[ray34iyf]

Isn't poop out what happens when the drug stops working for the condition you originally had and you become tolerant to its good effects?.. not necessarily that you have a boat load of terrible sides??

[ray34iyf]

ya i have aim, hold on, what's your screen name?

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by ray34iyf

Isn't poop out what happens when the drug stops working for the condition you originally had and you become tolerant to its good effects?.. not necessarily that you have a boat load of terrible sides??

Yep! But, you can have a boat load of issues!


My AIM is DJJC76

Let me install is on this PC as I removed it a few weeks ago

[ray34iyf]

ok cool, I have you added, just gonna wait for you to pop online.

Thanks for helping me out man.

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by ray34iyf

ok cool, I have you added, just gonna wait for you to pop online.

Thanks for helping me out man.

Sure! We all try to help each other out here!

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by ray34iyf

ok cool, I have you added, just gonna wait for you to pop online.

Thanks for helping me out man.

Almost there....40%

[ray34iyf]

no hurry...although I sure should be getting work done, I'd probably get nothing done besides staring into space anyways.

[ray34iyf]

Hey all,

If any of you have any experiencing with re-instating Lexapro and then stabilizing on it, please do share it.

I'm going on about 5.5 weeks or so back at 10mg of Lexapro, and stabilization has still not been reached.

Thanks,
Dan

[mims]

Hi, Dan

Aeroman may have suggested this to you already since he also posts on paxilprogress.org, but you might want to check out that site in addition to this one. There seems to be very little difference between paxil and lexapro as far as the overall experience of taking or quitting an SSRI, and there are people on that site who have used lexapro also. It's a much more active site than this as far as the numbers of people posting regularly and long-term, and probably more experienced as far as giving advice!

Let us know how things go for you. I'm sorry you're having such difficulty.

[Pugcrazy]

Dan take mims advice and check out the paxil progress site. I looked through that site and I think you will most likely find some answers to your questions. I am so sorry you are having these problems.

Hi mims I though I would let you know about how the magnesium glycinate is working. I found it at wholes foods. The pills are 400mg and huge. I did some reading on the mag before I bought it and read a very interesting study about people who take 1200mg of mag glycinate a day and it releaves there depression and helps with insomnia. So I decided to take the mag at this dose. I take 400mg in the am and 800mg at bedtime. Well I am happy to report I am sleeping like a baby. And I feel great. I really feel no depression at all. Since being off the lexapro I have ups and downs with some rebound depression and have had none since I started the mag. I am not sure if it is mind over matter but I feel improved so much. The article states that after the first dose of mag people should feel less depressed. I am normally a skeptic but this seems to help. I still have alot of daytime fatigue by my motivation is slowly coming back. I will post a 4 month update in a few days to leg everyone know how I am doing
Pug

[pboy]

Wow that's great about the Magnesium! I've been taking Magnesium Citrate recently and it seems to reduce my anxiety and panic a bit. Because it's the citrate I have to be careful...it can only be taken to bowel tolerance. When I run out I'll look for the glycinate.

[mims]

Pug, I'm so glad you're feeling better!

My glycinate is actually 100 mg, and I've been taking it only a few days at 1 or 2 tablets after dinner. It really seems to be helping some of my sleep problems, even the throat blocks, muscle twitches, etc. I'll post again on this after a few weeks pass.

I would be very cautious about taking large doses, because I read online when I was researching magnesium glycinate that too much can cause heartbeat irregularities. (Even though I think normal doses are supposed to be good for your heart.)

You should ask a doctor before continuing with such large doses.

I also read that mag glycinate is very easily absorbed by your body, much better than the other forms of magnesium, so you shouldn't need as much as you would if you were taking mag oxide, for example, which is not absorbed very easily. But that might also make it possible to get too much in your system if you take the glycinate form. Did the study you read specify glycinate? I think there's a big difference, and that's why glycinate is helping me more than the others.

I think it's wise to stay within the recommended dosage unless you get the OK from a medical professional. Please don't take large doses on the basis of one study, because we have already gotten ourselves into bad health based on studies that don't tell the whole story about lexapro!!

I really think you should stick to the recommended dosage and see if that works for you. Vitamins/minerals seem safe, but it is possible to overdose.

Take care, Pug. I'm going to be so happy if we've found the answer to our sleep problems.

[mims]

I addressed the previous post to pug, but hope all will read it.

Please ask your doctor before taking more than the recommended dosage of any vitamin or other supplements. It is possible to take too much of certain vitamins, etc., and we already have enough trouble, don't want to complicate matters.

Your doctor may not know if a certain vitamin is effective for sleep or whatever, but should at least know what amounts are safe to take.

I know that vitamin A can be toxic in overdose, and there are some other ones that could be hazardous as well.

Please do your own research on things like supplements and ask a health professional about safety before taking.

Take care, everybody.

[28DAZE]

Hi

I have found it takes a lot longer to FORCE lexapro back into my system after a un-successful taper. I have had 3 so far. It takes me 3 months on 10mg to get fully right after a failed to fast taper.....

LL

[berryrocky]

Hi,

I'm new here. I am 37 years old and I am 28 weeks pregnant. I've been on lexapro for about 1 and a half years, 10 mg for anxiety, ocd and the occasional panic attack. I had told my OB I was on Lexapro from the my first appointment and he told it was fine and that I would switch to something "lighter" for my third trimester. Last week at my 27 week appt. he freaked out when I asked about switching, telling me that I should have stopped at 20 weeks. I nicely reminded him that I had been asking him about the lexapro every single appointment but he made me feel like ******** anyway.

So I stopped cold turkey, my last dose was last Tuesday so I have 6 days off. For the most part I haven't felt awful, awful but it does seem to come in waves.
I read somewhere that Benadryl helps so I tried it last night and had a good night of sleep and was able to fall asleep quickly without being kept up with the brain zaps. Has anyone else experienced success with Benadryl? Also, I have to drink oodles and oodles of water. I do feel as if I have the cold or a flu but I am staying positive and occupied and not giving into the fatigue.

A couple of questions:
1. How long with this last? I can't seem to find a concrete answer.
2. Does the severity of withdrawal vary from person to person?
3. Why the hell did I ever start this drug in the first place????

[mims]

Hi!

Withdrawal symptoms apparently vary dramatically in terms of intensity and length of time. Some people don't complain of any symptoms, it's my understanding (from doctors) that w/d symptoms usually go away for most people within 2 to 4 weeks. And then you have people like me who have long-term problems, which must be somewhat unusual since most doctors seem to have no idea that can even happen. So don't worry too much about it right now - chances are good you'll be feeling better soon.

some people have reported that benadryl helps; I guess you asked your doctor if it's OK to take it for a while?

the flu-like symptoms are very commonly reported here, but that doesn't seem to last long.

Sorry you're having to deal with this while pregnant. I hope you'll feel better and that all goes well for you.

[Pugcrazy]

Hey mims, thank you so much for your concern. I was just doing some more research and found sites that actually state to take up to 1800 mg of the magnesium glycinate. But I agree with you100% I am going to cut back to a lower dose and see how that works. It would be a total of 800mg a day. Also to everyone else out there mims and I are not doctors so please speak with your health care provider in regard to any supplements. Mims is right look we took what happened with all of us takin lexapro. So again please consult your doctor.
Mims I can't tell you how happy I am with NORMAL sleep. Last night I went to bed at 10 pm an fell right to sleep. I woke up at 11:30pm and go nervous but fell right back to sleep until 6:30am. I got up showered and felt so motivated. I can't even begin to explain how much I got accomplished today. It feels nice to feel almost normal again!
I have to run to get my kids off the bus. I plan to give a four month update my lexapro withdrawal.
Pug

[ray34iyf]

Just need a bit of advice from you guys...


..seeing as what is going on now is seriously impacting my ability to do well in school, I may need to drop out for the semester, and begin healing at home.
Being a 21 year old male, I really have the desire to be out and about at college and work and making a way for myself, and my parents feel the same. So, this could be touchy...even though they know what is going on to an extent, having some literature, studies, ect... to show them or help them understand my situation would be very helpful..

If anyone could hook me up with something that would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

[mims]

hi, Dan.

Try googling and see if you can find these medical journal articles.
Steps following attainment of remission: Discontinuation of Antidepressant Treatment, by Richard C. Shelton, MD, published in Primary Care Companion, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2001.

Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome, published in American Family Physician, Christopher H Warner, published August 1 2006.

I had some other articles, but have misplaced them. You might try looking in the publications thread on paxilprogress.org.

also, lexapro's website ( I think it's www.lexapro.com) has warnings about discontinuation syndrome on its prescribing information. Your pharmacy would also have this info.

I think "bunny" on the paxilprogress site had to quit school recently also. Not sure, but I think she was the one who had to take a semester off due to lexapro.

Check with your school's health clinic -- they may have seen other students who have had the same problems.

I'm sorry. Unfortunately this problem seems to be poorly understood by the medical community, especially the cognitive difficulties. I had trouble convincing my doctors lexapro caused my physical problems.

somewhere back in this thread I found articles from med journals about connections between sleep apnea and antidepressants. sleep apnea can cause cognitive problems, too, and I wonder if sleep disorder is what's behind the brain fog some of us experience.

dan, would your parents read Dr. Peter Breggin's book, Medication Madness, or Joseph Glenmullen's book,-- I cant remember the name of it, but something like How to get off Psychiatric drugs. anyway, I think both these Doctors were Harvard grads, and their books detail some of the things that can happen to you as you take or quit SSRIs. Breggin's book might make them feel bad about ever letting you take the meds in the first place, so you might opt for the other book.

[ray34iyf]

Thank you so much. I will look into your recommendations.

Dan

[mims]

Dan, for med journal articles about antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, you might want to check the footnotes and links on wikipedia

[pboy]

Originally Posted by ray34iyf

Being a 21 year old male, I really have the desire to be out and about at college and work and making a way for myself, and my parents feel the same. So, this could be touchy...even though they know what is going on to an extent, having some literature, studies, ect... to show them or help them understand my situation would be very helpful..


Thanks,
Dan

I know how you feel Dan. I'm 23 and feel I want to be out doing things while I can, not staying at home being ill. That is what depresses me the most. At this rate I'm gonna be 25 before I fully recover (I'm 24 next month). The worst is that I have no family nearby for support or many friends. Anyway I won't be depressing, it's hard enough as it is...just wanted to say I understand how you feel. I think this is partly why I feel impatient to get better. It kind of annoys me when people say, as they often do on the paxilprogress boards "you need to learn to be patient". I understand that now. But it doesn't change the inner feeling of wanting to get better fast.

[ray34iyf]

FINALLY!..some good news to report.

Overall had a very positive day today.

Head numbness was all but gone, anxiety was a bit there...but much improved, no bouts of akathisia or depression, tremors were 95% lessened, felt much better about things...I also definitely noticed in lecture that it was much easier to become immersed in thought in regards to the material.


So a real nice day today, I'd say I feel at about 75-80%, which is a huge improvement, and I look forward to more stabilization in the upcoming days!

Thanks all who've helped me with my questions and such, and I'll continually update everyone on what's going down.

THANKS!

Dan

[mims]

Glad to hear it, Dan. Hang in there!

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by berryrocky

Hi,

I'm new here. I am 37 years old and I am 28 weeks pregnant. I've been on lexapro for about 1 and a half years, 10 mg for anxiety, ocd and the occasional panic attack. I had told my OB I was on Lexapro from the my first appointment and he told it was fine and that I would switch to something "lighter" for my third trimester. Last week at my 27 week appt. he freaked out when I asked about switching, telling me that I should have stopped at 20 weeks. I nicely reminded him that I had been asking him about the lexapro every single appointment but he made me feel like ******** anyway.

So I stopped cold turkey, my last dose was last Tuesday so I have 6 days off. For the most part I haven't felt awful, awful but it does seem to come in waves.
I read somewhere that Benadryl helps so I tried it last night and had a good night of sleep and was able to fall asleep quickly without being kept up with the brain zaps. Has anyone else experienced success with Benadryl? Also, I have to drink oodles and oodles of water. I do feel as if I have the cold or a flu but I am staying positive and occupied and not giving into the fatigue.

A couple of questions:
1. How long with this last? I can't seem to find a concrete answer.
2. Does the severity of withdrawal vary from person to person?
3. Why the hell did I ever start this drug in the first place????

A couple of answers:
1. How long with this last? I can't seem to find a concrete answer.
No one can answer that for you. You may not have SSRI w/d or you may have it for 14, 18, 24, or 60 months. You will not find a concrete answer because no one has a crystal ball to say so. If you want to find out the "trend", I can safely tell you that quitting cold turkey or tapering them off too fast could yield very intense and frequent symptoms versus those who taper off them SLOWLY.

2. Does the severity of withdrawal vary from person to person?

Yes


3. Why the hell did I ever start this drug in the first place????

We all ask the same question.

[mims]

I've had way too much time on my hands due to the strange health issues from lexapro. Still having problems, but getting better overall.

So I've spent a lot of time on this computer and this site! I'm going to take a break from posting here for a while. For the most part, I've just been passing along previously stated information. I'm not an expert on any of this --- just a person who became ill from lexapro, and had to learn why it happened and what to do about it.

This message board has been so helpful to me, it helped me to understand what was happening to me last year, when my doctors were unable to diagnose my illness as a lexapro withdrawal problem. I'm very grateful to all who have posted here and who responded to my questions.

To all newcomers, there's some really good information on this message board that may be helpful to you. Please don't take anything written here as medical advice. Those who have posted here have gained their knowledge through their own experience, their own research into SSRIs, conversations with others in similar circumstance, and for the most part, the advice posted is "general consensus, tribal knowledge" as Aeroman says.

But individual circumstances can be very different, so if you have extreme illness, it is important to consult a physician, especially if you are increasing dosage or are taking more than one medication. (Just my opinion, no medical training here.) However, It's unfortunate that many physicians seem to be unaware of the ill effects of SSRI use and withdrawal, so to some extent, you will need to educate yourself.

It's a good idea to let someone close to you know if you are changing SSRI dosage, and ask them to watch for any unusual behavior or illness, especially if you have quit cold-turkey, which can make you feel very sick, or if you are increasing your dosage.

Changing your brain chemistry (which is what you are doing when you start SSRIs, change dosage, or quit SSRIs) is not something to be done carelessly. Respect the incredible power of these drugs to affect your neurochemistry, your entire body, your overall health, and your life.

I'll continue to check in here and post updates from time to time, maybe montly for a while. I have been very appreciative of others who have come back here to offer encouragement. Take care, and best of luck to all.

mims

[rujoking]

I would like to ditto what mims just wrote !!!

- I have a shoulder injury which has prevented me from typing to much so I apologize for not checking in more often.

that said, after spending so much time here the past year in an effort to understand what happened to me, I find that I too do not check in as often but I am ever so grateful for finding this site. I did find hope in reading old posts that healing can happen and that kept me going on many a dark day.

I must admit after all of this I have lost much respect for the medical profession. I find it very disturbing that doctors will so easily hand out prescriptions without understanding the power that pharmaceuticals can truly have on a person. It is an unfortunate twist that western medicine has taken. It actually hurts me to watch the drug ads on television now, knowing how many people are falling into the direct to consumer drug trap. If a drug harms you or results in terrible side effects (or withdrawal symptoms) the next thing you know you are on another one to alleviate the harmful effects of the first.....when will the mad merry-go-round end?

I am almost at 15 months off.....I still get morning shakes, some anxiety attacks (no panic attacks since 12 months however) and terrible back pain.....I have trouble motivating myself to do things but once I am up and out I do okay. Most of this symptoms are managable compared to the hell of the first 10 months.....I believe(I have to) that in the next few months I can put this behind me forever. I say this even though 6 months ago I was a complete mess.

Be strong everyone - you can all do this - drugs cannot replace a healthy lifestyle ever....try to eat well and get some exercise and fresh air and sun everyday.

Feel free to private message me at any time - I understand what you are going through!

ruj

[Pugcrazy]

Mims and Ruj,
I am going to look forward to your updates. Both of your posts have have helped me greatly throughout this ordeal.

For myself I have been off lexapro since May 17, 2009. Happy 4 months free of lexapro for me. To give a quick background I was placed on Lexapro for post partum blues after my last pregnancy. I gained a large amount of weight while being pregnant and this depressed me greatly but in no reason was a need to be put on anti-depressants. I thought the lexapro would be a quick fix to my blues and of course the MD stated that lexapro was proven not to make people gain weight. Well he proved to be a liar. On lexapro I never felt great. I became very apathetic (sp) on this medication, unmotivated, and constantly tired. I was like the walking dead but felt like I needed this med to live because everytime I stopped taking lexapro I would get these terrible withdrawals and thought that was my body telling me that I was sick and needed to be on a medication for the rest of my life. After doing some research in May of this year I decided just to stop taking the medication. Yes I did it cold turkey and would not reccomend it to anyone but once I found this site I felt I was stable enough to just face the w/d's instead of going back on that awful med. Well since I have been off I have taken 25 pounds off with little help. I was constantly hungry on lexapro and that feeling is now gone. The physical w/d's such as the brains zaps really were minimal but the insomnia, fatugue, headaches, and body aches were bad. Actually the insomnia and fatigue were just crippling. The body aches were more annoying than anything else. Mentally I was very worried about the dreaded month 3 and on. Some people refer to this period as phase 2. Well I did feel the depression somewhat in month 3 and it was never really that bad. What bothered me most the uncontrollable rage I felt. I felt I couldnt control my temper or feelings. My feelings were super sensitive and over the top. My poor husband is all I have to say. This man was dead against me going on lexapro but I tell you for a while during the rage fits he actually suggested that I made a mistake and should be on medications. That suggestion actually pissed me off even more. But things have gotten better and I now realized that was part of my withdrawals. Thank God for this forum and that I was able to discover what I was feeling was a normal part of this awful process. To be honest if I did not find this out through here I would of probably been back on the lexapro awhile back.
Life off of Lexapro has been really great I have to admit. I feel like I am learning to live after being in a coma for so many years. It feels great to want to show my emotions and feelings. I enjoy my life so much now. I feel bad because I really wonder how I made my kids and husband suffer through these years by being such a cold person. My husband actually told me he believed I hated him and every part of the life we have built together. Again thank God I stopped taking that medication because I believe, although my husband wont admit it, that he would not of been able to put up with that treatment for much longer. Could I of really blamed him if he moved on. Honestly no because now that I see clear how I was if he treated me that way I would never have been able to tolerate that.
When I got off of the lexapro I dwelled on the past and every mistake my husband made and would not let things go. I wouldnt forgive my husband for the stupidest little things. I just dwelled on everything. I felt like I was becoming paranoid about everything. I questioned everything he did and accused him of not loving me anymore. I kept telling him it was my womans intuiton that made be beleive these things. Finally one day a close friend told me to open my eyes and realize how good of a husband I had. Slowly I began to open my eyes and saw that it was in fact NOT my intuiton that I was listening to but the lexapro w/ds causing all of my issues. I think I had such a hard time doing so because I was so fatigued all of the time but had insomnia at night. I just did not see things clear. Again from all of the research I have done this was directly related to my withdrawal process. If I did not know what was going on and someone told me that it was withdrawals I would of never believed that it could of been from lexapro.
Things are really looking up for me since the beginning of September. I am taking Magnesium Glycinate and it helps so much for my moods and insomnia. I cannot tell express in typed words how I feel this magnesium is like a wonder drug. If you have time you all should research how magnesium helps with depression and insomnia. I think you would all be amazed. It feels so darn good to sleep at night!!!! My husband actually stated the other day to me that he feels like the old me is back. He stated it felt so good to see me enjoying life, sleeping at night, and to be motivated to do more things than just sit on the couch and watch TV. I also bought Bachs Rescue remedy for during the and sleep remedy for at night. Both wonderful for when I feel stress or anxiety coming on. The Bachs remedies also work great before bed because it actually rids of my mind of the bedtime worrying I do. It clears my mind and along with the magnesium I fall asleep like a baby. I also bought the honeysuckle bach remedy and it is for people who basically live in the past and will not let painful memories go. This remedy is supposed to help a person leave the past behind and live in the present happily. Well at first I was a skeptic but I was desparate and guess what the stuff REALLY WORKS. As soon as I start to dwell on something I take a few drops and like magic I start to fell better. It sounds crazy but trust me the effect is unbelievable. Check Bachs website and see for yourself.
I have come to realize that this life of mine is going by pretty fast and I want to live everyday to its fullest and would of never been able to on lexapro. I have a wonderful husband and 2 great kids and I want to enjoy them and love them with all I have. Lexapro would of never let me do this. I have realized that in our lives all of us become depressed at times. Well thats the way life is, not everyone could be happy every minute everyday for their entire life. I feel that I am slowly gaining the mental tools I need to handle any drepressive episodes without medications such as lexapro. And with this realization I know I am getting better everyday. I do realize months 4-6 off lexapro are not easy but know that I have the mental strength to pull through.
I just want to thank everyone for the words of encouragement I found on this forum and it was so helpful to know I was not the only person going through the nightmare of withdrawal. Each one of you have helped me so much. I also want to say that although anti depressants are not for me I do understand and believe that some people really do need this medication. I just wish the doctors handing out these medications would learn the proper way to have their patients ween off the medication when the time is right. Anyone I know who plans to go on lexapro I tell them what I went through but tell them it is their decision to take or not take the medication. I just want people to be informed.
Oh as for my back and hip aches yes I still am feeling these two things but it is very tolerable and just wonder if it is from the work I do. I am a nurse and stand on my feet alot and I also began to exercise alot more so I wonder if this is making the aches worse.
To conclude I am leaving for disney world on sunday and will give you an update when I get home. Wonder what it is like to see disney without lexapro on board. I will continue to update my progress because I am sure i will have some bad days and need some encouragement and with my good progress I hope to offer help to people out there on the internet searching for help.
Talk to you all soon, please read up on magnesium and depression!
Mims and Ruj please keep in touch!!! And Good luck!!
Aeroman how are you doing your posts have been less frequent and I am hoping this is a sign you are feeling better!
And Dan please know things will get better and I am rooting for you!
And finally everyone stay in good health and know there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I had some dark days and thought I would never see the light but slowly I am recognizing it is becoming brighter everyday.
Pug

[ray34iyf]

^^^
Awesome to hear!

Things will only get better from here, you know. Keep looking forward to when this is in the past and how much stronger of a person this will have made you!

Good luck to you and everyone. Brighter days are ahead.

Dan

[pboy]

Pug,

It's so great hearing such a positive post on here It gives me some hope. Thankyou. I believe we all have difficult journeys to take and eventually will be stronger people at the end of it. Although in limbo at the moment I intend to live my life to the fullest once I'm off this.

Aeroman,

if you're around I wanted to ask, did you hear back from Aunty about the amino acids program she mentioned some time ago? I would like to send her a message but can't seem to