(no subject)

[st_aurafina]

Ladybird princess is ready for her closeup:


[Black ladybird with yellow spots on a dry oak leaf in the grass]


I have started the escitalopram. No explosions yet. The brain zaps stopped within a few hours, which seems to me to be pharmacologically impossible, but still. And who knows, I'm still technically withdrawing from desvenlafaxine (and could be for up to three months, according to an article lilacsigil read last night while I was sweating and crying on the floor because I thought I had serotonin syndrome. She's so great at soothing me with fact.)

Exchange of Interest
- the same people who ran this exchange are having a big bang: Person of Interest Big Bang Schedule

- Did you know there's a POI Discord? I think this is a link so you can join (but also links expire in weird ways so let me know if it doesn't work): https://discordapp.com/invite/7FywuYV

- A couple more recs as I work through the collection:

Semantic Errors (Explicit, Root/Grace)
A slow-build romance that sees Root infiltrating Grace's life for purposes of better stalking Harold, then falling for her.

Birds of the Eastern Seaboard
(G, always a girl!Harold, Team Machine)
A really thorough gen fic looking at how things go differently for a female Harold. It's one of those genderswap fics where the differences and the similarities are incredibly satisfying to read.

Other Fandom Things
- Nominations are open for multifandomdrabble. I had so much fun with this last year (and the year before when it was on Imzy. Ah, those weird and fleeting Imzy days.) Everything I want to offer is already nominated except for Reverie, so I have some slots to share. See the timetable and pertinent links here: Multifandom Drabblefest 2018.

- unconventionalcourtship is on again, also. Choose a Mills and Boon or Harlequin summary and write a romance with your fandom faves. You play by choosing a posting day here:Unconventional Courtship 2018.

- fandomgiftbox is coming up, too. Fandom Giftbox 2018 Schedule. It's a mid-year gifting fest, like fandom_stocking.

Now, onto writing for the night. The Lil Aussie Writing Group that sassbandit has been hosting is working out really well for me.

Comments

[lilysea]

according to an article lilacsigil read last night while I was sweating and crying on the floor because I thought I had serotonin syndrome. She's so great at soothing me with fact.)

Yay for lilacsigil being helpful and reassuring and wonderful! ^_^

Boo for starting meds causing suffering, and meds withdrawal causing suffering. :(

[st_aurafina]

Thank you! It's going a lot better now that I've started the new one.

[redbird]

I don't know what you mean by "brain zaps," but other drugs can start affecting the mind/brain very quickly: ritalin, aspirin, caffeine, alcohol, LSD are what occur to me immediately.

Someone I know has been taking escitalopram for anxiety. Their doctor told them to expect effects within about a week, and they were pleasantly surprised to start feeling better before it was time for the second pill.

[st_aurafina]

Brain zaps is the colloquial term for the micro-seizures that people suffer when an antidepressant medication is stopped - it's a really weird sensation. Anyway, I'm very glad they've stopped.

[monanotlisa]

Oh, I'm so glad about the brain zaps stopping! Mine stopped a few days ago -- so, yeah, several weeks after stopping the SNRI.


Always a girl Harold?? Now that sounds interesting as a premise... #poi

[st_aurafina]

SNRIs are slow to wear off, I'm learning. But I'm doing a lot better since starting the SSRI. We shall see.

Yes, always a girl!Harold was well done - a little more bitter than male Harold, which feels about right for a woman working in tech in that era. (Or let's face it, any era...)

[vass]

Hi ladybird! *waves at photo*

The brain zaps stopped within a few hours, which seems to me to be pharmacologically impossible, but still.

I don't know the pharmacology of it, but from my experiences forgetting a dose of desvenlafaxine and then taking it when I remember, the timing seems entirely plausible.

I'm glad you don't have serotonin syndrome. I have a friend who did (which is its own incredible Bad Doctor story) and it was Not Nice and wiped her out for months. [eta: Friend's serotonin syndrome was not caused by a cross-taper. She was prescribed two serotonergic drugs at the same time, one of them at the maximum dose!]

[st_aurafina]

How cute are our ladybirds? I was worried when I first saw them because there's apparently a terrible parasitic yellow and black kind, but these ones are friendlies. There's a colony of them living under the oak tree.

the timing seems entirely plausible.
I have not had another zap! It's very strange but welcome. And I learned that coming off desvenlafaxine is better done transferring to another agent and coming off that. Not that I am planning to stop taking something - anxiety is a forever thing in my brain, I think.

I'm glad you don't have serotonin syndrome.
Thank you! There was no way I had serotonin syndrome. It was all drama, no llama. I know too much and always skip to the worst possible outcome.

[rattfan]

I've found Lexapro to start acting very quickly. When I first started taking it I remember feeling very foggy and confused quite fast and that lasted for a couple of days. I had to call a friend because I was having trouble with my new front door key and they got me inside in moments, which was kind of embarrassing.

This was actually an improvement on my previous mental state of anxiety/depression in overdrive and was gone in about two days, leaving a sense of well being.

As you might know if you read my posts about trying to go *off" Lexapro, it also hangs on to you. so I have had some symptoms of withdrawal, but not any brain zaps, or not identified as such. But the going on to Lexapro was easy, compared to the other couple of anti-ds that I tried. Feel free to contact me, if an experienced Lexapro-taker can be of any assistance to you.

[st_aurafina]

I had to call a friend because I was having trouble with my new front door key and they got me inside in moments, which was kind of embarrassing.

This does seem feasible to me, actually. I can see how it would have happened. I'm not having too much fog with it now, but I was quite muddled with desvenlafaxine. Brains are weird.

. Feel free to contact me, if an experienced Lexapro-taker can be of any assistance to you.
*fistbump of solidarity* Thank you for this.

[rattfan]

No problem. Seriously; I've heard mostly good things about how Lexapro helps. Have to be careful what I say because people's reactions are so individual. The main problem is that L doesn't want to stop helping you, but even that isn't bad if you go off it gradually, as I'm doing. It's taking months. Hang in there; things will get better.

[singe]

Aww, cute bug. And I hope you get adjusted soon, switching meds sounds like hell.

[st_aurafina]

They're so pretty! I hadn't seen yellow and black ones until I moved here.

And thanks - it's settling out now.