u/TranslatorLiving7991

I'm 27 and honestly don't know where to turn anymore.

I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and have ADHD, PTSD, OCD, anxiety, depression, and possibly autism.

When I was 21, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia after a traumatic period in my life and was put on clozapine (600 mg) for about four years. Later on, after I became medically very ill and went through a lot of follow-up over time, multiple providers reviewed my history and did not feel a schizophrenia or primary psychotic disorder fit my presentation.

During that same period, I was hospitalized with stage IV colon cancer, sepsis, and a bowel obstruction, and the clozapine had to be stopped abruptly because of the GI blockage. My psychiatrist did not communicate with the hospital or provide taper guidance. Around the same time, I had other serious medical complications, including pulmonary embolisms that were initially missed or attributed to anxiety, which has made it really hard for me to trust the medical system or even my own judgment.

Right now I still live with my parents, have no degree, very little money, and feel completely stuck.

The biggest issue is ADHD. Stimulants tend to spike my PTSD and anxiety significantly. Anxiety meds help somewhat but make me very fatigued and cognitively foggy, which then makes my ADHD worse. It feels like every treatment helps one part of me while making another part worse.

I've been in therapy for over 3 years and I'm trying, but I feel like I'm running out of options and hope. I've also been having suicidal thoughts—not because I want to die, but because I can't see a workable path forward.

Has anyone seen cases like this actually improve? Or does anything stand out in how this might be approached differently?

Seriously, you guys exaggerated so hard on this one.

I’ve been seeing the memes for months, so I finally pulled the trigger on a full bottle of Etat Libre d'Orange’s Sécrétions Magnifiques. I was expecting a biohazard, but it literally just smells like a fresh, metallic spa with a warm, comforting milky drydown. It's basically the ultimate clean "your skin but better" scent.

My girlfriend says I smell like a dead wet dog in a copper bucket and refuses to sit next to me, but I think her nose is just unrefined. This is easily my new summer daily.

Is my batch just crazy good, or is everyone on this sub just hyper-sensitive to metallic notes? Does it need to macerate more to bring out the copper?

So, I met with a new psychiatrist today. Initially, they were all for prescribing me an MAOI (since I've tried so many other meds).

But as the meeting went on, I described how significant my trauma was/is. The conclusion that they/we came to (at least, in the moment) was that my depression/anixety were/are a direct result of my trauma/PTSD.

I'm reflecting on the meeting now, and I'm asking myself, "does it really matter why I'm depressed/anxious?"

I mean, I know this means I'll need trauma therapy (which I'm getting), but it doesn't mean meds won't help, right? And SSRI's have made me feel flat while SNRI's made me anxious (I'm sensitive to norepinephrine).

My eye was/is on Nardil (Phenelzine). My psych thinks I'd do better on Propranolol and psychotherapy.

Idk what to think. I have depression (atypical), anxiety, AuDHD, OCD, Tourettes, PTSD, and trichotillomania.

Any advice/suggestions?

Thank you 🙏🏻

27m dx'd with PTSD, "AuDHD" (yes, I know that's not a medical term), OCD, anxiety (various forms), and depression (w/ atypical features like weight gain, leaden paralysis, mood reactivity, RSD, etc.)

I've tried a slew of meds (SSRI's, SNRI's, beta/alpha blockers, stimulants, gabapentinoids, etc.) without much success. The issue has always been either side effects, or that the med helped in one area but worsened another symptom/condition (ex. stimulants helping ADHD but worsening ptsd/OCD).

At this point, I'm looking into options such as MAOI's or possibly a TCA. I believe that MAOIs have stronger evidence in atypical depression, right?

The two specific meds on my radar are Nardil and Clomipramine.

Do you have any other ideas/suggestions I can bring up with my new psych (who is double board certified unlike the other psych NP's I've met with) in two days?

Thank you 🙏🏻