[Kendra]

Well, I've been down to 5mg for about three days now. I'm not looking forward to the lecture I'm sure I'll receive on my next Dr. visit (Dec 1st).

Since my reduction in mg (and it's still pretty recent), the ravenous hunger has finally subsided. The sweating and feverish feelings, heart palpitations and numbness are gone. I still have occasional dizziness and even though some report strange or vivid (full-color, full-length, movie-style) dreams while on Lexapro, I've only recently started to experience this when I've reduced the dosage. The only ohter thing that's ever made me dream like that is Melatonin, but at least that's natural! I'm still getting occasional feelings of confusion (losing my train of thought when I speak or worse tripping over my own words as if I'm drunk) or feeling jittery.

I'm not sure what "brain zaps" are, so I can't report any during my use or my increase or reduction in dosage. Lexapro has just made me feel BLAH in general.

I've been drinking water like crazy, to help flush this stuff out of my system. I'm guessing that has helped.

My next step (afer a week) will be to take 5mg every other day or so for awhile. I'll post again soon.

Good luck to everyone and thank you again for listening!

[anxiousbabe]

Hello all,

Happy belated thanksgiving!!!! I have been doing good off of the lex, I guess it's about 2 1/2 months now, but still battling the weight gain and the holidays don't help. I love the holidays though so that is a good thing. I didn't overeat yesterday. I had 24 people over for thanksgiving and something about preparing all of that food makes me not want to eat it when it's time. Good thing for me in the situation I am in now I guess.

Aunty - how are you? are you feeling better???

Bodye - how is the site coming along??? I haven't received any emails from it yet? am I missing something?

Miss Lee - how are you hanging in there???

Welcome to all of the newcomers....I hope you find some of your answers here as I have.

Brewer - any news with the weight gain???

Well I am busy taking care of my parents, both suffering with major back problems....not easy being the only child, but they took care of me so now it's my turn. My husband is a builder so we are going to sell their house and ours and build one big house. It will be much easier for us to take care of them under one roof. Even though they will still have their own seperate in-law. I have got to have some peace.

Take care,
Florence

[Brewer]

Hello all,
after 6 weeks off the LEX all the zaps are gone! I'm still fighting low energy and body aches, but every day is better.

I've also noticed how I react to other meds is different now. I had a killer root canal and the pain meds which used to make me hyper now make me sleepy. THat's a good thing.

No major weight changes, although my cycle seems to be off. I'm forcing myself to get back into my exercise routine ASAP.

I've had all the in-laws at my house and my tolerance of them is also better without the lex.

I'm Thankful for it being out of my system!

Brewer was here

[auntybiotic]

Happy Belated Thanksgiving,

Anxious Babe and Ms. Lee and Body,

Thank you for the concern. my knees are Not any better............sorry to say. I hope that they may improve as time goes by but I am doubtful.

Wish the weight was coming off after stopping the lexapro use..........gotta do some research and see what I can come up with.

Take care,
aunty

[Hannix]

Dear Aunty Biotic,
I agree with previous notes that your daughter should never have been put on an anti-depressant as a pain killer and you should definately take her to see another doctor for a second and more informed opinion.I went on the 15mg of lexapro and went straight down to the 10mg after a year and was weaned off of them by moving to every 2nd day (every 3rd , 4th , 5th, 6th day etc. for as long as I felt I needed the drug to prevent adverse effects and cold turkey syndrome).I discovered that when I had reached every 8th day that I was still reacting as if there was a buffer period everytime you moved down so I came off them completely and hit only one hard buffer.
I suffered from sweating,fluid retention, dizziness, sleeping difficulties and was zoned out a lot of the time I was taking them.
They are a mood controller and your daughter should not be having mood swings on them as they control serotonin which is responsible for making you happy.Her system must have become dependant on the SSRI's if she is having such large problems just coming down 1mg on these tablets and so you need to seek professional advice.
hannix.

Jane Hickory

[auntybiotic]

We have been to several specialists and are currently seeing a doctor that deals only with Lexapro and a few other medications similiar in a pediatric setting. Unfortunately few doctors are even aware of the withdrawals of SSRI's as many here can attest to.

My daughter was placed on Lexapro for anxiety/TMJ grinding not pain.

She was put on 20 Mg from the start and yes she did become "dependant" on Lexapro as most do that have taken Lexapro or any serotonin reuptake drug for more then 5 weeks.

The problem lies in the fact that her Primary Care physician started her at 20 Mg instead of slowly ramping her up to that dosage.

At larger reductions then 1 Mg she becomes moody and at times manic. This is due to the reduction in the serotonin available to her receptors from the reduction. She staballizes after about 7 to 10 days.

The other factor is that she gets severe stomach cramping with the reductions due to the fact that about 70% of the body's serotonin receptors are in the gut and vivid nightmares.

I trusted her physician when he said Lexapro was a totally safe and effective anti anxiey medication with no side effects or withdrawals. If I had only known.....that Lexapro is similiar to paxil with difficulty to get off of it.....she would have NEVER taken them.

When you hit your "hard buffer" after stopping Lexapro, what were your symptoms and to what degree of severity did you experience them?
How long did the symptoms last and how long before you were back to normal again?

Have you gotten rid of the water retention and weight gain? How long ago did you stop.

Thank you in advance for your experiences. Every post helps me understand what may lie ahead. We have reduced her dose by 50% thus far and she has been able to attend school with very litttle difficulties.............there have been withdrawals but they have not been as severe as originally when we tried to taper by 2 Mg.or more.

I wish more doctors believed their patients regarding Lexapro withdrawals instead of the drug companie representatives who keep repeating it is a safe medication with no withdrawals. I wish the insert I recieved by mail when I got Lexapro thru our insurance would have stated the possible side efefcts or discontinuation syndrome.

[lenab]

I'm glad I found this site . . . I have been on Lexapro for 11 months and feel like I don't want to take it anymore. I was told by my prescribing doctor that most people are on it for 6 months to a year so I figured I'm done. It really did the trick for my major anxiety but I wanted to try life without it. A few days ago I stopped taking it after weaning from 20 mgs a day to 10 mgs a day to now taking nothing. Yesterday, I was afraid I was going to have a stroke or something. I started having major tingling in my arms, face and tongue; pretty bad dizzy spells; my fingers feel really strange; and my legs feel like lead. Anyone else have any of these symptoms?? It just dawned on me this morning that maybe I was going through withdrawal?? Any opinions?? Thanks!

Antidepressant Option

[EasyMeds]

It sounds like to me like she maybe adversely reacting to the medication itself and not w/d. 1mg should not make enough of a difference at the level she is at (I take Lexapro too).

You might talk with a psychopharmocology (someone who specalized is these types of medications) to see if there is something that can be substituted while she is coming off Lexapro. 1mg a month is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of in terms of speed of weening off an anti-depressant! I really does sounds like it is the Lexapro itself and not the lowering of the dosage. Were it me going through this it would be the first thing I would ask at this point.

[overeasy]

Here's my theory on why docs don't admit to the reality of Lex side effects and withdrawl problems; they simply don't want to step outside the bounds of what the clinical trials say, for fear that they'll be sued.

If the trials say that Lexapro doesn't cause weight gain, that's the line they parrot. If the trials say it isn't "addictive" or doesn't manifest severe withdrawl symtons, then they say that. You simply can't depend on them to give you a straight answer. They will never admit that certain symptoms occur,even though they've seen the evidence, first hand in their practice.

That's why forums like this, and many others, are so important.

What I think is particularly bad about all this is that you are dealing with patients, and I include myself in this group, who are suffering from a malaise that often makes it hard to demand adequate, informed treatment from doctors.

over easy

[Brewer]

While discussing this problem of withdrawal from Lexapro with my OB/GYN she readily admitted most doctors were not aware of the problem until now.

Now is when their patients are trying to get off of the magic happy pills they hand out for post-partum, etc. Until now they've been dealing with what limited research they do themselves and what the drug reps who are constantly in their offices told them.

And as someone who has suffered severe depression, you don't think about withdrawal when someone is throwing you a life preserver- you just want to feel alive again.

Thankfully, at least some docs are becoming aware of the problems AFTER the meds, so they can guide their treatment more effectively.



Brewer was here

[Miss Lee]

I am glad to see everyone back around! I am doing well. I am having more better days than bad, I am am thankful for that. I still am sluggish, trembling and cry at the drop of a hat, but this is such an improvement! I realize that it will take awhile for my body to reajust after my severe reaction. Praise the positives!

Miss Lee

[Miss Lee]

Brewer-
Lex messes with your endocrine system, so that might be the reason that you periods are off.

I notice that my symptoms are worse around my cycle.

Anyone have any muscle cramping? My legs and chest and back just spaz out somethimes????

Miss Lee

[overeasy]

Found this online and thought you guys might enjoy it!

http://www.wallyware.biz/pots/antidepressants.htm

Cheers!

over easy

[boricuaqueen79]

[xx(]Hi everyone, i'm a newbie here. I couldn't sleep, lots has been happening in my life and I feel I will have to get back on Lexapro. I felt all of the things that you all are feeling from coming off of lex'. i had a great time using lex', but my insurance (blue cross medi-cal program) doesn't cover the lexapro, or nothing much else to begin with. I find it therapeaudic to talk to others. And I've needed a really objective opinion. I had some spare pills that don't expire until next year and I started taking them again. i left a message to my doctor and let her know. things are just too overwhelming right now, and i'm not bouncing back. instead i feel my emotions consuming me and it's very scary. Please bear with me, but i do need to go back on. I'll have to buy it from the pharmacy, but my sanity is worth it.
It helps to read all of your experiences in your posts. you have helped me to see some of the precautions i will have to take once i wean off of lexapro. i look forward to posting more often, because i really need to talk to others who understand what i'm going through. Thank you for everything.

[rochellereavis]

I too have just gone off of this drug. I went on it a few years ago and I don't remember having as many horrible side effects. I went off it after 6 months or so and I was fine until a few months ago when I started getting really bad anxiety so my doctor said that I should take it again since I took it before. But that was a mistake I have been miserable the past 3 months and have finally stopped taking it after trying to wean myself off. I was miserable when I was taking half a pill so I decided just to not take it at all and get it out of my system as fast as possible. I would take a quarter of a pill sometimes when I would be feeling nauseous but it usually never helped so I figured why bother? Don't think that just because you take a drug once and don't have side effects that it means you won't have side effects if you go on it again in the future. Never would I have expected to react differently to it this time! I don't ever want to take another SSRI as long as I live. I get hit with waves of fatigue and nausea and headaches-sometimes in the morning or sometimes in the afternoon and I feel fine in the morning. I just feel messed up and can't wait till it's out of my system. Actually it made me more depressed than I felt before. I was anxious before taking it. Now I'm depressed and not so much anxious. But the cloud is lifting so that is good news. Everyone keep their head up and it will be over soon!

[lisa99]

I'm so glad I found this forum.

I attempted to wean off Lexapro before and had no zaps/dizziness/other physical conditions. However, after a month, I got severely depressed when hurricanes hit Florida, where I lived, and I just thought that my depression had returned.

So I went back on Lexapro.

Now a year later (I've been on it almost 2.5 years), I want to try again... especially now that I realize that I probably wasn't depressed at all back then, but just going through withdrawal.

I've moved, have new friends, a great new job and have done great through therapy, so I don't think I need the medication anymore. It helped me a lot when I first started, but I'm ready to live my life again without the sluggishness and mental dullness that Lexapro brings.

I won't be seeing my doc until Dec. 22, so I won't try anything until then, but I was wondering if there was a way to do some preparation in advance for the weaning... like if I do some things now, maybe the weaning will be easier?

Thanks so much and I wish all of you the best.

[mtnbikachic]

i am currently a college student studying dental hygiene living on campus and far from home. due to the high amount of stress and anxiety, my doctor decided to prescribe me effexor. within two weeks of that, i had felt worse. i began to cut myself again and i was crying all the time. my roommate didnt know what was wrong with me because i was in bed all the time. so at my next doctors appointment, he decided to give me lexapro. and surprisingly, i liked how i felt while i was on this drug... until today. a few days ago i stopped taking lexapro because i didnt think that i needed them any longer because i was much happier. i had more energy and i felt like i was alive again. well the withdrawals were quite mild, consisting of dizziness and sleepiness until day five. today i was crying and screaming. i tried calling my mother at home and i began to have a panic attack when i lost reception and couldnt dial her back. im dizzy and tired. and i do not want to feel like this any longer. but judging how you all have felt with your withdrawals makes me want to just keep taking this drug because i hate feeling like this. i mean this was the initial reason i was put on it. if anyone has some words that could provide some comfort, please reply to my post.

[mrc]

I AM SO GLAD I FOUND THIS FORUM. I FIRST THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY. I RECENTLY WEANED MYSELF OFF OF LEXAPRO AND I AM STILL GOING THROUGH WITHDRAWALS. BRAIN ZAPS, JITTERYNESS, INSOMNIA AND A FEELING OF NOT EVEN BEING IN MY BODY AT TIMES. AS A REGISTERED NURSE I KNOW THE SIDE EFFECTS OF MEDICATIONS, BUT NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD EXPRERIENCE THE WITHDRAWALS THAT IF HAVE FELT WITH LEXAPRO. I WILL NEVER TAKE THIS MEDICATION AGAIN AND I PRAY THAT MD'S WILL TELL THEIR PATIENTS ABOUT THE HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS AND WITHDRAWALS THAT THIS MEDICATION HAS. I FEEL AS IF I AM A ADDICT COMING OFF OF CRACK OR HEROINE. IT IS NOTHING BUT HORRIBLE. I PRAY FOR EVERYONE COMING OFF OF THIS HORRIBLE MEDICATION.

[auntybiotic]

lisa,

Start staking Omega 3 Fish Oil, Carson's Bramd is beest because it does NOT have any mercury.

Also check with your doctor about taking a quality liquid Multivitamin and mineral. Garden of Life is excellent and available at most higher quality vitamin stores.

Also Lecthin will prevent any muscle spasms or twitches lexapro withdrawal can sometimes cause.

Magesium Citrate will help ease anxiety.

Primal Dfense by Garden of Life will help with stomachCramping, naseau amd gastrointestional issues. it is expensive but worth every cent.

Starting now on supplements will help your body heal from the assukt that Lexapro has caused.

Keep us informed of your progress, we are here for your support. Good Luck.

[Shifty]

What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Isn't that the question many of us have about anti-depressants?

I know I have never felt the same ever since I started taking anti-depressants, but I also know that before I got to the point of needing to take them I never wanted to take any kind of drug.

See, the question is, am I screwed up because of the drug, or because of the problem that drove me to take it?

I believe that my anxiety has been building up all of my life and that the train wreck that drove me to Paxil was inevitable. I don't blame Paxil, although I easily could. Deep down inside, I know it's me and not the drug.

MtnBika, you gotta ask yourself the same thing. It took me a year to finally accept the fact that I will probably always be on a mental drug for the rest of my life. Maybe that's it, or maybe you are just having some bad days.

Get some excercise and embrace your true feelings. One time during Paxil withdrawal I cried and the true unclouded emotion was actually pleasurable for me. (is that weird?) If you've ever come off of an antidepressant, you might have had a similar experience.

Watch "Garden State", http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0333766/ , a movie that actually covers antidepressant use/stoppage. (its not all 100% accurate, but there is much to relate to)

My advice to anyone coming off of SSRI's is EXCERCISE EXCERCISE EXCERCISE. A good 1 mile run daily always did me good when dropping Paxil (did it cold turkey twice).

The only strange thing I experienced was the "shocks" as they call it. Some people call it an electrical shock you feel throughout your whole body. For me, it felt more like a 1/1000th of a second of uncosciousness. Like the whole body shuts off for an instant and then has to restart, rebalance, etc. It cannot be explained imho.

I had cloudiness and high emotion, but the high emotion was very pleasurable. I could sit and laugh for 10 minutes. Crying was also actually good, because it made me feel like a real person again. (how can I explain that craziness?)

Sorry about the rambling. Good luck guys.

---
New signature: I just switched from Paxil CR 20mg to Lexapro 10mg cold turkey.
Day 1: 12/01/05 Flying high!

---

I am currently taking 20mg of Paroxitine HCL (Paxil). I have tried 25mg CR, 20mg, and 40mg.

My side effects are delayed orgasm and lack of motivation.

The Paxil seems to cure my anxiety in low stress situations, but makes it worse in high-stress situations.

The side effects on the 40mg were more intense. In addition to the above listed side-effects, I got minor headaches and a much more sedated feeling with no additional benefits.

Ask me anything, I would love to help you with my experiences.

Shifty

[Brewer]

Good news on weight loss!

OK guys, I'm now 6 weeks off any med. I was on Lex and Norpramine and quit both cold turkey... first the Norp then the Lex.

I began to bloat and gain weight and my appetite was enormous.

Good news- in the last week, I feel like I look better each day. My appetite is normal, I'm exercising, my bloating is all but gone and RESULTS ARE REAL! I'm not working as hard to see a little progress.

Hang in there- clean out your system and start moving.



Brewer was here

[anti lexi]

That's so awesome Brewer! I've been getting upset lately because it seems like I have to work so hard to drop only a pound and then when I eat something I shouldn't, the weight comes on so quickly! Good to know that someday my body will be normal again!!!![^]

[Kendra]

Hello, all ....

Another post described Lexapro as an "assault" on your body. OMG that is the best way to describe it! I've only been on this stuff for a few months and I cannot believe the "bad" I've experienced from it.

After tapering to 5mg, I went to my scheduled Dr. appt on December 1st and expected an argument of some sort with my Dr. but she was cool with my tapering. She was alarmed at first when I said I was taking myself off of it and then I saw her face relax when I said the word "tapering." The nurse "informed" me that I'd gained ELEVEN pounds since my last appointment just thirty days before!!!

I told her about all of the side effects I'd had and she nodded her head as if she understood and said, "Seratonin." I went on to tell her about my ravenous appetite -- not stress eating, but being hungry, VERY hungry, ALL the time. Again, she nodded and said, "Seratonin." Um, WHY didn't she tell me any of this BEFORE she put me on this stuff?!?!?! *sigh* I told her about all of the people I've "met" who've had similar experiences.

Anyway ...

Since I'd requested to be on an antidepressant after a traumatic event in my life, she said it was "situational depression" (Drs have a term for everything, don't they) and that it was okay for me to come off of this drug as long as we monitor my progress (she wants to see me again in two months).

She told me to continue taking 5mg a day for two weeks (I was up to 20mg at one point) and then after that to take 5mg every other day for a week or so until I'm totally off of it. I told her I'd heard that this stuff stays in your system up to 30 days after the last dose. She said Lexapro gets out of your system pretty quickly. I want to believe her but then again it didn't seem as if she knew about the drug before she'd prescribed it to me.

Since reducing to 5mg (its been a week or so), the anxiety has lessened but my appetite has not. I'm still pretty sluggish and I get headaches. I can't seem to sleep enough. Whether its 8 hours or 12, I can barely get out of bed. I FEEL drugged. I'm still having trouble concentrating and I get dizzy sometimes even sitting down! My "monthly cycle" has returned (*whew*) and the sweating has totally gone away. I cried the other day but then again the holidays "normally" get me down. My head feels numb all the time. The same way your head feels after you accidentally bang it on something.

I've noticed that if I take the Lexapro in the afternoon or evening, I can almost forget about getting any sleep. Its as bad as me drinking coffee before I go to bed! So I've started taking my dose in the mornings.

Lunesta has been a Godsend for the insomnia, although I've had insomnia on and off for years. I'm planning on joining a gym since its getting too cold to hike or walk (my primary form of exercise) and I'm going to go back on the South Beach diet (which helped me to lose a LOT of weight last year)so we'll see how that goes.

Brewer, you go! ) Thanks for giving the rest of us hope -- espeically regarding the weight gain/loss!

Aunty, thanks for the supplement info! Some I knew about but some I didn't and any help on getting over this stuff is appreciated, so thank you!!!

Continued best of luck and good (IMPROVED) health to all of you. We will get through this!

[Shifty]

I'm pretty confident that the crying is completely normal. I've seen many women describe this when coming down off of seratonin based anti-depressants. I myself cried a few times when coming off of Paxil, but I felt strangely good about it. Can you think of a time when you had a really good cry while on the anti-depressants? I think it's just a reaction to regaining your real emotions.

---
New signature: I just switched from Paxil CR 20mg to Lexapro 10mg cold turkey.
Day 1: 12/01/05 Flying high!
Day 4: 12/04/05 I'm feeling like Lexapro is working better than Paxil with less side effects for me. My delayed orgasms went away, which is strange. It usually takes a week off of Paxil for a recovery like this.

---

I am currently taking 20mg of Paroxitine HCL (Paxil). I have tried 25mg CR, 20mg, and 40mg.

My side effects are delayed orgasm and lack of motivation.

The Paxil seems to cure my anxiety in low stress situations, but makes it worse in high-stress situations.

The side effects on the 40mg were more intense. In addition to the above listed side-effects, I got minor headaches and a much more sedated feeling with no additional benefits.

Ask me anything, I would love to help you with my experiences.

Shifty

[auntybiotic]

Hi,

Hope everyone is feeling better.

I have a question for all that are or have taken Lexapro.

What time of day do you take your mediation.

My daughter was prescribed it at night but it seems to be causing insominia. The doctor and pharmacist said I can skip the evening dose and just give her the dos ein the AM...but I know how little most doctors know about withdrawal.

Has anyone done that. She now is taking it about 6 PM in an effort not to interefer with her sleep but it still does.

If I skip the 6 PM dos ethat would be 13 hours without the Lexapro,,,,,,,,,,I am worried about withdrawals.

She is having horrible nightmares and anxiety and thirst at night.

Please take a minute and let me know what time of day you take your lexapro and how bad it affects your sleeping.

Thanks,

[Shifty]

I've always taken my anti-depressants in the morning, so I don't have experience taking it at night. I would recommend switching ASAP though because in my experience, there is a "anti-depressant high" you get 30 minutes to an hour after taking it which is my most stable time of the day. (lasts for about 2 hours on Paxil, still getting my bearings with Lexapro) I'd hate to sleep away the most effective dose of the medication, especially if it was causing me extra and unneeded problems.

Also, don't let her drink caffeine drinks after noon. (its common sense, but some people dont even think about it as a drug that can interact with Lexapro)

If she stops by Starbucks at 9pm to chat with her goth buddies and sips super-duper-wakeup-explosion-bomb-flavored-coffee then comes home to complain about insomnia, there shouldn't be too much of a mystery there.

I've never withdrawn from Lexapro, but I can tell you that the reactions vary so widely that it would be useless to advise you on this. If it's just for 13 hours, I would recommend skipping the dose, then have her do vigorous excercise when she gets home from school, then hopefully she will sleep through the night and wake up ready for her next dose. I find that excercise seems to whip up any drug that may have settled into your body and give ya a good dose of euphoria mixed with all of the drugs in your body. She'd probably feel great going to bed and sleep like a baby (as long as caffeine isn't in the mix).

Really, I think the best advice is to not worry about a 13 hour stretch without the drug. In my opinion, it's not going to make anything bad happen.

---
New signature: I just switched from Paxil CR 20mg to Lexapro 10mg cold turkey.
Day 1: 12/01/05 Flying high!
Day 4: 12/04/05 I'm feeling like Lexapro is working better than Paxil with less side effects for me. My delayed orgasms went away, which is strange. It usually takes a week off of Paxil for a recovery like this.

---

I am currently taking 20mg of Paroxitine HCL (Paxil). I have tried 25mg CR, 20mg, and 40mg.

My side effects are delayed orgasm and lack of motivation.

The Paxil seems to cure my anxiety in low stress situations, but makes it worse in high-stress situations.

The side effects on the 40mg were more intense. In addition to the above listed side-effects, I got minor headaches and a much more sedated feeling with no additional benefits.

Ask me anything, I would love to help you with my experiences.

Shifty

[auntybiotic]

Shify,

Thanks for your rep;y, I will wait for christmas break to do this so can keep an eye for any reactions and she can be more relaxed wihout a hetic school schedule.

Anypne else taling lexapro at night??

[Proofer]

Brewer,

Did you find out if the pelvic pain you were experiencing was due to the Lexapro??

I've been on Lexapro for about 7 months. Started with 10mg but I've recently backed it off to 5mg. I have had side effects of sudden diarrhea, unexpected sleepiness and headache. But just last night I started with pelvic pain. It doesn't seem to be related to a bladder infection or female issues. So I wondered about the Lexapro. And what I can do with it.

Proofer

[Brewer]

Proofer,
It ended up being cysts and uterine issues. It may have been exacerbated by Lex, but the cyst collapsed so the pain is gone. Now my doctor is wanting me to consider a hysterectomy.

I do feel much better since the Lex has been out of my system. 6 weeks and counting now.


Brewer was here

[Kendra]

Aunty,

When I was taking Lexapro at night, even a few hours before bed, I spent the rest of the night trying to sleep. It wouldn't exactly make me jittery. I was just .... super awake. It took me the longest time to figure out that the Lexapro was causing my super-altertness.

The thirstiness was awful also because in addition to the insomnia, I'd have to keep getting up to get a drink and then getting up to use the bathroom as a result of consuming so much liquid.

Regarding the nightmares, the only thing that worked for me was actually TELLING myself "NO NIGHTMARES" when I was about to go to sleep. Sounds silly, but it actually worked.