vegling

veganpotter, were you a VCU student? i've got several friends who go there (i live in VB) and they said that off-campus there are plenty of vegan options, but on campus stuff generally sucks. anyway, what i'm actually trying to do is figure out what to tell the chef guy i want him to prepare. if they would just refund my meal plan money, i'd be happy to buy my own food, but i think hell will freeze over before they agree to that.

i thought about that, but then i remembered that i'm quite broke i also figured getting input from several of ya'll would be faster and more efficient than trying to come up with something on my own in less than 24 hours.

coming up on 4 months vegan here, and i've hit a little wrinkle. i was assured by my university that there would be plenty of vegan options to choose from when it came to eating on campus. i suppose when the said "plenty of options" they were referring to naked salad, fruit, and occasionally, hummus. so far i've been making trips the the local health food store and eating in my dorm. i called dining services and, long story short, i have a meeting set up with the executive head chef guy to set up a custom meal thing. i have my doubts about it actually working out, but i'm willing to give it a shot. i'm used to eating a lot of pre-cooked stuff that just requires heating, like courage burgers, various faux meats, and of course, veggies. i don't know what kinds of things i should ask for, considering i don't cook very much, or know much about cooking, for that matter. any input would be greatly appreciated. i want to continue to actually enjoy eating vegan, and at the same time, maintain a healthy balance as far as nutrients go.

That's really awesome! I'm always extremely proud of people who can kick drug habits, even prescribed ones. I always feel that drugs are wayyyy over prescribed. They(idiot doctors) tried to give my brother steroids when he had mono. Mono is an immune system efficiency disease(known as the kissing disease by some) and they tried to give him something that would further deplete his immune system. Good thing my mom called them on their bullshit and just had my brother gargle with salt water to get rid of his sore throat. Worked like a charm! i'm a bit of a pharmacy geek, so i couldn't help but look up mononucleosis and its respective treatments. from what i've read, corticosteroids are not a good idea to use on a routine basis, but can sometimes be useful if there is a risk of airway obstruction, severe thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count), or hemolytic anemia (abnormal breakdown of red blood cells). i don't know if either of these were applicable in your brother's case, but it sounds like good old fashioned salt water was certainly the best, least invasive option.

you might be right. i am big on keeping an open mind on everything, even on things that i pretty much have already formed an opinion on. right now is a big transitional point in my life though (finally going to college), so, for now, i'm going to stick to changing one variable at a time. right now my focus is on staying healthy and staying vegan.

IMHO medications do not treat or heal any disorders. It is true people suffering disorders can suppress the symptoms by taking prescription drugs. But this should not be seen as a real treatment. When the symptoms are gone there maybe no or little motivation to find the reason of the disorder. (-nothing personal, too -) Since you also take medication of course you are convinced medication will help and that it is important to take them. From your point of view saying "medication is wrong" would undermine yourself. Many members of this community have a different opinion towards medication and since mitchell knows this and put his question here he has the right to hear different opinions and to choose what seems to be useful for him. So please stop telling other members what advice to give or not to give. It is the nature of an online forum that there a different opinions. sorry, i didn't mean to come off sounding like a jerk. i just think there is a big difference between ruling out a treatment option that may or may not work for an individual and offering potentially helpful advice. for example, i would never say something like "don't go to therapy", because while therapy isn't helpful for me, it may be helpful for others. by the same token, i don't think it is fair to say something like, "cut out the meds", because for some people that is the best solution. also, i wasn't telling anyone anything. i was asking. if people choose not to respect that, i'm not going to lose sleep over it. i just thought it would be helpful, that's all. on a separate note, many mental disorders are simply genetic, in the same way HIV is genetic. you could get lucky and dodge the bullet, but if you aren't so lucky, you can treat the illness and/or symptoms. this is true not only for mental disorders, but many other disorders/diseases as well. take psoriasis for example. there is no known cure for it. you can treat the symptoms or live with it.

thanks everyone for the friendly advice. i sacrificed my ability to focus in a linear fashion today, skipped my dexedrine, and ate a little more than i usually do. as soon as i did, i felt SO much better. i think my problem is that my metabolism is fast and my food intake is relatively low, so maybe i just need a "drug holiday" every now and then. when i woke up this morning i just was NOT feeling like taking any kind of stimulant. i'm fine with abstaining from dexedrine every now and then if that's what it takes to remain vegan.

thank you. i'm glad some people can beat ADHD by changing their diet. unfortunately, this does not work for me. also, i'm an adult and suffer from adult ADHD. it's a completely different beast, not to mention the severity of it in my case. it is impossible for preservatives or unhealthy foods to cause dopamine and norepiniphrine imbalances this huge in magnitude, in this (my) case. interesting information though, and surely something to consider when i have kids of my own someday!

i can sympathize with your struggles. i have run the gamet and then some with meds like that. lexapro worked as an anti-depressant. however, it made me too groggy. lamictal was excellent, but it interfered with sleep. zoloft didn't do anything for me. i currently take seroquel off-label for depression, and i have valium handy if i have an anxiety attack. beware- benzos like valium, xanax, ativan, etc. are extremely addictive. try to only take those when you need them unless your doctor tells you otherwise. above all, don't lose hope because one medication didn't work. treating things like anxiety, depression, and mood disorders is mostly trial and error. everyone reacts differently to these meds. hope that helps...good luck! ps- nothing personal, and i know i'll get flamed for this, but anyone who thinks psychiatric disorders don't require or are not helped by medication, is sadly mistaken. if you aren't affected, then you are truly blessed and i'm happy for you. but please, PLEASE refrain from discouraging ANY possible treatment option, medicinal or otherwise.

i myself am a recovered drug addict. there is some truth to what people are saying about helping the person realize that there is a problem and that they do need help, etc. that said, at my lowest point, i was severely depressed, drunk as often as i could be, and taking benzos (valium, xanax, etc.) and barbiturates when i couldn't be, attempted suicide several times, and ultimately ended up being committed to a mental hospital. i'm not sure how it works where you live, but here, you can go down to the municipal complex and petition the magistrate to have an individual temporarily detained. once that happens, said individual will undergo a psychiatric evaluation, and if they are determined by the psychologist to be a danger to themselves or others, they will be escorted to the nearest hospital with a psychiatric ward. while my stay there was inarguably the most unpleasant thing i've ever been through, it ultimately saved my life. detox sucked horribly (they just gave me an antihistamine with strong sedative properties). i spent the first 4 days there shaking, screaming, vomiting, crying, sweating, and begging for valium, but it was done under close doctor supervision. there was one time when my vitals went through the roof and i was given a milder fast-acting benzo to keep me from running into problems like cardiac arrest, but other than that it was a closely monitored cold turkey detox. i was put on an anti-depressant, and within 2 weeks the world didn't seem like such a bad place. my life has improved by leaps and bounds since then. i hope it doesn't come to that with your friend, but it's definitely a better option than dying of a drug overdose.

hey everyone, i have a pretty unique situation as far as being a new vegan goes. here's the deal. i take a few medications. most of them do not directly affect appetite blood pressure, but one of them does. i take between 15 and 30 milligrams of dexedrine (dextro-amphetamine) daily for adult ADHD. i know that this medication is probably looked down upon in the physical health community, but i ask that you please view this as a constant, rather than a variable. i've been vegan for only about 3 weeks now, and i have done my best to do it right. i try to eat healthy foods and i take a vegan B-complex. i avoid partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. i eat a lot of whole grains, hummus, some brown rice here and there, i stay away from real starchy things like potatoes, i eat green veggies, drink soy milk, and drink a good amount of V8 fusion. for the past two days, i have had some very unpleasant symptoms. i have been feeling like my body needs something and isn't getting it. if anyone has ever withdrawn from cigarrettes, caffeine, or any other drug, then you know what i'm talking about. thing is, i'm not withdrawing from any drugs. this happened when i first started, but was always remedied by a glass of V8 or a bowl of cereal. i'm guessing it was low blood sugar. now, for those of you who don't know, dexedrine does several things to the brain and body, aside from helping my focus. it increases metabolism, increases energy, decreases appetite, and increases heart rate. it does other things as well, but those are the most pertinent to my situation IMO. i don't eat very much, and this was always fine until i started being a vegan. i thought this would be OK because before i went vegan i was eating a lot of fast food, and now i'm eating a lot healthier. thanks in advance for your help, everyone. EDIT: redundancy