blargblog

hang in there, i'm sure i'm not the only one who will want to hear a play-by-play on how you're handling this stuff. i haven't sat down and had the talk w/ my psycho-pharmo about which happy pills to take, yet, and i want to know all the word on the street i can get. <brown-nosing>[sure there's web sites specifically for that but they don't write as well as you do] </brown-nosing>

Ha! You're too kind. I just had a cup of coffee, and that seems to have counteracted the loopiness. The actual effectiveness of the drug won't really be apparent for a few more weeks, and even then it may not be my thing, given individual body chemistry. Then I'd have to take another happy pill.

That said, today is the first day in a week I have not felt the blues. My wife, who has experience with these things, told me that the first few days I will feel pretty even keel (or keal?). There is a certain detachment, not aloofness, but a sensation as if everything were inside an aquarium and you were watching the fish swim by. I guess this blog could be my version of tapping on the glass. Pardon the echoes.

"I reckon I got off lightly."

I was going to punningly tie this phrase into the the "problems with ejaculation" side-effect, but it just seemed too crass and predictable.

I concur with that fella above. I'm also interested in reading the progress on this for as long as you are interested in writing about it.

I have been prejudiced about mood altering drugs ever since the teachers tried to force me onto Ritalin back in first grade. But I have an open enough mind that I'm interested in hearing if my prejudice is wrong and this ends up being helpful. I have a couple of relatives who have tried Prozac. One swears by it to this day and the other said it made her very angry.

My agnostic prayers are with you on this. I hope it makes you feel better and the side-effects leave you alone. Keep rockin' the pig sty.*

* (Er, a Sheldon reference, in case that wasn't clear.)

Your doctor couldn't put you on the good stuff? (Lexapro, which is the isolated active isomer of Celexa.)

Even though the full effect of Celexa, like most SSRIs, won't kick in for several weeks, what's happened isn't unexpected - your body is conserving its serotonin even with the first pill you take.

I had that feeling of detachment for the first few days as well - it's a good contrast to depressive episodes and panic attacks, though. (I also have anxiety disorder.)

My side effects have been occasional loopiness (eating or drinking something helped control it) and some "hot flashes".

I haven't noticed any problems with my libido or with ejaculation - in fact, my libido was much higher than normal the first few days, but went back to (ab)normal. :)

Keep us posted, and call me if you have any questions about what to expect over the first few weeks!

Awesome! A support group! It's so nice to know that my friends are as fucked up as I am. ;)

And Jeremy, all puns are appreciated.

I'm... a little bit confused by the "problems with ejaculation." I mean, if they meant "difficulty ejaculating," wouldn't they have said that? Better parallel structure, and all that. The way they've phrased it, I can't help but imagine it's analogous to Ted Striker's "drinking problem."

I'm w/ kodi. Problems with ejaculation? I'm still giggling minutes after reading that. Does it mean excessive ejaculate? Or sporadic/random ejaculation? Perhaps it exits in a different pattern? Now I'm gonna spend all weekend trying to figure out the possibilities. Damn.

Anyhoo, some people swear by anti-depressants. Some never get the desired effects. FTR, wellbutrin gives me insomnia, while paxil rids me of libido, and there was another one (I forget the name, but it was an anti-anxiety) that made my extremities tingle & wonked my sense of balance. At this time I prefer to wallow in my own depression until it passes. In any case, I strongly believe that anti-depressants should be used in conjuction w/ therapy. Not just all by their lonesome. Unless, of course, you suffer from a permanent chemical imbalance. But that's just my feelings on it. That don't make it the right thing for everywho.

Yeah, I saw a therapist for a year or so, and she was very helpful. But when the blues persisted, got worse and made it difficult to cartoon, I decided, with the kind coaching of my wife, to seek the happy pill route. Seems okay so far, despite yesterday's loopiness. A little sleep disruption, but my sleep had been really bad before anyway. Getting more cartooning done already, so hey—bonus!

glad you're feeling better. if you're hella loopy, it might be they started you on too much too quickly. if the loopiness doesn't go away, it might not be the right drug for you. there are many to choose from. better living through chemistry!

I'm more fucked up than you, Braggart. What with being pill-less and so obsessive-compulsive that my finger-ends look like raw hamburger.

But I finished a collage. Not as adorable as five pages of Sheldon at a clip, but something, ya' know... ;)

Yay! More collage. Is it posted yet? When is the unveiling, my sister in fucked-upness?

When I learn how to create a fucking web page :o or when Jen 1 tires of drawing space hobos, whichever comes first. :p

You COULD just hop in your jalopy and view it the old-fashioned way, y'know ? I'll even throw in a free glass of grapefruit soda. (I [[heart]] Trader Joes !!)

The plot thickens. Kevin, I'm sorry to read about that. As we say in Greek, "perastiká" ([wish you it will only last] temporarily). Get better, keep representin' for us!
I second you in longing impatiently for Amy's new collages (loved those on her outstandingly-designed webpage and in Expository Magazine).

(Next time I'll ban adverbs.)

"my finger-ends look like raw hamburger"

Positive self-talk is crucial to good mental health. Try thinking of your fingertips as ten petit fillets of steak tartar. It sounds classier. If you don't like the French, call them Freedom Fingers.

The sad part is, Pinkham, that I'm actually vegetarian. :p

:o (Amy runs off to read some more of Jimmy's stuff, so as not to appear a complete ingrate. Now if I could just rig a computer monitor to hang over my drawing table so I could read blogs and dismantle ephemera at the same time, I'd have it made. :))

No vegetarian guilt if you think of them as soy-based Gardenfingers...