working right, you can really feel rotten.

Meanwhile, don't forget your magick and use the breath to help. I'm keeping you in my prayers and practices.