u/iisgeek

I was on 150mg of amitriptyline for 6 years for MDD and insomnia. For context, I also have Multiple Sclerosis. I decided to stop taking amitriptyline after realizing the cognitive changes I'd been having for a few years had nothing to do with my MS. I was having issues remembering things, I was experiencing aphasia, and I was dropping everything from my hands. When I would take my pills at night, I would go into fight or flight mode, followed by being so heavily sedated I couldn't wake up if I tried. I noticed the sleep I was getting wasn't actually restful, and I wasn't dreaming anymore (that I could recall). In January of 2025, I started the process to taper off. I started by halving my dose to 75mg, and every 2 weeks, I'd go down until I made it to 10mg per my provider's instructions. I followed this exactly, and I finished the process, but I've been having withdrawal symptoms for over a year. This has been kicking my ass and leaving me for dead! I have dysautonomia caused by my discontinuation of Amitriptyline, and it doesn't help that I have MS. Every day, I have palpitations throughout the day. When I wake up, I'm usually nauseous and or sick to my stomach. Sometimes I have attacks where I suddenly can't move, and these scare me the most. It feels like my body weighs more than I can carry, and my heart feels weak. These attacks usually last between 20 minutes to a few hours. I have a hard time maintaining my body temperature to an extreme. If the temperature drops even a degree, I begin to tremble heavily, and my teeth start chattering. I have to be careful when I shower because if I get too hot, I get so dizzy and weak it takes everything in me to get out before I faint. I have an overactive bladder and go more times than I can count in a day. The worst symptom is that I wake up and can't go back to sleep because I'm as wide awake as if I had a cup of coffee. Once the sun comes out, I get horribly sleepy. It's such a roller coaster, and I've been hanging on, hoping it'll be over soon, but it seems to be the gift that never stops giving. Has anyone gone through something like this?

Is it just me? I think it's insane to have to do a presentation on these questions as part of an interview! I don't even have the job yet 😅

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How many people are in your natural market (include friends in the state and social media

friends)?

Describe your 30, 60, 90 day business strategy for starting your Insurance Agency:

30 days: _____________________________________________________________________

60 days: _____________________________________________________________________

90 days: _____________________________________________________________________

Define your target market:

______________________________________________________________________________

Value proposition (why should a customer choose you over another agent?)

______________________________________________________________________________

Generating referrals

List very good friends/ acquaintances you would feel comfortable calling on to help start your business. (Also, list what they do for a living and how you would utilize your relationship with them to start generating leads to support your business)

List the names and professions of the current/ potential sources you work with or can call on to rekindle relationships. (Ex. A realtor you used you closed your home with)

Describe how you would maintain relationships with each referral source listed. What value

would you offer them?

______________________________________________________________________________

How would you approach each referral source listed and what approaching style would you take with each source. Do they all have the same approach?

______________________________________________________________________________

Community Engagement

Are you currently involved in any local community groups, associations, or volunteer

organizations? If so, which ones?

As a Comparion Insurance agent which local community groups, associations, or volunteer

organizations would you attend and/or be part of and how would you generate leads?

What types of community events would you prioritize attending in your first 90 days, and why?

Digital

How would you use social media to generate leads or referrals for your agency?

“If you were asked to create a short video introducing yourself to potential clients, how would you approach it?”

List 3 types of posts you would create each week. How would you measure engagement and

convert followers into leads?

What’s one digital skill or tool you’d like to improve or learn more about?

nuHow will you ask for reviews? What kind of client experience will you create to earn them?”

Discontinued 150MG after 6 years