[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by mims

Hi, Erin.

I tried a couple of magnesium supplements, and finally settled on magnesium malate, which is the only one that does not give me diarrhea. I typically take about 300mg per day. I'm also taking citracal calcium, about 200mg per day. I'm taking less than the package recommendation on both because I hate swallowing the huge pills, I'm trying to eat well, and I definitely get calcium and vitamin D from milk and milk products as I have been eating lots of kefir, which helps my gut.

I recently started taking juiceplus capsules on the recommendation of the psychiatrist I saw. Juiceplus is dried whole fruits and whole vegetables in a capsule, plus additional supplements.

Also Carlson fish oil, I think it's salmon oil plus other fish oils.

I've only been taking the Magnesium, calcium, and juiceplus a few weeks. I do think the magnesium and acupuncture may be helping my sleep, and the tremor improved for a while, but lately the tremor is more frequent again, so I'm not sure.


I started taking alpha lipoic acid just a few days ago. Does anybody know of any reason not to take it? I'm just taking a small amount - afraid to put too much of anything new into my body.

I had a few days of almost constant twitching of the eyelid several weeks ago, then it settled down. I've been trying to keep a diary of symptoms, activities, new supplements, etc, but can't find the entry on the eyelid twitch. It was probably the magnesium that calmed the eyelid. The loss of visual acuity is really worrying me. I'm very nearsighted to start with, so the thought of getting worse is discouraging.

Reading through these entries on this site, I noticed that other people have floaters in their eyes caused by Lexapro. I have had floaters a long time, and never made the connection with Lexapro, but in the past, I have taken Lexapro or Celexa, and years ago I took Paxil for a year or two, so I wonder if antidepressants caused that, too. I'm really disgusted about the whole antidepressant experience. In the past, I did not notice any serious withdrawal symptoms, not like the ones I'm having now.

How much Calcium and Magnesium do you take, Erin?

Thanks, Erin, for your advice. And thanks to anyone else who has advice to offer.

can you describe your floaters? Mine are the clear ones that many may have but recently, I've been getting the white cloudy ones that kinda whiz by my eye, more like a whitesh cloud/light kinda thing. Its more annoying than anything.

[mims]

I have several eye problems. I have been nearsighted since I was a child,; my glasses prescription is about minus 4 if that means anything to you. For the past 10 or more years, I have had borderline elevated pressure in my eyes, but no measurable vision loss due to the pressure, according to the eye docs I have seen, so they don't call it glaucoma. Elevated pressure and floaters can be more common in nearsighted people, so I always just assumed that was the cause of both.

The floaters I have had for a long time are like little strings of cells that are sort of grayish - black, but also sort of translucent. I think that's because they are so out-of-focus that they don't actually block my vision. They move when I move my eyes, since they are just strings of dead cells (I think) that are trapped in the vitreous of my eye. They occasionally get in the central part of my vision, and are annoying, but they don't restrict my vision very much. They might block my focus for a second, then float down away from my central vision. They occasionally cause me to think a bug flew or crawled by, but there's no bug. Now that I have more of them than I used to, they sometimes appear to be like grayish spiderwebs or cobwebs floating around. Some appear as dark spots with a "tail", sort of like a sperm floating up and down in slow motion.

I think I also have some tiny floaters that must be individual dead cells floating solitarily, instead of connected together with other cells in a string. In low light (for example walking on the beach at night), I feel like I see little sparkles. One day, there was some kind of visual experience that made me realize that the sparkles were probably another form of floaters, disrupting the way I perceive light reflecting off an object as the floater passes by. (That's my theory.) I can't really see those floaters like I can see the stringy ones.

The brain zaps that I had withdrawing from Lexapro gave me the visual effect of seeing a flash of heat lightning. Around the same time, I also developed a little string of lights that seemed to run across the bottom of my left eye's field of vision. That's when I had the retina doc look at me, because nearsighted people are also prone to retinal detachment. But he said my retina looked OK. The neuro - ophthalmologist also did not find cause for concern.

I also have had a ring or circle of light, in the center of each eye's visual field, that shifts back and forth when I move my eyes back and forth in a semi-dark room. That's definitely not something that has always been there, and I'm pretty sure it could be a lexapro effect, but has not gone away yet. Additionally, sometimes in very low light, my peripheral vision used to shimmer. I never had any idea that Lexapro may have caused it, but it seems to have improved the past couple of weeks. I've been completely off Lex about 5 or 6 weeks now.

MS can cause some visual disturbances, like a bright spot that interferes with vision. Somewhere online, can't remember the website, I found photos of what those "phosphenes" look like with MS. Mine were not like that, and I have had an MRI that does not indicate MS.

I'm sorry you are having visual problems, too.

[Aeroman]

yep yep, cobweb like stringy things is the best way to describe the ones I have along with the transparent cell-like floaters that tend to just swim by my vision. I too am nearsighted. I've worn glasses since the 4th grade (9 years old) and I'm 32 now. I've had floaters on and off before but lately they have been more pronounced. I am 6 months and a couple weeks off Lexapro. I know this sounds gross but I have those white liquid eye boogers that are stringy and sometimes float on the surface of my eye, especially in the morning after I wake up. I blink a lot to get them to come closer to the edge so I can scoop it out with my finger tip. Those float by my eyes sometimes and I blink a lot to get it out. Well, a few days ago, I thought I had those eye boogers floating on my right eye while I was typing on the computer in the evening. When I realized nothing was on my eye ball, I thought maybe they are eye floaters...these are like white-ish, stringy objects that come and go - just random. I notice it more when I look up at a light on the ceiling or when I am looking at a computer monitor with black as the background. I just had my eyes checked earlier this year (March) and everything checked out fine. So, I am going to just live with this annoyance, along with the other ******************** w/d's bring.

- lightheaded - can Lex w/d still cause lightheadedness despite being 6+ months off?????

- morning grogginess, low moods esp in the morning

- early morning awakening

- low back pain

- decreased appetite

[mims]

I hope my appetite will decrease a little! Hasn't happened yet, but maybe there's hope for the future!

I am sympathetic with your early morning problems. The reason I started with Lexapro was early morning 3AM awakening, thinking depressing thoughts and worrying about things instead of sleeping. Lexapro did make me sleep, but it was a drugged sleep, and I wanted to sleep all the time. At some point, I started to feel that being sleepy all the time was more depressing than lying awake at night, because I never felt energetic enough to DO anything.

I'm definitely better off without the drug, I just hope the vision problems and other bad effects we have experienced will not stay with us. I'm afraid the vitreous floaters are probably forever (for me anyway since I've had them so long); mine are annoying but not enough to risk having them surgically removed. Sometimes floaters will settle down to the bottom of the eye where you don't notice them, but it hasn't happened for me. Maybe you'll be lucky.

My floaters seem to have a different appearance also depending on the light, and depending on whether I have my "full correction" glasses or contacts on, or my "computer glasses". I haven't switched to bifocals yet, even though I need to try to make the adjustment. I hate to tell you, but when you get old enough to start having trouble with near vision, in addition to being nearsighted, it complicates your prescription. I think my eye doctors roll their eyes and mutter under their breath when they see me coming, because I'm never satisfied, and now I have all these weird complaints, too.

Do you feel like your eyes are stressed while looking at the computer, doing close work? If so, you might consider getting a weaker glasses prescription for computer use, or wearing reading glasses over contact lenses if you use contacts. You are young enough that your eyes CAN make the adjustment for close work, but if your glasses prescription is steep, close work can stress your eyes. Also, I think it's easy to "forget" to blink often enough while using a computer, which could allow the stringy mucus to accumulate on the surface of your eye. Be sure to take frequent breaks: look away from close work at least every 30 minutes. That's good advice for anyone who is nearsighted, and my own son hears it from me routinely!

[becka123]

When will the head "zaps" stop? I stopped taking Lexapro on Friday and was switched to Wellbutrin and Topamax. I'm dizzy, unfocused, moody, manic, and I have these head "zaps". It's driving me nuts! It's only 3:00 on Monday and it's already interfering with my work. Will it taper off as I get more used to my new medicine? Please help. I feel like I'm going crazy here...

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by becka123

When will the head "zaps" stop? I stopped taking Lexapro on Friday and was switched to Wellbutrin and Topamax. I'm dizzy, unfocused, moody, manic, and I have these head "zaps". It's driving me nuts! It's only 3:00 on Monday and it's already interfering with my work. Will it taper off as I get more used to my new medicine? Please help. I feel like I'm going crazy here...

yeah, give it a couple weeks and it should subside, or even sooner. You've just started so hang in there. How long were you on it, what dosage, and how fast did you taper.

[becka123]

I was on 20mgs for 2 years, then went down to 10mgs for about 2 weeks. When my doctor decided to change me to Wellbutrin he had me stop it all-together. My boss told me today that I look "high"... I'm having a hard time explaining what is going on. I guess I'm just hoping the new meds will sort of override the effects once they kick in. But these zaps are killing me! And the mood swings... My husband is getting tired of me yelling and throwing things...

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by becka123

I was on 20mgs for 2 years, then went down to 10mgs for about 2 weeks. When my doctor decided to change me to Wellbutrin he had me stop it all-together. My boss told me today that I look "high"... I'm having a hard time explaining what is going on. I guess I'm just hoping the new meds will sort of override the effects once they kick in. But these zaps are killing me! And the mood swings... My husband is getting tired of me yelling and throwing things...

Becka, my friend, that was way too fast of a taper. You basically stopped cold turkey. I was on 10mg for 2.5 years on Lexapro. My doc tapered me off in one month and by the time I found out that was too fast, I was too late to reinstate. The drug would of done more harm than good. I have been off for 6.5 months and I am still dealing with withdrawal issues (dizziness and Phase II - anxiety, rebound depression, restlessness, etc). I hope Aunty can chime in but my guess is you should get back on lex and taper slowly. i went through the same thing with the zaps after the 4th day off of it. They went away and so did the irribility. But by the end of the 3rd month since my last pill, oh geez....HELL.

[becka123]

That has kind of been my assumption, too, which brings up questions about what kind of doctor my psychiatrist is.... The Topamax was my idea because the counselor we've been seeing has pointed out that he believes I am bi-polar, not ADHD like my psych thought. (He had also put me on Adderall but I stopped taking that because it gave me headaches and I don't think I have ADHD) I am supposed to be getting a call this week to be set up to take a test to see exactly what is "wrong" with me. I think I'm just going to take it upon myself to take the drugs I need. Obviously this guy doesn't know what he's doing... There isn't any records of Lexapro having any reaction with Wellbutrin or Topamax is there? I know I need to be on those two because of the bi-polar.

Thanks for your quick responses. You've really been a great help, btw.

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by becka123

That has kind of been my assumption, too, which brings up questions about what kind of doctor my psychiatrist is.... The Topamax was my idea because the counselor we've been seeing has pointed out that he believes I am bi-polar, not ADHD like my psych thought. (He had also put me on Adderall but I stopped taking that because it gave me headaches and I don't think I have ADHD) I am supposed to be getting a call this week to be set up to take a test to see exactly what is "wrong" with me. I think I'm just going to take it upon myself to take the drugs I need. Obviously this guy doesn't know what he's doing... There isn't any records of Lexapro having any reaction with Wellbutrin or Topamax is there? I know I need to be on those two because of the bi-polar.

Thanks for your quick responses. You've really been a great help, btw.

Hi Becka, I learned a ton on this forum and also on paxilprogress.org

I didnt know that the depression and anxiety I was experiencing months after my last pill from Lexapro was indeed caused by the drug, not the old symptoms coming back. So, what I have been doing (like many others) is just hanging in there.

I also took Wellbutrin along side with lexapro. It did nothing for me. No, I didnt have a bad reaction to Lex/Well mix. Dont get me wrong, Lexapro did make me feel good but it made me gain a lot of weight and snuff out my desire to have sex.

Do you really think you should be on meds at all?

[mims]

Originally Posted by becka123

That has kind of been my assumption, too, which brings up questions about what kind of doctor my psychiatrist is.... The Topamax was my idea because the counselor we've been seeing has pointed out that he believes I am bi-polar, not ADHD like my psych thought. (He had also put me on Adderall but I stopped taking that because it gave me headaches and I don't think I have ADHD) I am supposed to be getting a call this week to be set up to take a test to see exactly what is "wrong" with me. I think I'm just going to take it upon myself to take the drugs I need. Obviously this guy doesn't know what he's doing... There isn't any records of Lexapro having any reaction with Wellbutrin or Topamax is there? I know I need to be on those two because of the bi-polar.

Thanks for your quick responses. You've really been a great help, btw.

You should check with your doctor before deciding to take 2 different antidepressants at the same time. There's really good information on this board for tapering, dealing with side effects, etc, but please don't take it upon yourself to combine medications without discussing it with your doctor. If you end up with too much serotonin, or take meds that are not compatible with each other, you could end up with a serious medical crisis.

Take care.

[becka123]

I've been on / off of meds for years. The last bout off of them turned out terrible. It ended with me being put in the hospital. That's why I'm surprises no one has ever really explored the bi-polar route with me before. I have a horrible temper; an uncontrollable one at times. But, like you, with the Lexapro, I've gained weight, I have no sex drive, and I don't feel like I'm actually "depressed". The only medicine I want to be on is meds to control my anger. I am going to take your advice and start taking the Lexapro again at the 10mgs and taper myself off more slowly. Maybe have a 2 month goal to be off or something to that effect. Once I have this test done in the next few weeks I'll know exactly what meds I need to be on. I do think that most things are over-prescribed and I need to be more careful of that. I wish I had known what I was getting myself in to when I started taking this stuff two years ago.

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by becka123

I've been on / off of meds for years. The last bout off of them turned out terrible. It ended with me being put in the hospital. That's why I'm surprises no one has ever really explored the bi-polar route with me before. I have a horrible temper; an uncontrollable one at times. But, like you, with the Lexapro, I've gained weight, I have no sex drive, and I don't feel like I'm actually "depressed". The only medicine I want to be on is meds to control my anger. I am going to take your advice and start taking the Lexapro again at the 10mgs and taper myself off more slowly. Maybe have a 2 month goal to be off or something to that effect. Once I have this test done in the next few weeks I'll know exactly what meds I need to be on. I do think that most things are over-prescribed and I need to be more careful of that. I wish I had known what I was getting myself in to when I started taking this stuff two years ago.

read back on past posts. They have a recommendation on a slow taper schedule, like 10% reduction every ____ weeks. Trust me, you dont want to be where I was at 3-5 months off. I never thought about suicide and it was during these months I did and it freaked me out.

[Nocturnal]

Just an update for everyone. I am just done getting over pneumonia with two vists to the ER. I have a strange feeling that the withdrawal helped to kick start the stupid virus that I got first and then it lead to pneumonia.

I am back on 5mg. Will stay here. Forget about losing my life over this. This is sickening but I'll make do. Life goes on.

[erinkj]

Thank you for reccomending that book. I have not bought it yet but, I did look it up and read the intro on-line. Sounds like the book I NEED to read. Thanks alot man. I hope all is well with you...Peace...Erin

[erinkj]

Calcium-Magnesium Balance



Calcium Cannot Be Optimally Utilized Without a Proper Balance of Magnesium

Magnesium and calcium are two sides of a physiological coin: they are antagonistic to one another yet operate as a team. For example:

Calcium exists mainly outside the cells, whereas almost all magnesium is found inside the cells.
Calcium excites nerves; magnesium calms them down.
Calcium with potassium makes muscles contract, but magnesium is necessary for muscles to relax.
Calcium is necessary to the clotting reaction - essential for wound healing - but magnesium keeps the blood flowing freely and prevents abnormal thickening when clotting reactions would be dangerous.
Calcium is mostly found in the bones and gives them much of their hardness, whereas magnesium is found mainly in soft structures. Bone matrix, the soft structure within bone, contains protein and magnesium and gives the bones some flexibility and resistance to brittleness.
Calcium Will Cause Damage to the Cells and the Body Without an Adequate Balance of Magnesium

Scientific study shows more and more that the underlying cellular change enabling the "fight or flight" stress response in the body is a low magnesium-to-calcium ratio caused by a large and sudden influx of calcium into the cells. The stress response subsides when the cells' magnesium returns to its dominant presence inside the cells, moving extra calcium back to its "normal" position thus restoring the cells' normal ratio.

A low magnesium condition can be exacerbated by a high intake of calcium - promoted heavily today by many health professionals. Calcium cannot be optimally utilized without a proper balance of magnesium, and a high calcium intake without magnesium will further drain any reserves of magnesium. Calcium is necessary at the cellular level for muscles to contract, for nerves to fire, for hormones to be secreted and for the inflammation response to initiate. But calcium needs to be balanced with magnesium. If you take too much calcium and too little magnesium, what can tend to happen is the excited firing state of biochemistry of the cell will tend to remain that way. In a stress situation such as exercising more vigorously than usual or when someone is suddenly and unexpectedly frightened, muscle cells, nerve cells, hormone secreting cells or the inflammation response can go into an overreaction mode - the fight or flight mode. Without magnesium they don't come back down to a resting state; they stay excited in that firing mode.

If calcium levels inside a cell get especially high because of low magnesium, the cell physically changes. High calcium tends to make things stiff and hard. But if soft tissue begins to get hard, it is a problem - the problem of calcification. In artery and heart cells, the stiffness caused by calcification hampers proper function and can lead to heart disease.

Calcium is an important essential nutrient, but it must be balanced by adequate magnesium or it will cause damage to the cells and the body as a whole.

Can there be too much magnesium and too little calcium? Of course. In this age of highly processed foods and the liberal use of essential nutrient supplementation, imbalances are always possible. A practicing physician or health professional must always be open to this possibility. This is especially dfficult as symptoms of "too much" of an essential nutrient often mimic symptoms brought on by "too little" of the same nutrient. But at this time, with a largely low magnesium diet and a general recommendation, especially to women, that they supplement their calcium, the imbalance of too much calcium to too little magnesium is one to regularly consider.



©2008 Center for Magnesium Education & Research Links | Privacy | Terms of Use | Medical Disclaimer

[erinkj]

Originally Posted by hope for the best

It's been my understanding that while you need magnesium, calcium and Vit D, the magnesium and calcium are antagonists and should be taken separately in order to best absorbed. Just thought I'd throw that out for discussion since I never really have total answers, just questions and a multitude of possible answers to try to sort through.

I used to think that to but, after re-searching the topic I have come to see that is not neccisarily so. I have a late evening class tonight but, I will try to post the info I have found concerning that yet tonight...Peace....ERin

[dyer046]

I'm not sure where to post here...but I'm gonna give this a try.

I'd been on Lexapro for over 8 years. I don't really even know the dosage..(never really cared..just wanted to be "fixed") but know it was a low dose and it was never increased.

Last April (2008) I started experiencing some joint pain. After the pain increased I went to my Family Doctor to get it checked. I asked if maybe it could be Lyme disease.

I got the results from my bloodwork a few days later and was told that I did, in fact, have Lyme.

Over the next several weeks I was trying to cope with extreme pain and manage a home, family etc. I realized that I frequently had forgotten to take my Lexapro. Days would go by, I'd take a pill..again days would go by... and no pills. I was so consumed with pain that I truely forgot about the possibility of a panic attack...and just rarely took my pills.

After weeks of this I decided to stop taking Lexapro (as well as the prescribed Clonipin) I felt dizzy from time to time, but being in so much pain it was really not my 1st concern.

It's now September. I've not taken either 1 of the meds in months now. I feel as though I'm "out of the woods" here and will never need them again! ( I still have my prescriptions in my desk drawer in case I needed them but really haven't ...yet)

I now have a few concerns.

In a few weeks I go to see a pain specialist. Tonight I decided to Google about shoulder pain, numbness, hip pain etc (all of which I'm experiencing)

1 of the possible given reasons listed was people experiencing simulaar pain while going through withdrawals from Lexapro. Could I have "forgotten" to take my Lexapro BEFORE being diagnosed with Lyme disease? Could all of this pain be a withdrawal symptom from actually going off this drug? Has anyone else experienced simular pain while going off Lexapro? and I mean severe (I really do have a high tolerance for pain...but this pain takes my breath away.)

It brings tears to my eyes. I can't lift things. I can't even reach behind my own back to buckle my bra. I have to be helped to dress daily...embarrassing! Could I have caused this pain myself by unknowingly started the withdrawal of this drug?

Please if anyone has experienced simular pain while going off of Lexapro let me know. If anyone has and knows what I can do about it I'd really appreciate your help.

My Doctor prescribed pain killers for me once for it (of co????, thinking it was for the Lyme that I apparently have)...but it didn't really help. I take Aleve daily and don't feel as though that works either...still feel the pain. However, I did run out of Aleve for 2 days and realized that it is helping me more than I knew. With out it I simply can't even get out of bed on my own.

My other concern is since I went off of Lexapro and clonipin on my own...could I experience any other side effects
later down the road?

I haven't been to see my Pschiatrist since April. I used to go to see her monthly. But, like I mentioned ...dealing with this pain has consumed me ...(I'm sure my other Doctor is wondering what the heck I've been up to...after seeing her for 8 years! )

Again, I haven't felt anxious at all. Even when I have sugar lows (diabetic) which used to trigger most of my panic attacks in the past.

Any help/feedback would be so appreciated. Thx.

[mims]

8 years is a long time to be on Lexapro and then suddenly discontinue, so it seems likely you would have some negative effects. However, I've read through most of the posts on this forum, and I don't remember seeing complaints of severe joint pain due to withdrawal from Lexapro.

Some antidepressants, like cymbalta, are prescribed for pain relief, so it's possible that getting off the antidepressant intensified your pain caused by Lyme.

I personally had flu-like aches and pains, minor arthritic pain in fingers, sore muscles, shooting "nerve" pains; for awhile I had some shooting pains in the pelvic area that were both Pain and numbness at the same time -- hard to describe, but probably a nerve pain. It was disturbing and painful, but definitely not the crippling pain you describe, and it was intermittent.
I still have some numbness (6 weeks off lexapro) that I attribute to lexapro withdrawal, mostly in my feet. I have had hip pain. Mine is primarily a dull, annoying pain, unless I'm traveling in the car, when it becomes more intense.

There are some people on this forum who have both Lex withdrawal and Lyme disease, and hopefully someone with knowledge of both will see your question and post a response here. If not, try putting the name "auntybiotic" in your title when you post again, and maybe she will respond. She is one who has had experience with both. I think if you read back through the previous 2 or 3 pages of this thread, you will see some comments by some who have both Lyme and lex problems.

I assume you are receiving ongoing medical treatment for Lyme infection, and not just for pain management.

[becka123]

Originally Posted by Aeroman

read back on past posts. They have a recommendation on a slow taper schedule, like 10% reduction every ____ weeks. Trust me, you dont want to be where I was at 3-5 months off. I never thought about suicide and it was during these months I did and it freaked me out.

It's funny you say that. Last night I went home and took a pill. It had been 4 days since I'd had one. I'm not sure what sparked my outburst, but I ended up with a knife in my hand and actually cut my arm. Not very deep, but this is definitely NOT normal behavior for me. I've decided to start a schedule to taper off. My husband doesn't understand completely and thinks I should be off in the next month, so I will probably hide it from him. I think more realistically it will take 2-3 months. I am so glad I found you guys. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to not feel so alone.

[mims]

Originally Posted by becka123

It's funny you say that. Last night I went home and took a pill. It had been 4 days since I'd had one. I'm not sure what sparked my outburst, but I ended up with a knife in my hand and actually cut my arm. Not very deep, but this is definitely NOT normal behavior for me. I've decided to start a schedule to taper off. My husband doesn't understand completely and thinks I should be off in the next month, so I will probably hide it from him. I think more realistically it will take 2-3 months. I am so glad I found you guys. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to not feel so alone.

Becka123, I'm concerned about your decision stated in your previous post to take it upon yourself to decide what drugs you need.

My concern is that you may have added the lexapro back in with the new drugs your doctor prescribed. That could be very dangerous!! Please remember, these are powerful drugs. Don't add Lexapro back in with the new drugs prescribed for you unless you clear that with your doctor.

I am even more concerned now that you have had an angry outburst involving a knife and an injury.

It's one thing to taper gradually off Lexapro without a doctor's involvement, but it is quite another to combine potentially harmful drugs. Drug interactions can be dangerous or fatal. Please be careful.

It's certainly true that doctors are not aware of all the side effects of Lexapro and discontinuation of lexapro, but when you're taking more than one drug it's especially important to be careful of any changes in medications. It was my understanding from your previous post that your doctor gave you the Wellbutrin and Topamax INSTEAD of Lexapro, not in ADDITION to Lexapro.

[becka123]

Yes, he gave me those instead of Lexapro, but I feel that he didn't realize the reaction I would have coming off of the Lexapro. I have taken Wellbutrin in the past mixed with another SSRI (Celexa) so I know it shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'm not planning on taking full doses of the Lexapro again - just enough to taper me off slowly to where I don't have these manic episodes. I've had concerns before about this doctor not knowing what he's doing. He seems to be the type to just pull out the prescription pad and start writing. I am going for an actual test in the next couple of weeks for a real diagnosis. When I get that, then they can tell me what I really should be taking. I am probably also going to request another doctor at that point.

[redandblues06]

I have been taking lexapro 10mg for about 6 months now after going through a pretty bad divorce. I can say this drug has been a miracle for me. It has helped a lot with the moodiness and depression and generally made me in a happier mood on a daily basis.

Things were going so good that I stopped taking the medication. Not to mention it was cheaper not to take it(at $30 per month) and things were generally calming down in my personal life. So, I figured
I would stop cold turkey. No problem, right?

Well, I soon learned it wasnt that easy.

After about 2-3 days after stopping the doses i started experiencing some persistent minor headaches. Nothing crippling but more a pain in the butt than anything. After about 1 week I started getting some slight dizziness that did not go away. Soon after that it got worse. Along with minor headaches I experienced a feeling of vertigo(tunnel vision) and a sensitivty to light I had never experienced before. I could not turn my head or make fast movements with my eyes without feeling like my brain was bouncing around inside my head. Like a felling my brain was crashing into my skull and would produce a sort of "shock" i could feel reverberate through my body.

My mood changed also. I felt a great deal more agitated and felt like I could not concentrate on more than 1 thing at a time.

None of this was bad enough to limit my day to day activity but it was very uncomfortable. I was not familiar with these side effects and thought I could possibly be getting the flu or something similar. I then looked online and found several forums talking about withdrawal symptoms associated with lexapro. I found I was having the same side effects, almost exact, as other people.

Needless to say, I have started taking lexapro again. I feel a lot better on it. If it was just for the physical side effects I would stay off of it and ride the symptoms out. But it really has made me a happier person in general. If I ever decide to get off the medicine I would most likely talk to my doctor first and get a recommendation about the best way to wean off of it. The side effects are horrible and extremely uncomfortable.

[dyer046]

[QUOTE=mims;210640]8 years is a long time to be on Lexapro and then suddenly discontinue, so it seems likely you would have some negative effects. However, I've read through most of the posts on this forum, and I don't remember seeing complaints of severe joint pain due to withdrawal from Lexapro.

Some antidepressants, like cymbalta, are prescribed for pain relief, so it's possible that getting off the antidepressant intensified your pain caused by Lyme.

I personally had flu-like aches and pains, minor arthritic pain in fingers, sore muscles, shooting "nerve" pains; for awhile I had some shooting pains in the pelvic area that were both Pain and numbness at the same time -- hard to describe, but probably a nerve pain. It was disturbing and painful, but definitely not the crippling pain you describe, and it was intermittent.
I still have some numbness (6 weeks off lexapro) that I attribute to lexapro withdrawal, mostly in my feet. I have had hip pain. Mine is primarily a dull, annoying pain, unless I'm traveling in the car, when it becomes more
intense.
************************************************** *******

Thank-you so much, Mims, for responding to my post.

I am at my wits end here. After reading other posts here about stopping Lexapro without your Doctor's guidence..I am a bit concenred now.

I haven't had many of the withdrawal sypmtoms described by many in here. However, I have been experiencing some dizziness and memory loss and do loose my patience bit more easily lately...so I guess I have had some reactions to suddenly stopping taking this drug.

I have to say that I do feel that this is a minor inconvieniece though.

I hope that I won't have to go back on Lexapro in order to be properly "weaned" off of it. At this point I think I'd like to just hang in there and hope for the best. (I probably took my last Lexapro pill the 1st part of June if not before that)

To answer your last question about being treated for Lyme...I did see my Doctor frequently in the begining and have taken anti-biotics 2x now. He recommended the specialist and I'm going in a few weeks.

My fear is that the new Doctor will want me to take some heavy duty pain killers that make me sleepy. Although I am experiencing a lot of pain, I still haven't felt better in a long time...

I'd also switched my gp last September ( I have Graves disease as well as diabetes.) My new Doctor discovered that my #'s for my Thyroid were completely off the charts and he had to more than double my meds for it.

While waiting for the new dose of meds to start to work I got very sick right before the Holidays and had every type of infection imaginable (such as Sinus infection, Bronchitus..etc)
So it took me months to feel the effects of the Thyroid meds...but right before I was diagnosed with Lyme disease I started to feel wonderful.
I had a zest for life that I hadn't had in a long, long time.

Needless to say I was so pleased (so was my family).So I felt as though all of my problems had been due to the fact that my Thryoid was so out of whack (something my old Doctor obviously overlooked. ***He had me on the same dosage of Synthroid..for my Thyroid...for years!) He'd been my family Doctor since I was 15 and I'm now 46. So I completely trusted him.

I've been convinced for a few months, now, that I never needed Anxioty meds..that all along it had been my Thryoid that was off..and that now that my #'s are good .. I shouldn't need them any more. (and, no, I really didn't stop taking them initially on purpose..I stopped after I started forgetting to take my Lexapro after dealing with the pain due to the Lyme) When I realized that I had missed so often without any real side effects I then decided to consiously stop altogether.

So now my focas is getting this pain to stop. It's constant. (I actually have to hold my right hand up right now with my left hand in order to type this. My arm feels like dead weight and the pain in my shoulder is tremendous.)

I guess I feel as though this is NOT really Lyme but something else causing the pain. Not sure why..but I just have a gut feeling.

That's how I ended up here last night. I kept searching and searching for other reasons that could cause this. Somehow I found this forum. and started reading. (probably best that I stopped searching...you wouldn't believe what I was finding that "could" be the cause of all I'm dealing with right now and quite frankly it scared the **** out of me.

Again, I thank-you Mims and would welcome yours and others input on this.

Cathy

[mims]

Cathy,

I do hope that others will respond to your post also, because I don't feel that I know as much as some who have been on this forum longer than I, and who have done more research on the subject. I'm still wondering about my own symptoms, and have been through many tests, looking for things like MS, cardiac trouble, myasthenia, thyroid, etc, and I'm still not absolutely positive that all my strange symptoms could be coming from Lexapro! But most of my symptoms are reported by others who are "in withdrawal", so maybe I don't have anything life-threatening, after all. For a while, I was convinced I was extremely ill or dying.

I questioned whether I might have Lyme, and was told by a physician that people with Lyme usually complain of really bad arthritic pain, but I may request to be tested anyway.

About memory loss - after 6 weeks I am still having some of that problem, and also brief waves of dizziness - nothing serious, sort of like an extremely brief , mild "panic" attack.

I'm curious - did your "zest for life "return when you got off the Lexapro? The first time I took Lexapro for a while, I felt so sleepy when I was on the drug; then felt much better and more alive when I discontinued it. For some reason, I did not have the withdrawal symptoms that first time, but later when I took Lexapro again, I had terrible withdrawal coming off it. I think Lexapro makes me depressed.

[mims]

Thanks for the info about calcium and magnesium. Maybe reading about the importance of both will help me do a better job of remembering to take it regularly. I'm sure my cal/mag ratio has been unbalanced with too little on the magnesium side. I've heard a craving for chocolate can indicate a need for magnesium, and I definitely CRAVE chocolate!

[Hopeful 285]

I have chronic Lyme Disease and have had it over 2 years and I also had severe Lexapro withdrawal.
Lyme Disease is very painful and your whole body hurts, also it cause neurological symptoms if it gets to your brain.

Over 2 years ago I had a low grade fever and started walking with a strange gait. Not all the time, it would come and go.

I started going from doctor to doctor and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. I remember being bit in the head by a tick (never thought more about nor mentioned it to my doctors).

While taking Lexapro, I would comment to my husband that I had a fuzzy, tingly sensation in the center of my brain shortly have I took my dose (I was only on 10 mgs and was breaking them in half).

My health was slowly getting worse and all tests were normal.

Then one day while reading over the Lexapro drug insert, I read that it caused movement disorders.

At this point I quit cold turkey and my primary and neuro doctors said Lexapro shouldn't hurt me to quit cold turkey.

I progressively, got worse...shook like I had Parkinson's, taken from work in a squad, extremely high blood pressure. They released me after getting my pressure down and told me to go back to my doctor.

I continued to feel bad. Had 2 pages of symptoms...I did feel a little better at maybe 7 to 8 months off Lexapro...but then I got worse again. I would have some better days, but I knew overall I was deteriorating.

I hit the 2 year post quiting Lexapro cold turkey and still had not recovered. This is because I also had Lyme disease.

Thank God for Aunty, she suggested that I could have Lyme. I looked up the symptoms and I had nearly all of them.

Lyme can be cured if diagnosed right away and if you are kept on antibiotics long enough. I am not sure, but I think it may be a long as 6 weeks.

I have chronic lyme because I didn't get a diagnosis for 2 years. I have to take 3 different antibiotics and I don't know how long. Every time I go to the doctor he hopes to take me off but I continue to have symptoms.

Lyme disease makes it hard to put your words together at times, you have traveling pain and also your whole body can hurt. You get stiff painful neck, blurry vision...etc
I was diagnosed with hashimoto's (thyroid disease) and I believe it is the lyme that caused it.
Lexapro also is know to cause thyroid issues.

Many of the lyme symptoms can match lexapro withdrawal. This is why I thought all my problems was due to Lexapro withdrawal.

Lexapro also lowers the immune system.
You can be bit by a tick and get lyme and not experience the symptoms until your body goes through a stress.

Also, you can be bit by a tick and be sick right away, a few days later, months later and even years.

I got sick the same spring I was bitten.

Do you remember being bitten by a tick?

You can also get lyme from mosquitos, fleas, horseflies, deerflies, wasps, and spiders.

Here are some good sites for you to compare your symptoms.

lymdiseaseassociation.org
lymenet.org

Also on YouTube.com, if you do a lyme disease search, there are doctors and people telling the symptoms, a more comprehensive list is on the above sites.

I hope I have been of some help. Keep writing. There are others here that may also be of some help.

Take Care,

[Hopeful 285]

Some people with Lyme have more of the neurological symptoms and some more of the arthritic symptoms.
I actually had more of the neurological symptoms at first and as the disease progressed, it started affecting my joints also.
Also I have a lot of neck pain.

It would be a good idea for you to be checked if you are suspicious at all.
There are 20,000 new diagnoses for lyme each year and the Center of Disease Control states it is probably 10 times that because there are a lot of tests out there that are unreliable.

The best test is through Igenex in California. Lyme literate doctors often send the tests to this lab.
If you have a test done from another lab and it comes back negative, it does not mean you don't have lyme.
My local lab was negative and I do have the disease.

For a lyme literate doctor, you can go to Lymediseaseassociation.org and click on doctor referrals.

I read in a article, check for lyme disease first not last if you have symptoms that match.

[mims]

Thank you for the advice. I thought I was getting better for a while, but now the tremors are worse again and the vision in my droopy eye has become a little blurrier. So now I'm starting to worry again about whether I have an illness in addition to lex withdrawal.

I'm seeing the eye doctor today, and will make an appointment with the internist to talk about getting the Lyme test. Thank you for that information about Lyme and about referrals to doctors. I don't have the pain and fever, etc., but it's possible I had a fever when these symptoms first appeared following a "virus" that felt like flu. I did have chills. We don't have as much Lyme disease in the Southeast where I live, but there have been cases; it's just not the first thing that comes to mind.

[Hopeful 285]

I believe the southeast is very infected with lyme. I live in Ohio so I thought I was safe when I was bit by a tick.

Now that I am diagnosed, I have been talking to others in our town and trying to spread awareness and more and more people are coming out of the woodwork that have symptoms that match lyme and all their tests for everything else is negative.

The lab that is used in the area I live in pretty much comes back negative whether you have lyme or not. Lyme is very contraversial and is always all over the news about tests not being good enough and some doctors question the existance of chronic lyme disease. More and more these facts are starting to hit doctors. I believe, lyme is an unknow epidemic in Ohio and as awareness comes out, more and more people who have been diagnosed with Fybromyalgia, Parkinsons, MS, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue, Altzheimer's, Arthritis, etc will be diagnosed with Lyme Disease as the cause of these symptoms.

Doctors believed I had MS and Lupus. I myself believed I had Lupus because I matched all the signs of Lupus.

One sign that something else is going on is you develop new symptoms as time goes on. I didn't experience pain at first; that came as the disease intensified.

A droopy eye can be caused by lyme. This can get better with antibiotics.

Of course am not trying to convince you that you have this disease, but I encourage you to seek a diagnosis since you feel something else may be going on.

Take care and don't wait. Lyme is a progressive disease.