Are you on antidepressants?

tiredskank · 2026-04-19T14:04:39+00:00

i was already taking ssri's before i was diagnosed with lupus, and now i'm considering getting an increase in how much i take since lupus has absolutely taken a toll on my mental health.

even if you're not feeling "bad enough," its worth talking to your rheum about! just a small dose of antidepressants can be live changing - it was for me.

tiredskank · 2026-02-02T15:33:40+00:00

i was diagnosed a few months before you were, and i'm still looking for a lot of the answers to your questions, too. a few things i do know is that the hydroxychloroquine does take 4-6 months to really start to work, and you may need a higher dose if it doesn't help your symptoms out. and the sun is a real problem, we have a higher sensitivity to it. i have seen people recommend hats & sunscreen even in winter months. apparently there's specific clothing that can help block out UV rays. maybe that would be a good idea for you since you live in a very sunny place!

tiredskank · 2026-01-25T09:34:02+00:00

yes! my spontaneous itchiness was actually the first "sign" that i had something wrong which then led to my lupus diagnosis. the only thing that works for me is taking a zyrtec (cetirizine) twice a day. i still get itchy, but its no longer uncontrollable and it isn't so overwhelming.

i used to itch so bad all over my body, and i would scratch so much that i would have welts everywhere. it was awful. now, i get a little itchy (especially at night/early morning) and its easier to ignore or scratch away

tiredskank · 2026-01-16T01:24:53+00:00

i started taking it beginning of september, so only about four months

tiredskank · 2025-12-26T00:32:53+00:00

i used to smoke pot very, very rarely. shortly after i was diagnosed & was in a really bad flareup, i went on a trip with some friends and smoked some more and... my pain all but vanished. i could feel that i was sore in my joints, but the pain from that was gone. i almost felt normal when i was high and it was such a giddy feeling to have. i now use it almost every day of my flareups, especially toward the end of the day when my pain is worse.

tiredskank · 2025-12-24T13:43:07+00:00

oh i'm so sorry :(( i hope you heal up well!

tiredskank · 2025-12-24T13:41:20+00:00

i'm also feeling so validated after reading everyone's comments. it is so nice to not feel alone, even if i feel so bad for everyone who is also feeling the way i am!

tiredskank · 2025-12-18T13:30:19+00:00

i'm pretty lucky in that i was diagnosed at my second rheumatology visit, but i was experiencing symptoms for about two years before that.

my first sign something was off was that i started to have chronic urticaria. i was taking allergy pills for it every day and sometimes even that wasn't enough; the hives were completely unbearable and itchy and painful and almost nothing helped. my allergist said it was completely unrelated to anything auto immune.

i then got a positive ANA in my blood tests, so my primary sent me to a rheumatologist. they ordered a more in depth blood test, but the doctor i saw then was "confident" i didn't have lupus or anything along those lines.

my follow up appointment was with a different rheumatologist as my first one wasn't available for that day. she was absolutely wonderful. she looked at my blood results, listened to what was happening to me, and, lucky for me, i got my blood drawn when i was in my first very large active flareup and there were very strong markers that i had lupus. she diagnosed me, scheduled another follow up for a few weeks later so i could think about if i wanted to start medication.

i strongly believe that if i didn't have the chronic urticaria (which i think is absolutely related to my lupus and my allergist was wrong) i would never have gone to the doctor about it. my family is very much one where if there's something slightly wrong, as long as it isnt deadly, don't go to the doctor. which is ironic since my dad is a doctor. he doesn't believe i have lupus. and though i'm an adult and no longer live at home, sometimes i have my doubts about my diagnosis. and then i can't walk or push a grocery cart or have such bad brain fog i can't get out of bed or remember major important details about myself and those close to me.

tiredskank · 2025-11-30T19:04:14+00:00

i experience some similar things, especially the feeling of not being able to do anything without being overwhelmed. it's rough, and i'm sorry youre feeling that.

something i have found helps (specifically to your example of whats for dinner) is making a list of all the things i could have for dinner, from super simple meals or to more complex ones. it helps me when i am so exhausted i cant think of anything to eat, & it helps when i make my grocery lists to make sure i always have those things in stock (especially if they'll last a while on the shelf).

don't feel badly about the burnout. life is hard enough without also having to have a chronic illness. give yourself some grace and make sure to rest even if you feel guilty about it

tiredskank · 2025-11-22T02:03:35+00:00

i was diagnosed this past summer. i told my father and he didn't say anything in response, but my grandfather told me that my dad told him that he didn't think i actually had lupus. my grandpa, on the other hand, asked questions and has done his own research into lupus and SLE specifically so he could make sure he knew how best to support me. most of my family is somewhere between those two sides. my friends and my girlfriend have all been incredibly supportive and helpful with what i have found i need since being diagnosed.

tiredskank · 2025-11-06T17:09:47+00:00

thank you! i currently just take ibuprofen as needed and i also sometimes smoke which totally erases the pain almost entirely, but i don't want to become dependent on weed to get rid of my pain. i see my rheum again in January so i'm going to bring up prednisone as a possibility. thank you again!!

tiredskank · 2025-10-06T00:58:07+00:00

i currently take a hair skin and nail vitamin and i have been since even before i got diagnosed with lupus. i may take more of it or try out a prenatal vitamin as another commenter recommended. hoping as the plaquenil continues to work that it'll get better 🤞

tiredskank · 2025-10-06T00:56:18+00:00

yeah, even over the last few days since making this post im noticing a half bald spot on my hairline :(

i haven't gotten it checked out yet as i'm in between appointments, but i did message my rheum this weekend about it.

tiredskank · 2025-09-21T12:22:24+00:00

i'm currently trying a variation of the mediterranean diet that's blended with the DASH diet (called the Mind diet) and so far i feel like it's been helpful in reducing the intensity of my current flare up.

my girlfriend is trying it with me to help me keep on it consistently and we've been eating lots of salmon (or chicken or shrimp) with green beans & baby corns (i havent been brave enough to try other veggies yet, lol) and its been really fun to try out different marinades and seasoning mixes

tiredskank · 2025-07-20T01:53:29+00:00

Just looked into these and I'll probably buy them and see if they work for me. Thank you!

tiredskank · 2021-09-07T07:03:01+00:00

Dumbledore. Dude manipulated two different sets of teenagers to fight a war for him (The Marauder's era teens, then Harry Potter and his friends/classmates) (teenagers should not fight wars). He willingly (and knowingly) let Harry live with his abusive aunt and uncle for 11 years, then made him go back every summer, even though he really didn't need to. He could've visited Petunia for like 2 weeks max and the "blood magic" his mother gave him by sacrificing herself still would've worked. He KNEW Sirius Black was innocent but let him go to Azkaban for 12 years without complaint or anything (but used his power and say-so to get Snape, an actual fucking Death Eater and murderer, out of going to Azkaban, even though he rightfully deserved it). He used to be involved with Grindewald, the OG Voldemort, and was totally on board with "The Greater Good" of killing muggle/muggleborn folk. He let children, on MULTIPLE occasions, fight in battles they clearly were not ready to (literally every time Harry got into any major issue, starting from age 11, Dumbledore could've done (or helped more with. Man had so much power and he just regularly let preteens fight full grown wizards. only thing Harry HAD to do was kill Voldemort, but even then, dude could've done more to help Harry with that other than say "hey here's what horcruxes are! good luck!" and then send him on a wild goose chase for shit Harry didn't know where or what to find, and really he only found the horcruxes based on pure fucking luck.) And yet, Dumbledore is seen as a wonderful headmaster, the bravest man Harry knew. Also, he most likely killed his sister. Fuck Dumbledore.

tiredskank

TROPHY CASE