u/Content-Tree7215

Hi all,

Thought I’d share my experience of escitalopram and my experiences coming off the medication.

I started taking it around 4 years a go during shit period in my life which amplified years of challenging social anxiety (which I mostly managed myself). I was diagnosed with PTSD and prescribed 10mg of escitalopram. I had been taking it ever since, which massively changed my life and certainly improved my anxiety symptoms. However, I was always aware it was blunting some other emotions. I’ve always had strong emotional feelings in a lot of ways which was something I quite liked about myself (I grew up with emotionally blunt parents and I have two siblings with ASD who also struggled with displaying emotion towards others)so this was quite a noticeable change when some of these feelings quietened.

What I wasn’t aware of was the insanely challenging withdrawal symptoms when I tried weaning myself off it. The irritability was something I had never experienced before and this practically resigned me to feeling I would see no way out of it.

Around 3 months a go I started purchasing Armodafinil after I was having some challenges with my workload. This had some positive effects but it didn’t combine well with escitalopram. I came across a subreddit for moda where it was discussed as a weaning tool for SSRI withdrawal. With some gradual weaning and daily moda use, I am currently two months free of escitalopram with no symptoms of withdrawal in that time. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on pharmaceutical titration etc but I thought this could be helpful for others.

I was even watching a movie this evening and got ‘goosebumps’ for the first time in years. It felt totally foreign to me and quite euphoric in some ways which was obviously a feeling being blunted by SSRI’s previously. Im not advising the taking of any stimulants such as Armodafinil, just sharing my experiences. 😁

Hi all,

Not sure if this is more of a rant or a question..maybe both.

I’ve been working in a community team in adult services for the last four years. I work primarily with mental health/forensic/substance misuse clients which also overlaps into learning disabilities and autism.

I carry a lot of complex work, I also risk manage a lot of high risk clients. It’s the sort of work that I enjoy, I find the intensity and the pace of the job interesting but as many of you can probably relate, also very exhausting.

Over the last two years I have grown increasingly frustrated with the way services such as residential homes and supported living services are commissioned. My LA has a closed framework of providers which hasn’t changed in 4 years and we have to explore this framework (often taking months at a time) until we can find someone a placement. This is after all the assessment processes, multi agency working and funding panels. If there are no providers on the framework who are willing to take the client we can then ask for permission from an AD to look for services ‘off the framework’ which pretty much 90% of the time, provide a standard of care and support which is miles above any of the framework providers.

The framework consists of large companies that pop services up all over the county and staff them with untrained and/or poorly trained staff. Recently, I have attended reviews for clients in services and also moved clients into framework services. I am absolutely disgusted by some of the practice I’ve seen in these services, providers being paid complex rates for clients but having no PBS training or de escalation training. These then cause the placements to break down despite the care plan that I created with the person/representatives and health professionals clearly detail the required approach for the individual.

I attended a service today which was absolutely disgusting and was bordering on neglect. These are a couple of examples of providers who I have dealt with over recent years, and something about this has started to irritate me more than ever. One of the fundamental responsibilities of our role is being consistently undermined by the shocking services that are commissioned. I raise these issues with commissioning and safeguarding consistently nothing seems to happen.

Has anyone else had this problem? Either there are plenty of backhanders going on which means these providers continue to navigate In the way they do, or the powers above just don’t give a shit. Originally I thought it was about cost but when I have literally presented providers off framework who would be willing to meet the clients needs for a fraction of the price but more importantly a better quality of care for the individual, that gets shot down as well.

I’ve been pretty loud about this in recent months in my LA and it’s got to the point Im wondering if I need to make less noise about the issues, and if this could reflect poorly on me in the future or potentially put my job at risk. Would be helpful to hear your thoughts!

Hi all,

Never thought I would find a community of people who have had the same problems as myself.

Since I was a child I have been a bed wetter. My childhood was full of bed wetting alarms, reward charts and eventually medication. Since I was 11 I’ve had to take desmopressin every night before bed. This crippled my teenage years and did leave incidents where I wet when I was at my friends houses, family, everything. (Desmopressin doesnt always work!)

Im now mid thirties with a beautiful wife and two great kids. I’ve learnt how to be more disciplined with age but life certainly has thrown it’s embarrassing moments. Fortunately, I have a very understanding partner who has been extremely patient!

I’ve never been diagnosed with ‘nocturnal enuresis’ or anything. Just ‘night time incontinence’ I have tried going back to my GP multiple times over the years who have sent me for various examinations in the urology department. All this has come back with utterly useless advice and I’ve pretty much accepted where I am now and how to manage it to the best of my abilities.

I thought I would share a bit about my story with bedwetting for others who feel so worried about what the future holds. Happy to answer any questions.

Hi all, I have a family holiday in July and frustratingly we are departing from Luton airport. Our flight is at 6am and ideally Im looking for a hotel nearby that will let us leave our car there for the duration of the holiday. Im not sure if many hotels let you do this anymore but I knew it was a thing some time ago. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!