u/isekaiyearner

I've been on meds for about six years now. A friend recently told me that they don't like that I'm relying on medicine because it can mess up my immune system. Thoughts? I feel conflicted.

Tried to test for COVID, it was negative. But definitely viral infection according to my doctor. It's been 2 weeks, my fever has gone away, but I still cough up phlegm— my sense of taste on the other hand has been altered that's still ongoing even today. :/ Meanwhile, a lot of people around me are currently struck with illness as well, most likely the flu like mine. This flu variant must be a tough strain.

In fact, it almost has me thinking it's not some normal flu. Here's the timeline of how my symptoms progressed:

Day 1: Sudden fever, mild body aches and headaches.

Day 2: Fever peaked, insomnia, stayed in bed almost whole day. Dry, sore throat.

Day 3: Ongoing fever. Vomited twice, 3 bathroom trips with watery stools. Stomach cramps here and there. Food all tastes weird, but I can still smell things pretty fine. Back of throat is still red.

Day 4 (today): Developed a wet cough, body hurts EVERYWHERE– my arms, my hands, my back, my feet! Funny thing is, I actually felt like I was getting better this morning, then few hours later, the fever suddenly hit me like a truck out of nowhere. My abdomen also started hurting again. Oh, and I need to mention the back of my head right now is throbbing with sharp pain like crazy.

...

But above all, this is the third time I was struck by flu this year alone, within a span of 6 months. I believe it's a sign that my immune system is compromised, but I had blood tests done a month ago and everything came back normal, including a peripheral blood film. So, this has me scratching my head. It couldn't be psychological, especially when I end up coughing thick yellow-green mucus.

Hello, I've recently started tapering from 100mg to 75mg.

I was upped from 75mg to 100mg due to the increasing frequency of my panic attacks a few weeks ago. The 100mg dose doesn't seem to be doing me much favour however, as I developed severe abdominal pain that had me gone to the ER a few times. After trying several remedies, I started suspecting the increased dosage might be the root of my problems. So, I went back going on 75mg about 7 days ago, and thankfully most of my abdominal distress has gone away. Unfortunately, other symptoms popped up likely related to the decrease in dosage: bouts of vertigo, headaches, tinnitus, some anxiety flare-ups, insomnia.

I still plan to completely stop the medicines in preparation for my future plan to carry children. I would like to ask what kind of symptoms has any of you experienced while tapering? How was it like once you finally stopped taking the meds completely by the end of the tapering process? Truthfully, I'm concerned about relapsing at some point in the future. I have been on Sertraline for 6 years now.

I'm just curious. If rabies does exist in Brunei, have there also been any cases here where someone has been infected? Has anyone you've known been bitten by an animal and exhibited those symptoms?

im trying my best to feel better. ive been trying to heal through means of medication, spiritual cleansing, physical therapy and diet changes. i want to keep a positive mindset, but im not sure about being perceived as mentally/spiritually weak by the people around me just because i vent about not wanting to be in pain anymore. ive been told by the people around me including those in professional settings that my decline in health was because of my low confidence in myself, and they tell me that i need to be strong. genuinely, i wonder how would these same people react if they were in my shoes, to feel all these debilitating pains but not know the reasons why? is it not a normal reaction to seek ways to find an end to your pain, how can one stay strong when the pain is persistent even when you wholeheartedly believe in the process of healing only to be accused that your heart is actually not in it?

I've realized that I'm growing dependent on benzodiazepines. Initially, I was on Xanax, switched over to Clonazepam, before switching back to Xanax. I'm currently on 0.5mg, and I'm taking it almost everyday due to my panic attacks. I'm aware the dosage might be small, but my body has always been sensitive to even the smallest amount of medication.

It's been a full 24 hours since I last took the 0.5mg pill, and I'm potentially having some withdrawal effects if my description fits: abdominal pain, headaches, low blood pressure. How do you guys manage your symptoms without reaching out for the benzos? Should I taper down to 0.25mg for a little while instead of going cold turkey to reduce these troublesome side-effects?

For the past month, I have an ongoing abdominal pain, but honestly, I managed to brush it all off thinking it was just gastritis, until last week, the pain has increased by a tenfold followed by my frequent urgency to pee. I've been on a trip to see ER doctors multiple times; gastritis as suspected, then an X-Ray that implied constipation as my bowels were full of poop. Normal urine and bloodwork analysis was normal, however no other imaging tests were made. The constipation happened few days ago on a Friday, they gave me Enema and some laxatives. Since then, I've been particularly careful about my diet intake— more fibre, more water, cut out processed food.

Yet, the pain is still there. It can be felt in multiple spots, in my pelvic area and upper abdomen alternating on both sides that radiates to the back. I have taken acetaminophen multiple times, as well as diclofenac and ibuprofen though I cut them out in case my gastritis would get worse. Despite all these efforts though, and trying to distract myself, the pain had grown persistent almost every hour, and it made my anxiety sky rocket. For a moment, I also thought it was just in my head so I immediately went to see a psychiatrist— note, I'm on daily 100mg Sertraline and 25mg Quetiapine. I expressed my frustration to the psychiatrist and he was sympathetic towards me, helped prescribed me Xanax. Yes, it calmed me down, but unfortunately, the pain in my abdomen is STILL there. Because of this, I went to see a doctor again.

I explained my symptoms to him, about my efforts, and when he brought up about my recent psychiatric visit and mental health, I instantly knew where the conversation was steering towards. "This is just pseudo-pain. It's not real, your brain is making it up, and it's all just in your head. You're mentally weak, you need to be strong."

I immediately saw red. I had an emotional outburst, shouted at him, and my sister accompanying me at the time tried to calm me down. After my lashing, they finally went to give me a chance on further testing. Injected some painkillers into me, which actually helped a lot as I felt my pain was now more manageable. I'm now currently hospitalized after X-Ray showed that my colon was apparently still full of stools, so will be having an ultrasound and CT scan soon in case it might be appendicitis. Typing this, I can still feel the dull pain in my sides. I'm desperately hoping that something will show up in these tests. If they still find nothing, I'm not sure what to do. Throughout my time with seeing my psychiatrist, I've never dealt with this kind of issue except for frequent headaches— but even the latter got resolved when my wisdom teeth got removed when it was found to be impacted and causing nerve pain in my jaw. Plus, when it comes to extreme pain, NSAIDs usually help a lot, or if it's anxiety-related, benzodiazepines would help me see through it clearly. So why would these medicines suddenly fail on me now?

Last year, I was prescribed with Xanax, and while it really did help me at my worst, I tried my best to not rely on it too much. I was okay for a while until this year, my mental health has been taking a decline, and while my psychiatrist offered Xanax again, I rejected it and wanted to try a different medicine which is Clonazepam since it's apparently long-lasting.

Fast forward, I've been roughly 1-2 months on it— I don't take it everyday, only when anxiety comes creeping in. Not sure if it's coincidental, but a week after my prescription finished, I've been having symptoms that had me going back and forth to the ER. Abdominal pain in the upper right which can radiate to the back, some pain in the pelvic area as well alternating on both sides, frequent urge to pee. Bloodwork and urine results came out normal, but they did find a fecal impaction through X-Ray due to constipation + diagnosed gastritis, then had me discharged from the hospital. A day later, I came back and requested for an ultrasound, but because the doctors told me since it wasn't urgent, they can only give me a slotted appointment which is in 3 months time.

However, even with all these happening, it doesn't explain the random aches I'd also get in the other parts of my body. Like my wrist, my knee, especially on the left side of the body. Sometimes, I feel lightheaded as well. Again perhaps this is coincidental, but I can't help but wonder if these physical symptoms are related to a withdrawal from Clonazepam? My anxiety has also been through the roof, I'm sensitive to pain as it feeds into my health anxiety. (I've been hospitalized a few times due to appendicitis and kidney stones, so...) I should probably add that my period is due in few days, but my cycle is irregular anyway as it often is delayed by a week or two.

Throughout this whole ordeal, I find myself hoping to have benzodiazepines to get through the stress, which had me pause for a moment and reflect... perhaps I have grown dependent on Clonazepam.

I'm wondering if anyone here had symptoms similar to mine when they stopped taking benzodiazepines? 🥲 Just to note, I am also currently on 100mg Sertraline (recently increased from 75mg two weeks ago) and 25mg Quetiapine.

TLDR: Abdominal pain, gastritis, constipation, muscle and joint aches, loss of appetite/nausea, severe anxiety, maybe related to Clonazepam withdrawal? Is it worth digging deeper for a more thorough investigation in case something else is at play?

To begin with, my PMDD symptoms always follow the same pattern: severe depression, nausea, sweating, panic attacks, etc. These always happens at least 2 weeks before, then will all go away within first few days of menstrual cycle.

For the past two weeks, my health has been going on a decline. I've had my sertraline dose increased, so I expected some side effects to be normal, until physical symptoms rammed into me like a train where I had severe abdominal pain and vomiting. Well, after a few trips back and forth to the ER, it turns out that I had fecal impaction and had it removed. Still had abdominal pain however, especially where my ovaries were and went to see a gynecologist (was given an ultrasound appointment, just waiting for the date).

Throughout this whole ordeal, I've been pumped and prescribed so many medicine including NSAIDs, PPI's (initial diagnosis was gastritis) and now laxatives... that I think is now biting me in the ass. Ringing in my ears, increased anxiety, muscle aches, and head just feels like it's stuffed full with cotton inside that it kind of makes me dizzy. Even writing this, I am full of jitters, desperately trying not to feel out of control.

My period should be due in 4 days, so while I feel it's probably PMDD-related, my periods are irregular in a way that they are often delayed by a week or two. 🫠 Maybe it's a combination of PMDD and drug-induced side effects. Either way, what I'm feeling right now makes my previous PMDD episodes feel like a walk in the park. (Tips on self-care or even simple words of reassurance highly appreciated 🩷 If this resonated with you, please do tell me your story. It'd be nice to know that I'm not alone.)