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I am on 25mg and have been for 9 months. It's been LIFE CHANGING for my social anxiety and I can go out and make friends and use the public walking trails and not have agoraphobia anymore. I'm having some heat/sweating issues and some weird nervous system glitches that cause weird heart-rate episodes according to my fitness band sometimes, but i intervene those with ice water, cold towels, and elevating my legs. The best part is when I do have to do that in public I don't even care, the anxiety about what people think of me is gone and I just do what i need to do!!

Anyway what I want to ask is how people end up on 100mg? How do I know if I need a higher dose? Is it inevitable that if i keep using this medication for years I'll end up on 100mg like everyone else? The withdrawal from 25mg already scares me, and I was planning to stay on this for life if it helped. And 25 mg does help but some of my old symptoms are coming back (not staying calm when something minor happens, crying at minor things, avoiding people sometimes, and yes i'm already on HRT for perimenopause and it's managed), does this mean i need more

When the HPV shot came out 20 years ago, I was slightly too old for the cutoff age (26, at the time, I remember)

When I asked why someone 26 or older didn't need the vaccine, i was told "Everyone older in the population already has contracted it. You are all positive and carriers for it. The vaccine won't help you."

Skip ahead 20 years and nobody updated me. I didn't know younger kids could have it now. I support this fully btw, no controversy here. But they never updated the guidance for older folks? Even though our immune systems clear the virus slower than young folks?

Well, I got an HPV test with my last pap and I'm negative. I have been acting as if i had HPV my whole life because when i asked for testing to confirm i'm positive, i was laughed at and told i'm too young (20s and 30s) and to wait for pap smears. Well i'm in my 40s now, i get them every year, and they come with an HPV swab, and it's negative. Why shouldn't I be vaccinated?

My brand new boyfriend (46 also, like me) are getting our ducks in a row for safer sex. He just got Gardasil shot 1 from his doctor after telling him he was sexually active again. He'll have another one soon.

Meanwile i'm having to argue with my doctors about it. What do i say to receive it? They keep just pointing to the "age limit" and not explaining to me why my birthday magically makes me safe.

We're not monogamous. We want to take it seriously and be preventative. I'm kinda mad he got a vaccine no questions asked, and i'm having to ask around and prove i'm negative.

Not soliciting advice for other aspects of safer sex, thanks. We got the rest on lock.

Anyone been to the Alamo Drafthouse's speed dating events? I'm pan so i'm interested in both the queer and straight ones. What age range is the crowd? I'm over 40 and a little nervous about that.

Are there other speed dating events by other organizers worth considering, as well?

I've read comments from older posts about the Alamo one already but would welcome some fresh perspectives and repeats if you feel like sharing.

I hate my ttitle, wish I could edit to reflect it's less about them and more about the geographic location we're all in. The poly community exists but is in that early 2000's style secrecy cloak and dagger style community building. Homey don't play that. People are afraid to host munches and public meetups. No thanks. But here is where i'm able to live for now and I'm doing my best as a single poly person.

Solo poly in a rural community where ENM and polyamory communtiy and discussion online are so hard to find. You get used to a norm where nobody discusses anything openly. I had a friendship with a couple of folks who had ENM history and i got the idea they were still practicing and there was definitely some flirtation for some time. I thought i did a good job communicating i didn't want flirtation if it wasn't within a certain context. we'd talked about this stuff a lot and i was so excited to have found friends around here who even knew the stuff i was talking about in terms of polyamory knowledge and history. we were unique together.

but...they're not poly now. ok. got my feelings hurt because i defaulted to the secretive, subtext heavy, suggestive rather than direct way of communicating the ENM community around here does. and i used that with a couple who turned out to be very nice and wanting friendship only. I'm so embarassed. i made freinds but i thought more was going on and now i feel silly bc that was finally corrected to be not the case and it's like the most excitement i've had in years. Can anyone relate?

receiving ambiguous signals from apparently currently monogamous people while myself personally disconnected from a community of wider familiar people with these concepts? Where in a more out of the closet, bigger city, with better representation on the platforms, would have helped me realize i was flirting with unavailable folks? the context of the wider place we live changed how i interpteted their behavior, even after asking for some clarification. Oops. I feel so embarassed. The friendship is valuable but I spent about a month in limerance and i'm just trying to cope now. They clarified it but only after a month of us talking about ENM and poly stuff, that they're mono and not looking. They're the only people my age i've had a mature informed conversation with on poly/ENM in YEARS since moving here.

I'm happy for new freinds but feeling a little deflated. I'm in rural Missouri. Hundreds of miles from "real" cities witih communities that understand like i've had in my past locations. The groups on the platforms are all super secretive and cliquey and exclude people over 40 so that makes me feel worse.

please be gentle i'm new here and don't have a local community to talk with or be with rn, am single and building a recovery life rn

(edit: and yes, before anyone gently suggest it, i am in fact autistic and diagnosed at 39. whee)

I seem to get limerence with people who talk about non-monogamy/polyamory. I am middle aged and have had some relationships in that lifestyle in the past.

I met someone who i'm very attracted to and am developing a casual activity based friendship with, but it is not clear if they still practice. My limerent obsession has me afraid to ask. But my stupid ass sent a vague flirtation one night and i can't stop thinking about the (lack of) reaction to it. Was I awkward? Did i assume too much? Did i scare them off? What if they're monogamous now, what if I've ruined the friendship aaaa?

Am late diagnosed autistic and realizing i get limerence a LOT - for frieinds and attractions both. I have had LO on my mind at most points in my life. My childhood diary is full of them!!

I seem to cope okay but right now it's hard because this person's availablility is currently ambiguous to me. I'm afraid it'll be too forward if I just ask, "hey, do you still do non monogamy?"

If they don't, what I said that was flirty was very unethical and I'd hate myself for being a homewrecker in any way. Ugh!!

working on my Tacky outfit right now!

but it's a crush on an inappropriate unavailable person. NOT HELPFUL why hormones why? i am not even taking anything for the perimenopausal libido loss yet (45 and on the patch) this just came out of nowhere

anyone else relate? i have no one to talk to about this LOL

After the first couple of weeks on this medication the Jitter is stabilized and it was great but I've been having more and more racing heart episodes 6 months in. It seems to happen no matter what I'm doing, sitting, lying down, exercising, driving. It's random and it's not everyday. I get skin flushed I feel too hot I feel like I need to take off my clothes or loosen them, I sit down immediately and sometimes it races at like 150 or 160 for much longer than it usually takes to come down. When it does happen the heart rate will not go down in a reasonable amount of time like it usually would. It's very scary and I've been in the ambulance and the ER several times about it. They did EKG and blood work and told me my heart and blood pressure were amazingly perfect. They are calling it panic attacks. I told them all about the medication and I've written to my doctor but they haven't said anything. I'm afraid to get up and do anything now. I've just been staying where I can keep my legs elevated every time it happens. I feel completely crippled. I was out combating my social anxiety before this.

I'm exhausted from all of the ambulance and Hospital visits. Sorry I can't elaborate too much more. I'm wondering if anybody on a very low dose has experienced heart racing and faint spells. I'm on Pristiq 25 milligrams extended release. I've been on it for 6 months and it's amazing but I'm starting to have all of these heart rate episodes they happen no matter whether I'm exercising or at rest. I get dizzy my heart races my hands and feet tingle and I feel like I'm going to collapse. Sometimes it goes away when I sit down and other times my heart races for 20 or 30 minutes. It reminds me of the first couple of weeks on Pristiq to be honest. But that evened out but sometimes these episodes come back. I've gone to the hospital and had my heart checked. I'm fine. I'm waiting on the next step from my doctor

See title.

My local place has services for adults now so I was in there waiting for my therapist with another family in the waiting area. This lady had already cut me off in the parking lot and seemed oblivious that I was waiting for her to decide how to park before I could proceed towards the spot, as the lot is tiny with only one exit and she decided to do a SEVEN POINT TURNAROUND in the space i needed to pull in, and once she's settled I ease into the spot right next to her where she is unloading not one, not two, but three children. She parked backwards so that her unloading of children would be direclty in the way of a single adult (me) parking next to her trying to open my driver's side door for my same time appointment. I decided to be late and just stay in my car but was already boiling.

Once she was inside for a good seven minutes I finally felt safe to go inside and check in and she was STILL checking in. I had to stand in line behind her and the kids were clearly excited to be there and were already in the basket of toys, mostly bouncy balls, kept in the waiting area. She kept snapping at the children (toddler twins and approximately eight year old child) to be quiet and stop bouncing balls. The receptionist said "No, it's okay, we put those toys out for them to self regulate." The lady ignored the receptionist (an adult) speaking to her and continued snapping at one of the twins because he dropped his bouncy-ball and it rolled under a chair I stood next to. I had my sungasses and earbuds in because of her voice, and i knew I just needed to make visual contact because the receptionist recognizes me and it only takes a second. So I was trying to peer around this family and just wave at her, so I could take a seat.

I stood aside to let the baby grab his ball from under the chair because I have a broken rib and can't bend over. I started to and stopped myself and realized the baby was doing it himself. I'm not a kid person but I felt okay being near him. His mother was distracted yelling at the other kids to sit down and be quiet some more. She was honestly way louder than them. She saw what was happening behind her, whirled around, ROARED in my ear at the baby, PUT THAT BALL AWAY. NO BOUNCY BALLS. BE QUIET. OTHER PEOPLE ARE HERE NOW.

When we all sat down she sort of gestured towards me speaking to the older child "SEE? HANDS IN LAP. THAT'S WHAT GROWNUPS DO." I immediately unfolded my hands and began visiby fidgeting because I will NOT participate in your abusive example setting, lady. I thought about even bouncing a ball but I didn't want her to think I was trying to interact with the kids, those kind of people will slash your tires in the parking lot later.

By this point i was already having trouble keeping my mouth shut. When a therapist finally came out it was for them and they took the older child in. I was very nearly considering saying something, but I just stuffed my earbuds in and put my hoodie up and my sunglasses on and hunched as much as I could into my self even with my broken rib. The autism mom noticed me, gestured to me, towards these baby twins, and said in plain but obnoxiously loud adult-level English, "SEE EVEN THAT LADY NEEDS YOU TO BE QUIET"

Thankfully at that moment my therapist flagged me down. I couldn't hear her voice caling my name over my earbuds, but only the annoying lady. And then I proceedd ot have a massive meltdown IN my therapist's office. So yay, she got to see that. I told her all about how moms like this take me back to my undiagnosed childhood and produced a highly anxious overly self-monitoring stress ball that is me, and why I decided NOT to have children of my own.

I've been rehearsing the perfect snarky thing to say as I turn on my heel and greet my therapist, the next time I have to see this lady in the waiting room as she shows up at the same time as me. It's every week and she REALLY gets under my skin. Last time she and another autism mom were talking about something about their kids, I don't remember what, and I was like "umm one of those autistic kids has grown up and is IN THE ROOM WITH YOU, we can HEAR YOU, your words AFFECT US" and they just fucking gave me a dirty look and ignored me. I have a TBI and can't hold my tongue like I used to.

Anyway help me with what to say to her next time she's ruining her kid's sense of self in my therapy waiting room. Something about how my ear protection is about HER voice and not her kids. I'm gonna do it. I dare me.

Lastly, I'm sure this lady is autistic herself. Just like I'm sure about my own mother. There is a kind who cannot recognize it in themselves and see only deficits to be "repaired" in the therapy setting and I hope those therapists are also helping those kids learn boundaries and self advocacy because I didn't, and I needed it with a mom like this, constnatly fussing over my voice and body loudly in front of other adults. I REMEMBER. and i'm angry.

Where to sell used Ohuhu Honolulu brush/chisel set quickest?
See title.
My impulsive self wanted a 320 brush/fine set, 2 months after buying the 168 and too late to return it. So now I have both. I've offered the set for a stupid cheap price on Marketplace locally and my local Discord for artists, but nobody wants it. I just need gas money help at this point.

I still don't regret the 320 set though!