Did the degree/intensity of **initial** side effects correlate with how effective that dosage went on to be for you?
Like, did rough initial side effects predict an unsuccessful dosing experience, whereas you got fewer initial side effects with the dose that turned out to be the right one?
Or doesn't it work like that?
Am I making any sense here?
I'm sure there's a good reason why this isn't recommended, but has anyone here ever used fusible interfacing *as the facing*?
Normally you cut two facing pieces - one of fabric and one of interfacing. You apply the interfacing to the fabric facing and treat them as one when stitching them to the main garment.
But what if you just cut out the interfacing piece, sewed it right sides together with the garment, then flipped and fused? So you get the benefit of a neat edge and a bit of stabilisation, but you don't have the flappy bits to deal with.
I will experiment with some scraps tomorrow. Just curious as to whether anyone else has tried this.
Am I making sense?
38F, UK. Taking LDN for MCAS - I also have HSD, OH/POTS, and have recently been diagnosed with Pelvic Venous Congestion Syndrome. AuDHD. Also taking bupropion (NDRI) and escitalopram (SSRI), and a bunch of antihistamines and supplements.
I know that Reddit is not a replacement for clinical advice, but I need a sounding board before I drive myself crazy with this.
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I've been on LDN for four months. I started on 0.1mg, increased to 0.15mg after four weeks, and found I couldn't go any further without an intolerable increase in POTS/PVCS symptoms.
I've posted various threads along the way --
* Would you increase?
* Anyone else have tracking fatigue? [includes some discussion of side effects]
* Vasodilation?
* Sex, depression and timings
My MCAS reactivity is no better. My POTS symptoms seem to have been made worse, including brain fog. I had horrible depression in the two weeks following my timing switch, and I've realised that my memory isn't as good as it used to be. Moving the blocking period hasn't helped with the sex issues.
On the positive side, bloating around my stomach, hips and thighs reduced in the initial few weeks. My executive function also improved, which is a big deal.
I've read the links that the admins post multiple times and linked through to Dr Kim's blogs. More and more, I'm coming to the conclusion that my dose is too high, and I'd be better off switching to the VLDN range (0.01mg starter) or the ULDN range (0.001mg starter).
Whichever option I go for, should I be starting to titrate down now? Dickson's appointments are now booking up three weeks in advance, so I've got time on my hands.
Pros of VLDN:
* More gradual change for my sensitive body to have to cope with
* Better chance of maintaining executive function improvements?
Pros of ULDN:
* Dr Kim's "starter guide" recommends ULDN for me
* I fit the description of the hypersensitive client referenced here (I had a paradoxical activation response to ketotifen)
* Dicksons definitely sell a ULDN product
Anything else I haven't thought of?
Like many of us, I am scared about what's happening to our planet and I'm desperately trying to be more mindful in my consumption. I'd say I have a "normal" amount of stuff... if you exclude my fabric and yarn stashes 👀 I'm trying to be better with those too.
The problem is, I feel like my brain is taking it to levels that are unsustainable for my mental health.
To give an example... I put aside all my underwear when I got pregnant and was growing out of it. Most of it had been in rotation for a long time, up to 10 years for some of the knickers. That was 5 years ago, and I've changed size and shape several times since then.
I've come to the realisation that I'm not going to wear any of it again. If and when my body settles down, I'm going to want new stuff. I've bought three new bras in the two years since stopping breastfeeding.
Rational me thinks that's probably OK. I should send the old ones to rags recycling and move on. But anxious me is drowning in guilt at the waste, because they are still technically usable. So they're still sat in bags, taking up space and gathering dust in the room where I work.
Multiply this by everything that I've ever owned, and you see the problem. I have an uncle who is autistic and a hoarder. I never, ever want to get to where he is, but I can understand how and why it happened.
It doesn't help that I have multiple chronic illnesses and my executive function is shot.
Does anyone else struggle with this? Any tips for letting go? Both my parents are frugal and eco-conscious too - my mum grew up in poverty - and I have lost all sense of what is "normal".
38F, UK. Taking LDN for MCAS - I also have HSD, OH/POTS, and have recently been diagnosed with Pelvic Venous Congestion Syndrome.
I've been on LDN for three and a bit months now. I started on 0.1mg, increased to 0.15mg after four weeks, and found I couldn't go any further without an intolerable increase in POTS/PVCS symptoms. Once I've had surgery I'll reevaluate, though I don't know how long that will take 😬
I've always taken my LDN in the evening, and had settled on a routine of 4 hours before bed.
Last week, my husband and I realised that my sex drive has also been MIA for just over three months. It fell from "low" to "non-existent" right around the time I started taking LDN.
My suspicion is that the extra vasodilation has been playing a part, given that we now know I have related issues in that area. Or it could be that we were always trying to have sex during the blocking period, so I wasn't getting the feedback loop of happy hormones.
To test out the latter theory, I've started taking my LDN in the morning instead. Problem is, my mood is *horrible*. Really, really low. I have a long history of severe, treatment-resistant depression, so I can recognise it for what it is. I'm trying to work out WTF to do about it.
There are a handful of other factors which could be contributing. Tiredness. Stress. Multiple heatwaves (exactly what my conditions don't need). A lot of heavy emotional stuff around my latest diagnosis.
Anyway, that is the context for the following questions:
* Did taking LDN affect your sex drive? (Particularly interested in answers from those who are AFAB)
* If you switched from evening to morning or vice versa, did you get side effects as though you had started a new dose?
* If you experienced depression as a side effect beyond the first couple of weeks, did changing the timing help? Or did you need to change your dose/come off LDN?
I don't feel like LDN is helping my MCAS (yet?), but I have seen improvements in executive function that I would very much like to hold on to.
All thoughts welcome.
When I picked up my 4 yo from pre-school, his key worker invited me into the lobby for a word. Turns out he exclaimed something that sounded like, "oh, bastards!" when asked to tidy up.
I asked him, and apparently Andy says it in Andy's Dinosaur Adventures. It's not "bastards" - more like "basters" to rhyme with "masters". Short vowel sounds.
Seeing as we have a bunch of Andy fans in here - any ideas? I don't care enough to watch 3+ hours of footage, but it's also going to bug me until I figure it out.
I've coveted a Juki MO735 overlocker/coverstitch combo machine for aaages. I had some scrolling time today and thought I'd check out buying options.
Maybe it's been discontinued? But the *only* UK site I could find selling it was Am zon. On closer inspection, the seller is Italian, and new to the site. I assume the machines are new, but it doesn't say either way.
It says a legal warranty is available, and it's "returnable within 30 days of receipt", but details aren't provided.
Would you risk it?
A local sewing shop would be the more ethical option, but I'm avoiding the local Juki dealer for... reasons 😬
I've searched in the sub a bit, but haven't seen this come up yet...
I am 5.5 weeks into taking LDN, primarily for MCAS. I also have HSD and OH/POTS.
I am also under investigation for Pelvic Venous Congestion/ Pelvic Venous Insufficiency. I am convinced I have it - however it's only been seven months since I raised it with my GP, so we can't expect any answers yet. /s (Seriously though, the NHS is on its knees 😥)
From Googling, I understand that one of the treatment options is compression socks. I started wearing those back in August after my OH/POTS diagnosis, and they have made a noticeable postive difference. Since January, I've had made-to-measure British Class 3s (25-35 mmHg), and I am compliant about wearing them.
I started LDN at the end of March at 0.1mg, and was on that dose for 4 weeks. I didn't notice the increased hip/pelvis pain at first - I've had problems for over 20 years, so you kind of get used to it. But then I titrated up to 0.15mg and the pain definitely stepped up. The timings line up too neatly to be a coincidence.
Has anyone else experienced vasodilation as a side effect? If that is what's going on, it would explain the increase in brain fog too.
I have a gynaecology appt on 1st June, so I'm trying to hang on 'til then. I have seen a small increase in executive function since being on LDN and I'm desperate to hang on to that. Ideally, I'd like to reach the dizzying heights of 0.2mg. But I can't increase any further until I've got this pain under control, which is so frustrating.