[Hairyarmadillo]

the_walking
"I dun lahk dis. I dun lahk dis at awl."

I second that! But,hey, it gets better. You are obviously a person of great inner strength and you are going to knock this thing on its butt! Just stay determined and IF the moods come, talk yourself out of it. I do know there are people who have chemical imbalances and NEED medications like these, but I am now feeling these people are few and far between. I also think a lot of times there may be something that needs to be tweaked in the body and can be done through supplements that don't cause other effects. I have found I am worse on the SSRIs than I am off of them. And give your "sweetheart" the biggest hug-she deserves it. Not everyone has this level of understanding. I am so happy for you-you are going to be fine.

[Hairyarmadillo]

Originally Posted by the_walking

I'm glad you found this too! Withdrawal symptoms vary from person to person, though, and it's important to follow your doctor's counsel. Sometimes stuff like this is less important than the benefits you will derive from the medication. Part of the issue I take with me using Lexapro, other than the fact that it didn't really work for me, is that it wasn't approved for those under 18. I had just turned 16 when I started taking it, and I'm 17 and a half now and just weaning off of it. Please talk to your doctor before you make any decisions to just not take a pill. Our side effects are bad, yes, but you may genuinely need this pill.

- Sympathetic pre-med student and Lexapro dropper ()

LOL- I just did one post to you but again have to commend you. I am a little loathe to tell someone to NOT follow doctor's directions, especially when someone is going off a medication like this. I know I should feel that SSRIs are bad bad bad but I do know there are cases where they literally save lives. And somehow I am not surprised you are pre-med. You have good insight. (Oh, I am a teacher, so sorry I look after "kids" no matter what age you all are. I could tell right away you were very "together" and I am a good judge of people. Anyhow, it inspires me to see young people with their heads together (even if you don't feel like it all the time) ) Now, for my non-medical advice-haha sorry, I have to add it. Remember this plight when you begin practicing: so many doctors are not listening to "us". It is too easy to get SSRIs prescribed. I used to think this was wonderful-not everyone is going to go to a psychiatrist so at least general practitioners can catch signs of depression/anxiety and help those people. Unfortunately, sometimes it is overkill. I hate to say it, but my own SSRI experience along with that of some people I know (not to mention some of these people) has made me a lot less trusting of doctors. There are too many out there that will give these prescriptions willy-nilly. Whatever happened to asking questions about what is going on in the person's life to determine if it is possibly situational? All I had to do is ask for the medication I wanted and bam I was on it-sure it bit me in the butt because I did it, but I was naive-lol. Ok, I really just believed there was no big deal about taking these pills and I believed I needed them.
Off my soapbox-I do however believe what you said. I don't think everyone has these side effects and I think there are some people whose lives are greatly improved by their use. However, it is not enough for someone to take their doctor's word for needing something like this. I know there are wonderful physicians out there but there are also some well-meaning ones that will prescribe things too easily. True, sometimes a doctor can be objective, but Thankful_Reader, I urge you to use your own judgement as well when deciding whether or not to take it. As the_walkingstated, not everyone has negative side effects. I had a friend who was going through post-partum problems that included obsessive compulsive disorder. After getting on Paxil, she regained her life, after being secluded in the house. She got off it, did fine. I just urge you to be informed. I am like you and am now into the natural. I didn't think this approach worked because I had tried various supplements and nothing helped. However, during my recovery process, I started taking magnesium for the muscular side effects. What I did notice after about a week or so was that my mood improved and I had more energy than ever. Just assumed I was getting over the Lexapro. Weeks later I got cocky and quit my supplements (was also taking Omega 3 and Noni juice). Forgot about them, but then I went into a down period and started having muscle cramps. So I took the magnesium (which at that time I still thought was just for the muscular effects) . After a few days (sorry don't recall specifically) I started feeling energized and NORMAL. I have since learned of the importance of magnesium, so wonder if a deficiency caused my problems to begin with. I am not going to be convinced until I have been off lexapro long enough to make sure the change isn't just related to that but the change is so dramatic, I bet the magnesium is part of the solution-with me anyway.
My BodyCalm is expected in tomorrow, so I will let you know how that works. I am the biggest skeptic on stuff but will try anything. Unfortunately, for me, since I am such a cynic, if something works because it has a placebo effect, it doesn't help. So if it works on me, it REALLY works. I will definitely let you know! Personally, I would try the natural before I tried the Lexapro. I would get on the Omega 3 fish oil, the magnesium malate. There are a list of supplements Aunty has listed. One I didn't try but sounded good started with an i SOMEONE WITH A BETTER MEMORY-WHAT IS THAT SUPPLEMENT THAT STARTS WITH AN i THAT AUNTY RECOMMENDS???! Was there a reason your doctor thought that your symptoms were severe enough to warrant use of Lexapro? Was he really PUSHING it? I hate to tell you to put off and do natural if your symptoms are debilitating. I have been through major bouts of depression through out life and have had some periods of social anxiety that usually accompanied the depression. I am talking about "I want to blow my brains out" type stuff. But I will not go back on the Lexapro or any other SSRI unless I absolutely have tried everything else. To me, you are at a point where your serotonin receptors haven't been medically alterred and may very well be able to deal using some natural supplements. If it was me, and I knew then what I knew now, I would have never had the prescription filled the first times. Also, I strongly suggest reading some of the posts a few pages back about Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Let us know what you do, and stick around. Hopefully someone will pop up soon with that i word

[kimberoo]

Inositol.....helps to take away the zaps, that and Lecithin. Hope I'm right,Hairy, I'm still new to this.

I had a bad day guys. My hubby went up to 7.5 mg, he hasn't stabilized on the 5mg yet and he had been taking it for 8 days. He still can't drive. The zaps are less somewhat but the dizziness is extremely bad still. The doc's office finally got back to me about the liquid Lexapro (after a week). His receptionist said that he refuses b/c he got the letter form the Neurologist stating that my husband was to take the Elavil in conjunction with the Lexapro for 3 days and stop, so he should be off the Lexapro by now, why would he want more. I explained my reasons for not taking the Elavil and wanting the liquid for slower tapering. I pleaded that I had already waited a week to hear a reply, could she inform the doc asap. Needless to say she was nasty and I ended up in tears on the phone! The dr. did call and argued my reasoning about the withdrawal. He said that he shouldn't have such symptoms because those symptoms that I describe are of Serotonin Syndrome and that only happens when the drug is stopped, not during tapering. The 2.5mg was so low that he should have just stopped. That my husband never takes the Klonopin as prescribed, he should take 1mg am & pm & stop the Lexapro all at once, that's how he weans all of his other patients, all with no problems. I said so you'd rather see him in a drug induced state 24/7, because that's what it'll do to him, he's already been housebound and not able to drive for 10 days. He said he only needs to use it until the withdrawal passes.....hah!?! We argued the half life, he said because it is 36 hours that the drug should be OUT of his system in 1 1/2 days!! I told him that the opposite is true, that a drug with a LONGER half is easier to get off than shorter AND that lower doses of the med carry stronger withdrawal. I asked to him to research this also and he told me that the internet is the worst place for me to be getting my information. I told him that it has been the only reliable information I've had at all b/c everyone, including you think that my husband's crazy! In the end he said that he will discuss the situation with the Neurologist tomorrow am and will call me and let me know of his decision to call in the Rx. Can you believe what I've had to go through? Thank goodness HE suggested that we get a second opinion. He's been of no help in trying to understand this or research it along with us.

This'll make you laugh though, especially you EM, for as negative as you have been feeling......when I was on the phone with the nasty receptionist I had to go in the basement to hear, when I hung up I was crying and slammed the dryer door shut as hard as I could and went running upstairs to tell my husband what had happened. He was looking at me with a scared face, when he finally understood what I was trying to say between sobs he said, "Oh, thank God, knowing you were on the phone with the dr.'s office, I thought they told you that I was going to die or something."

[kimberoo]

Hopeful,
I wasted a whole night researching ********************, when I could've come here first and picked & chose from what you laid out for us. Thank you for all of the resources. You have certainly done your homework. I appreciate you sharing that, and so well organized too. I will have to bookmark your post and refer back to it often in the future I'm sure. I just had to let you know that your gesture was appreciated because that was obviously a lot of work getting all of that on here.
Kimberoo

[kimberoo]

By the way, I used the nice version of poo, it began with a c not an s......I'm a good girl, just so you know!!!

[kimberoo]

My parents always called me that..... Pain In the...... anyhow, I could've sworn I've seen posts on here about SAMe and when I searched it nothing came up. Am I nuts or is this something that has been discussed here before. I'm getting interested in it and was wondering what your guys' thoughts were on it.
Thanks!
Kimberoo

Come to think of it, they called me JAM too, b/c every time they asked me to di something my answer was......Just A Minute!!

[auntybiotic]

Please be careful about what you say to doctors about this post. I would not be suprised if someone may try and pull this topic as it is causing many to NOT USE lexapro.

I am sorry that your husband is still dizzy. Remeber dizziness is a potential side effect of his currrent heart medication that has a interacion with lexapro. Have you asked your dcctor about possibly changing the heart medication to another that IS NOT ON THE DRUG interaction list with lexapro. Remeber dizziness that felt like you were going to faint was a side effect of his heart medication. have you checked wiith your doctor or pharmacist?

Elazabethmarie, Tavee, Hairy and all that post here regarding lexapro. Please add the comment that you are not a doctor and the advice that you offer should be checked out by their physician. (LOL!) This is to protect yourself from any potential problems.

For all that read these posts and ANY "suggestions" on supplements........please check with your doctor or do research on your own before following ANY suggestions here. Something that worked for others may NOT always work for everyone.

Tapering recommendations are taken from Dr. Anne Blake Tracy's book and again are ONLY suggestions as to what has worked for others. Please do NOT FOLLOW ANY SUGGESTIONS here unless you check this out with your physician.

If you find info on any post something that you may want to refer to you might want to copy it or save to favorites just in case this thread is closed. Years worth of research by posters here would be gone in a instant so be wary of this.


Again.......please add comments that you are not a doctor and your suggestions are from a lay person who has experienced this for themselves.
You just never know what trouble some doctors/drug companies may stir up.................. so protect yourself by adding the comment. "These comments are suggestions as I am not a docor and should be checked out with your physician" after each post.

I personally know that few doctors will recognize that there ARE withdrawal effects from lexapro.........the many hundreds that are withdrawaling from lexapro know that there are TOO may similiarities to happen by chance. Please think twice before mentioning this forum to doctors to "read and see what other patients getting off lexapro are also going thru." Doctors are influenced by DRUG COMPANIES and of course the public will never know what the effects of lexapro are because there are billions of dollars at stake.

Plaese save to "favorites" any page that has info that is valuable to you.............just in case.If this thread is closed we can start another on this forum called "Big Brother Drug Companies".

[bking126]

Have I said yet that I love this thread? That is so reassuring, to know that it the jaw pain has happened to others (my counselor had never heard of that side effect). I tried a mouthguard last night while I was sleeping but it really didn't help because the symptom just comes and goes of its own accord, it doesn't seem to be from clenching or grinding... like right now, it's here... but last night I was fine. My other favorite is when I get ridiculously inappropriate bursts of nervous energy, like last night while at the movies with my bf. He kept letting me know I was fidgeting... but there was nothing I could do about it. Oh well, at least I know why y'all say to avoid caffeine... ha!

[kimberoo]

Aunty
Please know that I NEVER mentioned this thread nor did I mention the website that I had been receiving information from. Through my own personal experience I've learned that physicians are not well enough informed and are of little help through the tapering process. I informed him that I was researching clinical studies that have been performed through Universities and renowned psychiatrists that have published information in regards to SSRI "discontinuation" Syndrome. He would never take me seriously if he thought that all I did was talk to other people via the internet who suffer the same symptoms as my husband, which of course is not the only thing that I've done, I have learned about this from many different websites and I plan to buy some books on the subject as well. This site HAS helped me more than any other as far as educating me and reassuring me, but I have understood from day one the consequences to this site if it is brought to the attention of the wrong people or if the advice given were to be used in the place of medical advice. I understand the need in telling posters that you or anyone else is not a doctor, that what you are doing is giving advice through your own personal experience and that everyone should seek their physicians advice before proceeding with any suggestion given here. My intention is to learn how to most efficiently get through this and hopefully learn from our experience to prevent a loved from having to go through the same misery as we have. And to be truthful, it has been a blessing to be able to just vent with people who understand what you are going through. I appreciate your concern, it is a valid point, but I don't want to be thought of as the reason for this thread being shut down. I would never do anything to jeopardize this thread, it is too valuable to many. I was going to give an update but I think I'll end it here.
Kimberoo

[bking126]

I have been thinking about the idea Aunty mentioned that this thread could keep people from taking this drug... and at least for me, that's not at all what it's about. Lexapro helped me. I resisted HARD, but in the end my counselor did gently convince me that it was okay to accept a little extra help, that the underlying cause of my depression was chemical and that no matter how hard I worked on the emotional aspects and the necessary life changes, I really needed to get those chemicals back in balance. I am grateful for the help, I'm just... ready to be done.

What I encourage people to get from this thread, apart from just commisseration on our discomfort, is to be informed about what they put into their bodies, and the reasons they do it. Don't just ask a doctor for a prescription for a drug you heard about, EVER. That's just setting yourself up for disaster. TALK to your doctor, or, even better, sit down and meet with a counselor for a while before you decide that chemicals are the way to go (of course in my experience I am thinking of Lexapro as a means out of episodes of clinical depression, although I know it is used for other things as well). Anyway. I just wanted to say... and no, I don't work for a drug company, ha -- this drug did help, well enough that I'm better now and ready to stop taking it.

And I guess I'm lucky because my side effects, annoying as they are, have so far really just been annoying. Uncomfortable yes, inconvenient yes, but not life threatening -- not like the pit of lethargy I was living in before. So I can definitely get through this. And I am really grateful for this thread, and I'm apparently a little rambly today so I'm going to stop talking now...

Cheerful though. See? There are good times too!

[skyer]

EM: I'm so sorry I didn't catch your posts earlier! Feeling like you're going to die is all part of this horror. I still feel that way at times. But I felt that a lot for months. I still insist my fiance keep his cell near him for that fear. Sometimes I'd wonder if my body was just going to give out on me. I'm still very sick, too, EM. Just this morning it took me a couple of hours to pull it together. I have cramping and bloating still almost every morning. Not as bad as before, but still...
Mornings are notorious for being bad. I've read about it Paxil Progress and I know Redbled from these boards in 2005 had issues in the morning. Here's an average day for me: Wake up after having strange dreams, bathroom visit...angry stomach...I eat, but I can't really enjoy it. By noon I start to get relief and I can actually go out some and do things. And then by 5 p.m. the anxiety rolls around. My fiance even has an alarm on his phone go off so he can get home or check up on me. In the evening, I have more depersonaliztion (maybe because it's getting closer to bedtime). I may even have a slight evening headache, but nothing like I use to. I use to have a nasty headache every night for months. Now it's mild and maybe once or twice a week. By 11 p.m. I'm exhausted no matter what I did that day. Oh, and if I push my limits, my nervous system goes crazy. I had caffeine by mistake on day and I was shaking for a few hours. And then I was using some lavender herbal hand soap and my hands were burning and red for three days. It went away when I stopped using the soap. My body has become this fragile piece of crystal! Don't worry, EM, I really think you are almost done with the worst of it. Give yourself about one more month...if you are anything like me, matters should improve by then. If not, they WILL when your body is ready. You are always in my thoughts and prayers.

[jellison]

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and concur with bking here on the fact that sometimes you really DO need to take this medicine.

Lexapro worked miracles for me. My life was depression to the point of not eating for a couple days, and Lexapro really helped me pull out of it. After a couple weeks on it, I was getting comments from friends about how much happier I seemed, and that I was back to good ole' Jere again.

I say this to emphasize the point that I haven't heard many people on here say that Lexapro itself was bad in any way. So, if your doctor strongly recommends getting you on it, do what they say. I made sure that I got multiple opinions before starting on medicine from both doctors and counselors, and I would recommend that, too, before delving into medication.

The point is, sometimes people need that chemical re-balancing, if only for a little while. I was on 20mgs for about 4 months, and in the last couple weeks I have cut down to 5mgs with the only side-effect being dizziness. I seem to have dodged a bullet here in comparison to other's side-effects, but the good thing about this thread is that it can prepare you BEFORE you start tapering off the medicine so that in the event that you DO have bad withdrawl, you'll be ready for it.

Well, that's enough of my ramblings. I don't know if any of that made any sense, but I figured I'd throw in my two cents.

Jere

[laurafish919]

Elizabethmarie--oh my god, i can't believe the premonition of death is a symptom. i have COMPLETELY felt that before. and i mean, in my life there have been the dramatic days when you realize you're a mortal and you think about you could die or whatever...but this is a different feeling. it is acceptance of an inevitable death or something--like i didnt even feel especially sad about it, just calmly aware that i would be dying very soon and i wasnt meant for the universe. oh my god, flashes of me telling my boyfriend that my brain was trying to separate my central self from my physical self so i would be less sad about my impending death are flying back at me... and yeah, you dont even feel upset. i mean sometimes i'd realize i didnt feel upset about dying and THAT would upset me, but its a reaction, not my initial feeling.... i felt that depersonification feeling was a hint that i should be prepared to stop existing....

thankfulreader yeah i mean i agree antidepressants completely might help if you are going through a TRUE tragedy or upset. i would honestly go back on these if i had a bad death in my family/friends or maybe even a really bad breakup or something... but for nonsuicidal depression, i don't know if the benefits outweigh the negatives...but then again, there are people NOT on this messageboard who don't have problems so its true everyone is different....

hairyarmadillo i COMPLETELY and eternally agree about magnesium...i used to take it because it helped me with some bathroom issues and i just associate magnesium with happy times of my life. i dont know why i ever stop taking it!

You know, I must be thankful that this whole experience has really increased my compassion and tolerance for other people's issues. I mean I never understood social anxiety or people who couldn't just be at work and be their best--I was critical of people with low-energy or with timid dispositions. Now I just feel that no one WANTS to be unhappy or unenergetic. Everyone wants to be a success--whatever that may mean for the individual-- there are just things that are sometimes difficult to conquer... i now really try to just consider someone else's lot and their intentions...so maybe this all was a good thing for me...

ahh i was just reading more of your posts. yeah, another major issue it is just so hard to be taken seriously! and again, i also doubted people who claimed things before that were not the general-medical opinion or something easily discoverable in a textbook...but after reading a lot of court cases about medications in the past that people calimed were bad and having doctors tell them they were wrong, and then years later solid evidence is finally obtained--i mean, we don't WANT to be writing on this message board. We want to be drinking wine in a rose garden or playing with our kids or accomplishing things at work...

well this has become a bit non-sequitur...i have that habit...

i know i've adjusted to the level of lexapro that i'm at currently because i'm having urges to just stop taking it again but i do NOT want to have a crazy reaction again...

oh and who said the thing about laying on the bathroom floor in the morning?--i just wanted to say that what is it about bathroom floors! i find it to be so comforting. Last sunday i hung out on the bathroom floor too. i also found out that we have teeny tiny ants crawling around the bathroom floor--i think remnants from when we used to keep our cat food in the bathroom ...

[laurafish919]

I'm curious what sort of collection of demographics are here....seems like a variety--i'm 24, female, living in southeastern Michigan...

[auntybiotic]

I did not mean to imply that you were telling your doctors about this thread but it did remind me that all of us, even those that do not post must be careful. By all means I know you would never do anything to remove this thread as we all need it for support.

With the internet and the hundreds of silent eyes reading this...............we all must be careful. I am sorry if I offended you, that was never my intention.

Please give us a report on your husband.........I hope he is feeling better. I also know that you have researched almost as much as I have. Isn't it funny when our loved ones are involved, we would go to the ends of the earth to help them. I know this is true in my daughter's circumstance as well as you in your husband's..

I would never recommend lexapro to anyone..................it may help some (of which is short term if at all) but I think there are nutritional means of doing the same thing without altering the neurotransmitters as lexapro does. I personally think lexapo is a poison and more dangerous then heroin but I am not a doctor, just a parent who's daughter was a victim of a uninformed doctor who prescribed lexapro. So for those recommeding lexapro...................you can NEVER convince me.

[skyer]

Aunty, EM, Hopeful and all: By the way, I just wanted to mention that there was a front page article in the Oregonian newspaper yesterday about SSRI's and how researchers are finding that they cause weaker bones. At first I thought it was a national story, but it turned out to be local because the study was done by Oregon Health Sciences University. We know the drugs cause weak bones, but it was nice to see it in print. They urged people not to stop the drugs, but the article was very strong about the danger in this area. Oregon can be a bit radical, I was proud to see the story.

[skorpeo72]

It has been 3 weeks since I cold turkey'd the Lexapro.
Just as a refresher it was over 4 years at 20mg ...never missed a day.

The side effects are done!! been about 3 days now with nothing except the once in a while shock feeling ...But honestly that was never the horrible part of the withdrawals anyways.

I feel great and am back in action

From experience ....The withdrawals feel like they will kill you ...But they will pass. The moodswings,hotflashes,dizzyspells,nausau...and If im forgetting anything else sorry ...Will all pass.

I almost went back to the Lexapro to taper ,but just hung in there...
Key things that help:
No caffeine - at all ...in any way ...whatsoever.
I was an avid coffee drinker and havent had a cup in 2 weeks....actually crave it ...but going to wait a bit longer.
Also if you have access to mona vie...i would try it ...It helped me out so much..
I spent a lot on it ...but I am not going to take it forever ...lol
one more month and ill drop that too.


Just a little hope to everyone ...Good luck and remember ....It will pass!!!!

[elizabethmaria]

GUESS WHAT! ITS COMING OUT!!! The knowledge about ssri's, benzos, etc.. an all this stuff -- really! My mom is a dietician, and she just went to one of her required training updates/ you know, classes for continuing education credits that you have to keep doing in the health field. Actually, she just went to two -- both on the brain, and one on the addictive brain.. the talked a lot about DRUGS.. especially ssri's/antidepressents, how they are just like cocaine, acting on neurotransmitters, and causing DANGEROUS chemical imbalances in people -- the woman said antidepressants are THE WORST way to attempt to treat depression, and basically don't work AT ALL, except in revving up the adrenal glands so you think you feel better. She talked about how drugs such as ssris, benzos, cocaine, heroin, etc. all act by saturating the system, and this results in the dying off of neurons in the brain - how extraordinarily dangerous this is... - obviously we all know this here, but this was at a big conference!! How very very dangerous it is, how they 'mask' what is actually going on in the brain, how they penetrate that blood brain barrier that is there for our protection, and cause movement and all kinds of masked disorders deep within the brain. She also mentioned that drug damage of this kind often causes bleeding deep within the brain, but it is not found by the doctors normally...YES!!!!!!! whoo hoo! She is a great teacher and expert, and travels to consult at all the major drug rehab centers around the country.. the other conference was on other brain things... very good, and also soo down on ssri's too -- though they didn't go into as much detail that time..

People do HAVE to understand that doctors will tell you that you have a chemical imbalance that needs fixing. What they do not say, is that that was a THEORY, a quite old one, that has never been proven - you can research the theory, but even to this day, they have never actually measured a 'chemical imbalance' of that kind, in patients entering a psychiatric unit - they do know however, as the expert above spoke about, that powerful psychiatric neuroleptic and recreational drugs and alcohol do ALTER the balance of neurotransmitters, to dangerous effects in the brain. That is what much of the conference was about. There is no 'test' for a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain - because there is no way to test what is happening in the synapses of your neurons yet, therefore there also is no 'standard' to compare one person to another too. this info is widely known, and more info can be found at other sites...however, by 'stressing' the body, and raising doubling the cortisol levels (which is well known that ssri's do this) the 'patient' does feel 'better' -

My mom talked to her about my reaction, and how I'm still having seizures, etc.. she was like - "of course" totally understood why it was doing this - my neurons were destroyed, and its all misfiring -

Funny thing is now when I say I have a headache, which is most of the time, my mom's now like - - oh, I know what's happening, you're brain is bleeding, oh no!.... I'm like.. thanks mom, really makes me feel a whole lot better

The speaker talked about withdrawal too - though couldn't go into everything, as she was talking about many different drugs, and addictions of different kinds...
Anyways, it was so nice to hear my MOM telling me all these things -- I was like, uh hum.. yes, I know! But sometimes when family hear's the doctors/experts telling them, it makes it more understandable...


I had another TERRIBLE morning, I was absolutely certain I wouldn't make it, but here I am! the weakness, awful, depression awful, then it all lifts for no reason, and I'm at work, suitably wasting time I hope it doesn't get worse, it can't or I will not make it, but maybe some of the worst is past, I hope... Please pray for me, at least not to have anything bad happen in the am!
Ok, need to get some things done here.. take care, sorry that I'm blubbering away, I just can't believe I"M STILL ALIVE !
blessings,
Elizabethmarie

OH, YES, I am NOT a doctor,... but, the conference speaker was, a PhD expert - so I was just sharing what the expert said...

[elizabethmaria]

Hi Laurafish,
I'm 28, girl (obviously).. in washington state -- yes, bathroom floors, that was me -- I don't know, but there IS something about them I think... I'm getting quite on familiar terms with mine...
Oh, and the whole trying to separate from your body thing... and depersonalization feeling that you are not meant for this earth, or universe.. TOTALLY.. I sometimes would spend lots of time TRYING to figure out HOW to separate from my body.. haven't quite managed yet, but if I stop posting, I will have succeeded and will fly by your place and let you know... ahhh, hopefully NOT!!!!!

[elizabethmaria]

Hi Skyer,
Thank you for your note there -- your day sounds a lot like mine, except I get this awful weakness, instead of stomach problems.. always seems to go away as the day continues.. I'm sorry that you are still so fragile - I know how it feels too ... I guess I thought the depression/psychotic feelings would be all gone by now, but they come back with a vengeance and scare me. How is your store coming along?
Yes, I'm sensitive to stuff too - I just use glycerin on my hands and things, am too scared to try more chemicals.. isn't it wonderful when it clears up during the day though? gosh, it is soo nice to have some hours feeling ok, even though the headache is there..
I'm so so so so glad that you are still writing in here! I hang on to your every word, you know...
lots and lots of love,
EM

[Hairyarmadillo]

skorpeo72 Ah, you are ok! That is so great. See, I told you there had to be someone out there that didn't go through all this. Now, why oh why couldn't it have been ME? LOL Just joking. Honestly, mine could have been a lot worse thant what it has been, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

Aunty Good point about saving information. The fact is with the internet, one never knows when these forums will go down. I thought about that several months ago-as in WHAT would I do if the forum went offline? There have been other forums I have posted on various topics throughout the years and then they vanish. Not only would I miss you guys but to lose all the knowledge would be a shame. And you are right about the point of indicating that we are not medical doctors and we are only voicing personal opinions. It is my fear that someone would take my personal opinion as gospel when they truly may need medical intervention.


laurafish919 I am a 38 year old female and live in Mississippi.

kimberoo lol-thanks for the I word. I was wondering how you guys were doing. I am dying laughing about your husband's reaction to the doctor's call. That is too funny. It also puts it in perspective-at least that WASN'T what the doctor said

Everyone Why oh why don't I take my advice about caffeine? What can 2 little sodas do to one person? besides one big headache-sigh. The good news is that the BODY CALM came in so I will let you all know what that does for the sleep issue. Aunty can i take this during the day or will it knock me out? I was scared to try it because I didn't want to sleep during the day. Oh, another interesting tidbit, though I don't know if this is related to some of my recent mood issues, but I have been very careful of what I was eating. However i have been eating some chips recently. And, just out of curiousity, I looked at the ingredients last night and see that they have MSG
COULD this have affected me? Don't want to get stupid or paranoid about every little thing but I did wonder. And lastly, has anyone heard of psychosis occuring during withdrawal?

[mh4]

Lexapro Withdrawal. I have a long story about coming off my lexapro dosage. I had many bad symptoms for about 6 weeks and I am back on a very low dose (5mg.) and going to taper back on the lexapro until my life is more settled and then when i want to get off the lexapro again in the future, I am going to really really taper. I tapered this time for about a month and my withdrawal symptoms were horrendous: symptoms included, severe dizziness, anxiety, spaced out, stack of books falling on a floor sound in my brain/head, not myself, really unsettled, really out of it, terrible terrible terrible. my symptoms of withdrawal were not getting less and less at time went by, they were not getting worse but not subsiding either! as I said, I am back on 5mg and feel much better. this is totally ridiculous, my doctors had me going to 2 ear doctors, and I go to a regular family doctor for my lexapro and she too did not know it was the lexapro withdrawal. I finally went to a 3rd ear doctor and she said that people can have pretty severe symptoms of withdrawal from anti-depressants! I am really pissed off. I feel like a guinea pig. I feel the the FDA and the medical establishment did not study anti-depressants closely enough and no one is talking about this severe withdrawal issue! shocking. I think the FDA and the medical establishment really need to be warning the public much better about this. what a sham!!!!

[Hairyarmadillo]

Originally Posted by mh4

Lexapro Withdrawal. I have a long story about coming off my lexapro dosage. I had many bad symptoms for about 6 weeks and I am back on a very low dose (5mg.) and going to taper back on the lexapro until my life is more settled and then when i want to get off the lexapro again in the future, I am going to really really taper. I tapered this time for about a month and my withdrawal symptoms were horrendous: symptoms included, severe dizziness, anxiety, spaced out, stack of books falling on a floor sound in my brain/head, not myself, really unsettled, really out of it, terrible terrible terrible. my symptoms of withdrawal were not getting less and less at time went by, they were not getting worse but not subsiding either! as I said, I am back on 5mg and feel much better. this is totally ridiculous, my doctors had me going to 2 ear doctors, and I go to a regular family doctor for my lexapro and she too did not know it was the lexapro withdrawal. I finally went to a 3rd ear doctor and she said that people can have pretty severe symptoms of withdrawal from anti-depressants! I am really pissed off. I feel like a guinea pig. I feel the the FDA and the medical establishment did not study anti-depressants closely enough and no one is talking about this severe withdrawal issue! shocking. I think the FDA and the medical establishment really need to be warning the public much better about this. what a sham!!!!

Welcome! What level of Lexapro were you initially on and how long were you on it? I can relate to the guinea pig feeling but I feel like I was the guinea pig that they forgot to come back and check on for the results. It is positive that at least one doctor mentioned that people can have severe withdrawal reactions. By any chance did she mention what some of these reactions are? I was curious which ones she was aware of.

[mh4]

hi again,
I was on Lexapro for about 2 years. my ear dr. did not say what severe symptoms that can be caused by anti-depressant withdrawal. but I was so dizzy and she said it was probably from my withdrawal. i have to also add that I had suicidal feelings but very detached suicidal feelings, like there was not much reason for me to be here, very ho hum and matter of fact. it was really scary. I don't know what to do now as i am back on 5mg a day. I was up to 20 mg. per day before I started to taper. these things are just terrible and i feel like "I am depressed about being BACK on my antidepressant medication!" ridiculous and true!
thanks for responding to my post so quickly.

[mh4]

me again,
I have to also add, that I missed about 9 days of work and could not drive b/c my dizziness was so bad for about 4 of those 9 days! I missed that much work just from withdrawal!!!!! and I tapered, I tapered for about a month and 1/2 . Obviously, that was not a long enough tapering time frame. What am I going to have to do? - be on a one year taper program!!!!!!!! I am so angry and shocked.

[laurafish919]

does anyone have the same symptoms every day at the same time? Every morning (as everyone said) i have slight vertigo and i cough a lot blah blah ...nothing bad, i'm adjusted mostly to the stage of tapering that i'm at (2.5 mg)
but at night, at almost exactly 1030 pm everyday i have a bit of vertigo/tiredness/and nausuea--last night at the bar i was starting to feel it and i said to my bf "it must be around 1030" and it was exactly on the dot...
I can't figure it out though. I understand the morning issues but why at night halfway through the next round of pill is there a temporary session of aggravated withdrawal?

[kimberoo]

Aunty
I am sorry that I was so defensive. Everything that you said was correct and I agree wholeheartedly, I suppose that I felt as though as I was being used as the example of what not to do, I realize that that was not your intentions. Thank you for clarifying that and making me feel better. The doc called me yesterday am and agreed to call in the Rx for the liquid Lexapro, although he still doesn't quite understand how the symptoms could be so bad. He said that this was over his head, but he agrees that Benny is not a depressed personality and should get off of the Lexapro. That possibly some of the symptoms could be panic related and that he could take 1mg of Klonopin if it gets too bad just to get him through this. We had to deal with some business issues about 30 minutes away and he did take .25 mg of Klonopin and surprisingly he was able to stand the car ride, deal with the business and then we went home. After a half hour he suggested that we go to the grocery store, we were actually there 45 minutes! Then at night we picked up our daughter and took her to her cousins, since all 3 of the kids were sleeping elsewhere we went out for a bite to eat. He was fine through all of this, a shock every once in awhile and very little dizziness. He went to bed thanking God for a good day and said the only thing he felt at that point was a feeling of a light hangover in his head. Today will be his 3rd day on 7.5, i want him to stay on this until he is stable for at least 2 weeks and I think we'll taper by 20% until he gets to 5mg, then by 10% until he gets to 2.5mg and then by 5% until he's clean. There will be absolutely NO SKIPPING of days!! If the 20% is too much then we'll start at 10%. I think panic at this point is inevitable and that's probably why he wanted the Klonopin, the "just in case" factor. I'm happy that he took such a small dosage and it seemed to help. The last time he took it was when we went vitamin shopping at the mall a week ago. BTW, he is using daily the Rescue Remedy and the Noni Juice and of course Chamomile,which helps him sleep. When he does start to taper from 7.5 can he take 1/2 of a 10 mg pill and then liquid after that to equal his dosage? Thanks, Aunty, and again....sorry.

Laurafish
Female, Pa, 38....hubby is 48...as far as exact times of the day I haven't noticed that but what I can tell you is that when he was at his worst (10 days ago) it was 24/7 and all of the worst head symptoms all going on at once with no relief. When they come and go in waves it's more bearable. The horrible fact about this is that you never know what to expect, from what part of the body and when, if you're having some normalcy in reactions that just might be a good thing, a sign hopefully that you're healing.

Hairy
You know, when I read these posts to my husband and we talk about it later, we begin to refer to each of you as though we know you and because of your display name we always referred to you as "he" lol, sorry for that, but it's a great cover on the Web!! It's nice to have another 80's girl here!! Just as you have mentioned the caffeine and others have mentioned cigs hurting them the opposite has been true for Benny. He hasn't smoked, drank alcohol or caffeine or eaten chocolate since the Nov. 2005 when he ended up in the ER by ambulance. Since going through this horrific withdrawal though, he's had sips of decaf and is smoking 4 or 5 cigs a day, I guess for him it is calming. Last night he even had 1/2 a glass of beer. He still stays away from the caffeine b/c it gives him palpitations.

mh4
My husband too saw many specialists, ENT included, in Jan. they realized that his crystal in his ears were out of place and at Physical Therapy they began the Eppley Maneuver on him, believe it or not, it did lift a fog of dizziness off of him, it was an immediate relief. It wasn't the only thing causing the dizziness but it was part of the problem and helped. I realize that you feel almost guilty for reinstating but it's really ok. You need to get yourself to a point that you can function again normally and even if it does take a year to taper it's worth it to not go through horrible withdrawal again. Good luck!!

Em
Hang in there honey, you'll get through this. You're not alone and we're all praying for you!!! It was so nice to hear about this being discussed publicly by the medical field. It validates all of us, no matter whether we go through it personally or experience it through a loved one. The headache = brain bleeding is a little scary though, huh?

Take care all!
Kimberoo

[Justapill]

My pattern has been - fall asleep at 11:30; wake at 12:30; fall back asleep ~ 3:30 - miserable.

I am down to 4.75 ml liquid (9.5 mg pill form) of generic Celexa (citalopram). This is after 5 years @ 80mg. Was on 60mg for 10 years prior to that.

Aunty says that Celexa is 1/2 the strength of Lexapro - so you do the math.

Anyway writing to say that I went to pick up Magnesium Malate (Source Naturals) from Whole Foods and unfortunately they didn't carry it. I picked up NutraSleep from them instead.

Took it last night and while I did wake up about 3:15 I think I went back to sleep pretty quickly - I will keep you informed.

Aunty should I bother with Magnesium Malate?

A suggested dose of Nutrasleep has 436mg of Magnesium taurinate,oxide and citrate. It also has 700mg of Inositol.

Thoughts?

http://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1235/

[Justapill]

++Was on 60mg for 10 years prior to that.++

Should have read - 'Was on 60 mg PROZAC for 10 years prior to that++

[Justapill]

One other question. I sought out NutraSleep because somewhere (here?) I got the impression that melatonin should not be taken when tapering. Am I correct in believing that?