u/OkStation4360

I take antidepressants (currently desvenlafaxine and bupropion, along with AP paliperidone). But every so often I have a brief depressive episode. It usually only lasts a few days or a week. And I’ll be perfectly fine a few weeks or a couple of months in between. I don’t have too much mania, though I’m diagnosed manic type. It’s possible I’m a bit blind to the mania.

Anyway, these brief depressive episodes aren’t the end of the world I guess. I’m on disability so I’m more or less free to spend a week in bed. I just don’t like it. It’s so pleasant when life is going smoothly, my mood is buoyant and I’m not plagued with paranoia…and then out of nowhere, splat! I’ve lost all interest in everything and even just getting out of bed feels painful. Often I end up calling my doctor and increasing or changing meds. And she’s never suggested a mood stabilizer so maybe that’s not an option. But I’m curious if it is.

Over the last few days I seem to be slipping into depression. Had been stable 3 months on current meds, after a bit of a med change fiasco in January. One of my antidepressants (desvenlafaxine, also take bupropion and the AP paliperidone) was refilled last week and the new pills are different, from a different manufacturer I assume.

I know they are all supposed to be more or less the same. But it really seems like the antidepressant effect is wearing off, like the new pills just don’t work.

Anyone been through this before or have an idea what’s happening? I’m in the US so am dependent on insurance approval to get meds. Do I have any recourse? Will a pharmacy “exchange” a filled prescription for a different brand. If I take this issue to the pharmacy or doctor will they tell me I’m imagining things? It doesn’t help that my psychiatrist is out of the office for a couple of months so if I called in I would just get whoever is on call. Last time I did that they switched up my meds entirely (not all doctors are competent!)

Maybe it will kick in after a few days?

Idk maybe it’s just a coincidence and this is just a slump I’m in. It happens.

My Type 1 diabetic teenager just tested positive for celiac. More tests are forthcoming, including endoscopy, but we are starting the process of learning what all this means. The thing is though they have no noticeable symptoms and never have. Eat gluten daily. Digestion is fine. Poop is normal. Etc. If it weren’t for a routine blood test we’d have no idea. So my question is, why worry about it? I see lots of posters on this sub who are religious about avoiding gluten, and undoubtedly with good reason. But I’m wondering how many are lurking in the shadows who have zero reaction to gluten. Is it good enough to be “mostly” gluten free? If we switch to gluten-free bread and pasta and pastries can we reasonably turn a blind eye to cross contamination etc? Or is this a zero-tolerance disease for everyone? Sorry to be ignorant. This is day 2.

My quill stem will only go down about 8cm into my 11cm steerer tube. I don’t see anything inside, and I’ve taken it off and can’t see any bend or dent. Any ideas? Any remedies? It makes for very little adjustability to stem height.

If it IS bent or dented in so slight a way that it is difficult to see, is that a problem (aside from the inconvenience)? Does it need to be replaced or can I ride with it? The frame is chromoly, stem is steel too, not sure of the type.

Anyone out there with a basis of comparison who can comment on the accuracy of Suunto’s AeT and AnT estimates?

My limited data so far suggests my AeT is around 144 and my AnT around 154, which seems closer together than I would have expected. But I’m new to all this so idk. I’ve only been paying attention to HR for a year or so and mostly that has been just hovering in an estimated zone 2 of 140-150. So maybe if I work out more in the upper zones my AnT will rise?

Anyway was wanting to start tailoring workouts more to different zones and was hoping my watch’s data could help me define those. 9PP if that matters.

I’m looking into shorter cranks on my trail bike, mainly for pedal clearance with a low bb but also because I have short legs, and one of the differences between models I’m considering is Q-factor. Two of the front runners have Q-factors of 152 and 178. That’s a huge difference! So what should I be considering as I decide between them, with regard to Q-factor? FWIW I have several bikes with presumably different Q-factors and I don’t even notice the differences. Current trail cranks are 172. Other than a pesky knee that bothers me as much off the bike as on, and a bit of upper back/lower neck strain while riding that quickly resolves, I have no issues.

Long story short, I am looking at a new crankset which has novel cranks but is designed as a 2x (104/64). It is for a trail bike I’d like to keep 1x11 for now. As I am looking at chainrings, I find I can either put a 28 (or smaller) on the inside or a 30 (or larger on the outside. I’m tempted to want a 28 (these cranks are super short) but I’m afraid that will yield an unacceptable chainline. Am I right? Is there any way around this? Would a 30 on the outside be remarkably better?

I’ve been on it a while (a couple of years previously, and now a few months) and always took it at night. Then last week I stumbled across some sources explicitly saying to take it in the morning. They didn’t say why, but they seemed trustworthy (one was Mayo Clinic and the other was a .gov I think). So I switched to mornings and find it kind of sedating and I feel like eating all the time. I’d rather not gain lots of weight or spend my life in bed if I can help it, but if I’m taking these meds I’d like to get the full benefits. I went looking for info in the first place because I was having some symptoms (paranoia) and wondered if maybe I should ask about a dose increase. I think taking it in the morning may have improved its effectiveness (no more paranoia, but then again it was fairly well controlled taking it at night, just an occasional episode).

Just wondering when everyone else takes it and if anyone knows whether it really matters and why.

When I ride my bike, both road and mountain, I feel discomfort at the base of my neck along the spine. I believe it comes from flexing the neck back to look ahead while the torso is facing down. When I take care to hinge at the hips and flatten my mid back, it is relieved. Obviously one solution is to keep practicing the hinge until it is my natural riding posture. That may be proper cycling form anyway. But I imagine also there is some stretching and strengthening I can do, either to help with the hinge posture or to limber up the area between my shoulders and neck. What would you suggest?