Don't Eat the Daisies

Last week I received sweet, sweet relief: my insurance company approved my medication. I have now been on Provigil for about a week, and I feel different. Provigil is not prescribed for anxiety or depression, it's a "smart drug" for those with Narcolepsy, ADD/ADHD, and Sleep Shift Disorder. It is also prescribed for a myriad of off-label reasons, two of them being depression and anxiety. The medication isn't supposed to fix me, but it is supposed to increase the efficacy of my Wellbutrin. So how's it going? It is going alright. I feel as though I've returned to myself; not 100%, but maybe 80-85% and that is fucking great. My rage is gone, the brain zaps have stopped, I am sleeping again, and many of the side effects mentioned in my previous post have subsided or disappeared entirely. The thing that still remains are the tears. I am very quick to sadness, and feel it profoundly right now. I am convinced that this is a form of PTSD from the things that trans...

It's been nearly a month since I stopped Zoloft and have been without a replacement. Many people, prescribing physicians mostly, don't believe that there are withdrawal side effects when antidepressants/anti-anxiety medications are involved; it is sad and devastating to those who live through it. My doctor doesn't appear to be one of those truth deniers, but my previous doctor most certainly was. I'm going to list the side effects that I have been experiencing since this nightmare of a journey began: Side Effects Brain zaps. The best way I can describe it is the sound (and probably feeling) of a bug getting electrocuted by a bug zapper. My cats can hear the zaps. I know this because their ears perk up when it happens. Exhaustion Insomnia Realistic dreams and nightmares that leave me wondering what is real. Seriously. Headaches Eye pressure Temple pressure (think of a railroad spike going through your temples) Rage. All the rage. Sadness. All the sadness. T...

2018 is the year of Me. I am giving myself permission to put myself first and to tell other people ”no” without explaining or feeling like I have to. I’m giving myself permission to be a mess and to clean it up when I am good and ready because clearly forcing myself into happiness has not worked thus far. I give myself permission to be in love with people, in any way I see fit (emotionally), and to not stuff those feelings down. Those feelings are mine and I deserve to feel them and shouldn’t make myself feel bad for doing so. 2018 will be a year in which I cry more often in public because my heart is sad and I am a deeply feeling person. I will be attentive to friendships and begin burning down the walls of inhibition. I am 34 years old. I want to live to be 35, both literally and figuratively. I have held myself back so much. This year I am giving myself permission to figure out what I need to be happy and to foster those needs until I get there. I give myself permission to enjoy...