u/AdChoice5313

How did you taper? I would not cold turkey, as it's potentially very harmful, and I'm doing what's called a hyperbolic taper. So this is really a question for people who went down slowly. Did you use a scale or compound it? I am currently facing a $100 charge for getting it compounded by a pharmacy. A scale will be nearly impossible to measure for the amount I'm taking now, which is reducing by 1mg from 10 mg, eventually by .5 mg. To me, it's outrageous that we are put on these drugs that cause health problems, and then in order to safely come off should we choose, we have to pay exorbitant fees. I believe this is a major barrier, maybe more than gets spoken about? I understand there are ways to taper on your own, and some do it successfully. How did you do it?

I've been taperning off my latuda that i've been on for 6 years now. I'm down to 11 mg from 50 mg. I feel like the numbness is lifting and it's crazy because i get emotional very easily. sometimes i just want to sob but in a mix of joy and sadness. i took dance class today that was outside, and it started to rain very lightly. and i felt this sense of like beauty. just like something that life hasn't felt for me and it felt like some kind of joy. and it made me cry, and if i hadn't been in public i may have like really cried. it's nice that my feelings are coming back. but it feels like a lot too. anyone experiencing this? and how do you manage it. mostly when it happens in public. also happened to me last night. i was somewhere and someone said something really sad and i just wanted to sob. like if i really let myself feel the joy/sadness whatever, i feel like i'd just cry endlessly.

oops spelling mistake i can't fix tapering "off" not of

i was wondering for anyone who practices automatic/intuitive painting if you ever feel like you are picking up on things that are sort of outside you, or even if they are in your unconscious, somehow tapping into something beyond yourself? and i'm not even sure what i mean by that exactly.. because i never have thought of myself as believing in things beyond what i can see, though i think a part of me wonders.... when i paint without thinking, i've sometimes felt things i have little knowledge of seem to show up in my paintings; mostly though, just things that are in my unconscious that turn into these strange stories. (also side note: this uncanny thing from today, i was automatically painting, and a cockroach -a deathly fear of mine- came up in my painting. seconds later, a cockroach scurried by me in my room. i live clean, i rarely see roaches -like very rarely. it felt eerie. to be clear, i'm not saying this is anything beyond a fluke, but it made me want to post about unconscious painting and whether you thought there was some kind of, i don't know for lack of a better word, wavelength you are getting access to. this particular story just felt illustrative of the point i'm trying to make. it's more a subtle thing. i don't believe i'm conjuring up bugs when i paint!) so gross story aside, do you ever feel you're tapping into something beyond yourself? like i said i'm not even sure if i know what i mean by this other than it just is funny to me how i can paint and things can come up without me having any intentional thought to make that thing. i know this is a well-known form of painting and has been used in psychology. i guess i just find it sort of unbelievable, and was wondering about others' experiences of this kind of painting if you practice it. like what kinds of things show up for you? sorry if this is out there, hopefully someone can relate. (also apologies for the cooky story - there should be a cockroach trigger warning)

any artists here? do you feel you tap into some kind of collective unconscious/spiritual realm? i don't know if i believe in this stuff but i also feel like things are happening that make me feel there is more to reality than we can see. if you have had this experience, how has it happened for you? had a fucking weird eerie thing happen today when i painted... anyhow thanks.

this breaks down easily why i have completely lacked motivation to get my life together after going on an anti-psychotic during the pandemic. explanation of dopamine, the chemical that is blocked by antipsychotics:

there’s an essential brain chemical, which is necessary for incentive and motivation, that seems to be lacking. That’s called dopamine. And dopamine is simply an essential life chemical. Without it, there’s no life. Mice in a laboratory who have no dopamine will starve themselves to death, because they have no incentive to eat. Even though they’re hungry, and even though their life is in danger, they will not eat, because there’s no motivation or incentive.

i know this is well-known but seeing it written like this (excerpt from an interview with gabor mate talking about ADD), i was floored (not so floored though cause i'm still on my anti-psychotic, trying to come off....)

Hi, I'm considering going into art teaching. I was previously working in special ed. I was wondering how you approach classroom management? I would hope in an art class there's more room to be less strict but maybe I'm romanticizing it

Hi, I'm calling it dread akathisia because I am, thank god, currently not experiencing the terrible inner restlessness that I have in the past felt. Currently, I experience this kind of mental anguish that is hard to separate myself from, as in the drug and my own experience. I go to bed feeling ok, then either an hour or so later or few hours later (I can wake up to it), I get this feeling of utter despair and hopelessness, and see my life as never getting better. Again, I don't feel these things during the day. Despite the fact that I am in recovery, and I am struggling, I don't get this intense dread and hopelessness until nighttime. Does anyone else experience this and have tips for managing? I understand creating a cognitive understanding that it's drug-related is important, but when I'm in it, it's hard to do, and it's also hard to not have a part of me that believes that. It makes it hard to get up in the morning. I should also mention I'm currently tapering off Latuda.

Hi, does anyone here do SETSS at D75 schools, and can you share what it's like if so? I've done SETSS in private school. But I'm interested in working at D75, so any input would be much appreciated. Thank you!!

Does anyone else feel lobotomized from this drug?

this might sound like a stupid question, but, for me, the reason i don't often speak or didn't really speak in school is a form of self-repression. i'm wondering if this is similar the way you experience challenges with speaking? for me, i have this extreme, extreme shame. and i don't let myself express myself. can you relate to this?

has anyone requested medical records from psychiatrists? why and was it helpful? i was administered ect over 10 years ago, and i am currently interested in knowing more about how the process unfolded. i was not for ect, and had many reservations. i'm not sure how this may or may not be documented or if the records even exist. thanks

Wouldn't it be great, and also sensible, if psychiatrists, as part of their training, had to try the medications they were prescribing? Like the way therapists have to do some therapy... I mean they could just do it for the "trial period" (not for years- that would be CRAZY!!!!!). I mean you'd want to try a drug that makes you happier, right guys??

---I thought this was a great idea, but I see I'm not the only person who has had this idea haha

Hi, I'm a SETSS provider and I want to transition to ICT but take a year to TA to get experience... I am looking into reqs for TA and I'm a bit confused because I've read on here that the DOE doesn't hire TA's- that it's through the PTA. But then the DOE website has a place to apply for TA. Is this a para position? Are all TA's in DOE paras? Sorry for my lack of knowledge...

Hi, I've never posted here. I'm not sure I have CPTSD, but I definitely have challenges living daily life. I hope I can post this here... I was wondering for those who have practiced somatic work to address some of the impacts of trauma, did you experience tiredness when doing so? I know there are professionals I can speak to, but was just wanting to hear from people going through similar experiences.

I have recently been doing more somatic practices, and I feel I am getting somewhere with it more. I was never able to really feel tension in my body but I can really recognize the intensity of my shoulder tension now. Whenever I practice these exercises, I feel they are helping me at the same time I feel exhausted all the time.

I have read when you come out of the freeze response, your body needs to rest. But for those who have practiced somatic work, I wanted to ask if you had anything to share on what it looked like for you. I've been doing these practices for about several months. And they have still been having this affect of feeling I need to sleep- which I have been. Have others had similar or different experiences? I would appreciate any input

I also take medication which I'm tapering off. This definitely contributes to the tiredness as well. And the somatic work is helping me get in touch with the exhaustion that the meds cause, which I believe I've been unaware of, if that makes sense

I have heard many people say this drug affects their energy levels. I feel like I am only recently starting to realize the extent it does as I'm doing more somatic work. I am also on lamotragine 200 so I'm sure that is playing a role too. This has recently greatly affected my ability to stay awake throughout the day and feel rested. How do others cope with this? And secondly, are you employed and what kind of work do you do? Because right now it's affecting my ability to work full-time- though there are other reasons for this too. I should also mention I'm tapering off so I think that is also contributing to the tiredness.