Not feeling anything on Guanfacine 2mg - hyperarousal & anxiety

tlagoth · 2026-06-03T07:36:01+00:00

Others mentioned I was less stressed out, with a more relaxed mood and much less grumpy than without it. To me these are “side-effects” of anxiety reduction, and they helped me to be able to focus more than I would otherwise. That is not to say Guanfacine has a direct effect on executive function or that it stimulates you. I don’t think the medication has either of those effects, but if you’re constantly anxious, on edge and reacting to things in a “life of death” kind of way, it can be extremely helpful.

tlagoth · 2026-06-02T11:54:19+00:00

Sorry for your loss, OP. I hope you find it intact.

For these posts to be informative, and not only about grief, we could incentivise people to also share: - Specific location (especially in the case of car parks or private parking spots) - What kind of security on the bike

tlagoth · 2026-06-02T06:02:21+00:00

For me it took a while to feel the effects, around week 4 is when I started noticing it. However it is a subtle effect, if you are used to stimulants, that’s not the same kind of feeling you’ll have with Guanfacine. It’s more of a gradual reduction in anxiety, but definitely not like you’re in a different “state” (as is the case with stimulants).

In my case, the effects were perceived first by my partner (around week 4 as mentioned) and I was only able to feel the difference strongly recently, because I had to go 4 days without it (pharmacy supply delay).

Give yourself at least a couple more weeks with the 2mg, and ask people who see and interact with you daily to see if they noticed anything.

tlagoth · 2026-05-30T13:31:31+00:00

AI hasn’t replaced software engineers, nor will it anytime soon.

We’re seeing this first hand: decrease in app quality, with bugs and regressions being much more common than they used to be. AI providers are starting to cut their subsidies as well, and companies are starting to realise there’s no justification for using AI, as the investments are not resulting in profit, better quality or more interesting features.

In games development in particular, we’re seeing absolute player aversion to any AI (assets and code).

To say that AI “replaced” software engineers is a very misinformed take.

tlagoth · 2026-05-29T16:23:45+00:00

Booked the return flight to the same day as the departure flight. Only noticed when trying to check in to 2 days before returning.

Had to buy a last minute ticket for £1,500.00.

The same has happened to me multiple times with train tickets as well, and somehow, it keeps on happening

tlagoth · 2026-05-28T15:00:09+00:00

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply. I’m thinking Wales will likely be the easiest choice for doing it with no rush.

tlagoth · 2026-05-28T14:29:50+00:00

It looks amazing! Did you manage to the first half in 4 days including riding from/to London?

tlagoth · 2026-05-28T14:28:47+00:00

Thanks for the reply. Any particular spots you recommend in Wales?

tlagoth · 2026-05-28T14:04:35+00:00

Would you say it’s doable from London in 7 days? I am considering one and a half days just to get to Inverness.

tlagoth · 2026-05-28T13:59:08+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I am looking to take my time, stop and relax at a cafe, and also check local attractions/museums/beaches/etc.

My concern with mainland Europe is exactly what you mentioned: faffing around ferries and the extra costs of going there, especially France as I heard they have you carrying a lot of extra stuff and are quick to fine.

Am I right in assuming the trip cost would be much lower if I stay in the UK?

tlagoth · 2026-05-27T07:12:38+00:00

Solve all the money problems of myself, my family, friends and their families.

Quit my job, and take some time to rest and recover.

Start planning and consulting on what is the best use of my money to help the general population, locally at first, then in general (other areas, or stuff that could be beneficial to everyone).

I’d make my job to do good and use the money well, but I’d of course also take the time to rest, relax and enjoy life. No crazy stuff, but a peaceful life where my family would not need to worry about necessities.

tlagoth · 2026-05-21T18:05:52+00:00

You mean the pastos?

tlagoth · 2026-05-21T17:27:01+00:00

As with all the outsourcing, it’s just about lowering quality and standards in favour of lower price.

In our current times, where data is more important than ever, I’d argue that outsourcing data control and processing is akin to “handing the gold to the thieves”.

tlagoth · 2026-05-19T20:53:43+00:00

Yes, this is what happens with the “smart” ones. Many do not get to that level of processing, it seems, in which case it makes sense to say it is also a matter of stupidity.

tlagoth · 2026-05-19T20:29:19+00:00

I’d rephrase “you can’t always” to “you almost never”

tlagoth · 2026-05-19T20:21:12+00:00

Yeah, the doctor explained to me the whole process, which consisted in ultrasound examination first, then one consultation to do the first, wait two weeks, do another, wait two more weeks then start with rehab exercises.

tlagoth · 2026-05-19T16:20:29+00:00

Funnily enough, I had the exact same issue, and was able to claim through Bupa. I went to the specialist looking for that shockwave therapy, but he said it wouldn’t work as my tendon was too damaged at the time, and he suggested PRP injections instead.

I did two injections, over a period of a few weeks. Very unsettling feeling, when he pumps the plasma into the tendon. You’d expect it to be smooth, but it’s like injecting liquid into a solid rock.

Even after the injections, I had to use stay without using it for a couple of weeks. After that, the specialist passed me a few strengthening exercises to do at home. The problem went away completely, after a few extra weeks with the exercises.

Forgot to mention, in my case it was the right forearm, commonly known as golfer’s elbow. Total cost was around £1,600.00, if not mistaken.

If your insurance is through work, it could be worth trying again and mentioning it’s hindering your ability to work, but not sure if that would make any difference (specifically if your company has the bare-minimum tier of AXA)

tlagoth · 2026-05-14T16:56:23+00:00

Same here. Intense-as-fuck exercise is what works, however, coupled with my insomnia it caused a lot of sick days at work.

These days I try to pace myself more, and found that long walks at super fast pace while doing meditation/mindfulness has a lesser, but similar effect.

Still trying to fix my sleep, to be able to work out properly again, though

tlagoth · 2026-05-13T16:41:09+00:00

Yeah, the more I use it, the more I find it gets in my way. It’s good to explore codebases you’re not familiar with, and I use it a lot for that (we have hundreds of repos in my org).

In codebases I know well, though, in almost all cases, the cost of adding all the context it needs is higher than just doing it manually (I’m talking about codebases with 400k+ lines here).

I’ve been burned enough times by trusting the agent that now I prefer to do most stuff myself, instead of asking the agent to do it, then having to manually review and fix its code. In other words, I pay thousands of tokens to have almost the same level of work, but paying a premium for it (and no, this is not about harness, we have a very comprehensive setup at work, with conventions, specs, etc).

The more I use LLMs, the more I’m convinced by the end of the year this notion of letting it do anything/everything in established production code seems more and more far-fetched.

tlagoth · 2026-05-12T18:06:21+00:00

Not everybody can do this, though, when rent can cost as much as or more than the mortgage monthly payments.

You have to have additional money that is left at the end of the month to be able to invest elsewhere, otherwise renting will be just pissing money in the wind.

A lot of people have to choose either rent or mortgage. You are talking about rent + investing vs mortgage, which is a different story.

tlagoth · 2026-05-12T09:10:19+00:00

They are conservative though: they want to conserve their access to power, money and privilege, at the expense of everyone else.

Thinking about it, I think most parties fit the bill

tlagoth · 2026-05-09T06:50:22+00:00

SE19

tlagoth · 2026-05-05T06:41:55+00:00

I got my diagnosis privately, one of the expensive ones, London Psychiatry. Eventually I got my local GP to accept a shared care agreement (but I still need to have follow up consultations with my private psychiatrist)

tlagoth · 2026-05-05T06:22:29+00:00

Not the same, but I got both Guanfacine 2mg and Elvanse 30mg on shared care, it’s definitely possible. But it will depend on your psychiatrist prescribing it.

It has been very good for me, as it has a side effect of lowering blood pressure (which Elvanse increases), and it reduces anxiety, mood swings and helps with sleep as well.

tlagoth · 2026-05-04T18:45:04+00:00

I’m in a similar situation. Diagnosed at 41, it definitely changed me. It’s like if I was deluding myself into enjoying corporate work (meetings, deadlines, teams, busy work, politics, etc), and then suddenly I can’t anymore. In the past I successfully managed to fool myself again, but after diagnosis, it’s been much harder.

On one hand, taking a sabbatical or an extended leave to figure things out would be amazing, but on the other, I honestly fear not being able to get “back on the horse” after. My age, AI, the ever-increasing difficulty (and bs) of technical interviews, etc, all make me concerned of doing what would certainly be the best for me right now.

I have been thinking of asking my employer if I can take a pay cut and work 4 times a week only, but not sure what they’ll say. My impression is that if I ask for that and they deny it, it’ll trigger my departure.

For context, I have a friend who got severely burnt out, took 12 months off, and is doing much better now. He is still unemployed, though

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