On this day, 4 years ago the site was first launched (then a day later the first post made), Formed from chapotraphouse remnants, the old admins decided to make a site using Lemmy as its base. Originally called chapo.chat, Hexbear has grown into one of the biggest instances in the lemmyverse.
Despite various sitewide struggle sessions, wrecker incursions from other forums and federation drama, Hexbear has keep growing strong in its 4th year, now with 4 megathreads, over 4 million comments, 300k posts and much more.
Its being great running the general megathread for a bit over 3 years, since i took over i have tried to get it mostly in time and just one unlike during the old times, i like to think i have done a decent job, plus i have also added a bit of reading material to them so you nerds can learn from them and i like to think you have been reading them 
, its also nice to see the new megathreads how they have slowing grown up to the size to the old general mega in the time of the old admins.
dont have much else to say so have a good day nerd. also
Whats has been your favorite post/event from last year (july 2023-july 2024)?
I wont lie, all the fedidrama has been fun to read, especially when libs wander here
Megathreads and spaces to hang out:
- 📀 Come listen to music and Watch movies with your fellow Hexbears nerd, in Cy.tube
- 🔥 Read and talk about a current topics in the News Megathread
- ⚔ Come talk in the New Weekly PoC thread
- ✨ Talk with fellow Trans comrades in the New Weekly Trans thread
reminders:
- 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
- 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
- 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
- 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can reserve a spot here nerd
- 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog
Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):
Aid:
Theory:
Also 24 hours after this is posted the admins are closing the site for a day, sorry
Anyone with experience with Lexapro and SSRIs specifically long term and apathy?
CW medical gaslighting, depression
spoiler
I started Lexapro about 5 years ago. I wanted to, I was a bit unsure but my psych ensured it would help me and it did for a time. It took the edge off my depression, and lessened the suicidal ideations I was having.
What I didn’t know at the time was that I have ADHD which wasn’t being treated, and which was the root cause of a lot of my problems at that time. Actually, my psychiatrist doubted I had ADHD for a year until I basically got the diagnosis myself. Now I take Concerta which helps a lot and anyone who has or thinks you have ADHD consider trying a stimulant for it if you can.
Over time, I have had sometimes debilitating loss of motivation. This has made finishing my PhD quite difficult. It has also affected a lot else in my life.
Relationship problems have also arisen that are quite related to what I now know is common in SSRIs known as “emotional blunting”. More or less, it has been very hard to be emotionally available to my partner and is something I have had to work on very hard despite no major problems in our relationships.
I had no idea until just yesterday these two things can be related and caused by long term use of SSRIs. I have had the idea of getting off Lexapro for a while, mostly based on vibes and the fact that I actually treat my ADHD now (and know I have it)
Any time I bring up motivation issues to my shrink, he usually blames it on cannabis and says to really pay attention to how cannabis affects my motivation. I am a daily user, and have agonized quite a lot over how I might be sabotaging my entire life. I don’t necessarily want to stop using it though, and I don’t usually use it during working hours. Also, it has almost entirely replaced alcohol for me, and it is essential to treat my partner’s chronic pain.
After already having him doubt my ADHD (despite me describing ADHD symptoms to him for years) he never considered doing something to help me outside of increasing SSRI dose. Now I have found out there is actual research about SSRI apathy and emotional blunting that are really similar to things I experience and this motherfucker never bothered to bring it up. I don’t want to get into to many details but I really hate my shrink sometimes, I usually leave there angry and it’s also far away since I moved across town. I just haven’t found a new one yet and need to go every month to get my meds (especially concerta as it’s a controlled substance)
I’m already going to ask him about dropping my dose of Lexapro. I take 15 mg right now, 10 mg is usually the “starter dose” so it shouldn’t be a big issue to just drop it down a bit and see if it helps. Are there any online spaces or communities where people have shared similar experiences? Or anyone else here experienced these symptoms and stopped taking an SSRI?
The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs
Article’s five years old now but it may direct you to some extant communities where people share similar experiences. The lack of research on this stuff continues to be astounding.
I’m on a new daily neurological medication myself and it is fucking. me. up.
I have nothing helpful to say other than Good luck. I hope you can rejigger your meds to make life more enjoyable.
Don’t wanna dwell on this, but you have to smoke because of your partners chronic pain? Or just, like, you’re addicted to some degree so being around it will be difficult even if you agreed with taking an extended T break. And you have to use while working sometimes you mentioned?
Anyway, I was on Effexor for just over a year and got off after a few months slowly lowering. It sucked. It was awful. I was dizzy, I was sweaty, I was a miserable emotional wreck for that entire couple months. I’m glad I’m off but I’m also glad I was on it, especially at the beginning much like you. I got off not because of motivation issues or emotional blunting (although if you wouldve asked my ex I had a lot of blunting lmao), but because I felt like I was in a much better place and didn’t need it and could manage with therapy and the techniques we had from my sessions.