[Tues]

hello,

i'm "Tues", a 44 years old woman on lexapro.
13 months ago, i finally succombed. i had a major accident requiring extensive surgery and rehab, which I am still in the midst of, though doing much better.
i have always suffered fr anxiety and major depression, and mostly struggled on my own, until i became physically disabled (temporarily) and realized, ok, i can't fight this one anymore. i would say the lexapro has been very helpful to me thought i can only tolerate it to 10 mg, and yes, i sleep in without trying, of course i had ongoing insomnia bec of anxiety before.
so i am connecting here because i feel i need some support and community around this.
btw, when i 1st got on lexapro, i start at 2.5 and stayed there for over a month, then upped to 5 for another 2 months, etc...
i wish i could go up a bit because i do need the extra push but don't think it's an option due to intolerance. So what can i do above and beyond 10mg, AuntyBiotic? mostly i find that i sleep a bit more than i would like. A more crucial issue is that i am quite spread out and having a very hard time focusing.
thank you!

[Aeroman]

Hello, I am checking in to provide my 10-month update. It was February 27, 2008 that I took my last 5mg pill of Lexapro. I was on 10mg for 2.5 years and I would say it did lift me while I was on it. However, the side effects of libido and weight gain issues prompted me to get weened off. Unfortunately, I did not know that the tapering schedule (1-month ween) was too abrupt and it has caused me great anguish, especially after the 3rd month off. All the physical issues were present after a few days being off Lexapro. Nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, and irritability were present. But those were "pre-school" symptoms of what was to come Month 4. Depression and anxiety silently set in...then restlessness, just pure hell. I found myself not wanting to do anything and unfortunately, this issue still is present today, 10-months off. The anxiety has subsided a great deal, especially the morning anxiety - time has pretty much snuffed all this away. I still have slight lightheaded issues but nothing compared to the summer months. My sleep has improved but it still isn't my normal pattern - but I'll take this over the summer months. My eating has improved - I gained some weight since losing nearly 30-lbs over the summer. I'll take care of this on my own Low back pain is still present but not as harsh - acupuncture has helped. I am not taking any supplements as they did nothing for me. Am I recovered? Absolutely not. I feel dead...not living, just existing. I was put on Lexapro for anxiety and depression back in 2003 but the symptoms I had back then were NOTHING compared to this. I will never take an SSRI again...I was a good kid, happy go fella who enjoyed life, plenty of hobbies, and many friends. I am avoiding people, detached from my once enjoyable things, and been a hermit in my own home. I am just going to hang in there until relief and recovery come. I don't feel like myself and feeling "love" is just not there...I am a shell.

[mims]

Originally Posted by jenthebod

Hello! I was wondering if anyone could tell me about any vitamins that helped them feel better? Depersonalization is a big problem for me, so I am literally about to leave to go get Noni Juice (Thanks Aunty!) but was wondering if there was anything else that helped anyone just stay more calm, give a little energy boost, anything? Also, any vitamins to stay away from(you never know with Lex)? I would say at this point depersonalization is my biggest challenge, but since I am FINALLY!!! thinking with a clear head after getting Lexapro out of me, it's much easier to deal with. I hope everyone's well!

About vitamins: you can look back at Erin's posts on calcium and magnesium, Calcium/Magnesium has a little bit of a calming effect. I took Slow-Mag for a while and it may have helped me sleep, and at least it didn't upset my gut like some other types of magnesium. It's worth a try. B6 can be stimulating, so don't overdo that, even though it may be good for your nervous system. Somebody (maybe "anti-drugs"?) took animi-3 vitamins and thought it helped. Look back over the past month or two of her posts and see if you can find her comments about that. Fish oil Omega 3 is supposed to be healing to the brain, and helps with depression. I tried phosphatidylserine ( Lecithin-PS) for a short while and felt great while taking it, until I had 2 really bad diarrhea attacks and decided it was caused by the PS, so I quit. I haven't been able to find out much about that supplement so I decided it might be better not to take it.

You mentioned hypnosis in your previous post. Did you try it? And was it helpful?

Someone in my family had a really good experience with hypnosis -- he had hives for years, which cleared up with a few sessions of hypnosis.

[wffir]

Originally Posted by Aeroman

Hello, I am checking in to provide my 10-month update. It was February 27, 2008 that I took my last 5mg pill of Lexapro. I was on 10mg for 2.5 years and I would say it did lift me while I was on it. However, the side effects of libido and weight gain issues prompted me to get weened off. Unfortunately, I did not know that the tapering schedule (1-month ween) was too abrupt and it has caused me great anguish, especially after the 3rd month off. All the physical issues were present after a few days being off Lexapro. Nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, and irritability were present. But those were "pre-school" symptoms of what was to come Month 4. Depression and anxiety silently set in...then restlessness, just pure hell. I found myself not wanting to do anything and unfortunately, this issue still is present today, 10-months off. The anxiety has subsided a great deal, especially the morning anxiety - time has pretty much snuffed all this away. I still have slight lightheaded issues but nothing compared to the summer months. My sleep has improved but it still isn't my normal pattern - but I'll take this over the summer months. My eating has improved - I gained some weight since losing nearly 30-lbs over the summer. I'll take care of this on my own Low back pain is still present but not as harsh - acupuncture has helped. I am not taking any supplements as they did nothing for me. Am I recovered? Absolutely not. I feel dead...not living, just existing. I was put on Lexapro for anxiety and depression back in 2003 but the symptoms I had back then were NOTHING compared to this. I will never take an SSRI again...I was a good kid, happy go fella who enjoyed life, plenty of hobbies, and many friends. I am avoiding people, detached from my once enjoyable things, and been a hermit in my own home. I am just going to hang in there until relief and recovery come. I don't feel like myself and feeling "love" is just not there...I am a shell.

Aeroman,I remember you were one of few people who responded in the summer when I was having tougher times.Look,the first 80% of what you wrote today shows great improvement.You do not mention the "S" word anymore.It is odd that things got so much worse at 4 months.My guess is you had a recurrence of the depression along with prolonged lex side effects.Good news is you are coming to the 6 month mark from that presumed 2nd episode.Listen man,hang in there,staying at the safety of home I know feels comfy but I must say forcing myself to stick to a routine helped me a lot.It can even be activities/chores at home to keep the body going.Good luck,keep me posted...

[erinkj]

Calcium Cannot Be Optimally Utilized Without a Proper Balance of Magnesium and Calcium needs to be taken with Vitamin D.
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.
Heed this information well please....Peace...Erin

[erinkj]

SSRIs acts by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin after being released in synapses. How much an individual will respond also depends on genetics.

Basic understanding:

Chemical synapse
In the brain, messages are passed between two nerve cells via a synapse, a small gap between the cells. The cell that sends the information releases neurotransmitters (of which serotonin is one) into that gap. The neurotransmitters are then recognized by receptors on the surface of the recipient (postsynaptic) cell, which upon this stimulation, in turn, relays the signal. About 10% of the neurotransmitters are lost in this process; the other 90% are released from the receptors and taken up again by monoamine transporters into the sending (presynaptic) cell (a process called reuptake).

Some theories link depression to a lack of stimulation of the recipient neuron at a synapse. To stimulate the recipient cell, SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. As a result, the serotonin stays in the synaptic gap longer than it normally would, and may be recognized again (and again) by the receptors of the recipient cell, stimulating it.


Pharmacodynamics
SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) into the presynaptic cell, increasing levels of 5-HT within the synaptic cleft.

But there is one counteracting effect: high serotonin levels will not only activate the postsynaptic receptors, but also flood presynaptic autoreceptors, that serve as a feedback sensor for the cell. Activation of the autoreceptors (by agonists like serotonin) triggers a throttling of serotonin production. The resulting serotonin deficiency persists for some time, as the transporter inhibition occurs downstream to the cause of the deficiency, and is therefore not able to counterbalance it. The body adapts gradually to this situation by lowering (downregulating) the sensitivity of the autoreceptors.

Of greater importance is another adaptive process: the downregulation of postsynaptic serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. After the use of an SSRI, since there is more serotonin available, the response is to lower (to normal levels or less) the number of postsynaptic receptors over time, and in the long run, this modifies the serotonin/receptor ratio. Since a larger percentage of available receptors become activated by serotonin, transmission is enhanced or restored.

These (slowly proceeding) neurophysiological adaptions of the brain tissue are the reason why usually several weeks of continuous SSRI use are necessary for the antidepressant effect to become fully manifested, and why increased anxiety is a common side effect in the first few days or weeks of use.

Pharmacogenetics
Large bodies of research are devoted to using genetic markers to predict whether patients will respond to SSRIs or have side effects which will cause their discontinuation, although these tests are not yet ready for widespread clinical use. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the 5-HT(2A) gene correlates with increased paroxetine discontinuation, but not mirtazapine (a non-SSRI antidepressant) discontinuation.

Sexual side effects
SSRIs can cause various types of sexual dysfunction such as anorgasmia, erectile dysfunction, and diminished libido. Initial studies found that such side effects occur in less than 10% of patients, but since these studies relied on unprompted reporting, the frequency was probably underestimated. In more recent studies, doctors have specifically asked about sexual difficulties, and found that they are present in between 17% and 41% of patients. This dysfunction occasionally disappears spontaneously without stopping the SSRI, and in most cases resolves after discontinuation. In some cases, however, it does not; this is known as Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD).

It is believed that sexual dysfunction is caused by an SSRI induced reduction in dopamine. Stimulation of postsynaptic 5-ht2 and 5-ht3 receptors decreases dopamine release from the Substantia Nigra.

[erinkj]

Below are from some of my previous posts that I thought may be useful. I know what a pain in the rear it is to go through this thread page by page. So, here are a few old one's. I will copy/paste some more of my older posts concerning supplements, etc as well as cortisol level info in the next day or so. I have ton's of updated info that I have simply not gotten around to posting that I will also try to get to soon. In the mean time, if anyone has any questions or, If I can be of help; Please do not hesitate to ask....Peace to all...Erin

[mims]

Originally Posted by erinkj

Below are from some of my previous posts that I thought may be useful. I know what a pain in the rear it is to go through this thread page by page. So, here are a few old one's. I will copy/paste some more of my older posts concerning supplements, etc as well as cortisol level info in the next day or so. I have ton's of updated info that I have simply not gotten around to posting that I will also try to get to soon. In the mean time, if anyone has any questions or, If I can be of help; Please do not hesitate to ask....Peace to all...Erin

Thanks, Erin! I think everybody probably knows this, but for those whose brains are befuddled by Lexapro or withdrawal from Lexapro, I'll point out the fact that you can click on the user ID and then click on "find all posts" and it makes it alot easier to find everything that person has posted. This is helpful to me when I want to go back and look for Erin's articles on cal/mag, etc.

It's still a pain to sift through and find what you're looking for, but Erin is really good about putting a descriptive "headline" on some of her posted articles.

Thanks for all the info you provide, Erin.

I'll have to say that reading the article Erin posted about how ssri's work really gives me the creeps. It might seem like a good thing to boost the feel-good serotonin, but it appears that it's done at the expense of your other neurotransmitters, which must be just as important. I have to believe that my parkinson -like problems (tremor/vibration) are a result of altering my dopamine levels.

All those neurochemicals, like everything alse in our bodies, are inter-related. You can try to selectively alter one brain chemical, but your body tries to seek the normal balance by adjusting the others.

[rujoking]

mims and everyone -

I just finished the 6th month of cold turkey from prozac (took it for about 10 years) and I have gone thru every single experience all of you have and I finally see some light at the end of the probervial dark tunnel! After getting the 'flu' last May I now realize that the prozac had actually stopped working and I was in withdrawals while ON the pill. I stopped cold turkey and then took a pill for 2 days and that is when all hell broke loose! Clearly I could never take another!

I have been lurking on this board for some time now but could not post because I had computer problems.

The experiences shared here got me through some pretty tough times and I want to thank all of you for sharing your (horror) stories.

Mims- I directed this to you because I am a female the same age and my symptoms have been the mirror image of yours - terrible migraines and brain zaps (gone),the vision issues (gone), high BP (better), tremors (mostly gone) inner vibrations (better) and anxiety which was horrific in the mornings (mostly better), also excruciating upper back pain (mostly better) - I am a month ahead of you and at the end of month 6 I finally have some hope! I have been able to focus enough this holiday to read a whole book (a passion I had to give up because of the brain fog!)

I have been taking magnesium, fish oil, and a product called Seriphos (phospolated serine) which has helped tremendously with sleep. (Yes it does cause some diarrhea but that is because it has a mag/cal base and I take additonal mag in the am, but I feel this is a small price to pay for better sleep and less anxiety). It is designed to help ailing Adrenals which I am sure took a huge hit because of the stress.

I did try passion flower once and it helped but I am leary of anything linked to MAO inhibitor properties - can anyone comment on this? Also, I only took 300mg once and slept for 9 hours and was groggy the next day!

I had horrible stress with all of this when one of my kids had 'breakdown' of his own and guess what the Doc put him on? Yep - Lexapro! He only told me after he quit it cold turkey 3 months ago and watching him go thru this is not fun nor is it fair. Thank God I have the resources to help him as it is now too late for him to go back and wean from the poison!

Good Luck to all of you - I do feel that recovery is possible but how and when is just a bit different for everyone. I am not sure any of us will ever be the same again though. I, for one will NEVER put another pharma drug in my mouth without thorough research - I do NOT trust Doctors anymore - I truly believe they are trained to hand out some powerful stuff without any real respect for the harm they can do.

[mims]

Wow! I was really glad to hear from you! It's a relief to hear from somebody whose symptoms are like mine, and who is a little farther down the road to recovery. The tremor/vibration has nearly driven me nuts, and apparently that is one of the least common problems -- I've seen very few complaints about long-term vibrations.

Thanks for posting, and here's hoping we all have better health in the New Year. Hope your son has a quick recovery.

Mims

[mims]

What kind of vision problems did you have?

I've had floaters, flashing lights, loss of sharpness of vision, especially in low light and on cloudy days ( this changes from day to day); circles of light that move back and forth when I move my eyes in a dark room, shimmery peripheral vision in low light, borderline elevated pressure may be due to Lexapro, and most recently I've had bloodshot eyes in the morning.

For awhile I had some sharp needle-like pains in the eyes. That has not happened recently.

Also the droopy eyelid continues to be a problem. Did you have that? I'm hoping this is a lexapro problem that will resolve over time.

I'm reallly glad your vision issues have cleared up, and hope I will be so fortunate.

[rujoking]

mims

I had the flashing lights and floaters for sure!!!! Scared the heck out of me too but it did pass with each day. I also woke with bloodshot eyes and I thought it was mostly because of lack of good sleep (waking with night sweats which I forgot to mention!) but this has improved with the Seriphos and time. Yes my right eyelid did droop or a while but that has also improved - so very strange - I really was beginning to think I the stress of all this had accelerated the aging process even more!

I think some of the vision trouble was caused by migraine type headaches which can do all of that - Now I get the occasional headache but they are pretty 'normal' whatever that means.

I will be happy to chat with you further if you wish. I tried to send you an e-mail but cannot figure out how to do that has your address does not appear when I click on your name (nor mine) I am pretty new to the site so if you figure that out let me know

[mims]

I can't believe I have found somebody else with the drooping eyelid!!! Mine is the left lid. The neuro-opthalmologist thought it must be unrelated to my other symptoms and suggested having it surgically tacked up. He said the eyelid muscles can be damaged from pulling and tugging on the lid while putting contact lenses in and out over many years.

I suspected the Lexapro was the cause and decided not to have any surgery since the lid doesn't block my vision very much and doesn't seem to be getting worse. Not yet, anyway. It just makes me look tired and kind of "goofy." Also wanted to give it time to clear up on its own.

I haven't sent or received emails through this site either, but I do check almost every day to see whatever has been posted here.

I have had one doctor suggest that the eye flashes as well as the vibrations and other physical sensations could be part of a migraine pattern.

Your experience is very encouraging to me. I've been feeling a little better the past week, so maybe I'm going to be OK. Maybe I'll give the seriphos a try. Was it (the seriphos) recommended by a physician?

[erinkj]

QUOTE:I did try passion flower once and it helped but I am leary of anything linked to MAO inhibitor properties - can anyone comment on this? Also, I only took 300mg once and slept for 9 hours and was groggy the next day!


Passion Flowers effects are on Gabba..it works similar to benzodiazepines without the undesired effects or addiction potential. If you want more info on it. Click on my user name or Auntys and you will find MANY detailed posts about Passion Flower from both of us. Also, consider reading our post's on Inositol..Peace...ERin

[erinkj]

http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/stress.html#top
This link explains cortiol, what it is and does, etc. Very reader friendly. has some decent links to....Peace...Erin

[SL500]

Originally Posted by erinkj

QUOTE:I did try passion flower once and it helped but I am leary of anything linked to MAO inhibitor properties - can anyone comment on this? Also, I only took 300mg once and slept for 9 hours and was groggy the next day!


Passion Flowers effects are on Gabba..it works similar to benzodiazepines without the undesired effects or addiction potential. If you want more info on it. Click on my user name or Auntys and you will find MANY detailed posts about Passion Flower from both of us. Also, consider reading our post's on Inositol..Peace...ERin

Hey Erin, Aunty or anyone else who can answer this for me ,
Can you tell me if it appears to be safe to take passion flower with the lexapro? I am right now having a really tough time with my anxiety. It is almost 10 fold from when I first started taking meds - it has NEVER been so bad. I have been doing .62mgs of a taper each time - about every 4-6 weeks and am now at 6.25 and am going to hold until after my wedding (and I am sure I have some stressers that factor in from that too ). I tried to take a piece of a xanax the other day but it was so small it did nothing to me. I had a horrible time coming off of clonzapan so I am a little weary about taking any benzos. I actually had my doc look up passion flower and he can't believe that more people aren't taking it over benzos.

xoxo
Sandy

Hey sorry.....i knew i asked this previously but couldnt find the post and just did and see that it is ok to take with lexapro - i remember i bought it right after i read that. Thanks...any words of encouragement at this time would be really helpful

[rujoking]

mims

a naturopath told me about the Seriphos not a regular MD (I no longer trust MD's much anymore anyway). I stopped going to them after none would belive that the drugs they precribe caused the madness! The Naturopath told me that many of her stressed out patients have done very well on this supplement - even children can take it - I suggest you google it for more info and then make your own decisions. As far as the sagging eye - I do not wear contacts so that explanation is out for me - having it 'tacked up" sounds like another medical band-aid and man I am so sick of those! Of course the eye flashes etc. are part of a migraine pattern! The missing piece here is that I NEVER had that until taking this the damn drug! It is caused by the brain freaking out - of that I am now sure!

Erin - thanks for your reply - I have looked at the old posts regarding Passion Flower and Insitol - no mention was made of the MAO properties that correlate with it that I could see (but a google search tells a different story?)- It also worries me regarding the GABA receptors, etc.....I was under the impression that taking anything to influence GABA or Seratonin receptors was not a good idea for the first year after withdrawal? I saw many references to letting the brain heal on it's own without those influences, etc.,etc...???? The more I read back the more mixed messages there are - some take this and that and others say taking anything other that mineral and vitamins are not a good idea!

Perhaps it is hit or miss for us all - I am just afraid of 'missing' again!

[mims]

RUJOKING:

Thanks for the info., rujoking. I'm going to look into the seriphos; I did find some info online that makes me think that seriphos is similar but not identical to the leci-PS I tried before, which seemed to help my withdrawal problems, but upset my stomach. I gather from the info I read that maybe seriphos is a better formula for the body to absorb or use somehow. Also the seriphos has I think 50 mg rather than the 100 I tried before, which is what I was hoping to find -- a lower dose to start with. I did find online, maybe wikipedia, that phosphatidyl serine is in some foods naturally, but mostly things like liver, etc. that you just don't want to eat everyday.

I've always had a sensitive gut, and I think Christmas candy and sweets, which I could not resist, really attacked me last night. I thought I had a stomach virus -- really, really sick with diarrhea, chills, gut pain, dizziness, weakness--- but it passed so quickly that I decided it was just triggered by too much junk food or something I ate in a Chinese restaurant at lunch. It did give me the same wierd feelings that are typical of Lexapro withdrawal including the unusual chills that run up and down my legs and in my chest, also more light flashes, vibrations, and that spaced - out feeling. Now I'm wondering if every little illness, etc, is going to hit my nervous system hard.

I was afraid it might trigger a major setback, but today I feel fine so far. I can't believe how much better I've felt overall during the past week, except for that one attack yesterday that lasted an hour or two.
Even though I said in a previous post that I was approaching the 6- month mark, it's really the 5th month that I've arrived at this week. My last Lexapro was taken the last week of July.

The vibrations haven't gone away, but have settled down to a much less frequent, less intrusive "buzz", more like a tuning fork, less like a jackhammer, and mostly at night, not while sitting at the computer,etc. It has been an incredible relief.


FOR ANYONE WITH MY SYMPTOMS:

Here's a thought: I told my husband that since this could be a migraine related problem, I wanted to get rid of all our flourescent bulbs. He had recently (a couple of months ago --can't remember exactly when) replaced many of our regular bulbs with the compact flourescents. About 2 weeks ago, we removed most of those. Haven't gotten around to changing the ones in the bathroom yet. Flourescent bulbs can have a flicker that is undetectable to the eye, but can trigger MIGRAINES!! The more expensive, higher quality ones are less likely to flicker. I'm sure the ones he bought were probably the least expensive on the market. I didn't record when we made the change, but now I'm wondering if that's why I've felt so much better the past week. Or maybe it's just the passage of time -- who knows. but for anyone out there with migraine-pattern symptoms, I'm suggesting that you give this a try if possible.

[mimmie2008]

Tomorrow will be the one year mark for me. Here is hoping that this will be the start of a better year for all of us. I don't quite understand how this drug can be so skillfully sneaky. I will have days, sometimes weeks, of good times with hardly any side effects and then it will jolt back in just like it did in the beginning. Last night was horrible. There wasn't any stress to trigger it like it sometimes does, but it still happened. Zaps, dizziness, anxiety, and the flashes along my arms. Today it is gone again, until the next time. Thankfully, these episodes are getting fewer and far between. I can only pray that they will eventually go away and leave completely. The only thing that I have noticed that does continue to happen is my non-ability to handle crisis situations. This is very hard for me. I had always been a take charge person. I was the one to fix everything that went wrong. Now I just can't deal with anything that happens out of my normal routine. It honestly freaks me out when something happens. I am hoping that this too will go away and let me be me, let us be us, in the New Year that is coming up. All my best, Mimmie. It will get better.

[mims]

Originally Posted by auntybiotic

Mims,

I forgot to mention that lexapro is protein bound so if you are doing good and then have a bad spell with withdrawal symptoms.............it could be that the lexapro that was bound to the protein in you body broke loose and is in your system causing a bout of withdrawals. This is very common.

Hi, Mimmie! I'm copying Aunty's quote here in case you missed it. Aunty is so knowledgeable, and I appreciated her explanation of why the withdrawals suddenly come back to bite us from time to time.

Glad you're doing better overall. Happy New Year and congratulations on making it to the one-year mark!

[erinkj]

Originally Posted by mimmie2008

Tomorrow will be the one year mark for me. Here is hoping that this will be the start of a better year for all of us. I don't quite understand how this drug can be so skillfully sneaky. I will have days, sometimes weeks, of good times with hardly any side effects and then it will jolt back in just like it did in the beginning. Last night was horrible. There wasn't any stress to trigger it like it sometimes does, but it still happened. Zaps, dizziness, anxiety, and the flashes along my arms. Today it is gone again, until the next time. Thankfully, these episodes are getting fewer and far between. I can only pray that they will eventually go away and leave completely. The only thing that I have noticed that does continue to happen is my non-ability to handle crisis situations. This is very hard for me. I had always been a take charge person. I was the one to fix everything that went wrong. Now I just can't deal with anything that happens out of my normal routine. It honestly freaks me out when something happens. I am hoping that this too will go away and let me be me, let us be us, in the New Year that is coming up. All my best, Mimmie. It will get better.

Howdy STRANGER have not seen you around for awhile. I am very glad to know that you are doing better....Time heals all wounds. (So they say) Just a quick reminder.......You will NEVER have a higher tollerance to stress than you do now. The bar is set (so to speak) for your stress tollerance and cannot be raised.....However, that does not mean that you will always re-act to stress with anxiety, etc as you are now. What this means is that you LEARN how to keep the stresses in your life at a tollerable level and how to cope with stressful situations beyond your control. In a strange way, everything that you have been through to this point has made you stronger! The experience you have had, while very unpleasant, will serve you well in the future......There are day's when I could just pull my hair out with frustration and day's when NOTHING seems to go my way but....I reflect on all that I have been through and breathe a sigh of relief because I know things could be much, much worse ...Kind of a "Been there, done that" philosophy.....As the famous quote goes "What does not kill me, make's me stronger." (can't remember who said that..Tolstoy???) Anyway, many blessings to you in the new year dear and CONGRADULATIONS, you have come a long way...Peace...Erin

[erinkj]

Originally Posted by rujoking

mims

a naturopath told me about the Seriphos not a regular MD (I no longer trust MD's much anymore anyway). I stopped going to them after none would belive that the drugs they precribe caused the madness! The Naturopath told me that many of her stressed out patients have done very well on this supplement - even children can take it - I suggest you google it for more info and then make your own decisions. As far as the sagging eye - I do not wear contacts so that explanation is out for me - having it 'tacked up" sounds like another medical band-aid and man I am so sick of those! Of course the eye flashes etc. are part of a migraine pattern! The missing piece here is that I NEVER had that until taking this the damn drug! It is caused by the brain freaking out - of that I am now sure!

Erin - thanks for your reply - I have looked at the old posts regarding Passion Flower and Insitol - no mention was made of the MAO properties that correlate with it that I could see (but a google search tells a different story?)- It also worries me regarding the GABA receptors, etc.....I was under the impression that taking anything to influence GABA or Seratonin receptors was not a good idea for the first year after withdrawal? I saw many references to letting the brain heal on it's own without those influences, etc.,etc...???? The more I read back the more mixed messages there are - some take this and that and others say taking anything other that mineral and vitamins are not a good idea!

Perhaps it is hit or miss for us all - I am just afraid of 'missing' again!

The possible MAOI type properties of Passion Flower are minimal at best and primarily vascular in nature. I say "Possible" because MAOI like properties are not a PROVEN factor with ALL passion flower and there are over one hundred varieties....The only Passion Flower studied for anxiety purposes (and those studies are minimal) is the Passiflora Incarnata and only the flowering and fruiting parts of the plant. (the vining parts of many passion flower plants, at least the bark are actually toxic) The only reason anyone decided to study passiflora incarnata in the first place was the fact that many tribal peoples (primarily central/south American) used the fruits and flowers as an anti-anxiety tonic and some anthropologists began looking into tribal medicines. In a nut shell, they boiled it and made a tea to sip.....The Lacandon Maya of Chiapas, Mexico (as well as other Maya) still do this, I have actually consumed it this way many times among the village elders. Sorry to get off topic a bit. Anyway, it is up to you if you use it or not but, I do not believe it will slow down your recovery or harm you in any way. Also, consider that EVERYTHING you put into your body has an effect on your brain...Some are primary others are secondary...from food to prescription drugs. Caffiene has more potential to harm your brain than Passion Flower. I am in no way trying to push the Passion Flower on you, I just wanted you to know my thoughts on the matter. Also, Passion Flower does not work for everyone...Some need more, some less and some get no effect.....Letting our brain's heal naturaly without help is a wonderfull thought, unfortunately it is not very practical. Without the aid of certain supplements, vitamins, minerals and good nutrition we would actually be slowing down the healing process.....Just my humble oppinion....I hope this helps...Peace...Erin

Also: Keep in mind that when you look back at old posts some of the info may no longer be 100% accurate. Most of the info is still top notch and some may have changed a bit due to more current re-search. Also, sometimes you have to follow several pages of the thread to see how all the info developes which can be confusing....

[erinkj]

Originally Posted by SL500

Hey Erin, Aunty or anyone else who can answer this for me ,
Can you tell me if it appears to be safe to take passion flower with the lexapro? I am right now having a really tough time with my anxiety. It is almost 10 fold from when I first started taking meds - it has NEVER been so bad. I have been doing .62mgs of a taper each time - about every 4-6 weeks and am now at 6.25 and am going to hold until after my wedding (and I am sure I have some stressers that factor in from that too ). I tried to take a piece of a xanax the other day but it was so small it did nothing to me. I had a horrible time coming off of clonzapan so I am a little weary about taking any benzos. I actually had my doc look up passion flower and he can't believe that more people aren't taking it over benzos.

xoxo
Sandy

Hey sorry.....i knew i asked this previously but couldnt find the post and just did and see that it is ok to take with lexapro - i remember i bought it right after i read that. Thanks...any words of encouragement at this time would be really helpful

My Pharmacist said the same thing when he looked up Passion Flower.....He takes it now instead of Ambien for sleep!! I switched from xanax to clonazepam and am still working on that taper...oh joy, but, I have used Passion Flower successfully and I will use it again when I come off the benzo...

[erinkj]

You may be interested in the book "The migraine brain" it provides an excellent and concise look at what is going on inside the brain during migraines. ( Iv'e been dealing with them for 20 years..UGH) Also, there are more serotonin receptors in the gut than anywhere else in the body so, IBS type symptoms and other gastric anomolies may continue to be a problem until your serotonergic system balances out. I posted a bunch of info on the serotonin/ Gut connection some time back, which may be usefull to you. With your current sensetivity I would reccomend taking lecithin gel caps seperate from other supp's. Less potential for upset that way. If the magneseum upsets you, try taking it in lower doses or less frequently, that will allow your Gut to adjust to it more gradually. Good Luck and Happy New Year...Peace...Erin

[RainyDays]

First, I want to thank everyone on this forum -- you all have made my stopping Lexapro bearable. On 12/13/08 I quit Lexapro cold turkey after almost 11 years. FYI - I am still on Wellburtrin 300 XL. On a positive note, I have not been agitated since stopping. Prior to that I was always on edge and it was 'work' not to just scream. (hope that makes sense).

For the first week there were no withdrawal symptoms. Now it seems like every other day it is really bad -- can't turn my head too fast without feeling 'off', wanting to sleep all of the time, and generally yucky. The last 3 days my back and neck aches or tightness have been very nauseating. Thankfully my husband is the one who found this site and has been helping me cope with the withdrawal. There were many times I was ready to give up and just start taking the Lexapro again.

Also, I am having 'urgent' needs to eat. It has felt like if I didn't eat right then that I would get sick. This is very weird for me. I have always been a lazy eater in that it didn't matter to me if I ate or not. It is not very convenient since this has happened while we are out shopping or visiting people. Is this related to quitting Lexapro?

[mims]

Originally Posted by erinkj

You may be interested in the book "The migraine brain" it provides an excellent and concise look at what is going on inside the brain during migraines. ( Iv'e been dealing with them for 20 years..UGH) Also, there are more serotonin receptors in the gut than anywhere else in the body so, IBS type symptoms and other gastric anomolies may continue to be a problem until your serotonergic system balances out. I posted a bunch of info on the serotonin/ Gut connection some time back, which may be usefull to you. With your current sensetivity I would reccomend taking lecithin gel caps seperate from other supp's. Less potential for upset that way. If the magneseum upsets you, try taking it in lower doses or less frequently, that will allow your Gut to adjust to it more gradually. Good Luck and Happy New Year...Peace...Erin

Thanks for the advice, Erin. You have a wealth of information which is so helpful to us.

rujoking, my google search on seriphos took me to an excerpt from a book called The Mood Cure. The author recommends taking regular breaks from the seriphos and also taking it only for a limited time -- (maybe 3 months?).
I'm just pointing that out in case you were unaware; you might want to do more research or ask more questions if you've been using it for awhile.

Rainydays, You are so lucky to have a husband who is so helpful and sympathetic! I, too, had serious problems with my neck feeling tight which would lead to a headache with migraine - type nausea. I would often wake during the night with my head twisted to the left and neck muscles in a really "tense" position.

I spent many nights sitting up in a chair because lying down made the neck and headache worse. I did find a really flat memory foam pillow with a down cover that seemed to suit my neck better. I always felt that sleeping with my head up too far (like on a sofa cushion or too-thick pillow) would make things worse. Anything that tipped my head forward seemed to make my neck worse and some of my other symptoms, too, for that matter.

During the early part of my withdrawal when the headaches were the worst, I actually decided to start taking Advil every day in hopes of preventing a headache. I took it with kefir or yogurt to prevent stomach upset, and for me it seemed to help. Since you're taking another prescription drug, it's a good idea to ask your doctor before trying this, in my opinion.

I, too, would have gone back on Lexapro if I had not found this site. I also would have probably sought even more medical evaluations looking for a diagnosis. I think I've had every possible test by now.

I had some agitation while on Lexapro too, even though I did not recognize it at the time, which sounds strange. One thing I did notice that caused me to feel like screaming at times was a vision problem. I felt like it was "work" to make my eyes focus together properly, which by the end of the day would leave me frustrated and exhausted. I thought it was just a contact lens or glasses correction problem. But eye doctors couldn't seem to ever help with this.

[rujoking]

erin -

Yes the early tribal uses of passion flower are impressive - I did consider that information. I may try it again at a lower dose and let you know how it goes - right now I seem to be doing fairly well without it but I do appreciate your information.

mims-

I too am a 'researcher' before I take anything since I do not want to make matters worse! I did read about the maximum use of Seriphos - I take it about twice a week and not every week so I think that is probably okay - I usually rotate the Seriphos with my magnesium and that seems to work fine for now. I think taking ANYTHING for too long is a bad idea so I am very cautious in that regard - glad you looked into it! (I read the Mood Cure too!

rainy days

since I got off the prozac I have been feeling blood sugar drops and I never did that before - I think the Lex must be affecting you in the same way? Eat small meal several times a day and keep some almonds or walnuts handy!

Happy New Year to all - here's to a healthier 2009!

[SL500]

Originally Posted by erinkj

My Pharmacist said the same thing when he looked up Passion Flower.....He takes it now instead of Ambien for sleep!! I switched from xanax to clonazepam and am still working on that taper...oh joy, but, I have used Passion Flower successfully and I will use it again when I come off the benzo...

I know! Good luck with that taper....it took me a very long time to get off of .25mgs .... I think I am still feelign the w/d effects of that too.... Take it slow....You can do this!!! Good luck and let me know if you need any advice on that

[jenthebod]

After reading about the vision problems some of you were having, I figured I'd see if anyone has experienced anything like my own: the only way I can explain it is by telling you to look at a white wall or a light for too long. You sort of start to see colored "dots" or a white wall almost looks pixelated with colors. Sort of trippy. This is what I deal with. Any one else? Any solutions?

Also, I have been drinking the noni juice and been taking fish oil and b vitamins and haven't notice much difference while taking them, but on days I forget I notice that I don't feel as well.

Thirdly, lately I've been feeling like my legs aren't strong enough to hold me up. Especially when I'm feeling very anxious, my first feeling is one of faintness/weakness. I've not experienced this before, but it's a real pain and I was wondering if it's Lexapro related or if it's just because I have just turned into a lazy heffer! Ha.

Lastly, Mims, I did post that I would be trying hypnosis, but the person I found, unfortunately, didn't seem to be very professional. I had to go to their home for this and, although it sounds judgmental, it wasn't a place I wanted to go into, especially considering the price of the visit and the purpose. I am, however, still trying to find another one to go to but the holidays are expensive and I'm going to have to wait a bit. I will most definitely let you know how it goes and have high hopes because I've heard nothing but good about being hypnotized.

Happy New Year to everyone and keep on keepin' on!

[Dragonneyes]

Hi all:

I'm in my second week of tapering from 5mg > 2.5mg and I have been handling it quite well. I tried going cold turkey from the 5mg (as I posted a few weeks back) and had horrible, HORRIBLE migraines as well as the traditional zaps/dizziness/etc.

On Christmas morning, as a result of one of these migraines, I suffered an "optic migraine" which caused a large, shocking blank spot in my vision surrounded by flashing lights and geometric shapes/colors. It spread and eventually disappeared after about 20-30 mins. I was scared to death, but found a wealth of information about these optic migraines on the internet, and so I thought I would share.

I have notoriously been immune to headaches, despite being into my second year of grad school, and I can pinpoint these migraines (and the subsequent vision issues) to the Lexapro withdrawal.

Taper slowly and keep positive -- you can do it!