Medicine and Health
Antidepressants: Talking about experience with side-effects – What it feels like
As I was diagnosed with severe depression about 2 years ago, I have passed through different types of treatments with different types of antidepressants. The first thing you’ll learn from having a mental disorder is that the first step of treatment is to actually accept you have a problem and go see a psychiatrist. Even I have waited until my symptoms became worse and worse before going to a doctor and that just made it even harder to find a suitable medication for myself.
That being said I’ve actually only tried two lines of treatments because as you will learn treating depression is a long journey. Even if you cannot entirely cure depression, medication can make things better but not without side-effects. The first line of treatment my doctor prescribed included a combination of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRi), which are a class of antidepressants with benzodiazepines, which are sedatives that were prescribed specifically to me because of anxiety issues.
As you can easily learn their side-effects from Google, I’d like to talk about how they can make you feel. Keep in mind that people don’t react the same to these meds, but I’m hoping you can learn from my experience what to expect from SSRi’s if your doctor prescribed them to you too and you were scared about what you’ve found on the internet.
First things first, once you start the treatment with SSRi’s don’t forget to take them or don’t decide to stop taking them all at once because this type of medication affects neurotransmitters in your brain which always need to be properly regulated. That means the correct way of finishing a treatment with SSRi’s is by slowly reducing their dose.
My first reaction to SSRi’s was that my head started to feel warm for no particular reason, I did not have a fever. I have also started to simply stop caring and felt numb, but these reactions probably came from Benzodiazepines. The following weeks what bothered me the most was that my hands started shaking a lot and I really did not have control in my movements. Also, I was sweating a lot, mostly in my sleep and my sweat had an unpleasant vinegar smell which overtime stopped happening.
Besides the weird state that SSRi’s make me feel and constant tinglings in my hands and legs they did manage to help me. Unfortunately, after my doctor told me to start reducing the doses of SSRi’s I have simply stopped taking them which resulted in a near-death experience meaning that for the next 2 days I was feeling like I could die any seconds which made me anxious and also had some weird effects on my body. Basically, I was feeling very sick with no actual reason.
As I was saying, in the beginning, depression is not something you can cure but you can keep its symptoms under control with medication. Although I can’t say I am feeling as bad as I did back then, some problems are still blocking my short term memory and concentration which can be frustrating and often leads to headaches. Because of that, the doctor has prescribed me a combination of tricyclic antidepressants with painkillers.
The doctor chose this class of antidepressants because my new treatment won’t be a long-term one, the main cause being the desire of treating my migraines. As I’ve been told SSRi’s have a weaker effect on depression symptoms which make them better suited for long term treatments that are preferred when treating mental disorders. Tricyclic antidepressants are stronger, but their effect lasts a shorter period of time.
As for what I actually feel after taking the tricyclic antidepressant is a tricky question because it doesn’t give me any reaction I had with SSRi’s it actually does the opposite and the effects pass by morning. After I take these new drugs I stop ‘feeling’ my head and I start feeling like my hands are not under my control. I became very intrigued about how my hands felt because while they don’t feel like my own I can say I have more control in my movements. Because ‘fortunately’ I have hypertension the drugs seem to mess with my blood pressure because I started to have nosebleeds in my sleep.
Tricyclic antidepressants have to be taken at night because they produce mydriasis which is an enlargement of the eye pupil that makes my eyes more sensible to light and also makes me incredibly sleepy.
All in all, antidepressants do help reduce depressive symptoms, but sometimes they feel like they make them worse. Unfortunately, the medication developed for mental disorders usually comes with a large list of side-effects which you can’t avoid feeling. Even if you just think you are depressed you should not consider taking any drugs without talking to a psychiatrist first. If you are diagnosed with depression don’t get scared of the side effects because on the long term you might just feel a little bit better.
Medicine and Health
Your Chance Of Contracting This Rare Eye Infection More Than Triples If You Wear Reusable Contact Lenses
If you wear soft reusable contact lenses instead of soft disposable ones, your chance of getting an uncommon eye infection rises by almost four times. These sobering conclusions come from study conducted by the University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, which looked at what variables could make someone more likely to get Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK).
“In recent years we have seen an increase of Acanthamoeba keratitis in the UK and Europe, and while the infection is still rare, it is preventable and warrants a public health response,” said lead researcher Professor John Dart in a statement.
“Contact lenses are generally very safe but are associated with a small risk of microbial keratitis, most commonly caused by bacteria, and which is the only sight threatening complication of their use. Given that an estimated 300 million people across the globe wear contact lenses, it is important that people know how to minimise their risks for developing keratitis.”
Over 200 patients were recruited by Dart and colleagues, 83 of them had AK and the remaining 122 were taken to the Moorfields Eye Hospital for various ailments. The second served as a control group so that the researchers could determine what risk factors made someone more likely to develop the corneal infection.
According to their findings, people who wear reusable soft contact lenses had a 3.8-times higher risk of acquiring AK than people who wear daily disposable lenses. Wearing lenses while sleeping and taking a shower raised risk by 3.9 and 3.3 times, respectively. According to the researchers’ calculations, switching to daily disposable lenses might avoid 30-62 percent of AK cases in the UK, and this may hold true for other nations as well.
“Previous studies have linked AK to wearing contact lenses in hot tubs, swimming pools or lakes, and here we have added showers to that list, underlining that exposure to any water when wearing lenses should be avoided,” said first author, Associate Professor Nicole Carnt of the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital. “Public pools and coastal authorities could help reduce this risk by advising against swimming in contact lenses.”
Even though sight loss from AK is uncommon, it can occur in extreme cases, which is why the researchers decided to further explore potential risk factors. The team is working to find ways to reduce the annual incidence of AK, which is estimated to affect 1 in 20,000 contact lens wearers in the UK.
Opthalmology published the paper.
Looking at today’s technology it is kind of hard to believe that 20 or 30 years ago we didn’t know what a smartphone was, right? Hell, most of us (kids and adults alike) didn’t even have a mobile phone! And those of us who had one were in complete awe over games like Snake or Pong!
Therefore, I think that a quick look at how mobile games evolved over time is a true testament to the speed of technology. I mean, going from Snake played on a 1990 Nokia phone to a high-graphics game played on the latest Android or iOS smart device is a huge leap!
Even more, nowadays we can run complex apps on our mobile devices, and some are quite impressive. Let’s take apps designed for dentists and their patients – a simple search will reveal a plethora of options, so I chose only the top-rated ones as an example.
DDS GP
This is an app, for iOS users, that makes a dentist’s work with patients easier. The app is equipped with over 200 illustrations, images, and animations that showcase the effects of various dental conditions. This way, a dentist can literally illustrate how a specific disease will progress in time if not properly treated.
DDS GP can help explain some of the most common dental problems such s decay, cracks, or periodontal disease. Furthermore, it accepts edits and drawings which the user can save, and it helps to create individual treatment plans for each patient.
Now, since it’s such a well-detailed app, the price is a bit steep, but for those interested to learn, there are more options at healthyteeth.org (and for free).
iBracesHelp
If you have to wear braces or you’re planning on installing some in the near feature, this app may be of great use. The app provides useful information, videos, and pictures on how to care for braces and what to do if any problems would show up.
DentalNavi
Designed by a dentist for dentists everywhere, this free app for iOS provides users with animations and 3D video representations of various dental procedures. Given that some patients are new to the field and some may even be fearful of some treatment methods, DentalNavi is a fantastic way to illustrate what happens in a patient’s mouth while you’re working on it.
The app has several different modules such as implantology, interactive jaw movement, and checking for occlusions. Everything is highly graphical, which is why communication with your patients will be improved significantly.
My Dental Clinic
A free Android app that can help you manage the activity of an entire dental clinic – cool, right? You won’t have to deal with papers and difficult planners since everything will be readily accessible using your phone!
The app allows you to keep patients’ records such as personal information, notes, appointments, dental charts, and more. Furthermore, you have the possibility to call a patient directly from the app, and the appointments can be sent to your Android calendar.
Overall, this is a fantastic virtual planner for small to medium clinics, and most users seem happy with the features provided.
In Conclusion
As you can see, the world of mobile apps has evolved from low-graphics games to high-end graphics and advanced apps that can keep up with various services at once. Isn’t this advancement impressive?
The industry presents you such a wide variety of options to choose from when it comes to mattresses than it ever did before. As a matter of fact, presently, you have mattresses that are estimated to last you another 40-years; that’s approximately the major part of your life or the rest of it! The flocking, however, comes with its own level of technical work for us; we have more work trying out all the new brands coming up by the day as we compile our information. All a worthy experience – some of these beds have you bewitched to them; you just don’t feel like getting up at all.
But what are these improvements that have come to change the face of the bed industry as we knew it? What are the technological advances made to beds that you probably haven’t heard of? Some of these leaps are present in the Top Mattress only; you need to be prepared to do some decision making for a change by the end of this article – be sure to buy yourself and loved ones the nights they deserve.
The Memory Foam Treat
Originally, memory foam was only available and used by NASA to make their pilot’s uniform. But when it was released to the public in the late seventies, we had opportunists springing forth and making the first foam beds. Right now, different types of foams are being made for the best bed make. Organic foam and synthetic foam all find their way to the top beds in the market. Others are a hybrid make involving a mixture of latex and synthetic foam. All these provide different levels of firmness and response to pressure and temperatures.
Memory foam beds are usually preferable and recommended to the side and back sleepers at times. This is because the foam creates more depressions and contouring with the body preventing much pressure on the spine. Stomach sleepers and back sleepers (not majorly) need more firm options for a perfect spine alignment.
The Bed-In-A-Box Concept
Most of you bought your custom beds which were shipped as they are; you had to ask for help as you ferried it from the door to your room. Now consider a whole queen-sized bed coming inside a box, and all you have to do is open the box once you reach your room! This is the technology that will wipe away all shipping charges from bed provider stores and bring about a cool convenience to the client. That’s about as cool as it can get.
Meet the Smart Mattress
Need to sleep at angles? Easy, adjust it! Are you a snorer which is affecting your partner? Easy! Smart Motion technology literally has your back. The wireless remote controlled bed has a head and foot massage option due to its adjustability. The wonder bed also has an automatic alarm system that determines when the sleeper is in the light sleep stages and hence calculates when best to wake them up. This comes together with a customizable coach that collects your sleep data and offers better sleep recommendations upon comparing your data with people with your characteristics. The Sleeptrack app pre-installed is also designed to have meditative music to help you fall asleep faster. Can sleeping get any easier than that really?
Sleep Cool Beds
Sweating during the night can be quite a bore – especially if you have the same issue during the day. Sleeping with the windows open or buying fans to cool the room doesn’t seem to work for you. Take it easy; you are not alone. Good news is, there is something for you out there.
The market now has beds popping up with a top layer infused with gel to allow for breathability, thus, one sleeps as cool as they want. No hot nights anymore – sleep as sound as you’ve always wanted.
There is absolutely no more need to go around complaining of a consistent back pain or shoulder pains as a result of your unfulfilling nights. You need a mattress upgrade that suits your preferences. Some of these beds are really pocket-friendly. You’ll, nevertheless, be needed to dig deeper if you want to access the best that the industry has to offer.
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