Palm Sunday Is A Great Holiday, Craftwise

I've been off of meds for just under 6 years now and am wary of long-term psychiatric medication use due to overprescribing by a my psychiatrist I had before I tapered down. However, here are some pros and cons on the ADHD meds I've been on (inattentive-impulsive combination)

Vyvanse: I'd reccommend against this one if you have a history of restrictive disordered eating, that being said, this was the most effective at the lowest dose for me, and was the amphetamine of choice when we weaned me off of my meds after the aforementioned psychiatrist lost her license for 3 years after killing 2 patients with the same protocol she had me on. It wasn't jittery, or too focused, I was sharp but able to switch between tasks and return to tasks. I will say the withdrawal on this was moderately rough, usually about 4pm and I'd trend towards being angry/aggressive as they wore off.

Desoxyn: Pharmaceutical Grade Methamphetamine: I'll qualify this with the fact I was never on it on its own... but it's also the drug that pushed me into signing myself into a unit after about 2 weeks. Major stomach cramping and anxiety on it, I also lost about 20 lbs on it. I'm not a fan, would not recommend. The focus level was insane but ended up resulting in me being incredibly overstimulated and light sensitive. It did wonders for my test scores, but wasn't worth the physiological and psychological cost.

Adderall Extended Release: I liked it a lot, didn't have a ton of side effects, it was the best focus I had, but it was also significantly more tempting to abuse than Vyvanse since it only lasted me about 4-6 hours and I was already dealing with 12-14 hour days. It did affect my sleep quality a bit if I took it after 6.

Concerta: I can't speak to this one directly. However, I can say it's worked wonders for my boyfriend, and if I needed meds again, I would probably put Concerta as my second choice. He hasn't had major side effects, it's working well for his work, which is fairly active work to begin with, and he's not as anxious anymore. It has made some of his dreams really weird though, but less nightmares and more just... weird.

Also, if something feels off, you're having weird heart sensations, talk to your doctor, and don't be afraid to get 2nd or even 3rd opinions on your medication protocol.

I have adhd (inattentive type) and might be considering medication soon. Would you be willing to talk about your experience with medication just so I could get some first hand experiences? It's totally fine if you don't want to discuss this though :)

omg yes I definitely can!

I'm also inattentive type, and additionally have chronic fatigue. before I took meds, I was perpetually stuck in a guilt loop of thinking that I am awful and lazy because I could never bring myself to do things that I wasn't interested in (busy work for school), but also dedicating hours of focus to things I did like (video games, random books, obscure research), and then feeling awful that I had spent so much time being "unproductive." I was diagnosed about three years ago now, and I have definitely benefited massively from taking ADHD meds.

I was first given generic adderall, which worked well in terms of focus but caused me to shake pretty badly and have heart palpitations. I switched to vyvanse, which was actually even more effective, and did not cause me to shake profusely. unfortunately because of the demand for ADHD meds/stimulants in addition to the fact that vyvanse is still only a name brand drug (no one is allowed to make and sell the drug under a different name), the prices have been jacked to high heaven. even with my health insurance, I just can't afford vyvanse, so I have switched back to adderall. adderall, like I said, works fine for me, but does cause me to shake depending on how much sleep I've had and how much exercise I do (ei, running up a flight of stairs an hour after I've taken my pill causes me heart palpitations).

how the meds work for me:

adderall: causes my baseline energy level to go up a bit, and allows me to focus on something deeply for a long time. my brain still jumps between things, but I am overall able to zone in on one task at a time. I am on a low enough dose that I can still force myself to take breaks (pomodoro my love) and maintain a healthy work pattern. one problem I have is that if I am paying attention to something when the adderall kicks in, that is what I am going to be focused on - and sometimes that will happen to be Pintrest, drawing, or writing, rather than schoolwork or my job.

vyvanse: I prefer this one because it allows me to think in straight lines. It allows me to only think about one thing at a time, and when I need to divert my attention to something more specific, its like a branching straight line goes off the main line of focus, but importantly, it can join back up with that original line of focus. does not make me shake. I occasionally can fall into the same trap as will adderall, where I am focusing on the wrong thing when it kicks in, but overall it is easier to direct my concentration.

generally, I always take the "extended release" (ER/XR) version of either medication, because a regular pill causes me intense and obsessive focus for about two hours, followed by an energy crash. XR means I have a good 8 hours of mild focus improvement. I don't take my pills every day, partially because I don't like the idea of being dependent on anything more than I am, and partially because I don't necessarily need them. I normally take a pill early mid-day (10am - 1pm) before my classes/lectures, or before I start classwork, and that works well. taking one any time after like 4pm-5pm means I can't sleep.

damn that was a lot lol. I hope that helps -- overall, taking medications has allowed me to feel like a functional student, and makes me very aware of the fact that my brain works slightly differently than some of my friends lol

I'm at a BBQ/baseball watch party and I gotta piss but this frat bro is taking a shit in the bathroom.

For reference, I live in a not so great Philly suburb, unfortunately, so I'm a little bit more heavily armed than I would be in other places

I carry a 9mm Glock 43 with a 6+1 round capacity. You can also go for the 43X, which has a similar profile but double the round capacity. The sizing is right for my grip, and the texture is less sandpaper like than the S&W and Sigs on market. I payed about $470 for my Glock as a factory rebuilt gun. My holster is a convertible kydex holster as well, able to be mounted both in the waistband and outside of it, I find these to be the best for me personally as a southpaw shooter since they're usually ambidextrous. I also added an under barrel mounted flashlight and laser combo (Streamlight TLR-6) since the 3 times I've considered drawing my firearm from holster in real world events happened either in my darkened home or at night at a gas station. I pair my primary holster with a belly band as well that I keep my debit card, ID, and spare mags in. My secondary is kept in either a boot holster or an ankle holster *with trigger guard*

The glock does not have a manual safety, it has a safety trigger, but that is not the same. My secondary sidearm (Kimber Micro in .380 ACP had the thumb safety removed by its prior owner (likely another southpaw shooter since 1911 style models are incredibly difficult to handle the safety on as a southpaw) which is why I carry that one condition 3.

My next handgun purchase will be the Glock 17 for in home situations, open carry when necessary, and competition shooting.

I have had to draw my gun once, and I will tell you right now, it is an adrenaline surge, whether or not you have to take the shot. I can't tell you which factors played into it more vs others, but despite hearing the blood rushing in my ears I do know I would have taken the shot had he not opted for the more peaceful option to GTFO of my house. I also know that I would have been an emotional wreck afterward.

I'm seeing a ton of Feminists urging eachother to get a gun due to the election results, which is fantastic news imo American women please please please assert your 2nd amendment rights and get a gun if you're able to <3

You can start by looking into the gun laws in your state: https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/compare/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_United_States_by_state Gun safety: https://www.agirlandagun.org/how-to-shoot/4-rules-of-gun-safety/ Youtube has thousands of gun related videos, it's a male dominated culture but there are absolutely a ton of resources for female shooters and beginners. Reddit has a handful of firearm related subs, included r/firearms(skews conservative/rightwing) and r/liberalgunowners and r/concealedcarrywomen Facebook has women's gun groups also, many of them skew conservative but can still be a valuable resource for beginners Check out your local area for self defense firearm classes, some will have classes geared specifically to women. Check out your local gun stores, or sporting goods stores, some will have a range in which you can rent a firearm before purchasing but many don't have this feature, so it's important to do product research before buying. https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-handguns-women/ https://tombstonetactical.com/blog/best-guns-for-women (Most guns range from $400 to $700 btw) Gun store employees are overwhelmingly male (and in my experience, old) and might try to steer you towards the tiny pink pistol, or a .22, or something else equally impractical for self defense. It's important to be assertive and clear in what you're looking for!

Anyways, BoyToy and I are now planning a renfaire weekend.

Actual Conversation Today Between BoyToy and I:

Me: 😷 I wanna snuggle

BoyToy: Not happening.

Me: I know 🥺

BoyToy: You got ADv and I got strep. What kinda bioweapon you trying to create?? 😂

Me: With you? The kind USAMRID would lock up. 🥹👉👈

Him: 🤣🤣🤣 Go back to sleep, I'll see you when we're both healthy.

All of this! I love natural materials; they last beautifully, are easy to mend on your own, and don't look dingy after 3 washes. The only real problem is you must learn how to do laundry properly rather than dump all of your clothes together into the washer with 2 tide pods and then blast them with the dryer 1-3 times. Like... A waxed cotton canvas barn coat is significantly warmer than my polyester polyfill jackets on drippy dark hikes, wool & cotton socks don't give me blisters, silk (actual silk, not nylon and elastane) stockings don't give me rashes on the backs of my thighs. Natural materials are your friends!

Idk exactly how to explain this but the softness of real wool and real linen is very different from the artificial softness of polyester “sherpa”, fuzzy faux-fur, spongey acrylic knits and people have gotten too used to the soft plastics and now associate wool with “itchy” and linen with rough and cotton with “too heavy” and then go and wear 100% polyester fleecy sweatshirts and say it’s so warm and cozy but actually they’re just staticky cooking in their sweat locked inside a plastic membrane and you are paying too much to be wearing filaments of petroleum products and the money isn’t going to the people sewing them either. I’m saying you all need to touch grass and the grass in this situation is good quality textiles made of natural fibres.

I literally do not care what the Bible says about any political issue. I am not Christian. Christian scripture should have zero effect on my life or my personal freedoms. 

America be like "you cant have free healthcare or easy access to disability but you can have a gun"