#diazepam — Public Fediverse posts

So many things to do. Not enough brain energy to do them all.

Resorting to desperate measures to try to deal with the emotional slump.

We've taken our regular morning meds as usual (1 x 40 mg lisdex at 07:15; 1 x 20 mg lisdex at 09:15), which allows us to function over the majority of the day.

However, we've also taken:

• 1x 200 mg micronised progesterone capsule.
• 1 x 30 mg codeine phosphate pill.
• 1 x 150 mg pregabalin capsule.

We are finding that pregabalin has very, very strong effects on us, particularly vs something like diazepam. It feels almost a bit like being drunk and/or slightly high. It seems to negatively impact vision (causing blurring) and co-ordination of all body parts, which makes typing more difficult and much slower. It does feel so much like it's calmed us, but rather like it's put a warm, cozy blanket around us, like a shield. And it's very much making us feel drowsy. Without the lisdex, we'd probably be asleep.

Going forward, we may need to only take pregabalin at night when going to bed, based on current effects. The means we'll have to rely on other meds during the day, sadly, for anxiety.

In terms of our regular tolerance to meds:

• Progesterone calms us, but doesn't make us sleepy or drunk, like some get when taking orally.
• Codeine works very well for blocking physical pain (especially in our hands and forehead) and has a calming effect on us.
• Diazepam calms and relaxes us. It doesn't have as strong an effect on us as others. We could pop a 10 mg diazepam along 30 mg of codeine phosphate and still be able to function normally and even drive normally and safely.

We're trying to keep our system stable today, as it feels a little like we've pushed ourselves too much helping, or at least trying to help, those who've asked for our help.

As a result, our system balance is off and we feel more broken; fractured.

The last time this happened, Isabella and Isabelli emerged. We went from a system of 2 to a system of 4.

We don't know what's going to happen. We know we cannot control it either. Whatever happens, happens.

#lisdex #lisdexamfetamine #AuDHD #ADHD #MentalHealth #diazepam #pregabalin #progesterone #plural #plurality

Hey folks 👋

For those who don't already know, we're currently signed off work due to depression, anxiety, and burnout.

Our employer is supportive, but there are multiple, fundamental, ongoing issues with the organisation that no amount of individual support can resolve. We cannot go into more detail.

During the last 2 and a bit weeks, we've done a mixture of resting and doing tasks we've been meaning to do for ages, but neither had the time nor spoons to do.

We're still on 200 mg sertraline (an SSRI) daily, but we've made the switch from taking 150 mg bupropion (an NDRI) daily alongside to 40 mg atomoxetine (an sNRI, not an SNRI) daily alongside. We're slowly titrating up to the recommend 80 mg dose.

As we came off the bupropion steadily, we definitely felt it (i.e., mood; executive function; energy etc.), but the effects are levelling off as our atomoxetine dose steadily increases.

The bupropion had helped us for a while, both with our mental health and some ADHD struggles, but could only do so much. As such, we decided to make the unorthodox switch to atomoxetine.

Bupropion is an atypical NDRI and antidepressant: it boosts noradrenaline and dopamine (to a lesser extent). However, it's only prescribed off licence for ADHD, as it's not been shown to be effective. Atomoxetine, conversely, is mainly used to treat ADHD in people who do not respond well to stimulants, such as methylphenidate. It directly boosts noradrenaline and indirectly boosts dopamine in the prefrontal cortex by a decent amount.

Since we do not tolerate any stimulants well (even caffeine), atomoxetine is our best bet in terms of an ADHD med that also helps with our mental health.

Unlike bupropion, it doesn't have any major interactions with sertraline (only moderate), and we can take 40 mg propranolol tablets alongside to help keep our anxiety under control, rather than turning straight to 10 mg diazepam tablets.

So far, we're doing well with the switch, both physically and mentally, but it'll be a while before we know for sure whether this the ideal medication combination.

We are still very much in low power recovery mode, so don't expect anything much or consistent from us.

A last note to sign this off: from the above listed drugs, the only one we can currently get via the NHS is sertraline. We may be able to get atomoxetine through the NHS in the future, but that's dependent on us ever actually getting a formal ADHD diagnosis 😮‍💨 The waiting lists are rather long... even when using the Right To Choose a mental health service provider.

Apologies for any typos.

#MentalHealth #depression #anxiety #burnout #neurodivergent #ADHD #AuDHD #NHS #NHSEngland #sertraline #SSRI #bupropion #NDRI #atomoxetine #sNRI #serotonin #noradrenaline #dopamine #RightToChoose #propranolol #diazepam #stimulants #methylphenidate