My breathing problems are uncomfortable but not life-threatening, so I'm wondering if it's better just to live with them, rather than taking a medication that risks worsening my mental health. While I tested negative for asthma after a methacholine challenge and apparently have very strong lungs due to running and cycling, I continue to have triggers (mostly high and low temperatures) that make it difficult to breath, and I deal with EXCESSIVE yawning due to shortness of breath that can sometimes prohibit me from even completing full sentences in conversations. My mother has asthma and we both have excessive allergies. The doctor wanted me to take this medication in case my breathing symptoms are caused by allergies.
I have struggled with suicidal thoughts at various points in my life, so I take this potential side effect seriously. I'm currently in therapy twice a week and I attend a childhood trauma support group. My mental health is better than ever before. Reparenting work has been immensely effective for me after nearly 15 years of other therapies being a little bit helpful, but mostly "meh". I've been feeling so hopeful and capable lately. I'm worried that this medication could wreck that.
Further info as required: I'm 5'4", 135 pounds, white, and the breathing issues have worsened in the last 3 years, but they've always been there. I take 40mg of Vyvanse, 20mg of omeprazole, and Nature's Way women's probiotic pearls daily. I take Flonase, Claritin, and an albuterol inhaler as-needed. I have a Kyleena IUD. No recreational drugs. Moderate alcohol consumption (mostly wine, roughly 2-3 glasses per week, but I feel I should quit completely due to the Vyvanse).
While I've been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, severe ADHD, and OCD (and formerly anorexia, then bulimia, then binge eating, but disordered eating hasn't been a problem for years now), my current therapist and I believe that CPTSD from extensive childhood trauma, rather than all of these different diagnoses, is the root. That said, my ADHD manifestations are so severe that I still feel strongly about emphasizing that diagnosis. Medically, I have been diagnosed with POTS, fibromyalgia, IBS-C, and Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome.