u/SoScorpio4

Edit: The number of people reading this as a personal attack because they assume this is only about COVID is very telling.

So is the number of people who apparently haven't heard that measles is back, that we have a recent outbreak in our area, and that 94% of the reported cases nationwide this year and 93% last year were in unvaccinated patients.

And yet, not very surprising. I'm getting used to the daily insanity, but I WILL NOT LET myself get used to it. Caring about justice and humans in general takes a huge toll these days. Nevertheless, I will persist.

Mods, please do not delete this. This is not "drama" or "discrimination", nor inviting ridicule against people with differing values. It is an announcement of a clear risk to public health in the Denver area, and everyone in or around Denver deserves to be informed of such risks, especially if the warning is actionable -- in this case, avoiding the risky area and spreading awareness so others can do the same. And it is informing people how they can report a public health risk to the city government.

https://preview.redd.it/owo5412wrr0h1.jpg?width=701&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8edc7ecedcbe9afb06e5a61a95011b7e131aff25

I just reported this to the Denver DPHE. 3-1-1 seems like the place to do this, if anyone knows a better way, please let us know. There's an online form, I guess you would put this under "other". They allow you to submit images, I submitted a screenshot of this event announcement.

This date is also a Friday and a Rockies game day! Many people may be planning to visit this beer garden after the game.

Edit: I also left a review announcing this on the business's Google maps entry, for anyone who might be considering going there and doesn't see this sub. And I contacted the beer garden management to encourage them to report this to the city as well.

I don't know if it will do any good, but maybe if enough of us report they'll at least put out a public health alert.

https://denvergov.org/Online-Services-Hub/Report-an-Issue/issue/new-report

This is what I said if you want to use it. Or, you can point out that this is a high-traffic area, located near Union Station, which elevates the risk of infection to the entire Denver metro area and beyond (by way of Amtrak).

>The Recess Beer Garden located at 2715 17th St #103, Denver, CO 80211 will be allowing a group of unvaccinated individuals to host a public event at their venue on May 29th, 2026. Given the recent measles outbreaks and continued risk of COVID-19, this constitutes a clear public health risk. Your Public Health Investigations page says you are "committed to resolving situations posing the greatest risk to public health." I expect to see a public alert and investigation into this matter. Thank you.

I see this as a duty to the health and welfare of my neighbors and the general public. Please take action.

I am MAD. My psych only warned me about possible serotonin syndrome and sexual dysfunction. First off, I might have reconsidered if he had explained that a common form of this sexual dysfunction is literally genital numbness, which some people say never goes away! Thankfully I'm not having that side effect, but goddamn.

I want to get off of it, been on only 3 months, was having heat intolerance pretty much from the start, then a month ago started having night sweats and vivid dreams, switching to taking it in the morning didn't help.

I was prescribed it for chronic pain that we don't even know the cause of. It was my PCP who recommended it but he wanted my psych to prescribe because of other meds I take, including Wellbutrin. I'm not sure it's helped my pain at all and the side effects are becoming really aggravating. Also having lowered libido, which I thought was due to other factors, but idk.

A few days ago my psych told me to go the ER when I called in about the heat intolerance and night sweats, and also that day had some dizziness and mental confusion. I assume he suspected serotonin syndrome. ER said I was fine, though I'm not sure they even looked for that beyond my vitals, because I also went in for shortness of breath.

After the ER, psych said I could reduce my dose from 60mg to 30mg. He sent me 13 pills with no special instructions, just to take them once a day. I took the first 30mg yesterday, second one today, and this morning I noticed I was feeling really weird. My ADHD meds weren't working and I felt physically anxious. My jaw was clenched and I could hardly relax it. Appetite was 0 and I got distracted and waited too long to eat, I couldn't think straight and was afraid of falling by the time I went to eat 4 hours after breakfast. I felt a little better after eating, but then got very depressed. Took me an hour just to drag myself out of a chair and I couldn't finish cleaning up from lunch.

Oh gods... I've been on so many antidepressants over the years, I can't even remember what the issues were with the 5 or more I tried in my teens. But I just had a memory, and I bet THIS is the one that caused brain zaps several times a MINUTE when I was withdrawing (under doctor guidance).

I see that it works fine or even great for some people, and some don't even have awful withdrawals. But for how many people DO have terrible side effects and withdrawal, we should really be warned about this! I really had no sense this was much different from my Wellbutrin. It is WILDLY different.

Also, really pissed that my primary Dr suggested this instead of any NORMAL PAINKILLERS besides OTC ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Because I have fibromyalgia, I would guess is his reasoning. Chronic pain for over a year, no diagnosis, (don't believe it's all fibro, it got much worse and very different in the past 18mo) and every time I told him about the debilitating pain he would blame it on me being "deconditioned" and said opioids would only increase my pain sensitivity. Absolutely no mention of any non-opioid prescription painkillers. Except Gabapentin which I was on before this and got off of because it didn't help at all and can also have horrible withdrawal.

Edit: Look, I am very glad it works wonders for some people. And of course I know different meds work different for different people. But this is like an ABNORMAL amount of people saying they had these horrible side effects and withdrawals AND weren't warned about them. Not to mention the manufacturer keeps getting cited for failure to warn, so it's not just an opinion thing or a "weighted negativity" thing.

Last year I was prescribed Strattera for ADHD before my psych would let me try a stimulant. It was absolutely horrible, felt like I had ODed on an actual stimulant, I was violent and suicidal. But when I looked it up, I saw practically no one else reporting these effects. So I didn't ask about Strattera, "Why wasn't I warned?" Clearly those side effects are pretty rare.

Both anecdotal evidence and lawsuits pretty strongly indicate these side effects and withdrawal symptoms for Cymbalta are NOT rare.

This is day 2 of taking 30mg instead of 60mg and I'm extremely distracted and overwhelmed, and a bit anxious. I have ADHD and took my meds for that as usual today, which makes it kinda weird that my task overwhelm, decision paralysis, and disordered thinking are worse than usual. I've spent an hour trying to make a game plan for the day or just start on something.

My Dr only filled 13 pills of the 30mg, is that enough time before going off it completely?

I was prescribed it for suspected nerve pain. We actually have no answers for what is causing the pain or what system it even is, been poked and prodded for over a year.

Started at 30mg and went up to 60mg after a month or so.

I am also on Wellbutrin, have been for a few years and it doesn't seem to have negative effects.

I took cymbalta briefly as a teen for depression/anxiety, can't remember why I stopped, but starting to think it was more than "it didn't work".

I'm not sure if it's helping my pain at all or not.

In the last month or two I've developed an intolerance to heat, I get hot really easily now, so hot I'll take off my clothes if it's an option, and then I'll get cold within half an hour. I've also had night sweats coupled with vivid dreams every night for about 3 weeks. I figured these might be side effects of the cymbalta.

When I called my psych (primary said psych should prescribe since he knows more about my other meds) about this, with some dizziness and mental confusion, he said to get checked out at the ER. I assume he was worried about serotonin syndrome, but unless it's possible for it to be pretty mild, I don't think it was that. ER had no answers.

I need to be finding a lawyer to help me appeal for SSDI. It's an overwhelming process to begin with, now I'm worried the cymbalta withdrawals may disable me to the point where I can't even work on that.

I wish I hadn't tried this med again. Gabapentin didn't help my pain either. My Dr is convinced it's nerve pain because it's widespread and I do get some pins and needles, but mostly not in my hands and feet which hurt the worst. I thought this would at least be safer than an opiate, but now I'm not so sure.

I suppose this is a vent, I'm not unwilling to take advice though.

I'm just so tired. Some days it feels like exhaustion, hopelessness. But other days, like today, I am ANGRY. ADHD meds probably help me have fewer days where I just rot in bed because I can't cope. But they also probably increase the days when I'm angry instead. But I'm not talking uncontrollable or irrational anger. I think I'm 100% justified.

I have spent my whole damn life molding myself to people's expectations, to societal norms. I got SO good at it that for a lot of my life I didn't really know I was doing it. I thought everyone had to try this hard.

I used to tell people I'm adaptable... I'm not. I'm *resilient* because I'm STILL HERE after HAVING to adapt so much.

I adapted to my parents divorcing when I was too young to remember. I adapted to them moving all over the place for school and work and dragging me with them (esp my mom). I adapted to two stepmothers, three stepfathers, several boyfriends (my mom's), and a total of 5 step siblings over the years. I adapted to living in a 2-bed 1-bath with four other people. I adapted to living with blow-out fights with one abusive husband of my mom's, and his daughter and I both "adapted" to him not letting us eat between school lunch and dinner, by hoarding nuts in our rooms.

I barely adapted when my dad, the person I was closest to, the only one who seemed to understand me and accept me as I was, died when I was 14. I fought tooth and nail to not have to leave my hometown to move to the opposite coast (from CA to NY), but of course I had to. The only time I was EVER given a choice was a year before my dad died, when my mom moved to NY and asked if I wanted to come with her or stay with my dad. I chose to stay in my hometown. And then a year later he died and it didn't matter anyway.

As an adult I've kept adapting. Being poor, abusive boyfriends, burnout from work. But after a 7 year abusive relationship finally led to complete burnout, I became disabled. I just couldn't adapt anymore. Yet I still tried. I still thought it was my fault that I struggled too much. Not until my diagnosis last year did I realize that I should never have had to try this hard -- all the while being told I wasn't trying hard enough!!!

And now, the cherry on top? Now that I know why things were and are so hard, now that I understand myself and my limitations better, the people I still have to adapt to because I have to live with them... Won't even listen. When I try to explain my struggles, how I feel, why things are difficult, what things I can't do (at least not without great suffering). I know they think I'm making excuses, giving up, we've been over this, even in therapy together. They finally seem to accept that I'm not giving up.

But they still don't give a shit. Now that I can tell them ways they can cut me slack, help lessen the burden of the constant adapting, heck, even ways THEY could possibly adapt to MY NEEDS (gods forbid!!!!!!), the most I ever get is "Mmm."

And my stepdad, who's the worst, IS ALSO FUCKING AUTISTIC. No therapy, no skills training, he insists the way he does things is the right way, everyone else is wrong, he doesn't have a problem. While I'm over here busting my ass with weekly therapy, weekly DBT (advanced), weekly esketamine treatments, trauma work, shadow work, WORK WORK WORKING on myself, and they accuse me of being lazy, of asking for more help than I need, of not considering others.

Just... Done. I'm so done. I'm tired. I don't wanna do this anymore.

I will of course talk to my doctor about this, and I'm not seeking medical advice.

What I do want to get a sense of is how common/severe this experience is, because I expect my doctor to blame my weight. And I'm on Medicaid, so he really has to make a case for every single test I get being medically necessary.

I'm a little concerned that it could be a sign of congestive heart failure.

I know that abdominal pressure from being overweight (I guess I'm obese technically) absolutely can cause this. But I don't remember it being an issue when I was in my 20s and heavier than this. I'm 35 now.

It wasn't much of an issue recently either except when tying shoes. I prefer sandals and slip-ons anyway, so I use those a lot more and it was just an occasional inconvenience.

Now I'm recovering from surgery on both feet (excised cysts) two weeks ago, and I still have to wear a surgery shoe on one foot and a walking boot on the other. Getting these on is so difficult, partly because of my range of motion, but also because I get winded so quickly. If I do the shoe first, which is quicker, then sit up and take a break, then start on the boot, I have to sit up before I get all five velcro areas.

I'm sure this varies by body type as well, and I don't really know how to share that without using numbers or anything... I guess I can say I'm big enough that sitting in the backseat of a car with two small/skinny people is pretty uncomfortable physically. But not so big that my bra band size can only be found in plus-size stores.

I glanced through the wiki and read some parts more thoroughly, and man, there are such a wide variety of symptoms!

I have discussed this with a doctor already, *he* sent me for the hormonal tests, but I was already pretty sure they're pointless because I take continuous bcp for 3-4 months at a time, have literally never had a regular cycle in my life, and I have PCOS. Then I went to a gyno for my annual which I didn't know are only required like every 5 years now, so instead we discussed the possibility of perimenopause, and they were slightly more helpful than my primary, but couldn't offer any more helpful way to diagnose or treat.

I'm 35 and didn't even consider it could be perimenopause until I made a post on a women's ADHD subreddit (I have AuDHD) asking if anyone else noticed sensory sensitivities getting worse as they age. Overwhelmingly got answers about perimenopause and how it can make women who don't have ADHD feel like they have ADHD, and if you already DO... Oh boy.

I suspect it for these reasons: sensitivities to light, sound, and touch increasing, skin changes (always had clear skin, now getting acne and *supposed* age barnacles), heat intolerance (takes very little activity for me to get very hot and it's very unpleasant), increasing clumsiness, breakthrough bleeding on bcp/lack of period when I stop bcp to have a period, dry mouth, worsened GERD, and frequent vivid dreams coupled with night sweats.

Woke up this morning in a freezing room from having the window open all night, drenched in sweat, need to wash the sheets, and I'm cranky from long, detailed, tiring dreams. I'm just sick of it.

One problem is that I'm on a variety of meds that could also be responsible for some of these symptoms. Cymbalta for the dreams and night sweats. I suppose Wellbutrin could do the same. But I've been on the Wellbutrin for a couple years already. Dry mouth *could* be from those but it's gotten so much worse lately. When I had to stop drinking all liquids 8 hours before surgery my mouth was so dry that I had trouble swallowing and talking and HAD to take tiny sips of water just to lubricate my mouth and throat.

The cymbalta is newer, for fibromyalgia, and I'm definitely going to taper off of it once I recover from my feet surgeries to see if it's actually helping my pain at all, because the night symptoms are insufferable if I'm not getting much benefit from the meds.

My doctor has of course suggested normal aging and being overweight weight as explanations. 🫩

I was recently denied SSDI and plan to file an appeal with a lawyer. The reason they denied me was stated in the letter, that I hadn't filled out the disability report or the release for medical records. Which is true. I have AuDHD and between the pressure of getting everything in there I possibly could, and my functional disabilities, I just couldn't finish it in time. EVEN knowing that the sooner I got denied, the sooner I could apply for AND. If that's not a sign of disability... well, anyway.

I'm not even totally sure what I or my doctors would say is my "primary" diagnosis. I am going to list ADHD, autism, PTSD, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue. (Yes, I know, my chances are pretty low. I may make another post going into more detail, because I have at least made efforts that should show it's not a matter of not trying or not wanting to work.)

As these are all invisible illnesses, I'm not even sure which would give me the best shot as my primary diagnosis, or if that even matters. Both the physical and neurological sides have drawbacks when stated as my disabilities for this purpose.

ADHD and autism - invisible, clinical diagnoses, hugely misunderstood and stigmatized.

Fibromyalgia - dx in early 20s, also clinical diagnosis, barely shows up in medical records after dx because all doctors said there was nothing they could do, so I stopped talking about it.

Chronic pain and fatigue - arose less than two years ago, NO diagnosis besides cysts in my feet, which I had removed almost two weeks ago, but which I am sure are only partly responsible for my debilitating foot and leg pain, and don't explain the mirrored pain in my hands at all (though I suspect more cysts there). Over a year of tests has found nothing conclusive. But the documentation of how it affects my functioning is quite extensive, so maybe it's still my best shot?

Note: the denial letter also informed me that I meet work requirements until the end of 2028. So I believe I can claim more recent conditions even though I last worked in 2018.

I'm not sure if I should ask my primary, my psychiatrist, or my therapist to sign the Med-9. Therapist has the most knowledge of my daily struggles and functional limitations, but obviously can't officially speak to the physical side. My psychiatrist is less familiar but still involved, and I wonder if their report would seem less biased than if it came from my therapist who is paid to be my ally. My primary knows about all the tests I've had, has been witness to the increasingly debilitating pain, and knows of my other diagnoses but I think could not speak officially on the mental health diagnoses. (They're neurological, not mental illness, but I really doubt any part of the government will make that distinction when I haven't had neurological tests that prove these.)

It's my understanding that I can have additional providers write reports I can attach to the Med-9, but only one provider must fill it out. My worry with using my primary is that fibro is the only diagnosis that we know will last more than 6 months and has lasted more than a year. Without a diagnosis for the newer pain, I don't know if he can check the box that says it's expected to last more than 6 months. I certainly expect it, since it's been over a year already, but I don't know if my doctor will say the same on an official document.

I tried to keep this short, but I usually fail. I cut out as much as I could, so if you need clarification on something, please ask. Thank you in advance for any advice.