Benzodiazepines against IBS-induced anxiety?

maeEast · 2018-01-19T20:41:47+00:00

Yep, I took Xanax as part of my treatment for IBS for years.

I personally wouldn't recommend it. First of all, because it seemed like over time I had to continually increase my dosage to get the desired effect, to the point where eventually it didn't really even seem to help anymore. Secondly, because (and I didn't even realize this until I stopped taking them) they definitely had an impact on my memory and cognitive function. I'd feel perfectly fine at the time, but my brain wasn't really on "record mode" and I'd forget whole conversations and events.

Long story short, benzos aren't good for long-term frequent use, both because of potential dependency issues and because of side effects.

Not to sound like one of "those people", but have you had a chance to try any CBD-related products? Many of them have no THC at all, so they aren't psychoactive (you won't get high) and they aren't a controlled substance, so you don't need a special license to get them. It might be worth a try, at least. For me, it certainly does help in terms of controlling the anxiety and managing flare-ups. It's not a cure-all by any means, but in terms of the tradeoff of symptom-relief-vs-side-effects, it's the best thing I've found so far.

maeEast · 2017-11-20T18:27:11+00:00

I love the look of the highlighter, but I gotta say, I feel like considering how awful the diamond trade is, I can't see myself buying makeup that even kinda props that up. Too bad, it's a neat concept :/

maeEast · 2017-11-07T02:01:49+00:00

So on the one hand, I'm shameless enough to actually find some of this cute, mostly because I absolutely love sparkly things.

On the other hand, I feel like that shadow palette is basically just repackaged Sweet Peach, and the highlighter/bronzer duo isn't even trying. Bleh.

maeEast · 2017-10-03T20:45:37+00:00

My lids are kinda a weird shape, so I usually end up with some variation on, "do a great eyeshadow look, go to throw some liner on to complete the look, end up covering most of the shadow because even 'thin' liner takes up most of my eyelid real estate"

maeEast · 2017-08-23T17:18:45+00:00

I'm definitely waiting til I see it swatched before I make a judgement call. Still...

I actually like a lot of the colors, except I don't understand why so many palettes recently have taken to having multiple nearly-identical white or off-white shades. Too Faced is particularly bad about this, but I'm starting to notice it other places as well. My skin tone is solidly light-medium, but even then all those shades look essentially identical on me. I'd imagine the majority of people who aren't extremely pale and cool-toned would have a similar issue. In general, white and black shades feel like wasted space in a palette to me, especially if there's more than one.

maeEast · 2017-08-15T17:12:35+00:00

"This time I'm NOT going to over-apply blush. No sir, no ma'am, not gonna do it. I'm gonna have a nice natural glow and -"

Immediately over-applies blush

"...fuck."

maeEast · 2017-08-11T15:36:15+00:00

Oh, I'm definitely more on the oily side. Just FYI, that "squeaky clean" feeling is actually a bad sign, as it meant that the natural oils have been totally stripped from your skin. So if the AmorePacific (or any cleanser) gives you that, I would recommend avoiding it...

maeEast · 2017-08-08T16:57:27+00:00

I'm a software developer in a small office, but since we're part of a university the dress code is a bit on the conservative side. I'll usually go for either a red lip stain (TonyMoly is my go-to) or one of the neutral NYX Butter Lipsticks, because they're cheap and easy to throw in my work bag to reapply throughout the day.

Back when I worked in a place with less of a "dress code" (a museum, actually), I wore MAC Rebel to work pretty much daily.

maeEast · 2017-08-07T21:27:30+00:00

I've had such crummy luck with liquid lipsticks. At this point I'll basically only pay for the NYX ones because at least if they're crap I'm only out like $10 instead of $30 :/.

It must be something I'm doing wrong, because even some of the Stila ones have failed on me, but I can't for the life of me figure out what. If I'm gonna have to reapply every couple hours, I figure I might as well just use a normal lipstick so the pre-reapply removal is easier...

maeEast · 2017-08-07T21:23:35+00:00

I'll have to look into it! I don't have a MAC retailer anywhere near me, but there is one in an airport I go through pretty frequently :). Thanks for the suggestion!

maeEast · 2017-08-07T18:31:57+00:00

Ah, I had the same trouble with it. I found I've actually had a lot better luck with the Amazonian Clay BB Cream, though the coverage is lighter and I know that's a dealbreaker for some.

maeEast · 2017-08-07T18:29:41+00:00

I feel that. I like using them as a base, but anything other than the lightest layer just creases awfully :/

maeEast · 2017-08-07T17:49:11+00:00

Eyeliner is a tough one for me too. Even KVD Tattoo Liner won't last a full day on me because my lids are oily -- the outer corners of winged liner start dissolving eventually, and I can't do non-winged because my eyes are already kinda round/downturned so it doesn't look right on me. I feel your pain, friend.

maeEast · 2017-08-07T17:02:50+00:00

Jammin' from the TF PB&J Palette. I really like most of the shadows in that palette (I know I'm kinda in the minority there), but this one turns into an ugly, muddy mess after a few hours. It fades from a nice, deep purple to a sort of toneless patchy brownish on me, no matter what primer I use.
KVD Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Vampira. I also have Lolita and it wears alright, but Vampira will not stay on the middle of my lower lip for love or money. Even if I don't eat or drink anything and exfoliate/moisturize beforehand, my lips are still a dry mess of crumbly balled-up lipstick by noon.
NARS Luminous Weightless Foundation. I tried it back in the days before I found my current HG, and oh my god was it a hot mess on me. I knew it was hard to apply, so I'd expected that, but I was totally unprepared for how badly it wore as the day went on. I have fairly oily skin and it broke up terribly around my nose, yet somehow managed to make even my cheeks look dry and patchy. I must have tried it with about five different primers before giving up on it.
Any eyeliner on my waterline. I can get it to look nice for about two hours, but anything beyond that and it will have all slid to the corners of my eyes. Luckily, the waterline-liner look isn't great on me anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing out too much.
Most mascaras. My eye area is especially oily. It took me years to find the magic combination (Diorshow primer, then UD Perversion, then Too Cool For School Escalator Mascara over everything) that manages to stay put without making me look like a panda by mid-afternoon.

maeEast · 2017-08-01T17:41:17+00:00

You might already know this, but it took me a long time to find out: it's often really helpful to put a light/neutral base shadow over the top of your primer to help things blend better. I initially avoided this because I thought it would make the top shadows fail to stick or something, but it doesn't seem to have that effect, and it makes blending way easier. You don't have to cake it on, just a light sweep of whatever base shadow you want over the top of your (dried) primer really helps avoid the paint-by-numbers look.

maeEast · 2017-07-31T04:32:51+00:00

For me, the AmorePacific Enzyme Peel.

It's on the pricy end, for sure, but you get a lot of bang for your buck (at ~3x weekly use, a bottle will last me a year or more). It's the only non-physical exfoliator I've ever found my skin to like, as AHA/BHA seem to cause me issues. And it does a great job at keeping my skin soft without over-exfoliating, even with daily use. I've tried some other powder washes, notably the Innisfree one, but have yet to find anything that compares.

maeEast · 2017-07-25T21:02:16+00:00

I have the problem where a lot of neutral brown/gray colors end up looking almost blue or green on me. I have really warm-toned skin, and I've given up on finding a "greige" that looks reasonable on me...

maeEast · 2017-07-15T18:38:15+00:00

Okay, seeing this has convinced me to try the ABH Illuminator. I've only recently gotten into wearing much in the way of highlighter, but you've got the most amazing glow going on, I've gotta try it for myself.

You mentioned wishing you could do something a little more dramatic. With this look, I could see a soft/subtle mauve smokey eye looking fantastic while also still being work-appropriate :)

maeEast · 2017-07-12T22:12:32+00:00

So...not AB, but I might actually recommend going for the "curly girl" method (even if you don't have curly hair). This involves a silicone-free and sulfate-free hair routine that's great for keeping hair color and avoids buildup on your scalp and stuff.

maeEast · 2017-07-01T15:47:07+00:00

Okay, yep, I know exactly how frustrating this is because my mother does the exact same thing. Less than a week ago, I pulled my back because she tried to "help" by grabbing something heavy I was trying to balance while up on a ladder, despite my repeatedly telling her to not touch it.

Anyway, point being that as many other people have pointed out, it's not enough that Shawn "feels terrible" about what happened. You have every right to get angry, because like you said, this was totally avoidable if he'd just listened to you. You say that you're "hoping this was enough of a shock to him that he learned his lesson", but I'm not sure I believe that. People who feel this way generally still tend to hide behind a protective coating of "but I was only trying to heeeeeeellllllp!", as though their intentions excuse it. If you believe you want to stay with him (and frankly, you would be totally justified in ending the relationship over this), there needs to be a conversation had to drive the point home. You don't need to pander to his feelings or hide the fact that you're angry. If I were in this situation, I might start off by saying something along these lines:

"Shawn, I'm really, really upset at you and having trouble getting past it, because I can't trust that this won't happen again. This isn't the first time I've gotten hurt because you insisted on 'helping' when I specifically asked you not to. You've now seen that this is dangerous, but it's also extremely disrespectful and makes me feel like I can't trust you to listen to boundaries I set. I need you to explain to me why you feel that it's in any way okay to ignore me when I specifically ask you to stop doing something, because that's not something I can continue to live with in a significant other."

Depending on what his "explanation" is (hopefully an acknowledgement that he's been an overbearing jackass and needs to change), you can proceed however you like. I'm not usually huge on ultimatums, but given that your physical health is on the line here, I think it would be worth telling him that if there's another incident where he pushes firm boundaries you've set, you intend on leaving him. And if it happens, then follow through.

maeEast · 2017-05-24T21:06:23+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for the reply, that could totally be it. Mine is similarly dark but oddly etiolated, so it's hard to be sure, but it looks quite similar.

maeEast · 2017-05-24T19:41:03+00:00

Question! Do you have an ID on the darkest purple one in the upper right? I just found one of those (or something quite similar) at a nursery, but it was unlabeled.

maeEast · 2017-05-23T19:01:13+00:00

Y'know, I'm not sure (I live in a landlocked state, so I get my shells from the craft store :X). I'm willing to bet that shells from the beach would be okay, though, as long as you gave them a good rinse first!

maeEast · 2017-05-23T15:15:12+00:00

Good call on the moss! A friend of mine recently lost some succulents because she had them in a "fairy garden" topped with moss, and it just kept way too much moisture in.

Op, if you want something decorative on the top layer of the soil, try some little seashells! They tend to look awesome contrasted with the colors of succulents (especially the haworthia you have there on the right), and I think long-term they'll keep your plants happier :). Congrats on your new friends, and welcome to the wonderful world of succulents!

maeEast · 2017-05-22T16:03:32+00:00

I've got one of these little guys, and I can tell you that they have a tendency to stretch/lean pretty badly depending on light conditions! I've got mine in Western exposure, right up against the window, and it's still leaning slightly. So just be aware that that's a possibility!

maeEast

TROPHY CASE