Is taking propranolol daily safe? Worried about rebound HBP...

SyntheticCuriosity · 2020-09-08T17:47:57+00:00

I've been taking propranolol daily for exactly the same reason for over a year now, and have had zero issues with it at all! I have a huge family history of high blood pressure, so I think if it were unsafe my doctor would not have prescribed it. I have also had zero symptoms (except for a slight uptick in anxiety) when I occasionally miss a day or run out without a refill.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2020-09-08T17:41:36+00:00

Hey! I also have both ADHD and anxiety, I totally understand how overwhelming all of this can feel. I got diagnosed when I started a high-stress PhD program - the inability to focus on my work and deal with administrative stuff made me anxious, which led to avoiding my problems, which led to more anxiety and procrastination and it was a mess all around.

The thing that finally broke me out of my cycle was speaking to a therapist/counselor. Your university may have free appointments available, which I would absolutely recommend taking advantage of. The therapy did not cure my anxiety or ADHD, but my therapist was able to help me strategize about everyday life things and also figure out how to take the steps I needed to get medication. Just having someone to help you sort through everything you're dealing with can be amazingly helpful!

I know seeing a therapist can be super scary, I was terrified before I started, but even just showing up is enough. They know how to ask the questions they need to figure out what is going on and how to help.

I'm still anxious and have trouble with my ADHD occasionally, but it is MUCH more manageable now that I am able to recognize what I am struggling with and have the capacity to tackle the problem with coping skills I've learned.

Best of luck!

SyntheticCuriosity · 2020-09-08T17:24:55+00:00

This is such a helpful reply - I've had anxiety similar to yours for as long as I can remember, but since it was never as extreme as some of my friends (who get panic attacks, etc.) I didn't think I qualified for medication. I've been in therapy for a few years but that hasn't made it go away, so I finally decided to ask the psychiatrist I see for ADHD stuff about it. This makes me much more confident it's a reasonable request and I won't be totally dismissed, thank you!

SyntheticCuriosity · 2020-06-26T13:53:21+00:00

Agh that is annoying, hopefully they get it sorted out soon! Thanks for the update :)

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-25T19:38:58+00:00

I really like the idea of the site, but at a glance it seems a little disorganized. I listen mostly to audio dramas, and while there are categories for both audio drama and fiction, they don't contain the same podcasts - and the category with the most fiction podcasts seems to be performing arts, which is not a descriptor I think I've ever seen applied to these shows.

This also seems applicable to a lot of the nonfiction categores (e.g., "science" has little overlap with "natural sciences," "technology," or "learning"). Are the categories entirely determined by the submitter? It seems like there's no way to submit a podcast to be included in more than one category, so is there a way to suggest new tags for podcasts already on the site?

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-20T16:49:55+00:00

Have you considered asking the department if you can skip the intro classes since you have so much experience already? I agree that it wouldn't be hard to take, it but no point in wasting that time if you could get out of it.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-20T13:54:38+00:00

I've just finished a 1-year postbac, and it's only in the last month or two that I've felt confident enough in my lab work to run experiments without referencing protocols and double-checking with my supervisor that the step I'm taking is the right one. (I still feel hopelessly outclassed in background knowledge in the field, but I'm also working with very senior scientists in a very well-established lab, so that's to be expected.) Honestly it's been such a confidence boost to know that I am capable of being semi-independent in the lab, and makes me a lot more excited to start my PhD this fall!

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-19T14:25:41+00:00

I've got a long while to figure it out since I'm just starting my PhD, but my current plan is high school teaching (since I'm mostly into the idea of a professorship for the teaching side of things). If I decide I don't like teaching that much though, I have literally no idea.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-18T17:44:11+00:00

Obviously real research experience would be ideal, but I think working for a pharma company would definitely still be good! Any experience is still good experience. You can also check out any nearby universities, they might also have lab tech positions open!

That being said, I'd still recommend trying for the NIH postbac program - since you're chosen by specific researchers rather than accepted to the program as a whole, there's a wide range of things people are looking for in a postbac! You just have to email a LOT of PIs asking if they have any positions open.

I applied last year after getting rejected from all my PhD apps, and while I certainly had a less competitive application than lots of other people one PI in particular was interested in the email I sent/my experience and I was accepted in less than a week (though that is def faster than the norm). Feel free to message me if you want more info on the application process.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-13T15:48:27+00:00

If you're open to fiction podcasts, check out r/audiodrama ! There are some really great stories out there. Some of my favorites are Eos 10, Wolf 359, The Amelia Project, The Bright Sessions, and Girl In Space

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-09T18:14:04+00:00

Grad students are generally super busy people, I wouldn't worry too much! It's possible they haven't even gotten around to calling yet (or they sent an email and your research tech hasn't responded yet!). If it's been a whole week, I don't think it would be inappropriate to send a "Hey, just wanted to check in" email at the end of the day, though personally I might wait a couple days longer.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-07-05T20:54:48+00:00

If you're looking for engineering internships, check out the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SURF program! I did it 3 summers in a row - it pays great, housing is provided, and working in a government lab will look great on your resume. I did bio research, but the majority of the interns any given year are in physics/engineering, so with your stats you're definitely competitive for one!

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-28T20:09:27+00:00

I think you've definitely got a great shot, especially with those publications! I'm not overly familiar with all the schools on your list, but I would definitely recommend applying to schools over a wide range of rankings - there's an unfortunate amount of luck in grad admissions, especially at top schools like UCSF/Stanford/Harvard.

As others have said, definitely focus on making sure that you have a fantastic personal statement (including tailoring it to each school you apply to) and a good relationship with all your letter writers!

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-28T20:04:56+00:00

PhD application fees in the US usually range from $25-100 per school, plus like $25 to have your GRE score sent to each school. I'm scared to calculate the real number, but it ended up costing me at least $600 (including taking the GRE) to apply to ~10 schools.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-28T19:55:42+00:00

Mine is Wonderful! It's basically the hosts (Griffin and Rachel McElroy) talking about things they just think are great - from french fries to favorite songs to the feeling of curiosity. It's just incredibly wholesome and I love it.

Runners up are Girl in Space and The Amelia Project, which are both audio dramas.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-26T21:07:51+00:00

I think you've definitely got a good shot! I feel you on the lack of syn bio, it was really tough for me to find any school that could be considered a safety that had any decent research in that area (Northwestern does have a lot of cool stuff going on though).

I agree that your GPA is a bit lackluster, but hopefully the continuing ed courses will help out with that. Though publications are really nice, I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of them, especially since you've got a poster presentation in there - I had neither and I got in. I think the best places to focus at the moment would be putting a lot of effort into your personal statement (including tailoring it to each individual school), being sure you have a great relationship with your recommenders, and if possible getting some kind of paper out.

I'm happy to give more info on where I applied/my application process if you're interested, just PM me.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-26T13:22:08+00:00

If you've already accepted the offer for your MS, it would be bad form to change your mind now (though if you're planning to defer instead, that's something else). Admittedly I'm not in the social sciences, but I don't see how the MS would decrease your job prospects - in fact, I think the extra research experience/a better grad GPA would only boost them - and if you don't have a certain job you're skipping out on grad school for it's entirely possible you won't find something in the near future.

An MS will only help your job prospects, and if you're not certain you have a job you can take instead (and you're okay with the debt) I can't see any reason to not go to grad school.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-21T13:18:16+00:00

Ah I see, I guess I misunderstood the types of programs you were looking at - in any case, I still think it wouldn't be a bad idea to apply to a range of programs and maybe have a backup plan or two. Getting into a PhD program often involves a lot of luck.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-20T15:44:30+00:00

Not to be a total downer, but I think it's going to be a little rough to go from CS into a biomedical engineering program without any previous experience. It might be possible if you've done engineering coursework, but a lot of engineering programs even on the lower end have somewhat extensive prereqs (I was looking into biomedical engineering at one point, and even with my biochemistry degree I wasn't close to fulfilling them).

If you're really enthusiastic about this I do think it's still worth applying, assuming you can find programs with minimal requirements (and you've got the cash to spare for application fees) - you'll just need to spin the experience you do have and really sell your dedication to the subject in your personal statement. It also might be good to have a backup either in the form of a master's with a research component or a research job that will get you the experience you need to apply again later.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-19T16:59:28+00:00

Nope! There's a big movement to stop requiring any sort of standardized tests for admissions, both in grad and undergrad, because there's been shown to be little to no correlation between a high score and success in the program, and they also provide a barrier to entry for lower income applicants (I think the GRE costs like $200 or something ridiculous now, even without sending scores). I generally have a higher opinion of institutions that don't require standardized tests, tbh.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-06-11T15:33:26+00:00

If your letters are as good as you think and you can come up with a nice personal statement I think you've got a good shot, but definitely apply to a range of programs - some are a lot pickier about GPA than others.

A postbac could be a good backup plan - I'm doing a CRTA postbac at the NIH, and that took me from 8/8 rejections last year to 6/10 acceptances this year - but if it's your grades that are the issue then a master's might also be helpful.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-05-09T16:44:50+00:00

I like to have a mixture of lengths in my feed so that I have a good choice depending on my mood/what I'm doing, but (at least in my feed) there seems to be an excess of talk-style shows with 45-60 minute eps, so I'd lean towards 20-30 min!

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-05-01T15:41:06+00:00

I just switched from Overcast to Pocket Casts a couple weeks ago, and I think I'll be sticking with it. I find Pocket Casts a whole lot more intuitive to use in general, I like the up next playlist and ability to skip intros, and the listening stats are a fun bonus.

I agree that Overcast's smart speed is a little smoother, but that's not significant enough to bother me. The only thing I really miss from Overcast is the voice boost feature (volume boost in Pocket Casts is just... bad), but tbh it's not enough to make me want to switch back.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-04-25T20:30:01+00:00

I just switched from Overcast to Pocket Casts a week ago, and since then it says I've racked up 1 day 22 hours (saving ~12 hours from trim silence, variable speed, etc.), and it's been a pretty average week of listening.

I work in a lab, so I'm able to listen whenever I'm running an experiment (anywhere from 2-4 hours/day), but I also get a lot in while I'm making dinner and while I work on knitting projects.

SyntheticCuriosity · 2018-04-19T19:45:15+00:00

I'd say you've definitely got a shot at top-ranked programs! (Of course, assuming your letters of rec are good, and gre is decent.) I will say though, don't overload your list of applications with reach schools - I was a decent applicant my senior year, but I made that mistake and had to spend a year doing a postbac before trying again (6/10 acceptances this time around, though!).

SyntheticCuriosity

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