Ups and downs this week.

I recently switched from Mirtazapine to Duloxetine, and had somewhat of a bad reaction to it, as in I was staggering through Manchester like Daniel Craig in Casino Royale.

Long after I stopped taking them I was still feeling awful. I managed to get an urgent triage appointment yesterday morning where a doctor switched me back to Mirtazapine, which was the most effective of all antidepressants I've tried. Already feeling better. A looooong sauna also did wonders.

As mentioned, these are my experiences, and they may differ to yours, so always consult your GP in relation to meds.

In other psychology-related news, I volunteered to man a stall at Manchester University's annual Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing event on behalf of Andy's Man Club Manchester.

Big thank you to @OfficialUoM for inviting us to their Wellbeing Fair. It was a great opportunity to discuss AMC with staff.

We are really excited to be linking up on future events.#itsokaytotalk pic.twitter.com/HxixUp21E3

— Andy’s Man Club, Manchester (@andysmanclubmcr) November 28, 2019

Saturday's event saw hundreds of university staff attend the small venue, where me and another Manchester AMC member encouraged people to attend the Monday night sessions. I've manned a few stalls and events for AMC over the last couple of years, and they're always emotive, engaging days. Talking to people about mental health and seeing people take their first steps to overcome what could be a long-standing, very personal problem is always rewarding.

If you fancy a chat in a private venue where you can get any issues off your chest, come down to Federation House on Federation St, Monday nights, 7pm.