Probably as bad an idea as getting legal advice from an internet forum.

Regarding Seasonal Affective Disorder: a 2016 CDC study among 34,000 people could not find any evidence for its existence.

The Cochrane Project can find no evidence for the efficacy of any current "treatment" method.

But regardless of this particular instance: don't give or get medical advice, including suggestions for certain treament, drugs or doses, to or from anonymous strangers on the internet.

I would have thought this was obvious but when checking in on RfM today, I found even mods participate in this.

I really think that is a bad idea. Just my two cents.

Thanks for that, rt. :)

I am okay with the "here are my symptoms, what could it be?" type of inquiries.

But of course you are correct that the "Here are my symptoms, what should I take?" inquiries aught not to be entertained.

I thought the reason for asking for advice was so you could ignore it. At least it seems that way. If doctors knew how the body worked, nobody would have to ask these questions.

Most doctors have never gone through the symptoms of their patients. And that includes all professionals. Never met a psychiatrist with PTSD or schizophrenia, or a nuerologist with nerve pain. Thats why i ask on here for to find one person that has gone through it.

So I had a stressful and restless weekend and now I'm having a hard time concentrating at work.

What do you think is causing my inability to concentrate? Could it have anything to do with the weather?

If you live where it snows and it happened to you before then yes.

You can go on amazon to get a SADlight.Thedr certified means will your insurance pay for it.
I disagree about medical information in forums like this. You have to o to the doctor to get these meds. Matching different therapies.....my doctors like the participation, especially with severe depression. But I see my doctors every month.

I actually have a SADlight, i forgot i bought one 2 years ago to counter this, it was buried under some stuff.

It shouldn't be a substitute for good medical diagnosis and advice. However, before I take any drug that is prescribed, I want to know what kind of experience other people have had with it. I like to know what other people with some of the same issues I deal with have struggled with or found helpful. And some advice I got from the internet made a HUGE difference in my quality of life a few years ago. So you have to be careful with information, but I love the information age for that exact reason.

Everyone has the right to take the advice in any way they decide. My boyfriend takes 50,000 units of vitamin D3 a week. Vitamin D3 isn't something you are going to overdose on and it isn't prescribed. Anyone can go buy it off the shelves. and SAD does exist--for those who have it, just ask. Ask my therapist. I have REVERSE SAD. I have depression when the sun is too bright in July and August, when it is straight up in the sky and BEARS DOWN. I've had this for a long time and I couldn't figure out what was going on. Now that I understand, I stay out of that middle of the day sunshine and I also got an air conditioner instead of a swamp cooler and it has made A LOT of difference. Did I do anything that is going to hurt me? No.

Myself, I type up medical records. I type up the MISTAKES and the COMPLICATIONS, the risks that are spelled out to you when you sign a consent form, so I question my doctors every time they do something and many of them don't like it. Well, IT IS MY HEALTH and it is MY LIFE, so I get to decide. As others on here have said, that is why they call it a "practice." Ever watch House? They're guessing you know. They have an education, but they don't know for sure. AND, again, I type up their mistakes.

Others on here have said how wonderful their dental implants are. I've typed up the errors. And my almost 80-year-old aunt is one of those errors. She has been going back in for 2 years now and she has half her teeth that they put in. She is in extreme pein, all because her son-in-law gave her the money to get implants and now she wishes she wouldn't have. I've typed many of these. THEN the person who got a shingles vaccination and got a brain abscess is now dead.

So even the medical community doesn't have it correct. It is up to us to educate ourselves no matter where we get the info.

I had one doctor diagnose me with bipolar after talking to me for 5 minutes (general practitioner). I was going through A LOT with my separation from my gay husband, my financial issues, working 2 jogs, raising 2 kids. I just believed him and was talking to a good friend, who also has depression, and it occurred to me, "My hell, I've been seeing a psychotherapist, Ph.D., for over 15 years, maybe I should ask him. He was furious that some GP diagnosed me in 5 minutes and said, "THAT IS MY JOB.' And he told me what my diagnosis was.

So if we aren't smart enough to take everybody's input and research it ourselves, then we're fools. I don't expect anyone to take my advice unless THEY WANT TO.

Many, many times, somebody here has gone through a situation similar to one I am facing, and their insights can provide me with an angle I hadn't thought of. The pooling of viewpoints can be enormously helpful.

And if nothing else, you know that the rest of the community cares how things turn out, and that matters.

I have been diagnosed wrong so many times by professionals it is ridicules. I don't even bother to explain my symptoms to a doctor sometimes anymore. It's trial and error these days.

I agree with what you said, CL2, but on little quibble. You can overdose on Vitamin D. It's a fat soluble vitamin and can build up in your body.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/vitamin-d-toxicity/faq-20058108

"The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause poor appetite, nausea and vomiting. Weakness, frequent urination and kidney problems also may occur."

"Taking 50,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity. This level is many times higher than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for most adults of 600 IU of vitamin D a day."

I was very reluctant to post my blood pressure problem on this forum. But I will say that many of you gave me life-changing advice.

—Advice not just for me not just for me, but for all my lovely exmo compatriots who took that “be-ye-perfect” nonsense to heart.

Thanks for puttin’ up with me.

There are support groups of patients with various conditions who discuss their issues and give suggestions which often help.

I've been in pituitary tumor discussion groups which were helpful to many of the participants. Doctors and nurses simply don't have time to spend on detailed symptoms and advice the way fellow patients might.

It's similar to discussing recovery on RfM. It helps many participants even though no one here is a professional mental health workers. It's just people who share and those who get advice can take it or leave it.

Diagnosing disease and prescribing specific treatments is a trickier proposition. No one should follow such advice blindly. They need to present the ideas to qualified doctors and use their own good judgment.

You were asking me about dyslexia treatment in another thread but I can't find it now, probably wandered too far OT or something.

If online advice isn't a good idea, why did you ask for mine?

Not hostile here, more curious.

The ole double standard.

As for SAD it is very much a treatable and diagnoseable illness.

CDC has many articles on its website for SAD. The one OP mentions here is not on its own website. Sort of makes you wonder why.

Over 20,000,000 Americans are believed to suffer from this malady during the winter months.

As Cl2 points out, there is a reverse SAD for some people who suffer similar symptoms from too much sunshine on a continual basis.

I may be wrong on the CDC doing the study, but if you google SAD and 2016 and 34,000, I'm sure you'll find it.

It's true that the medical community believes SAD is real, there's just no evidence for it (as in properly designed and controlled experimental evidence).

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2167702615615867

if you want more than the abstract, you will have to pay.

ptbarnum Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You were asking me about dyslexia treatment in
> another thread but I can't find it now, probably
> wandered too far OT or something.
>
> If online advice isn't a good idea, why did you
> ask for mine?
>
> Not hostile here, more curious.

No hostility taken. I did not ask advice, I'm not dyslexic. I just noticed that your experience is different from what I always believed, and wanted to learn more. I try to be open to information that challenges my preconceived notions.

Okay. I understand.

I don't think my results are typical but to be short and to the point, and not hijack, it was a combination of pressure from certain authority figures, some truly insightful teaching, and hours, I can't even estimate the endless hours, of repetition and practice above and beyond what other kids do during their education. I had no sports, no hobbies, few friends. Just tutoring and word cards and writing practice and the constant drive to "fix" myself. It was my parents' dominant concern, "fixing" me in this way. Other kids' parents left it with what resources the school could provide and didn't give their kids so much hell about it. They didn't ask for harder books or more worksheets. Mine did. It sucked.

Can you see why I was such an easy target for the cult?

It's also easy to make nice readable posts on forums because of autocorrect and spell check and obsessive proofreading. I have read difficult texts but not that often and not for fun. Audio books are more my thing.

Anyway yes, it's generally lifelong and others may certainly have had a worse outcome, I don't especially like reading but I do like knowing things, and you have to put up with the dancing letter maze to get the knowledge, so that's what I do.

ptbarnum Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Okay. I understand.
>
> I don't think my results are typical but to be
> short and to the point, and not hijack, it was a
> combination of pressure from certain authority
> figures, some truly insightful teaching, and
> hours, I can't even estimate the endless hours, of
> repetition and practice above and beyond what
> other kids do

Intetesting, that squares with some recent research I read, which named two aspects: bad teaching and some pupils just having a harder time learning to r/w.

Couldn't agree more. There is sometimes a fine line between sharing personal experience and dispensing medical advice.

I think it's really nice that this forum allows for off-topic posts and requests for advice about many different subjects. I have benefited from the replies I have received about things not specifically related to Mormonism.

Some of us don't want to talk about mormonism all the time we just want to get healthy in general. Mormonism triggers me so why would i want to re-open the wound. I just wanted to learn the truth about it and thats it basically. I would much rather talk about healing from the abuse both mentally and physically. There is no quick fix jesus pill for recovery from a lifetime of abuse unfortunately. I kind of laugh when people say you need help, i am getting help, there is no center for abuse victims to go to be healed there just isn't. There is no where to go except counseling. There is no cure for trauma and mormonism i don't think.

I pressure cooked a marvelous and tasty beef stew Saturday, based on information I gained from this forum and it cured my nagging brevet-morphoconfectaryism!

Yep, stopped it dead in its tracks! Yay RfM!!!!

I owe you guys!

You are an idiot. If my blood work comes back as vitamin D difficient you should hide in a hole and never come out. No doctor thought of this, they didn't even think to check diabetes let alone this.

And there is a SAD this happened last year. Why do you trust sources on the internet but not advice on real people actually going through it.

Badassadam1 Wrote:
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> Why do you trust sources on the internet but not
> advice on real people actually going through it.

I do not trust sources, I check whether their methodology is sound. I don't mean to invalidate anyone's personal experiences but they are just that.

Methodology on the internet. I am actually in the field and my body is the experiment. I get dramatically worse when it gets cold and snows this isn't rocket science.

I see no harm in giving general advice, and homeopathic, over-the-counter, and nutritional helps.

For example, Vitamin D3 deficiency is very common. When people have SAD (there is such a thing) and other symptoms, and I feel that there is nothing wrong in suggesting they buy some Vitamin B3 over the counter at the drug store, and see if it helps. Then I say: "This works for me!"

I don't recommend prescription drugs.
I don't push any particular brand of vitamins
I don't say anything that suggests they don't follow the directions on the bottle.

I also like to suggest other natural things that have helped me, for example, sitting in front of a light box every morning for 20 minutes, and being out in the sunlight as much as possible.

There are general health suggestions that are golden, such as to exercise! Should we object to posters who suggest this, because someone might have a broken leg or be having a heart attack or burst appendix, and should NOT exercise?

How dare you tell me to eat whole grains, when I have celiac disease! Someone told another poster to drink cranberry juice, that that is like drinking acid, for someone with interstitial cystitis!

Be real! Should all of this wonderful advice I and others have received on RFM be silenced forever, because of fear of liability? What a shame that would be.

RFM would have to hire as many lawyers as the Mormon church does!

Maybe rt is an unemployed lawyer, looking for work.

How dare you tell me there is no God, that I should get married and have lots of children, that I should or should not attend a relative's baptism. These are all opinions--and normal posters will decide these things for themselves. I think RFM'ers are Truth-seekers and fact-finders. They can think for themselves.

Thanks to RFM, I have learned how to cope with PTSD, along with the advice to "get therapy", which I did. RFM had taught me that I'm not crazy, just because I think the Mormon cult is crazy. I am not evil, because cult members say I'm evil. RFM has helped me in dealing with abusive, aggressive, stalking Mormons. It has helped me to overcome the Mormon shunning and gas-lighting. It has helped me find myself, and get back my self-esteem. I have the suicide hotline right here on RFM. I have someone to talk to in 3:00 in the morning, so I don't wake up my family with my whining--this alone helps with anxiety and pain.

Good advice can keep people from harming themselves. Not all advice is bad, you know.

With the help of professionals that know their stuff and rfm i am getting shit done. My case worker is bossing around doctors right now it is awesome. I am getting call backs instantly.

:-)

It was crazy how fast i got a response maybe i will take my case worker to my doctor's appointments from now on. Get my neck surgery over with for one thing, it has been delayed for so d@mn long.

I'm about to buy a lottery ticket. Any advice?

7 17 19 83 34

Cross Post from: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2031620,2032440#msg-2032440

I'm on so many daily meds (right now, six + two PRN), that the last thing I need is an inadvertent crossing of the meds wires that could make me very ill.

Physical exam/labs -> dx -> prescription for things like nutritional deficiencies, especially during the PNW winters. Two weeks later: labs/physical exam -> tweaking of the meds if necessary -> d/c, ∆, etc. -> f/u appt in two weeks. Repeat until it we work it out.

The only OTC thing I can take without possibly jacking up the other meds and my stomach is acetaminophen, on occasion. So, the *only* thing I take without running it by my doctors is...acetaminophen, on occasion.

I carry a list of all of my GD drugs, dosages, and times I take what, with me in case I am hospitalized (three days off of one of my meds without titrating back up can = Stevens-Johnson syndrome which is Not A Good Thing).

My meds/conditions/doctors are also saved on the medical tab on my cell phone which can be unlocked if I'm incapacitated. When I see my docs, I double check that my current meds and hx are in my file that travels across practices in the same network. I also make sure my personal list is correct.

Age, congenital dz, and psych issues can be a bitch, and these meds are not to be trifled with.

I like my kidneys. I like my liver. I usually like my brain. I prefer to take as few medications as possible, and we check that ish out, too.

Pseudoephedrine is bad juju for me. It works so well, but I like maintaining a healthy BP.

My 2¢? Stick with the science and scientists before *ingesting* OTC meds.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2017 08:23PM by Beth.

Over the course of my 70 years, I have had various ailments, allergic reactions to medications, or GOOD outcomes that I need to make note of. And these days, my memory isn't the greatest.

I began keeping a list of current meds on my computer about 3 years ago: what I take, dosage, time of day, who prescribed it, for what condition, and whether I have had allergic reactions.

My pharmacy (I only go to one) has a copy of this, as does every medical provider that I see.

And everything has its designated place in my medication cabinet, grouped by ailment: blood pressure, pain, whatever. And I keep backup notes in a written log, so I won't ever accidentally skip something I am supposed to take, or OD on something.

To keep things simple, I take EVERYTHING at bedtime. ALWAYS.

Unless, like now, I have to take an antibiotic twice a day. The evening dose I can remember, but it is possible to sleep through the morning one, so I set an alarm.

I hadn't thought of keeping this list on my phone also, but that is a good idea.

NOTE TO BADASSADAM: I am so sorry about your allergy to cats! For me, cats are the best therapy there is, for just about everything! I have had tortoiseshells for ages - they are the ones with the split half-orange, half-black faces. I have two of them now. Precious, intelligent, manipulative, and spoiled rotten.

All cats are that way i remember installing security systems in cat houses and i literally almost died i could barely breathe. I had to take breaks outside, there were like homes with more than 30 cats atleast, some inside and some in the backyard. It was NUTS. They will be the death of me they see me drive down the street and i see them and we just stare each other down they know EXACTLY what they are doing. Tormenting me.

SMDH

I think that most people know to take any advice on the internet with a grain of salt.

When my cat developed diabetes, I got some great advice on this board from vets and from owners of diabetic pets. It helped me to develop the confidence that I could successfully care for my little guy. I printed off the post and referred back to it several times. Kitty is doing great now after several years on insulin. He is parading between me and the computer screen as I type. :)

summer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Kitty is doing great now
> after several years on insulin. He is parading
> between me and the computer screen as I type. :)

:D :D :D

A cat will be the death of me i swear and i am deathly allergic and i think they know it. Cats are pretty smart.

Uh... How about the fact that the DSM-V modified but included it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/health/18mind.html?em&ex=1198213200&en=a955503f665508cf&ei=5087

Given that the DSM is modified by a panel of professionals who have all the data in front of them, and yet still included (albiet modified) seasonal affective disorder?

Here is a more simple, and subject to independent modification on wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_affective_disorder#cite_note-4

HH =)

It's definitely real it has happened every year around this time and i get way worse than i original am. Finding a great counter has been tough, hopefully this vitamin D thing can counter this somewhat.

Happy_Heretic Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Uh... How about the fact that the DSM-V modified
> but included it?

That does not alter the fact that there is no data supporting the existence of sad.

At a doctor's surgery (they have surgeries, not offices in the UK) a patient and a doctor are looking at diagnosis options.

"Let's Google that!" said the doctor.

And before everyone says: "Oooh, a Cochrane Review!" please read this expert takedown of two of their so-called reviews:-
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16052203

and this rebuttal
http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/blog/jun-2017/hepatitis-c-trust-responds-study-hepatitis-c-treatment

And carries oversized phone internet acessing medical articles , searching for strengths rare side efects. Once when I asked for an unusual injectable bo e growth accelloration kit we read on the internet side by side..until we started counting near by reactors and side effect of accelerating storage of radioactive thing maybe strontium still hear my dr saying. Briwn etes looking up, "oh, um i dont think you that in the event of s nearby nuclear accudent itd give you cancer." Lol
Such a fun primary care doc him snd his computer. So. Understated.

And yet your internet post above offers advice regarding the act of obtaining internet advice. How ironic.

That's what i was saying.

I am going to end this debate once and for all, i am getting my blood tested for EVERYTHING tomorrow including viamin D so we shall know the truth once and for all. And we all crave the truth even if we can't handle it.

It's also known as "cabin fever" due to lack of sun exposure in winter months. Clearly a D3 deficiency. However, check contraindications with your other meds. Someone stated above the calcium problem. That's most common. In my case, it interacts with my BP meds (increases calcium levels) but so far has not caused an issue with me.

Please watch out for calcium overload. Ten years ago, I spent three days in ICU with extreme hypercalcaemia.

Advised by family doc to take 2000mg daily to avoid osteoporosis. It clashed with BP medication.

ER doc advised me that I may want to talk to a priest. Then off to ICU.

Oh wow! How long had you been taking it before you reached critical?

Now I'm encouraged to get my blood tested more often. Off to google hypercalcaemia !

I don't remember how long I had been taking 2000mg calcium--maybe less than a month. I was taking it along with Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) for blood pressure.

I began throwing up, and when I'd lie down, my heart would beat very rapidly. I thought I had H1N1 virus and went to the ER. Luckily, I was admitted quickly. The calcium level in my blood was 16.6 mg/dl--a level which can cause coma and cardiac arrest.

The doc who treated me said the problem was the mixture of calcium and HCTZ.

Interestingly, the graveyard nurse (with whom I'm still friends) told me to never be so compliant. His advice stuck with me in many domains. Now I study everything before I go along with anything.

I take hydrochlorothyazide too.. it reacts with D3.. first time I've taken both.. will call tomorrow for blood work.. thank you for sharing your experience

If we are to believe the internet, then all it takes is some Kale juice to cure our terminal cancer.

Crazy. Just see a doctor.

One thing the Internet can cure is Mormonism.