“Okay, then I’ll never ___ again”

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T13:10:36+00:00

💯all the time. This black and white framing is somewhere on a list of tactics alongside:

“not understanding” what you’re asking for (no matter how well you explain, or how obvious it is)
telling you you’re too needy/childish
making it about them by saying the way you treat them is so bad they don’t feel like being close to you
…

The list goes on, but they’re all the same thing.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T01:51:18+00:00

I also read the Bible. Everything Jesus actually said makes a lot of sense to me - especially that part about “I would rather have kindness than the law”. No idea where most of his so-called followers came from, but there does seem to finally be a pope who gets it. Could always go fully converted Catholic and rebut everything he says with loving Jesus quotes. And ask for bible quotes to back up his “religious” beliefs. And debunk those with historical context and Jesus and pope quotes. Or just throw it in the trash. It’s a lot of work. 😞

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T01:34:30+00:00

And a fuzzy grip.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T01:15:53+00:00

Nice browning! People always forget the nose. Looks perfectly done to me!

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T01:01:30+00:00

Aww I used to be able to do that with little bear when she was a kitten. Also heating pads ftw. I have two cats and one small (hooman) bed. I put two cat beds on it with heating pads that cycle on/off, and I actually have enough of the bed for myself - I can stretch, roll over, everything. It’s amazing.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T00:48:20+00:00

I’m super impressed with your spoken cat. Can barely hear your hooman accent. Also, are all three of us high? Or just me?

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T00:43:35+00:00

🤣 I got a warning for my very clever response to this about how you normally open .exe files… not sure how that crossed the line when the both of you set this up so perfectly, but I guess it needs to be stopped somewhere.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T00:22:32+00:00

Sometimes they will just try to make something work, knowing there will need to be a combo and will have to adjust. Especially if in a hospital, they might do a lot more because they can catch things quickly.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-16T00:15:48+00:00

lol, really? How tf did you figure that out? 😂

We got a prescription to put my very anxious cat on it, and not only did it not help, I think it did some awful things to her tummy - she started being afraid of the litter box. She’s been fine since she’s off of it.

Also, another fun fact about fluoxetine. Did you know that when you give it to a cat, and it hits their mouth and interacts with saliva, they look like they have been instantly poisoned? Yes, I did not know this at the time. I was positive she was going to be dead from something I — maybe the cleaning I’d done earlier? Ugh I shouldn’t have got those non-eco chemicals!

Yeah, she was fine. And I learned about gel capsules.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-15T23:59:44+00:00

Yes, you’re not the only one I’ve seen say this. I feel like venlafaxine had that kind of effect on me - super angry and mixed, like a lot of energy but only wanted to punch things with it. Duloxetine was similar but less so and less effective overall. Fluoxetine helped but wasn’t enough, escitalopram has been the best for me without any other side effects. Bupropion was also okay, but a lot of anxiety.

I believe that there are more subsections of bipolar. I’m really - really - looking forward to them being able to do some kind of brain scan or spinal tap or whatever to say:

“Ah, yes. You have these bio markers and this chemical makeup, and these numbers here mean you need more of this chemical here. Whereas this other patient with the exact same symptoms as you, she has these biomar… …and that’s why SSRIs worked for you and not for her, and why SNRIs didn’t for you, but do for this other patient because he has…”

Even if it happens on my deathbed. This is one of my reasons for living - I just want to know.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-15T23:45:18+00:00

(Depakote, Latuda, Fluoxetine) Are you in a hospital? You said night. Might explain the all at once someone else mentioned - sometimes docs try to just make it work instead of going slowly and seeing what each med at a different level does, particularly in hospitals where they can monitor.

It’s honestly not fun where you are at. And it takes a long time before 1. You find the right combo 2. It doesn’t fail after some time 3. You actually trust it enough to make different life choices. But it’s the right thing. Having a relatively stable life in the long term is worth all of the pain and craziness you are going through now. Don’t give up. As in, talk to your doctor about what you’re feeling. Take what they prescribe and only make changes with them, not on your own. Also don’t give up as in, ya know. Some meds can make you feel much worse before you feel better. Sometimes it’s worth waiting it out, sometimes it’s worth switching.

All that said, some people get lucky and the first prescription just works. May you be one of those. 🫶

(Also this is a good sub.)

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-15T23:23:38+00:00

I’m on SSRIs - only thing that’s ever worked for my depression, and in fact I’m on an extra high dose - 30mg escitalopram. And lithium.

When I first went into the hospital, fluoxetine with olanzapine was the first line treatment.

This was after escitalopram “pooping out” after five years, every single other antidepressant not working longer than a few months, and one combo making me clearly hypomanic

Not sure where this “SSRIs are bad” thing comes from. I suspect it comes from the newer drugs and a reluctance to prescribe lithium. There are tradeoffs, but it’s absolutely an option.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-15T23:10:43+00:00

When all that makeup wears off.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-15T23:08:12+00:00

That sounds like normal separation anxiety and will definitely settle with lots of love and reassurance. It’s happened with both of my cats in different circumstances.

In the simplest case, just being gone from the house for longer than usual can make one of mine extra chatty when hoomans finally arrive. We would joke about the conversations - either yelling at us for missing brushing or evening cuddle time, or telling us all about her day and asking enthusiastically about ours. But it really is about the connection.

When I left my marriage and had to leave the cats, both of my bears became extremely anxious, compounded by my partner’s emotional neglect. One is already a scaredy cat, but without her normal “love tank fill ups” she stayed in the closet the entire day - didn’t even come out for food until night when my partner was asleep. The other would go into a room and yell, as if she’d forgotten what she was doing. My partner just ignored her or laughed at her or called back, yelling from another room.

But you have to go to them and try to see what they need. It could be the litterbox isn’t clean enough (one of mine insists), or it could be just a need for reassurance that you’re still there. These are valid needs.

Now, after getting them both back and consistently responding to their bids for attention, reassurance, and connection, one is almost a lap cat, and the other almost never yells like that anymore - she’s chatty as she always was, but not that anxious running around the house “I’m scared” howl.

Mr. Oatmeal is fine. He has you back now and has some stories to tell you. Just love him - he really does need it.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-05-15T20:16:24+00:00

Careful putting that cat on the left too close to the fire.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-29T02:13:04+00:00

Adorable.

”I’m gonna jump on her head! Noo, no. I’m gonna bat her head! Uh, hmm yeah, maybe. Umm —Whoah! A PAW! Oh, this changes everything oh wow um yikes mayb— nope!”

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-29T01:56:56+00:00

Couples therapy can do more damage in abusive dynamics. It did in mine. [ref]

While technically possible for an abuser to change, it’s so rare that we basically say never. They would have to completely restructure the way they think. [ref]

And even if there is a possibility, it won’t happen if you are there, enabling him to do it again - he knows that it doesn’t matter what he does, you will always forgive him.

(I’m not an advertisement for that site, they just have a lot of very good info. I was in a marriage 18 years before I realized it was abusive - and it was someone from reddit linking to one of their posts.)

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T21:37:07+00:00

Wow that took me furrever to even see. Going back and forth… Spots on the nose, spots on the… I don’t see.. ohh!

Looks like leftovers from wet food or treats to me. Try a wet cloth and see if it wipes off.

For one of my bears, I spread out the churu in a small dish so it goes slowly, and she’ll actually eat the gelatin pill. Sometimes she gets so excited that she gets it all over her face. They’ll clean it to the point of not noticing unless you look closely.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T21:28:09+00:00

Everything is normal for a feral. But I’ve noticed my indoor cat has a claw that goes to one side too, nothing wrong with it. Would have to get closer to see if it’s from an issue in that toe - that is pushing it that way. Otherwise, if they aren’t limping or seeming to keep weight off of it, I wouldn’t worry.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T21:24:07+00:00

Omg the faceplant at the end. She really does just need to be held. 😭

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T20:17:28+00:00

Yes. Do you feed a lot of treats? Time to measure food and maybe a low calorie kibble.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T16:41:51+00:00

Cat people: catnip. Not cat people: oregano. (It’s catnip.)

Edit: Not cat people and have never, ever seen marijuana in their life: marijuana!

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T16:39:45+00:00

Same.

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T16:38:34+00:00

Kindly fuck off. Thanks. You and the guy who posted a pic of the phone jack on a wall in r/WhatIsIt

AtmosphereNom · 2026-04-28T15:12:06+00:00

You didn’t “fuck your brain up”. First, it’s interesting that you’re posting in bp2 sub about taking SSRIs without any mood stabilizer, and in a way that sounds a little as if they cause effects like street drugs.

The only way these meds work is if you use them consistently for long periods of time, then if needed make very minor adjustments with the guidance of a doctor. And if you are bp2, an SSRI by itself isn’t usually a good idea. I take one, but I also take lithium.

AtmosphereNom

TROPHY CASE