{"id":7211,"date":"2023-08-19T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=7211"},"modified":"2023-09-16T20:42:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T20:42:11","slug":"another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Prescription SNAFU \/ Yellowstone: USGS Video"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8YwqId_b9Fc\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ll be talking, briefly, about my most recent effort to both follow the rules and get a needed prescription. (Spoiler alert: I finally got the stuff, and have maybe three weeks before wading into this mess again.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But first, an even briefer look at something I&#8217;d much rather have been talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/#yellowstone\">Yellowstone: Earthquakes Happen<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/#prescribed\">Prescribed Medications, Controlled Substances, and Me<\/a><\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/#could\">It Could be Worse<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/#postscript\">Postscript: Success! Until Next Month<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"yellowstone\"><\/a>Yellowstone: Earthquakes Happen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yellowstone_hotspot\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/750px-Yellowstone_Caldera_map2-658.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"U.S. National Park Service (Henry Heassler, Cheryl Jaworwski) map showing Yellowstone Caldera Ejecta for first, second and third caldera. (2013) via Wikipedia, used w\/o permission.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">First, second and third Yellowstone Caldera ejecta. NPS map. (2013)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out, the the Yellowstone region&#8217;s next high-risk event isn&#8217;t a volcanic eruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s an earthquake. The last big one was in 1959. Or 1975, depending on how someone defines &#8220;big&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was among the topics I&#8217;ve had lined up for these &#8220;Saturday&#8221; posts. I still plan to talk about the Yellowstone Caldera,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/#1\">1<\/a><\/sup> North America&#8217;s geologic history and whatever else comes to mind while I&#8217;m putting the Yellowstone story together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But not this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About the USGS video at the top of this post: its audio abruptly shifts to monaural a little less than a minute in, but goes back to normal a bit later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sooner or later I&#8217;ll get back to Yellowstone, earthquakes and all that. Again, I&#8217;d have preferred talking about that this week. But doing so would have required concentration and free time that simply wasn&#8217;t going to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, a quick look at why I haven&#8217;t been getting much done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"prescribed\"><\/a>Prescribed Medications, Controlled Substances, and Me<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-prescription-disorders-conformity-and-culture\/#living\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230509ff\/20230816-APrescriptionDisordersConformityAndCulture-LivingUpDownToExpectations-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Heading from 'A Prescription, Disorders, Conformity and Culture' (May 20, 2023), with screen capture from 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' (1953), Marilyn Monroe as Lorelei Lee, performing 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' with Chorus. Via Wikipedia, used w\/o permission.\"><\/a>We&#8217;re still downwind of Canada&#8217;s wildfires, here in my part of central Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, happily, the smoke has often been going far overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s not why I&#8217;m not getting much done this week. I&#8217;ve been \u2014 distracted \u2014 by another SNAFU involving prescribed medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The medication isn&#8217;t the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem is, has been, and almost certainly will continue being, rules that may have made sense to someone, somewhere, somehow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;d better explain that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was in my mid-50s before I began collecting a list of psychiatric diagnoses, including but not limited to these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ADHD: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, inattentive type<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ASD: Autism spectrum disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cluster A personality disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GAD: Generalized anxiety disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PDD: Persistent depressive disorder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PTSD: Post traumatic stress disorder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>None of them can be &#8220;cured&#8221;, but I&#8217;ve got options to make some of them less vexing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of those options is using a Schedule II controlled substance that makes using my brain a whole lot easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good news: starting when I was 55, fighting the controls to keep my brain working hasn&#8217;t been nearly as difficult as it once was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not-so-good news: I&#8217;m now 71, and have experienced withdrawal several times. Since the controlled substance is a prescribed medication, it&#8217;s &#8220;discontinuation syndrome&#8221;.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/#2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that&#8217;s a tomayto, tomahto situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I figure some folks would be just simply horrified at the thought that they were experiencing &#8220;withdrawal&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And &#8220;discontinuation syndrome&#8221; isn&#8217;t associated with socially-undesirable persons. Like me: and my oldest daughter, who has had similar experiences with her meds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"could\"><\/a>It Could be Worse<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/still-rejoicing\/#my\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20150207-800px-Synapse_Illustration2_tweaked-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Nrets's illustration of the bsic structure and elements of a chemical synapse. (2006-2008) via Wikipedia, used w\/o permission.\"><\/a>Back to good news: I haven&#8217;t experienced withdrawal this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s partly because last week I began taking \u00bc the prescribed dose of the controlled substance I mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before that, I&#8217;d taken my daily dose down to \u00bd the prescribed amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not, putting it mildly, what I&#8217;d prefer doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the alternative would have been going from the prescribed daily dose to nothing during the first week of this month. Making what I had on hand stretch as far as I could seemed prudent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This month I&#8217;ve been dealing with two issues related to that medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For one thing, there&#8217;s a supply problem. The pharmacy I go to often can&#8217;t get this particular medication, and this is another one of those times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For another, the bureaucratic SNAFU demanded each month has been considerably more tangled this time around. I started taking notes last week, and plan on talking about it. Later. Definitely not this week, maybe not next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, to wrap this up on good news: although I&#8217;m feeling slow, sluggish, defocused and generally \u2014 relaxed \u2014 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014 You know? I&#8217;ll leave it at that. I haven&#8217;t experienced withdrawal this month. And that is, basically, good news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"postscript\"><\/a>Postscript: Success! Until Next Month<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-prescription-disorders-conformity-and-culture\/#smoke\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20230509ff\/20210610-DSC09053-Methylphenid-pixelized-329.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"My methylphenidate prescription, with one day left. (June 10, 2021)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>And now, even better news. The pharmacy called late Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They had both a valid authorization for my methylphenidate prescription <strong>and<\/strong> enough in stock for the permitted 30-day supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I picked it up Wednesday evening: and plan on staying inside for the rest of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smoke from Canada arrives Thursday, and that&#8217;s another topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have a great deal more to say about both of this week&#8217;s topics. Odds are, I&#8217;ll talk about one or the other next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unless I get distracted by something more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that, given the way I am, is quite possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More stuff that&#8217;s not entirely unrelated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/super-duper-super-earths-and-the-search-for-life\/\">Super-Duper Super Earths and the Search for Life<\/a>&#8220;<br>(May 27, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/a-prescription-disorders-conformity-and-culture\/\">A Prescription, Disorders, Conformity and Culture<\/a>&#8220;<br>(May 20, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/my-monthly-request-so-far-only-a-slight-snafu\/\">My Monthly Request: So Far, Only a Slight SNAFU<\/a>&#8220;<br>(April 12, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/im-not-as-crazy-as-you-think-i-moose\/\">I&#8217;m Not as Crazy as You Think I Moose!<\/a>&#8220;<br>(April 9, 2022)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/still-rejoicing\/\">Still Rejoicing<\/a>&#8220;<br>(July 2, 2017)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"1\"><\/a>1<\/sup> Yellowstone background:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1935_Helena_earthquake\">1935 Helena earthquake<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1959_Hebgen_Lake_earthquake\">1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Island_Park_Caldera\">Island Park Caldera<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Supervolcano\">Supervolcano<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Volcano\">Volcano<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yellowstone_Caldera\">Yellowstone Caldera<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>USGS (United States Geological Survey)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/observatories\/yvo\/news\/new-views-how-magma-stored-beneath-yellowstone-provided-hundreds-seismic\">New views of how magma is stored beneath Yellowstone provided by hundreds of seismic sensors<\/a>&#8220;<br>Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (July 31, 2023)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/volcanoes\/yellowstone\/monitoring-earthquakes-yellowstone-national-park\">Monitoring Earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/observatories\/yvo\">Yellowstone Volcano Observatory<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><sup><a name=\"2\"><\/a>2<\/sup> Medication that helps, when it&#8217;s available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Antidepressant_discontinuation_syndrome\">Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Controlled_Substances_Act\">Controlled Substances Act<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Drug_withdrawal\">Drug withdrawal<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Methylphenidate\">Methylphenidate<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/discontinuation-syndrome-and-antidepressants-2019040416361\">Discontinuation syndrome and antidepressants<\/a>&#8220;<br>\nChristopher Bullock, MD, MFA; Carolyn A. Bernstein, MD, FAHS; Harvard Health Blog (April 11, 2019)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/depression\/expert-answers\/antidepressant-withdrawal\/faq-20058133\">Antidepressant withdrawal: Is there such a thing?<\/a><br>\nMayo Clinic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;ll be talking, briefly, about my most recent effort to both follow the rules and get a needed prescription. (Spoiler alert: I finally got the stuff, and have maybe three weeks before wading into this mess again.) But first, an &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-prescription-snafu-yellowstone-usgs-video\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"My monthly efforts to get a prescribed medication were more than usually frustrating this time. I talk a little about that, and less about Yellowstone geology.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Another Prescription SNAFU \/ Yellowstone: USGS Video","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154,192],"tags":[113,29,85,22],"class_list":["post-7211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discursive-detours","category-journal","tag-geology","tag-medicine","tag-mental-health","tag-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-1Sj","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7211"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7333,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7211\/revisions\/7333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}