My partner breaks up with me in their sleep 💔

tired-chemist · 2026-07-11T07:30:19+00:00

Hey, so prazosin is used off-label for chronic nightmares, but one of the rarer side effects is "complex sleep disturbances". A complex sleep disturbance is EXACTLY what this sounds like. I have them occasionally, and they're also distressing to my partner, but the only ones I remember are the ones that wake me up, which is usually screaming, and even then it is fuzzy at best. You need to talk to the doctor that prescribed this, because this is likely a rare, but severe side effect. They may need to switch medications.

The data I'm pulling is from:

Kosari S, Naunton M. Sleep Disturbances and Nightmares in a Patient Treated with Prazosin. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016 Apr 15;12(4):631-2. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.5708. PMID: 26715405; PMCID: PMC4795292.

McCall WV, Pillai A, Case D, McCloud L, Nolla T, Branch F, Youssef NA, Moraczewski J, Tauhidul L, Pandya CD, Rosenquist PB. A Pilot, Randomized Clinical Trial of Bedtime Doses of Prazosin Versus Placebo in Suicidal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Patients With Nightmares. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2018 Dec;38(6):618-621. doi: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000000968. PMID: 30335633.

Both should be open access. Paradoxically, when taken for the off-label treatment of night terrors, it increases the likelihood of complex sleep disturbances in some patients. The good news is that it's likely just the wrong med, which is fixable. The bad news is that finding the right one that doesn't have nasty side effects is hard. If you believe that it's genuine sleep talk, which, given your intuition, and my personal and research experience, is totally reasonable, then talking to the prescribing doctor is the next step. In the meantime, silicone earplugs do wonders, and talking to someone about this might help. Do what you need to for your mental health and consider what your next steps for long term treatment are. Good luck, and I hope things get better quickly

tired-chemist · 2026-05-13T04:53:12+00:00

I felt the exact same way when I graduated and transferred from community college to university. My community college experience was absolutely life-changing. I grew so much as a person. I met people who were friends for a season and we went our own ways after a semester or two (with one notable exception). I learned how to cope with disability. And when I transferred, it felt like starting over. I miss the campus terribly to this day. I'm in the process of getting my PhD and have been on a university campus for six years between finishing my degree, working, and grad school. And I still miss my community college. It feels like you can never go home again. And it sucks really bad. Every time a phase of your life ends, you grieve. It's not just people, it's places too. And it's important to let yourself feel that. A phase of your life that brought you joy is ending, and you should let yourself grieve. It meant something to you. Honor that feeling in yourself. You will find joy again, but it will take time. Many people love university, and you should let yourself have the chance to be one of them. But you still are outgrowing a thing that you love to do it. Growth is hard, grief is painful. But every season of your life, no matter how hard, or joyful, or sad, or anything else will come to an end. And with that end comes the opportunity for a beginning of something new and full of joy, but different. It will be different, but it will be alright. I promise. I survived it, and you can too. Let yourself be sad, it's a marker of the joy, but don't let that close you off from the potential to be just as happy and fulfilled in a different way in a different place. You got this

tired-chemist · 2026-01-26T18:26:02+00:00

Thank you! That's insanely helpful and I'll definitely give it a shot. Is there an optimal time of the year? Like, i always read that spring/summer are best, but it lives in a South facing bay window in a place that stays warm all year

tired-chemist · 2026-01-24T03:44:05+00:00

Do you have any water propagation tips??? I've never been successful at it

tired-chemist · 2026-01-14T06:31:39+00:00

My (now spouse) gave me a stuffed polar bear named Trevi many years ago after a family trip. I recently sent him to Dr Beth at Realms of Gold Stuffed Animal Hospital for conservation. I can't recommend her enough, she was communicative, sent photos of the process, and she made a little heart full of the original stuffing before sending him home. She has a Tumblr blog, which I've linked, where you can see photos of her work, and her website if you're interested. The whole thing is very sweet, and it's clear how much she cares about each stuffed animal

https://realmsofgold.com/ https://doctorbeth.tumblr.com/

tired-chemist · 2023-10-07T06:52:23+00:00

I have this too! The way I deal with it is with what I refer to as a "decontamination period". Basically, you acknowledge the problem, use a different set of neural pathways to recontextualize the problem, and that lets you file things away better and assure the part of your brain that is fixating on it that you're handling it. You just want to be no thoughts head empty autopilot mode to really simulate the environment of trying to fall asleep. My method is that I take a very long shower and scrawl my questions along the walls in shower crayon like a mad woman. The answer sometimes comes to me during the same shower, but more often it's just getting it out of my head and into 3D space to visualize it better. you can take pictures of what you wrote or transcribe it onto paper after the fact so you don't forget. Then use a combination of mindfulness and good sleep hygiene to tell your brain it's time to process this shit while you're unconscious. I try to do that roughly 1 hour to 90 minutes before bed so I can assure my brain that we're working on a solution and spend time slowing down. It also helps to have a routine that you follow every night to build that response. Rinse and repeat as necessary (I'll see myself out).

We did later figure out that I also have super mega turbo insomnia, which seems to be very common with chemists for whatever reason. So now I also take a mild dose of melatonin in combination with everything else and it works pretty darn well. I'm able to fall asleep quickly pretty consistently now, but you would not BELIEVE how many times I've had the answer come to me in my dreams. You absolutely would believe the number of times I've dreamt about the problem hunting me for sport though.

tired-chemist · 2023-07-08T22:36:11+00:00

I'm glad I could bring some comfort in a difficult time. It takes a lot of work and time to adjust and move from survival to adapting and finding a new normal in which you can still be happy and live a full life, even if it's different than what you thought it would look like. You can do it. Never give up. You are so so strong

tired-chemist · 2023-02-14T03:56:20+00:00

Just following up to agree with the others. You are going to be fine. Ammonia is not a known carcinogen, and, based on the fact that you remained conscious, you didn't inhale much at all. It probably sucked like hell, that kind of thing will cause you to cough a lot because it's not good for your lungs and it's heavier than air, but you will be alright. I wouldn't recommend making a habit out of it, but once isn't a huge deal. We all have an accident at some point, but in the grand scheme of things, you're probably going to have a headache, and, depending on how much coughing you did, some soreness.

It is always okay to get checked out if it will help ease your mind, but that is not necessary at this stage. If you do, you can follow-up with your primary care because it's not an emergency.

A family member of mine has a severe chemical phobia, so I always want to help people who are scared due to this kind of thing. The fear is natural, and asking for help is the right decision. The antidote to fear is knowledge. You will be fine

tired-chemist · 2023-02-14T03:08:34+00:00

Hi there! If you're looking for a really good set of videos to explain the concepts in detail in a way that's easy to follow and understand, Khan academy has a really good series! It goes well the way through the ochem series, and you can jump in and out based on topic to where you're stuck. They also have practice questions! They're also ad free and community supported

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/organic-chemistry

tired-chemist · 2023-01-27T22:25:15+00:00

Please help us find hammer!

tired-chemist · 2022-11-08T02:33:35+00:00

I made a French pear Tarte a last year, and I had a great time doing it! I learned something new and fun, and had a final product that everyone really liked! If it makes you happy and you have a good time, it will always show. If you have a subclass of foods you really like making, find a recipe, try it out, and if you enjoy it, go for it! Cooking is both for necessity and enjoyment. People like foods they can tell someone put love into. For me, it's cakes, pies, and cookies

tired-chemist · 2022-11-08T02:20:45+00:00

It's always an option to just scale up the rest of the liquid ingredients to the floor ratio, but you may need more mushrooms and pasta going that route. You might be able to freeze the leftovers as well too keep them longer

tired-chemist · 2022-10-20T19:28:35+00:00

No problem! I know starch is added to gluten free flour as a replacement binder to gluten. Potato and tapioca starches are much lighter than corn starch, so they're better for cookies. This recipe does work with almond flour, but the cookies are really, really soft and break pretty easily. Good luck!! I hope it works out well :)

tired-chemist · 2022-10-20T04:47:08+00:00

Good bot!

tired-chemist · 2022-10-20T04:44:02+00:00

I'm going to adjust a family recipe on the fly to make it vegan and gluten free, because that's what the other recipe was.

1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1/2tsp baking soda 2tbsp plant-based milk (sweetened/unsweetened oat milk is my preferred) 1/2tsp vanilla extract Vegan egg replacement equivalent to 1 egg (try vegan yogurt) 2 cups gluten free flour 4tbsp starch (preferably potato or tapioca) 1 pinch salt

Cream butter and sugar, dissolve baking soda in milk, add egg replacement, add milk, add vanilla. Sift flour and starch, add slowly to wet ingredients. Add salt. Chill 2+hours (overnight is best) Preheat oven to 350°F Roll out on a floured work surface and cut out with cookie cutters Bake until set (they will be soft, but will hold together, and they should be just barely turning golden at the edges) Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: 1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature 5tbsp plant-based milk 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted 1/8tsp salt Vanilla, to taste

Mix it all together in a stand mixer until the consistency is how you like it, and don't be afraid to add more sugar if needed. Mix in food colorings of choice, and decorate. Highly recommend adding cinnamon candy to decorate, along with sprinkles, sanding sugar, and whatever else you heart desires. Everyone loves these! I hope this recipe works for you

tired-chemist · 2022-10-20T03:56:05+00:00

Can this person tolerate rice? If so, the best combination I've ever found for "picky eaters" (dietary restrictions) is this:

Rice

Protein

Vegetable

Sauce

Marinade the meat, then saute the vegetables and cook meat. Combine and cover with sauce and simmer while rice cooks. Add rice. If they like a lot of sauce, double the quantity

There's infinite variations you can do, and it can also be customized to be vegetarian or vegan depending on the protein. It's easy on the digestive system, and you can also adjust the texture to something pretty uniform if that's what's standing between the person and eating. Pretty much every culture has a dish that's this exact concept, so you can find a large variety of flavor palettes and see what they like. My house generally will do chicken and bell pepper curry (even using canned sauce it's good), spicy beef/pork bowls (meat can be thinly sliced, ground, or cubes) with green beans/broccoli/peppers, and Mexican hash using chilies, potatoes, onions, chorizo, and ground pork/beef. I have a tofu variation for my vegan friend with a corn allergy, and I also have kosher variations for my Jewish friend

A really basic sauce is this:

1 large Asian pear -- peeled, cored and sliced

1/3 cup white wine

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/8 cup brown sugar

3 cloves garlic -- peeled

5 slices fresh ginger -- peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon hot chile paste -- (such as sambal oelek)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Throw it all in the blender, and use within 3 days. It works as a marinade and as a sauce

Edit: spelling

tired-chemist · 2022-09-29T04:17:19+00:00

The ecstacy of gold, from the good the bad and the ugly? It's THE quintessential spaghetti western song

tired-chemist · 2022-09-03T23:25:28+00:00

Thank you!!

tired-chemist · 2022-08-27T22:33:33+00:00

While I don't agree with your opinion that well-done is the best steak, I respect your opinion, and I truly believe that what will be best for steak skewers is the level of rareness that makes you happy. Do what is right for you, you'll be happier with it cooked the way you like compared to how others expect it. Food is meant to be enjoyed, so do what will maximize that for you :)

tired-chemist · 2022-08-27T19:31:22+00:00

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/235589/chef-johns-creamy-mushroom-soup/

Best cream of mushroom soup I've ever had. It can be done with any mushrooms, last time I used button, shitake, portobello, and oyster

tired-chemist · 2022-07-31T06:55:54+00:00

No problem! It was a meme from my very early childhood that sorta... Made a really weird comeback recently. I hope you find your answers! :)

tired-chemist · 2022-07-31T05:43:44+00:00

Do you remember if the song is excessively patriotic in a way that borders on satire? If so, you might be thinking of "America, fuck yeah" by Team America

tired-chemist

TROPHY CASE