u/talliehoo

I’m currently on 25 mg of Strattera. While my overall experience has been better than it was on stimulants and I feel calmer, it isn't helping much with my ADHD. On top of that, the constant fatigue and yawning are becoming real issues, plus I’ve been feeling quite emotionally flat.
Wellbutrin/Bupropion (Zyban XL in the UK) is the only option I haven’t tried yet for ADHD. I also like that it treats depression which could be really beneficial for me.
If you’ve made this switch, how did it go for you? Thanks!

Title :)

Hey guys,
My partner and I are planning a one week road trip from London to Wales in October by car. This will be our first time visiting Wales. We would love to visit the Wye Valley, Brecon Beacons and maybe Tenby, does that sound feasible? There are so many beautiful places like Newborough but this might be too ambitious.
Any recommendations where to stay as our base(s)? Appreciate any thoughts and suggestions, thanks!

Urmează botezul nepoțelului meu (Christian) și caut un cadou special, pe care să îl aibă amintire peste ani.
Botezul va fi ortodox, dar familia are o tradiție mixtă (unul dintre părinți este catolic). M-am gândit la un medalion din argint cu Sfântul Cristofor, gravat pe spate cu numele lui.
Ce alte idei de cadouri frumoase sau elegante mai aveți pentru un botez de băiat?

Hi all,
I’m a complete beginner and just bought my first ever deck, the Morgan Greer one. I shuffle the card anytime I can, have interviewed the deck with some initial questions and I’m making an effort to take it with me everywhere I go and sleep with it under my pillow.
I’m looking for resources to learn more about the meaning of the cards, but since this is not a proper classic Rider Waite deck, I’m wondering whether I should pick up a book that’s specific to this deck such as the “**The Book of Tarot: Illustrated with the Morgan-Greer Tarot” by Susan Gerulskis-Estes.**
Has anyone read this book? Do you think it’s a good place to start?
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some insight or advice regarding my 86-year-old grandmother who was just hospitalized.

For a long time, she was taking a heavy cocktail of medications at home for severe insomnia and neuropathy in feet (non diabetic). Trittico (Trazodone) Imovane (Zopiclone), Bromazepam and Carbamazepine.

She was recently admitted to the hospital because she felt extremely weak and dizzy after starting Carbamazepine a few weeks ago. The doctors found she had dangerously low blood pressure and her sodium levels were almost completely depleted. Because of this, the hospital immediately cut off all four of her home sleep/nerve medications.

Since stopping them, things have gotten much worse. She didn't sleep for days. Two nights ago, they gave her a very low dose of Quetiapine (1/4 of 50mg) to help her sleep. It caused a massive paradoxical reaction, she had severe persecutory hallucinations (believing the staff was trying to kill her, completely confused about where she was) and felt entirely "numb”.

Yesterday morning, her blood pressure spiked to 220 mmHg, which is terrifying because she entered the hospital with very low blood pressure. Because of this, they stopped giving her Quetiapine.

They gave her a small dose of Xanax last night to calm her down and help her sleep but it did absolutely nothing, she stayed awake all night.

The doctor is now proposing to try Stilnox (Zolpidem) tonight.

We are incredibly worried or her sleep deprivation. It feels like her brain is under massive shock from the abrupt withdrawal of her 4 home medications and the new medications are just making her more confused and doesn’t help with sleep.

Has anyone managed a similar situation with an elderly relative? Is a sudden withdrawal of that many sedatives normally handled like this in a hospital and should we be worried about starting Stilnox given her current state?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some insight or advice regarding my 86-year-old grandmother who was just hospitalized.

For a long time, she was taking a heavy cocktail of medications at home for severe insomnia and neuropathy in feet (non diabetic). Trittico (Trazodone) Imovane (Zopiclone), Bromazepam and Carbamazepine.

She was recently admitted to the hospital because she felt extremely weak and dizzy after starting Carbamazepine a few weeks ago. The doctors found she had dangerously low blood pressure and her sodium levels were almost completely depleted. Because of this, the hospital immediately cut off all four of her home sleep/nerve medications.

Since stopping them, things have gotten much worse. She didn't sleep for days. Two nights ago, they gave her a very low dose of Quetiapine (1/4 of 50mg) to help her sleep. It caused a massive paradoxical reaction, she had severe persecutory hallucinations (believing the staff was trying to kill her, completely confused about where she was) and felt entirely "numb”.

Yesterday morning, her blood pressure spiked to 220 mmHg, which is terrifying because she entered the hospital with very low blood pressure. Because of this, they stopped giving her Quetiapine.

They gave her a small dose of Xanax last night to calm her down and help her sleep but it did absolutely nothing, she stayed awake all night.

The doctor is now proposing to try Stilnox (Zolpidem) tonight.

We are incredibly worried or her sleep deprivation. It feels like her brain is under massive shock from the abrupt withdrawal of her 4 home medications and the new medications are just making her more confused and doesn’t help with sleep.

Has anyone managed a similar situation with an elderly relative? Is a sudden withdrawal of that many sedatives normally handled like this in a hospital and should we be worried about starting Stilnox given her current state?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some insight or advice regarding my 86-year-old grandmother who was just hospitalized.

For a long time, she was taking a heavy cocktail of medications at home for severe insomnia and neuropathy in feet (non diabetic). Trittico (Trazodone) Imovane (Zopiclone), Bromazepam and Carbamazepine.

She was recently admitted to the hospital because she felt extremely weak and dizzy after starting Carbamazepine a few weeks ago. The doctors found she had dangerously low blood pressure and her sodium levels were almost completely depleted. Because of this, the hospital immediately cut off all four of her home sleep/nerve medications.

Since stopping them, things have gotten much worse. She didn't sleep for days. Two nights ago, they gave her a very low dose of Quetiapine (1/4 of 50mg) to help her sleep. It caused a massive paradoxical reaction, she had severe persecutory hallucinations (believing the staff was trying to kill her, completely confused about where she was) and felt entirely "numb”.

Yesterday morning, her blood pressure spiked to 220 mmHg, which is terrifying because she entered the hospital with very low blood pressure. Because of this, they stopped giving her Quetiapine.

They gave her a small dose of Xanax last night to calm her down and help her sleep but it did absolutely nothing, she stayed awake all night.

The doctor is now proposing to try Stilnox (Zolpidem) tonight.

We are incredibly worried or her sleep deprivation. It feels like her brain is under massive shock from the abrupt withdrawal of her 4 home medications and the new medications are just making her more confused and doesn’t help with sleep.

Has anyone managed a similar situation with an elderly relative? Is a sudden withdrawal of that many sedatives normally handled like this in a hospital and should we be worried about starting Stilnox given her current state?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi all, I’m applying for a ILR SET(O) Application, currently on a Dependant Visa granted in 2021 linked to my partner’s Skilled Worker Visa.
Back in 2021, I proved my English language skills using an IELTS certificate from 2019.
Can I use it again when applying for the ILR? Apparently IELTS tests are valid for 2 years but I’ve heard they can still be used for the ILR application if it was used to successfully obtain a previous visa.
Thanks!

I started Strattera almost 2 months ago and I’m genuinely grateful for this medication. I’m on the lowest available dose (25mg) in the UK and planning on staying on it for another 2 months. My prescriber wants to take things super slow, which I really like and she calculated this dose based on your weight and this was a match for a 25mg starting dose.

I did experienced a few unpleasant side effects during the first week or so (increased irritability and tiredness mainly) but these went away.

On the positive side, I’m much more motivated to initiate tasks, I don’t have to force myself to do them and I’m very productive as well. I used to do content creation and haven’t found the energy nor the motivation to continue over the last year but since starting the medication, I started posting again and I’m faster at it too. I know some people report loosing their creativity on ADHD medication but for me it’s quite the opposite, I feel more inspired. I also think it helps with my mood so much, I feel more uplifted and stable in general. I tend to struggle with social anxiety and I’ve noticed feeling more comfortable and calmer in social situations and found it to be helpful at communicating my thoughts more clearly if that makes sense. It’s also helped me get back to people faster while texting, I used to ghost people for months at a time but now I’m just on it haha.

The only downside is that I believe it’s impacted my cycle as it’s been delayed since starting the medication and experienced spotting mid cycle. Hoping this will stabilize soon.

Overall it’s a very smooth experience for me. It’s my first non stimulant medication after trying Elvanse and Dexamphetamine and experiencing horrible side effects from them (acne, hair loss, feeling overmedicated). To be fair I don’t know I’ll go on a higher dose since I seem to do very well on a lower dose.

Just thought I’d share my experience xx

Edit: location

A bit of an unusual question, but does anyone here own a traditional katana? I’m looking to buy a high-quality one for my partner's birthday. If you have any recommendations on where to purchase one safely and legitimately I’d love to hear them. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I (F) have been with my partner (M) for almost 6 years and this year I want to surprise him with something really special for his 30th birthday. He has a software engineering background and now works as a Quant Analyst.

A few things he loves:
- Video games (especially WoW)
- Making and drinking coffee (and learning about it)
- Mechanical watches (loves the system behind them)
- Chilling at home (very much a homebody)
- Animals, especially felines (he often says that one of his biggest dreams is to pet wild big cats)
- Practical items / gadgets / clothes

Gifts I’ve given him before included a Nintendo Switch, a bike (sadly got stolen), trip to Lisbon, replacement for his daily watch (same model, since his old one broke).

I was thinking of getting him a vintage watch from his birth year, 1996, but he just bought himself a new Omega watch, his first proper watch. He also mentioned that he won’t be getting another one anytime soon since he doesn’t want to change watches every day, so I’m not sure whether that would still be the right gift.

Ideas I’m currently considering:
- Overnight stay at Port Lymphe or West Midlands Safari Park lodges
- A private at-home coffee lesson with a barista (only issue is he has a pretty advanced/unique espresso machine so the barista would need to be familiar with it)

I would have loved to do a safari experience, it would have been the *perfect* gift experience, but everything I’ve seen starts around £4k which is sadly out of budget.

My main dilemma is whether it would be best to gift him an experience or a physical gift that he’ll keep for life. Last year I already surprised him with a surprise trip to Lisbon.

Alongside the main gift, I’m planning to make either a photo book with messages from friends/family (who live in home country) or a video montage with messages from friends/family

Budget is up to £1.2k but I can be a bit flexible and as mentioned, I could also ask his family to contribute too.

Would really appreciate any ideas or suggestions, I want to make this one memorable x