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Occupy Big Pharma


Shanti

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I wish I felt well enough to go to the protest. I feel like I'm missing out on the beginning of a revolution. I'd make a sign about Big Pharma.

 

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Taper from Cymbalta, Paxil, Prozac & Antipsychotics finished June 2012.

Xanax 5% Taper - (8/12 - .5 mg) - (9/12 - .45) - (10/12 - .43) - (11/12 - .41) - (12/12 - .38)

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I wish I felt well enough to go to the protest. I feel like I'm missing out on the beginning of a revolution. I'd make a sign about Big Pharma.

 

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Hi Shanti,

 

I love it. This may sound like a dumb question but is this really going on regarding pharma? I know there are occupy movements but I wasn't aware that big pharma was being targeted. Sorry, I can't focus too well and as a result, I am not keeping up with the news.

 

Not to pick an argument but can we really blame big pharma for the lack of health insurance coverage? I would be more inclined to blame the insurance companies. I would think big pharma would want as many covered as possible as that means more money for them.

 

If I am missing something obvious, please forgive me.

 

CS

Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010
Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006
Finished taper on June 10, 2010

Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016

Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week

April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia

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Occupy Big Pharma is a great idea. Where is it?

 

Maybe it could happen on YouTube? Thousands of people saying how they've been screwed?

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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I just want to add one thing about that pic you uploaded:

 

I had a girlfriend who had Crohn's disease, and she was once on Accutane. I've long since suspected the connection (only in hindsight...we broke up about three years ago), but that pic really solidified my theory.

 

Truly chilling.

 

*On a somewhat related note: I am working part time at Whole Foods to pay off my student loans before I go to grad school (thank god I have a low enough amount that I'll basically be debt-free this time next year), and I was just told that Whole Foods has just initiated a "point system" for cashiers. That is, every time you do something you shouldn't, you get dinged and points are added to your tally. If you accumulate too many points, you're toast.

 

And what causes you to lose points? Everything from register errors (having your till over by about $20) to forgetting to have a customer put their phone number on a check, to even CALLING IN SICK WITH A DOCTOR'S NOTE! Yep, that's right, even if you're sick with pneumonia and it's doctor's orders for you to rest for a few days, you'll still get dinged and could lose your job if you accumulate too many points.

 

This has played out in a huge way in just the first month I've been there. I was told that one woman was fired the day she was to be interviewed for a transfer job at a Whole Foods in another state. And then a few weeks after she was fired her son got cancer.

 

And a fellow worker is in somewhat of a similar situation. He works full-time and has been at the cash register since February. He's hoping to transfer to a store in California (his home) in January, but he's on his final warning due to TWO register errors in almost a year (he forgot to give cash back to a customer once and forgot to ask a customer to write her phone number down on a check). So he literally may not be able to go home if he makes one more register error. IMAGINE the anxiety/stress that puts on someone! And all for a freaking cashier position! Amazing.

 

And yet you know that Whole Foods knows that people will put up with this because the economy is so bad and that if they don't like it, there will be another worker lined up who's more desperate who will take their place. And us Americans have been so good at denying these problems for so long because it's just so American to basically get f*cked in the ass and say, "Dear sir, may I have another?" as we brainlessly try to put a good face on something due to our irrational optimism. This blind optimism just allows things to get to the terminal point that they are, and then all of a sudden here we are in this mess.

 

And assholes like Newt Gingrich wonder why people are protesting? And he has the gall to say "get a job after you take a bath"?

 

People like Gingrich and his ilk are ultimately fools, however. They, like all corrupt power brokers who get fat off the status quo, don't realize that by squeezing "commoners" dry you give those commoners nothing to lose. Suddenly, all the debt-slaves (student or otherwise) who have no future because of your status quo have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so they revolt. So in a way, perhaps Newt should just keep at it. It could just accelerate the end-game, like it always has for all of history...

 

Awful times we live in, huh?

Been on SSRIs since 1998:

1998-2005: Paxil in varying doses

2005-present: Lexapro.

2006-early '08: Effexor AND Lexapro! Good thing I got off the Effexor rather quickly (within a year).

 

**PSYCHIATRY: TAKE YOUR CHEMICAL IMBALANCE AND CHOKE ON IT!

APA=FUBAR

FDA=SNAFU

NIMH=LMFAO

 

Currently tapering Lexapro ~10% every month:

 

STARTING: 15 mg

11/7/10: 13.5 mg

12/7/10: 12.2 mg

1/6/11: 10.9 mg

2/3/11: 9.8 mg

3/3/11: 8.8 mg

4/1/11: 7.8 mg

4/29/11: 7 mg

5/27/11: 6.4 mg

6/24/11: 5.7 mg

7/22/11: 5 mg

8/18/11: 4.5 mg

9/14/11: 4 mg

10/13/11: 3.6 mg

11/9/11: 3.2 mg

12/7/11: 2.6 mg

1/3/12: 2.1 mg

2/2/12: 1.8 mg

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And yet you know that Whole Foods knows that people will put up with this because the economy is so bad and that if they don't like it, there will be another worker lined up who's more desperate who will take their place. And us Americans have been so good at denying these problems for so long because it's just so American to basically get f*cked in the ass and say, "Dear sir, may I have another?" as we brainlessly try to put a good face on something due to our irrational optimism. This blind optimism just allows things to get to the terminal point that they are, and then all of a sudden here we are in this mess.

And assholes like Newt Gingrich wonder why people are protesting? And he has the gall to say "get a job after you take a bath"?

People like Gingrich and his ilk are ultimately fools, however. They, like all corrupt power brokers who get fat off the status quo, don't realize that by squeezing "commoners" dry you give those commoners nothing to lose. Suddenly, all the debt-slaves (student or otherwise) who have no future because of your status quo have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so they revolt. So in a way, perhaps Newt should just keep at it. It could just accelerate the end-game, like it always has for all of history...

Awful times we live in, huh?

 

GET A JOB? Damn, we hadn't thought about that, Newty! AMAZING.

 

Great post, Cinephile.

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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There is supposed to be an "Occupy the APA" next fall in Philly.

 

The whole system is f***d. If someone has had any treatment for depression - an antidepressant or psychotherapy - it automatically throws them into the 'high risk' pool for health insurance and life insurance. My husband and I have dealt w/this w/Life Insurance. There is a question on applications asking if applicant has ever been TREATED for depression or taken a medication for depression. Recently, I read that this is including therapy - even one session. I don't know how this plays in with meds being prescribed w/o diagnosis and, of course, HIPAA laws, confidentiality, etc.

 

I heard a radio commercial for life insurance that started with "If you've been turned down for life insurance because you smoke or have taken an antidepressant, contact us for better rates...." So, AD usage is being lumped in with smoking as a risk?? This opens up a whole new can of very ugly worms. What if someone takes Zyban (bupropion = Wellbutrin) to quit smoking?? Is Zyban an 'antidepressant' or a smoking-cessation med? And, assuming it works and person no longer smokes but has taken bupropion (an AD), how do they answer that question and how are they rated?

And ADs being used for pain... Are they being treated with a pain med or AD? Most likely it's whatever gets the highest insurance premium. A little PMS in your teens? High insurance risk.

 

This is wrong on so many levels! I would love to get the actuarial data from insurers to see how they are justifying this. Sounds like it's better to go untreated for insurance reasons.

 

Also...why are DSM codes used for billing, ever?? My understanding is that DSM codes have a corresponding ICD code. Bad enough that there's a ridiculous DIAGNOSTIC manual that's growing thicker every day. Other specialties have treatment algorithyms, guidelines, etc. No separate manuals w a complete separate coding system (that I'm aware of). Parity? Yeah, right!

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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Is Zyban an 'antidepressant' or a smoking-cessation med?

Well Barb, that's what those in the insurance industry call a "twofer!" You smoke AND you're taking an AD! Now your rates will really go through the roof!

 

Sounds like it's better to go untreated for insurance reasons.

Well DUH Bar B). That's why we have the best health care system in the world: no one dare use it so people are motivated to stay healthy! Well actually that's largely untrue (healthcare is way overused and people are horribly unhealthy here), but I still like my pet theory. Hey, if psychiatrists can get paid millions to get their asinine pet theories/diagnoses into the DSM, I darn well have a right to my own pet theory!

 

In all seriousness Bar, I'm really glad you're making all these connections and seeing that the problems run so much deeper than just psychiatry. It's the whole goddamn country and it makes you wonder if we've passed the point of no return. Considering all the ingenious tricks TPTB (both governmental, economic, and psychiatric) have up their sleeves (rigging studies, playing with statistics, using emotional rhetoric, using PR blitzes, print more fiat currency, bailing out more distressed -- and corrupt -- companies, extending more credit/loans/food stamps to the poor, etc etc) this could very well go on for DECADES. Even the OWS movement could easily be fooled by slickster politicians since there are still many in that movement who are scapegoating the wrong people (the banks and the wealthy) when really they should direct their anger to the government and the Fed. All a politician has to do is enact some Potemkin agreement with the banks that looks like tough new regulations but is really just a slap on the wrist and the OWS people could be placated while all along the government is still as corrupt as it's ever been and the new "regulation" laws can silently be clawed back when no one's looking over a course of years. I mean just look at how well the supercommittee did! What a disaster, and how much you wanna bet those "automatic cuts" get silently clawed back over time? After all, so much of the cuts are slated for the Pentagon, and considering the boner this country gets over war, do you EVER think the military-industrial complex will EVER tolerate any cuts? NOPE. We gotta keep Americans safe from those terrorist bastards, even if it bleeds us dry by trillions every year and we largely created this terrorist Frankenstein by our interventionist meddling which is a classic sign of an empire in decline.

 

But hey no big deal. Today's Thanksgiving and I've got the day off. As long as the bird's in the oven, a game's on the tube and Dancing with the Stars is all new this week, everything's OK.

 

Honestly, at this point the best thing I think any American can do is take matters into their own hands and just bypass mainstream American life and institutions. That means cutting way back on credit card spending, getting out of debt (even if it means you can't buy that new refrigerator you really want), eating less junk food and exercising more so you don't have to go to the doctor and interface with the horrible health care/pharmaceutical complex, and invest in grassroots organizations that truly care about issues that mean something to you, like the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care. I think we've been brainwashed into thinking the government is the answer, or that some organization like the APA/NIMH is the answer, when really the answer is within us and we don't really need some faceless beaurocracy to "save us." This country has become such a passive spectator country over the last four decades and people don't even realize that by blindly believing in the government as savior that they are turning over their power and control to politicians, no matter how good and honest those politicians may be.

 

And honestly, I really think the Foundation can operate just as well as the APA or NIMH ever could and funding isn't necessarily an issue. A few philanthropists could go a long way with their charitable donations to get some pilot studies done. If there's a will, there's a way; the money will be found. And real results from real science could attract further donations quite easily, I believe. We don't necessarily need government money/grants. And what's the point of having government money if it's so mismanaged anyway, like at the NIMH? It infuriates me to no end that a portion of my tax dollars go to fund masturbatory dead-end vanity studies at the NIMH that help no one but the researchers. I would most definitely love to pocket that tax money and give it directly to the Foundation, but Uncle Sam won't let me :angry:

 

Our forefathers knew all this. They knew how toxic government could be, and they knew how it was the duty of citizens to dissolve that government if it was no longer working for them. I say let's dissolve it by opting out of it.

 

Meanwhile, keep those glasses on Bar!

Been on SSRIs since 1998:

1998-2005: Paxil in varying doses

2005-present: Lexapro.

2006-early '08: Effexor AND Lexapro! Good thing I got off the Effexor rather quickly (within a year).

 

**PSYCHIATRY: TAKE YOUR CHEMICAL IMBALANCE AND CHOKE ON IT!

APA=FUBAR

FDA=SNAFU

NIMH=LMFAO

 

Currently tapering Lexapro ~10% every month:

 

STARTING: 15 mg

11/7/10: 13.5 mg

12/7/10: 12.2 mg

1/6/11: 10.9 mg

2/3/11: 9.8 mg

3/3/11: 8.8 mg

4/1/11: 7.8 mg

4/29/11: 7 mg

5/27/11: 6.4 mg

6/24/11: 5.7 mg

7/22/11: 5 mg

8/18/11: 4.5 mg

9/14/11: 4 mg

10/13/11: 3.6 mg

11/9/11: 3.2 mg

12/7/11: 2.6 mg

1/3/12: 2.1 mg

2/2/12: 1.8 mg

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Darn Cine, I wish I had known about this when I went to someone's house for Thanksgiving as one of the guests works at Whole Foods. In a nice way, I would have asked him what the bleep was going on.

 

I guess I won't be shopping there any more. Actually, I had cut back quite a bit due to the prices but at times, there was stuff I wanted there.

 

If this is going on at my local WF, I am tempted to complain to the manager and explain why I will no longer be a customer. Actually, if that is going on, I would love to make it public that a food place is docking sick workers for not coming to work.

 

That is disgraceful.

 

I am so sorry to hear that.

 

CS

 

I just want to add one thing about that pic you uploaded:

 

I had a girlfriend who had Crohn's disease, and she was once on Accutane. I've long since suspected the connection (only in hindsight...we broke up about three years ago), but that pic really solidified my theory.

 

Truly chilling.

 

*On a somewhat related note: I am working part time at Whole Foods to pay off my student loans before I go to grad school (thank god I have a low enough amount that I'll basically be debt-free this time next year), and I was just told that Whole Foods has just initiated a "point system" for cashiers. That is, every time you do something you shouldn't, you get dinged and points are added to your tally. If you accumulate too many points, you're toast.

 

And what causes you to lose points? Everything from register errors (having your till over by about $20) to forgetting to have a customer put their phone number on a check, to even CALLING IN SICK WITH A DOCTOR'S NOTE! Yep, that's right, even if you're sick with pneumonia and it's doctor's orders for you to rest for a few days, you'll still get dinged and could lose your job if you accumulate too many points.

 

This has played out in a huge way in just the first month I've been there. I was told that one woman was fired the day she was to be interviewed for a transfer job at a Whole Foods in another state. And then a few weeks after she was fired her son got cancer.

 

And a fellow worker is in somewhat of a similar situation. He works full-time and has been at the cash register since February. He's hoping to transfer to a store in California (his home) in January, but he's on his final warning due to TWO register errors in almost a year (he forgot to give cash back to a customer once and forgot to ask a customer to write her phone number down on a check). So he literally may not be able to go home if he makes one more register error. IMAGINE the anxiety/stress that puts on someone! And all for a freaking cashier position! Amazing.

 

And yet you know that Whole Foods knows that people will put up with this because the economy is so bad and that if they don't like it, there will be another worker lined up who's more desperate who will take their place. And us Americans have been so good at denying these problems for so long because it's just so American to basically get f*cked in the ass and say, "Dear sir, may I have another?" as we brainlessly try to put a good face on something due to our irrational optimism. This blind optimism just allows things to get to the terminal point that they are, and then all of a sudden here we are in this mess.

 

And assholes like Newt Gingrich wonder why people are protesting? And he has the gall to say "get a job after you take a bath"?

 

People like Gingrich and his ilk are ultimately fools, however. They, like all corrupt power brokers who get fat off the status quo, don't realize that by squeezing "commoners" dry you give those commoners nothing to lose. Suddenly, all the debt-slaves (student or otherwise) who have no future because of your status quo have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so they revolt. So in a way, perhaps Newt should just keep at it. It could just accelerate the end-game, like it always has for all of history...

 

Awful times we live in, huh?

 

Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010
Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006
Finished taper on June 10, 2010

Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016

Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week

April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia

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Well, I don't know if there's actually an event about Occupy Big Pharma. I just made it up. I see many people with signs about things that are just wrong with this country. Such as signs saying to legalize Marijuana. The way I see it, it's a time to get it all out there.

 

Cinephile, it's crazy that Whole Foods can fire you over being sick with a doctors note! Wouldn't a person be able to go on medical leave and keep their job? I wonder what the laws are about this. Just doesn't seem right.

 

Compsports, it looks like Big Pharma got that guy into the mess and as a result, got into a mess with the insurance issue. So it looks like two issues there.

Taper from Cymbalta, Paxil, Prozac & Antipsychotics finished June 2012.

Xanax 5% Taper - (8/12 - .5 mg) - (9/12 - .45) - (10/12 - .43) - (11/12 - .41) - (12/12 - .38)

My Paxil Website

My Intro

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""Well, I don't know if there's actually an event about Occupy Big Pharma. I just made it up. I see many people with signs about things that are just wrong with this country. Such as signs saying to legalize Marijuana. The way I see it, it's a time to get it all out there. ""

 

Thanks! I am embarrassed at how little I have kept up with the news. I gotta change that although it might be too depressing.

 

Totally agree about getting it out there.

 

<<Compsports, it looks like Big Pharma got that guy into the mess and as a result, got into a mess with the insurance issue. So it looks like two issues there.>>

 

Gotcha.

Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010
Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006
Finished taper on June 10, 2010

Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016

Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week

April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia

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About the WF point system:

 

Supposedly it is being tested in the Northeastern region right now, and WF will decide if they want to make it a nationwide thing. And it's only being used in the cashier department so far (no other departments in the store are using it).

 

As for the sick day thing: all I know is you get dinged and points are added for being sick, even if you have a doctor's note. I heard this from a coworker (the one trying to relocate to California who's on his final warning).

 

And to clarify: I don't know if being sick alone will get you fired. All I know is it accrues points the more often you're sick. However, some of the employee reviews of WF (see below) corroborate the story I heard from my coworker that absenteeism -- even if for a legitimate medical cause -- can lead to being fired.

 

And now my own observations about this policy: it basically has created a revolving door situation at the cash register. In the month I've been there so far, at least five new people have been hired, and I've heard at least two people have been fired since I joined. So that makes it very probable that all those replacements were for people who were fired. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it seems like every day there are new people working there. And I recently went to another store and talked to the cashier there and she said the same thing about the "revolving door" phenomenon.

 

However, I must be as fair as possible to WF. There ARE some excellent things about the company: you get 20% discount off everything at every store (that's quite generous), the starting pay isn't too bad, and so far they have been accommodating about my schedule (a BIG deal for retail). And supposedly the benefits are great if you're full time. I mean, really REALLY great. And I have a hunch that the shift leaders know how horrible the points system is. They were heartbroken when they had to fire that woman who was going to transfer to another state because she was such a good person and good worker.

 

BUT Whole Foods supposedly recently became a public company, which means it is now beholden to stockholders. This is a doomsday development for many workers, because great companies that were once private (that is, not traded on the stockmarket) now have to keep shareholders happy at any cost, and if that includes enacting demeaning corporate BS like point systems, they'll do it as long as they get big bucks. And once they have big enough bucks to have "F*CK YOU MONEY" they can enact any kind of BS policies (Wal-mart anyone?). This happens to a lot of companies, sadly, and is one of the reasons this country is going down the toilet.

 

Honestly, I think I came to WF at an interesting time. I think the point system is predictive of a downward trend for employee well-being. I think the next things they'll cut will inevitably be the benefits and the employee discounts. The shareholders simply won't stand for such expenses and the impact it has on the bottom line.

 

Just for the hell of it, I checked out WF on an employee review site and while most of the reviews were positive and said it was a great place to work, there is a trend that's creeping in where former employees are saying that it's becoming more corporate. Here's what some of them say (and I agree with them, or at least think the complaints are plausible):

 

-"Evil with an organic happy smile. Your job is never safe. The local, help-the-community mantra is more image than actual action."

-"Management not listening to employees' concerns (such as not taking someone seriously when they are afraid someone took money out of their till...personal experience).

Getting written up for being ill - even with doctor's notes (personal experience)"

-"Former long time employee, company has become far more 'corporate' in recent years. I was a long time employee; it was a great company when I started with more of a family feel to it. As time has progressed, its corporate nature became far more evident and the push for corporate profit seemed more important than the happiness of everyone involved."

-"Lack of understanding regarding personal emergencies, including physical injury. Strict time and attendance policy that can, and often does, lead to losing your job. Reprimands and threats in the form of write-ups that leave team members scared. Although the customer is always right at any workplace, unfortunately this includes customers that are abusive to team members. A work schedule with little to no consistency that is given to you a few days before your work week starts leaving little time to make plans in your personal life. Store meetings at 6am that reiterate the same rhetoric. Micromanagement is a problem as well."

-"The Shift managers then badger you about getting the numbers up. You are caught between a rock and a hard place because you were doing your best all along and can't fathom a way to improve. Needless to say, the month of donation gathering for the Whole Planet Foundation is a terror.

Brutal Learning Curve-- You've given maybe a week at best of training with an experienced cashier (hopefully, it's not someone who can't be bothered with training) then you're off on your own. How hard could that be? You may say. It's just scanning stuff, shoving things into bags and taking customers' money. In essence that's what it is but the devil is in the details. Below are the things you would have deal with:

 

As a cashier you are required to learn the Produce Lookup Codes (over sixty of them). Considering many items are very costly and the customers are not shy when complaining about high prices. You better get those numbers right. For example: A five pound bag of nectarines might be 7.45 A five pound of Radiccio is 29.99. Radiccio and Nectarines have similar codes. Mispunch one number and let's say you'll have a fun 15 minutes with a raving customer about your simple mistake.

--- I don't know how it is other stores but at the store I work, a good deal of the merchandise is not priced correctly or a customer doesn't understand that a Sale is limited to certain varieties of a brand instead of all the flavors. Expect a lot headaches dealing with customers who accuse you deliberately overcharging."

Been on SSRIs since 1998:

1998-2005: Paxil in varying doses

2005-present: Lexapro.

2006-early '08: Effexor AND Lexapro! Good thing I got off the Effexor rather quickly (within a year).

 

**PSYCHIATRY: TAKE YOUR CHEMICAL IMBALANCE AND CHOKE ON IT!

APA=FUBAR

FDA=SNAFU

NIMH=LMFAO

 

Currently tapering Lexapro ~10% every month:

 

STARTING: 15 mg

11/7/10: 13.5 mg

12/7/10: 12.2 mg

1/6/11: 10.9 mg

2/3/11: 9.8 mg

3/3/11: 8.8 mg

4/1/11: 7.8 mg

4/29/11: 7 mg

5/27/11: 6.4 mg

6/24/11: 5.7 mg

7/22/11: 5 mg

8/18/11: 4.5 mg

9/14/11: 4 mg

10/13/11: 3.6 mg

11/9/11: 3.2 mg

12/7/11: 2.6 mg

1/3/12: 2.1 mg

2/2/12: 1.8 mg

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That's so funny that you guys should be talking about this Whole Foods thing cause I worked there as a cashier and that's EXACTLY why I was fired. I had a horrible flu and a fever of 104 degrees and told them there was no way I could go in. They said that I would not be allowed to come back to work unless I had a doctor's note. At this time my health insurance with them had not kicked in yet and I would have to pay 60 bucks to go to a walk in clinic, at the HEIGHT of flu season, just so they could verify that I was indeed sick. It was ridiculous and I didn't do it and so lost my job. I actually enjoyed working there but they are beyond strict with this whole sick day policy. I definitely miss my 20% employee discount though cause their stuff is expensive! But, I still shop there when I can afford it. They are always on the lists of "Best Places to Work for" cause they have good benefits, etc. I know they are pretty strict about your cashier till balancing out. We had to write on a paper that was on the wall for everyone to see whether we balanced out or came up short or even every day. We were only allowed so many mistakes until we were reprimanded or whatever. This whole point policy crap sounds beyond ridiculous though.

a.k.a JMarie

Paxil since Mar.1998

2006-2007:40-20mg
2009: 20mg to 14mg 2010: 14mg to 10.5mg 2011: 10.5 to 7.6mg  2012: 7.5 to 6.8mg

2013: 6.7-6.3mg 2014: 6.2mg-5.8mg 2015: 5.7 to 5.15mg 2016: 5.1-4.6mg

1/19/17: 4.5mg 3/17/17: 4.4mg

6/15/17: 4.35mg 8/10/17: 4.3mg

1/29/18: 4.1mg 5/07/18: 4.0mg

7/31/18: 3.9mg

 

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Cine,

 

I'm sure you do a great job. You are a brilliant mind and even if this is just a way to pay bills for now, is there anything you can do (above your job description) to 'help the team', set yourself apart, make yourself more valuable to not only your location, but the corporation? You have an amazing way of looking at things and would be an asset to any company that values employees who think and take initiative. You give me hope in our younger generation. I'm truly frightened by the number of young adults who can't solve even minor problems. What's up with that? I've heard various theories, but curious what your view is on that. I'm sure the problem is worse here in SoCal. There's a terrible complacency because jobs have been plentiful in the past. Very different than where I am from in PA.

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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I would say "UNBELIEVABLE!" to your story ladybug, but these days I'll believe anything. Nothing is shocking anymore really.

 

I'm so sorry you had to go through that experience, on top of all the horrible sh*t you're going through with SSRIs.

 

Truly, I know all the emotions you must have felt going through that. I just know. Stay strong and know that at the very least, people on this board GET IT.

Been on SSRIs since 1998:

1998-2005: Paxil in varying doses

2005-present: Lexapro.

2006-early '08: Effexor AND Lexapro! Good thing I got off the Effexor rather quickly (within a year).

 

**PSYCHIATRY: TAKE YOUR CHEMICAL IMBALANCE AND CHOKE ON IT!

APA=FUBAR

FDA=SNAFU

NIMH=LMFAO

 

Currently tapering Lexapro ~10% every month:

 

STARTING: 15 mg

11/7/10: 13.5 mg

12/7/10: 12.2 mg

1/6/11: 10.9 mg

2/3/11: 9.8 mg

3/3/11: 8.8 mg

4/1/11: 7.8 mg

4/29/11: 7 mg

5/27/11: 6.4 mg

6/24/11: 5.7 mg

7/22/11: 5 mg

8/18/11: 4.5 mg

9/14/11: 4 mg

10/13/11: 3.6 mg

11/9/11: 3.2 mg

12/7/11: 2.6 mg

1/3/12: 2.1 mg

2/2/12: 1.8 mg

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I would say "UNBELIEVABLE!" to your story ladybug, but these days I'll believe anything. Nothing is shocking anymore really.

 

I'm so sorry you had to go through that experience, on top of all the horrible sh*t you're going through with SSRIs.

 

Truly, I know all the emotions you must have felt going through that. I just know. Stay strong and know that at the very least, people on this board GET IT.

 

Thanks, Cinephile. Thankfully this happened a few years ago when I was taking a break from tapering so WD wasn't much of an issue at the time. I can't imagine going through all that bull now.

 

Your talk about the produce codes made me laugh. That is definitely the worst part of being a supermarket cashier. Especially at Whole Foods since they have more exotic produce than you would find in a regular supermarket. I remember I had to ask the customers "Um, what is this?" a few times and they looked at me like I was an idiot. I did that for a baby coconut cause I had never seen one before. I thought it was a candle! LOL. Don't even get me started on the bulk products. At our store they had pens and tags and the customers were supposed to write the code on the tags but of course most of the time they didn't so I had to look it up. The code book was basically my best friend the whole time I worked there. Some produce codes will be stuck in my head forever like 4011 is bananas and 4062 is cucumbers. And of course if it's organic put a 9 in front of the number! Oh well, at least it helps me speed through the self checkout lines now! :)

a.k.a JMarie

Paxil since Mar.1998

2006-2007:40-20mg
2009: 20mg to 14mg 2010: 14mg to 10.5mg 2011: 10.5 to 7.6mg  2012: 7.5 to 6.8mg

2013: 6.7-6.3mg 2014: 6.2mg-5.8mg 2015: 5.7 to 5.15mg 2016: 5.1-4.6mg

1/19/17: 4.5mg 3/17/17: 4.4mg

6/15/17: 4.35mg 8/10/17: 4.3mg

1/29/18: 4.1mg 5/07/18: 4.0mg

7/31/18: 3.9mg

 

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Is Zyban an 'antidepressant' or a smoking-cessation med?

Well Barb, that's what those in the insurance industry call a "twofer!" You smoke AND you're taking an AD! Now your rates will really go through the roof!

 

 

I should clarify the questions:

 

1) Do you smoke? (or Are you a smoker?)

2) Have you ever been treated for depression?

 

Person who used Zyban successfully and no longer smokes could honestly answer 'No' to both questions. In this case, Zyban, even though it is bupropion which is also used for depression, is not being used to treat depression in this case. So, no dings.

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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I can't afford to shop at Whole Foods but I sometimes do on my mother's dime.

 

The world headquarters is in my town and the CEO works upstairs, when he's around I suppose. The place is unbeliavable, like a 3rdworlder literally wouldn't believe it...it's got everything.

 

The thing about Whole Foods is that the CEO, founder as well?, Mr. Mackey is a very libertarian type while his customer base is very progressive. This poses problems b/c Mackey likes to sometimes put his foot where it doesn't belong -- like on a Yahoo stock message board or into the middle of the health care debate.

 

I want to support you cine because I feel your anger and, coming from where I've been, I believe anger, while not a destination, is headed in the right direction on the continuum away from fear/shame/anxiety and towards resolution. I try to get mad a lot now and I feel a lot better too.

 

Someday, I'll just feel better without being mad, I hope.

"Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me.

Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there
Everybody's got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now."

- Zimmerman

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I can't afford to shop at Whole Foods but I sometimes do on my mother's dime.

 

The world headquarters is in my town and the CEO works upstairs, when he's around I suppose. The place is unbeliavable, like a 3rdworlder literally wouldn't believe it...it's got everything.

 

The thing about Whole Foods is that the CEO, founder as well?, Mr. Mackey is a very libertarian type while his customer base is very progressive. This poses problems b/c Mackey likes to sometimes put his foot where it doesn't belong -- like on a Yahoo stock message board or into the middle of the health care debate.

 

I want to support you cine because I feel your anger and, coming from where I've been, I believe anger, while not a destination, is headed in the right direction on the continuum away from fear/shame/anxiety and towards resolution. I try to get mad a lot now and I feel a lot better too.

 

Someday, I'll just feel better without being mad, I hope.

 

Yeah, I have heard that about the CEO. Very strange. I used to live Austin for a few years and I loved it! I would like to move there again sometime in the future. Now I live in Houston, where I was born and raised. I've read many of your posts and can relate to you a bit cause I have been on Paxil since I was 18 and I'm now 31. Anyway, didn't meant to go OT, just wanted to say hi and hope you are doing a bit better.

a.k.a JMarie

Paxil since Mar.1998

2006-2007:40-20mg
2009: 20mg to 14mg 2010: 14mg to 10.5mg 2011: 10.5 to 7.6mg  2012: 7.5 to 6.8mg

2013: 6.7-6.3mg 2014: 6.2mg-5.8mg 2015: 5.7 to 5.15mg 2016: 5.1-4.6mg

1/19/17: 4.5mg 3/17/17: 4.4mg

6/15/17: 4.35mg 8/10/17: 4.3mg

1/29/18: 4.1mg 5/07/18: 4.0mg

7/31/18: 3.9mg

 

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Baby coconuts?!

 

Your talk about the produce codes made me laugh. That is definitely the worst part of being a supermarket cashier. Especially at Whole Foods since they have more exotic produce than you would find in a regular supermarket. I remember I had to ask the customers "Um, what is this?" a few times and they looked at me like I was an idiot. I did that for a baby coconut cause I had never seen one before. I thought it was a candle! LOL. Don't even get me started on the bulk products. At our store they had pens and tags and the customers were supposed to write the code on the tags but of course most of the time they didn't so I had to look it up. The code book was basically my best friend the whole time I worked there. Some produce codes will be stuck in my head forever like 4011 is bananas and 4062 is cucumbers. And of course if it's organic put a 9 in front of the number! Oh well, at least it helps me speed through the self checkout lines now! :)

 

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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Baby coconuts?!

 

 

Your talk about the produce codes made me laugh. That is definitely the worst part of being a supermarket cashier. Especially at Whole Foods since they have more exotic produce than you would find in a regular supermarket. I remember I had to ask the customers "Um, what is this?" a few times and they looked at me like I was an idiot. I did that for a baby coconut cause I had never seen one before. I thought it was a candle! LOL. Don't even get me started on the bulk products. At our store they had pens and tags and the customers were supposed to write the code on the tags but of course most of the time they didn't so I had to look it up. The code book was basically my best friend the whole time I worked there. Some produce codes will be stuck in my head forever like 4011 is bananas and 4062 is cucumbers. And of course if it's organic put a 9 in front of the number! Oh well, at least it helps me speed through the self checkout lines now! :)

 

Yeah, it looked like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-buJB7e0iN8/TREUHV3hhzI/AAAAAAAABJo/aMXjulFzbjE/s1600/YoungCoconut.jpg

 

Does it not look like a weird candle? LOL.

a.k.a JMarie

Paxil since Mar.1998

2006-2007:40-20mg
2009: 20mg to 14mg 2010: 14mg to 10.5mg 2011: 10.5 to 7.6mg  2012: 7.5 to 6.8mg

2013: 6.7-6.3mg 2014: 6.2mg-5.8mg 2015: 5.7 to 5.15mg 2016: 5.1-4.6mg

1/19/17: 4.5mg 3/17/17: 4.4mg

6/15/17: 4.35mg 8/10/17: 4.3mg

1/29/18: 4.1mg 5/07/18: 4.0mg

7/31/18: 3.9mg

 

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Yep. Or a phallic symbol

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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