Mental health

[SweetPeaZZ]

let's see... major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, adult attention deficit disorder... possible bipolar disorder. i put the funk in dysfunctional. i'm take more medication that most pharmacies have in there inventories.

but i'm a functioning crazy

[Grandma Cas]

Have any of you thought about how vaping affects your mental health?

Have any of you noticed a mood change with vaping?

I seem to be a little less stressed/depressed now I'm vaping. I think it has something to do with being able to continue getting my nic fix wherever I am with my PV, unlike analogs.

[Mary Kay]

Cas, have you noticed any feeling that you need to vape less then you did smoke? I am going longer between vapes. That's not on purpose..just less need. I know all I did with analogs is need more and more.
I have also noticed less pleasure in the flavors..it's not the flavors, it's just me.
I am still doing fine, with no craving for analogs, I think it's knowing I could have any amt of nic between 0 to 36 anytime I want.
I also am not having any stress spikes and feelings of panic at the lower nic level..funny when I smoked the same amount of nic day to day 20 analogs a day..I had panic and stress levels all over the place unless I smoked MORE!

[Grandma Cas]

Can't say as I have less need MaryKay, more like I vape more 'cause I can breath better... but I am having as many as 10 analogs a day... still, I'm not beating myself up over it 'cause 10 is better than the 40/50 I was getting through.

[nitewriter]

I have hypothyroidism, and interestingly, hypo patients are often misdiagnosed as bipolar before they are properly diagnosed with hypo.

Once properly treated, the mood swings go away and docs find that we were never really bipolar at all. The drugs that treat bipolar disorder actually make hypo worse, and smoking tends to stave off hypo symptoms, so when I quit smoking the first time I was a real joy to be around, let me tell you.

I also have fibromyalgia, which can lead to depression.

I think any chronic disease can lead to some mental issues simply from the isolation it brings, though, since most of my contact with the outside world comes from the internet. I was a very gregarious person in my former life and living like a hermit is a big change.

Bigeyes, you nailed it for me!

I have been having severe thyroid problems for the last 10 years. I was originally a size 5/6 when I was diagnosed as hyperthyroid. They put me on Tapazole, and I had a bad reaction to it. Dr said the only other option was surgery or radiation to kill it. I did the radiation and gained 75 lbs in the 3 months following treatment.

This forced me into hypothyroidism. Over 100 lbs and numerous Dr's and endo's later, I'm still screwed up. My body does not process synthetic hormone replacement and Armor didn't work at all.

Last year I had a brief period (4 months) where I felt close to normal. I went on Nutri Sysem and lost 60 lbs. Then my body started rejecting the dosage again and now I'm right back where I started. (SOOOO depressing!)

The isolation had begun, ...again. This is a horrible emotional rollercoaster. It's especially bad for me because I work in the entertainment industry where outer beauty is more important than inner. Where you're judged if you are 10 lbs overweight. At 100 you're either looked at like a leapor, or you're nonexistant.

I'm very thankful for this forum and the people here. It's the one place I don't feel judged by anything other than the person I am.

[bigeyes]

Bigeyes, you nailed it for me!

I have been having severe thyroid problems for the last 10 years. I was originally a size 5/6 when I was diagnosed as hyperthyroid. They put me on Tapazole, and I had a bad reaction to it. Dr said the only other option was surgery or radiation to kill it. I did the radiation and gained 75 lbs in the 3 months following treatment.

This forced me into hypothyroidism. Over 100 lbs and numerous Dr's and endo's later, I'm still screwed up. My body does not process synthetic hormone replacement and Armor didn't work at all.

Last year I had a brief period (4 months) where I felt close to normal. I went on Nutri Sysem and lost 60 lbs. Then my body started rejecting the dosage again and now I'm right back where I started. (SOOOO depressing!)

The isolation had begun, ...again. This is a horrible emotional rollercoaster. It's especially bad for me because I work in the entertainment industry where outer beauty is more important than inner. Where you're judged if you are 10 lbs overweight. At 100 you're either looked at like a leapor, or you're nonexistant.

I'm very thankful for this forum and the people here. It's the one place I don't feel judged by anything other than the person I am.

armour worked better for me when I took cortisol, but worked best when I smoked because I had such a hard time tweaking the cortisol dosage. That little jolt of cortisol you get from every cigarette seemed to be more help for me than taking pills.

I just get so tired of spending so much money on doctors and having mainstream docs tell me it's all in my head when I so clearly feel better when I smoke. E-cigs seem to be doing the trick, however, so until there is no more juice to be had, that is my current solution.

The last time I quit smoking entirely, even chewing the gum I ballooned within 2 weeks, and I even made sure to eat less in anticipation.

I'm feeling a bit better now, so I'm hoping to get back to 'normal.' At one point when I smoked 3 packs a day I worked out several hours daily and my doctors were always surprised I was so healthy for a smoker. I had a few smoking friends who were joggers as well, so it isn't like all smokers are automatically anti-exercise, I think that's just part of the propaganda.

They want to believe we're a bunch of lazy slobs because it fits into their stereotype.

[Grandma Cas]

Smoking calms me, as did drinking. I can't drink of course ..sugar.

this reminded me of an episode with my diabetic father when he had been drinking & went into hypo so, I found this for you MaryKay:

Alcohol actually has the effect of lowering blood glucose levels.

Alcohol

[Mary Kay]

Cas! You are a sweety. But since I already have HBP, I don't need any more problems. I do have a drink now and again, but one leads to two and two leads to eating and three..well we'll leave it at one shall we?

[mamu]

Thanks gep for directing me to this forum. I didn't exactly know what this forum was til you told me. I hadn't looked at any of the threads in here until today.

Thanks for this topic Kate.

My 28 year old son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia with severe anxiety disorder about 5 years ago. We've learned to adapt to who our son is now, but I still grieve at times for the son I lost.

He has problems with spirits and demons bothering him and Jesus talking to him telling him to do things. They're always there bothering him.

This last year or so has been better for all of us. Keven was finally put on meds that seem to help him cope better with the spirits and demons that torture him. He tells me that the spirits and demons are still there, but he's able to not do the things they tell him to do. Jesus still talks to him, but no longer tells him to do harmful things.

His dosage has needed to be titrated. Until the right dosage was found, it was a grueling experience for all of us. He still rocks in his rocking chair and listens to his music pretty much 24/7, but he sometimes comes back to us and is somewhat more socialable when family come over.

Early in the diagnosis my husband and I didn't have a clue as to what Keven's reality was. Now we do. At times I am so overwhelmingly sad for the suffering he is going through. He uses the word torture a lot and I believe he is tortured. It's his reality and sometimes I put myself in his reality (in my mind) and it scares me.

Keven will always need someone to care for him and my husband and I have made the commitment to do that. With this new medication, we sometimes have glimpses of Keven's sense of humor and his free-spiritedness that was gone for so long. These baby steps have been worth everything in the world to me.

As for me..I have issues...another time. Thanks for listening.

[prr2freya]

I seem to be a little less stressed/depressed now I'm vaping. I think it has something to do with being able to continue getting my nic fix wherever I am with my PV, unlike analogs.

I have also noticed I have been leveling out a little bit... and somehow sleeping better.. I have been a massive insomniac for well over 15 years.. I was on sleeping pills for 10 of those and got off them without Dr's permission. Very common for me to sleep for maybe 6-8 hours every two days. I stay up 3 days in a row at least once a month without even a cat nap... I still go long periods without sleep, but when i do finally drop, I am sleeping heavier. Still not for more than 6 hours at a time max... but i don't wake up from the slighest movement of my cat anymore...