Started taking 10 ml Lexapro for what my (then) primary said was severe depression with anxiety.?
- Posted:
- 17 Aug 2010 by clearwaterfl
- Topics:
- lexapro, depression, anxiety
Details:
... This was based on a form she had me fill out when I went to the office with anxiety. This anxiety was based on very difficult family situations plus I was getting married in 2 weeks, which was wonderful, but still produced stress. For the next 5 weeks I had almost every possible Lexapro symptom listed. After 5 weeks of hell I started going to a psycologist and a holistic doctor. Both diagnosed me with Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety, no pharmaceuticals needed. I immeadiately started a program to get off Lexapro. Thanks to the Lexapro boards I saw what people did that helped them be successful ie: vitamins, exercise, acupuncture, talk therapy. I developed a “plan”. Before tapering I put myself under the new doctors supervision, boosted my vitamins, started once a week with therapist, had blood and urine testing at doctors and started acupuncture. For 10 days I cut pills to 7.5 mil, then to 5.0 for another 10 days, which I am now on day 3. At the end of this 10 day period I will cut them to 2.5 for ten days and then the last 10 days, off one day, 2.5 the other. I am also taking Lorazepam (one .5 pill per day) to help with the original anxiety I still have.
I'm starting this post to share my ongoing story, hoping it may encourage others to have the courage to taper
17 Aug 2010
Good for you, i am always happy to hear people able to get off of pharmeceuticals and go the holistic approach. I too, take alot of vitamins, not to the point of being ridiculous, but the things i know i do not get enough of in my food, and also, being post menopausal, i need vitamin B complex to boost my metablism a bit. But, unfortunately, I do have to take prescription medication for chronic pain and am waiting to have a couple of surgeries, trying to get some help w/Medicare, which my state does not offer since I am only 53 and make too much money on Social Security, which is, of course a joke. But i too will have to taper off of a drug that will be very difficult and take much longer than Lexapro, and it's not something I am looking forward to. My best girlfriend uses acupuncture and i have incurred a symptom from a former back injury, so am thinking of going myself to try to alleviate that pain. Nothing i can do about the other's until surgery.
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Take care and keep up the good work, and do not worry about taking that low dose of Lorazapam now and then when anxiety is bad, you don't sound like someone that is ever going to abuse it and better to know it's there for you if needed than have anxiety about thinking it is not! Happiness to you in your new marriage, I hope it was a lovely day for you.
Dede
18 Aug 2010
I admire your plan to get off Lexapro,I wonder what side affects others have from cold turkey withdrawal.I can barely type this,so nauseous,but worse is the pain in my head,its so awful and I know that the teary eyes are symptoms,but I'm here trying to at least lie down and my tears are like feverish.I considering calling my MD,asking if she has any samples,but asked once before and she was like "you can't afford x dollars...
No,not this month dragonlady,this is not on Walmart $4 meds list,i soon won't have hlth ins and oh yeah when you gotta choose to eliminate,you just do.
sorry to rant,but I also get the DT's in my head.All I can desribe it as is,like my head is a baby's rattle toy or the new style of movies where the angles and camera switches back and forth very fast. 28 days later,thats it.Anyone have any info?Thanks a bunch because I also feel like I' m having hallucinations and it is not good.
19 Aug 2010
Day 5 of second taper to .5mg. So far the worst side effects are sweating/hot flashes, insomnia, some anxiety and fatigue. I have ramped up vitamins, ride my bike most days and try to rest. I still take Lorazepam every other day if I start to feel shaky. I am having acupuncture 2x a week (for 4weeks) and go to the psycologist every week. Thanks for all the support and comments. This is such a hard thing to go through and it is wonderful not to think you are alone.
22 Aug 2010
My husband was prescribed Lexapro for anxiety and stress. Six weeks later he killed himself. I have lived with my husband for nearly 17 years. He has always had a little stress and tension in his life. Mostly due to caring for his parents, children and grandchildren and constantly worrying about his siblings. He was a true family man. The day before his death he had canned green beans and tomatoes. He took his grandson for a haircut and got one himself. He did a little work for an elderly couple a few miles down. He worked in the garden when he got home. We had a spat. I figured he was hot and tired due to working outdoors in 90 degree weather. But nothing really different than any other. I figured it would all blow over just like all the others have before. The next morning he was gone from a gun shot wound to the head. The day of his death, was the same day as his nephew's birthday party. He worshipped his parents and his father's birthday was the following day.
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Their 50th wedding anniversary is next month. My husband and I have been planning a party and looking at new wedding bands for over a year now for his parents. We had planned to take the kids to Coney Island that week. He has a new grand baby due in October. He was a wonderful man who looked at least 10 years younger than he was. He had energy and stamina and would help anyone who needed it at any time. And just like that he is gone!
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clearwate...
dmfdjttor57
dmfdjttor57
HI, your answer was most positive even though it wasn't directed to me. I am 50 and on Social Security for Bipolar Rapid Cycle that has its difficulties being controlled. But back to my point, I live in FL. I understand SS is a Fed Dispursed monies. Once I got my SS I automatically got medicare (not medicaid) I could get medicaid to pay my copays and persc but like you they said I made too much on SS. I still have medicare and that covers most of everything I need even my anxiety meds. Whoever said one could live on or even make too much on SS is deliusional at best. It is a hard struggle but there are resources there to help. Enjoy your wedding day as much as you can, really try there because that is a new beginning and sometimes that is all one needs to combat temp. anxiety. If it is gettting worse after maybe you should check out Local Agencies. The Salvation Army here has a list of programs locally to help us out. Maybe that can be a start. Best Wishes. tige
Tige: I was most interested to hear you got Medicare as soon as you got your SS Disability, as in Wa. state, where i live, i had to wait 2 yrs. and go w/out any insurance at all. I am rather a squeaky wheel and have a hearing on the 24th and know there is a way that DSHS can give me Medicaid to help w/the 20% of hospital bill that will be thousands. Yes, a joke that we make too much money on SSI but i look at it this way: Since I no longer have much money, i don't have to worry about losing it, or having lost it, as so many do/did. Only thing that saves me... take care and thanks. Dede
Hi, well I was diagonsed in 1992 and filed for SS and of course got denied the first time. Well I gave up an tried to work several menial jobs for the next 10 years while living with Mom & Dad. I had to do something to regain some form of independance. I filed again for SS and got approved for SSI, which comes with medicaid. The small check and low coverage just put me further under. I contacted a SS lawyer in my city and he said I should have been receiving my full SS since 1992. Unfortunately they only pay for 2 years back. Anyway, he got me an appt with an administrative judge and when I went before him and explained my situation He awarded me full Social Securtiy and Medicare. I have to pay my premiums for A & B and wish I could find some assistance for that. I make too much of a SS Check to qualift for food stamps, medicaid or so far any co-pay Plan I have tried. My portion of my med bills plus premiums run close to 500 per month.
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I'ts depressing enough to be disabled at 50 but to be broke too, It sucks. I shop very frugal and keep limited entertainment. Hopefully things willl change, I dont have any answers but I do have hope and gratefulness that I have what I got.I asked you to be a friend so maybe we can continue these kind of discussions more. Mabye between the two of up we can get the system to work for us and help more. Tige
Hello dmfdjttor57; Now that's a handle ! I wouldn't even dare ask you what all that stands for ! Girl, do REALLY need those 2 operations. I hate to rag on you and I sure as hell won't. I subscribe to several nature/natural living magazines, books, vit. catalogues, and some underground pubs.In one of the books I trust completely , I read an article about an F.D.A. bust of some doctors that had been under observation. What they would do is get a patient/idiot, talk Him/Her into an unneeded operation, get them on the table , pull out the patients heart, and pass it around from hand to hand, Dr. to Dr., laughing & joking (ie) "thank you Mr. heart for the $30,000 that you will deposit in my account or thank you mrs. heart etc. etc. , then they would return the patients heart to the body, sew it up, and the patient/idiot would believe they had a real major surgical operation.
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I've had surgeries since I read that , but I now get 3 different opinions, before anyone cuts on me, and at least one of the surgeons is an N.P. Every time I hear the word
SURGERY , my teeth grind. Please be careful. Like WHY do you want surgery , WHAT makes you think you need it , WHO, told you that you need it, and be damn sure who's gonna' operate. ['cause once your under they can get "Joe The Barber"! to do the operation while they go get some coffee.] I was told I didn't care about people "cause I don't use a lot of flowery words like "I love you, yada , yada ,yada. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't post to you... So you're "Dede" HuH... well I AM BILL! Whew, I was worried that I'd hafta' prounounce your handle... uuuuuhhhh! ! ! Oh yeah, they call me SACOSAM! {when they're not swearing at me]! (:->)L.O.L.
Tige: I will add you to my friends list, God, I guess I am almost doing a bit better than you, but can't get my hip cuz of hospital bill, i have been trying to figure out how to write privately to people and cannot, and i am NOT a stupid woman, so if you know, let me know. will add you in a few minutes, have to answer Bill. Take care. Dede
Hi Bill, I wanted to thank you for your concern re my surgeries. I am fine and knowledgable in the fact that i need a hip replacement, I have osteoporosis/arthritis and have had many tests and seen the very best of surgeons and when i do have my hip replacement, it is the newest (anterior hip replacement) and has the least amount of recovery time, the smallest of incisions and the best of Orthopedic doctor doing the surgery. I need to eventually have the other hip replaced, and my knees are not the best, but everything will be done by the same Dr. whom i know, trust and is considered the best in his field in our state. There are only 2 doctors in Wa.
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that do the new hip replacement and it takes more schooling and more knowledge, but these men have decided they want to make things as easy as possible for their patients, so they have gone this route and I do know someone who had the surgery and she is much older than I and is doing just great w/it, it's been about a year and a half now. So, I did read your profile and just wanted to say that even tho we may actually help alot of people, it takes someone giving you that "thumbs up" to be included in the list of people you've helped. I mentioned on community site once that if someone has helped you with their answer, it is always nice to give them the thumbs up, which is essentially, the credit they deserve for taking the time to try to help you w/a problem, but not everyone does it and that is just the way it goes, we are here to help and if we don't always get the credit we deserve at least we have the knowledge we've done something that is helpful whether it shows up on this site or not. Again, thanks for your concern, but I am a smart woman who does not take surgeries lightly and am not about to do anything unless absolutley necessary. Take care Bill.
Dede