[vanman1981]

I am new to taking medicine and my doctor recently prescribed 10mg of Lexapro to help with panic attacks. I am a little skeptical about taking it and I already took 2 days worth. I have been reading about the withdraw problems and the side affects that people are having. My problem started about 4 months ago out of nowhere. I never had a problem before this and I started feeling dizzy or off balance when walking. I felt out of it basically. This dizzyness has pretty much disappeared. Now I get hold and then cold for no reason especially in public at a restaurant. I would feel nervous and become very quiet. I am normally a talkative person. I also get a mump in my throat. I know I am fine health wise as I have had the EKG, Echocardiogram, stress test, 5 blood test, cat scan of my head, and chest xray. Everything came back normal.

My question is Lexapro the best thing for this as I mostly read its for depression. I also research vitamin B complex and wondered if anyone has tried that. I hate to take this medicine and find out it will make me worse then I already am. Thanks

[Robert_325]

You are referring to your medical condition as "panic attacks" and I understand exactly what you are describing. Please realize that I am not questioning your description of your problem, judging you, or anything similar. I'm just trying to obtain information so I can give you a more beneficial reply. My question is this ... Regardless of whether you call these panic attacks or not, does the DR call them panic attacks or does the dr call it anxiety, GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), depression, or what? What exactly does the dr say about what is going on with you?

Quite often we can call our problem a panic attack and the dr calls in general anxiety. I would NOT say that lexapro is the best medication available for what is clinically defined as a "panic attack" so that is why I am asking what the dr has actually diagnosed you with.

It's not uncommon for us to describe any given condition differently than what the dr lists in our medical records as our actual clinical diagnosis. Lexapro is more commonly prescribed for depression and anxiety. That's different than a panic attack per say.

Are you and the dr in agreement with your clinical diagnosis or are you and the dr at odds, disagreeing over the diagnosis/medication? Have you been wanting the dr to prescribe any particular type of medication and is he/she disagreeing with you? I ask this because of all the tests you describe being done. The tests are all good but it's not the norm to typically administer all of these particular tests at once over a panic attack. It almost sounds like perhaps the dr and you might be disagreeing about the diagnosis/medication and the dr is trying to do a bunch of tests to determine another medical problem than panic attacks. Can you tell me more perhaps? Am I close or totally misreading this situation?

[vanman1981]

Thanks for the reply and the doctor said I am having panic attacks. He did not mention depression or anxiety in his diagnosis. However, I think he believes anxiety is leading towards my panic attacks.

I started going to my family doctor back in August and this is when I had a EKG and blood test done and they said everything was fine. A few weeks later I decided to get a 2nd opinion and go to a doctor of internal medicine. This is the doctor that thought I should get a cat scan with diploma of my head, since I mentioned feeling "off" when I walked sometimes. I was still feeling weird and had more blood work done that came back fine.

In November, I was feeling shortness of breath and was concerned that I might have a heart problem. I went to the ER, where my heart rate went up to 190 when I stood up. I was nervous in the hospital, but they did a chest Xray and EKG and everything was fine. The ER doctor said to get the stress test and Echcardiogram. They came back fine in mid December and I felt good for a few days.

When I went to my doctor a few days ago he said there is two options to resolve the problem. Psychotherapy or medicine. I had heard of Lexapro from my girlfriend, so I asked him would Lexapro be a good idea. He said yes if i was comfortable with it. So I guess you can say it was my idea to take Lexapro and then I started reading all of the posts on this discussion board. I am skeptical about the medicine as I have read alot about side effects and people having trouble withdrawing from it. I am wondering should I try it for a week and see what happens? Or, perhaps look into B vitamins to help.

I should tell you I am 27 years old, work out everyday and in shape. Never had a issue before so this is my first. I hope I answered your questions and thanks again for any help.

[erinkj]

I think I can get this one from here Hug's to you my friend ...Peace...Erin

[Robert_325]

Thanks Erin. I figured you would probably come along to help here. Have a great day and we will talk soon. Peace to you too and God bless.

[Robert_325]

Vanman ... You will notice Erin's post just above. She is so much more well versed in dealing with antidepressants than I am. You will be much better off with Erin helping you here than myself. She will take good care of you. God bless.

[erinkj]

I think I can get "your back" on this issue . First things first though. Ditch the B vitamin idea ASAP. B vitamins, primarily B complex are very stimulating to the nervous system, while B's have their benefits a calming effect is not one of them and that is what you need...CALM...

As for Lexapro, personaly I would try another med first. Lexapro is quite potent and highly selective which is why so many people have difficulty trying to stop taking it. Lexapro can just as easily make you feel worse as it can better. SSRI medications can be very tricky, they ALL have side effects, EVERY one of them. However, lexapro (in my oppinion and experience) is one of the worst. That is not to say that many folks are not happy with it but, most of those people have not tried quitting it either.

At the age of 27 and not having a history of anxiety or panic (unless you did not mention a history) my conclusion of the problem would not be a diagnosis of a disorder but rather, an over abundance of stress. This does not have to be recent stress either. It can be the accumulation of years of pent up stress. The panic and anxiety are your body's way of saying "hey, you need to chill." In the meen time, you are left feeling totaly zombified and "out of it" racing heart, can't breathe, breaking out in cold/hot sweats, jittery,etc...So, now to cope with it all.

Yes, medication can help but, medication will not CURE the problem. There is nothing wrong with taking medication to help you get through this rough time but, please try to keep medication treatment short term as you educate yourself on other effective ways to treat and cope with the problem. Also, keep in mind always that this is likely only a temperary problem and try not to worry that this will last forever.

It is VERY RARE for anyone to develope Panic disorder past the age of 23 and even less likely for men.

You did say that you work out correct? Is there any chance that you have been overdoing it? I ask because the panic and anxiety symptoms can be a result of magneseum depletion....It is quite common for people to develope vitamin and/or mineral defficiencies from excessive excersize as well as for folks who are simply very active. I know that you said you had blood work done however, it is highly unlikely that your doc would have checked your vitamin/mineral levels...it's just not standard proceedure unless you are anemic or have serious health prob's. Also, do you take any calcium supplements? To much calcium will deplete magnesium...Magnesium calm's, calcium activates. Would you provide a list of all vitamins and supplements that you may be taking now? I can tell you what to cut out and what to keep etc, for the panic/anxiety.

As for the medication. If this were me, I would try celexa instead of lexapro. Celexa (citalopram is the generic) is the parent drug of lexapro but, it is far more mild. Another to consider is Paxil (paroxetine is the generic). Stay away from prozac, zoloft, wellbutrin and SNRI's as they are not well suited to anxiety/panic, they are simply to stimulating and tend to induce panic...(I have been on them all at one time or another)

You could take an anti-anxiety (benzodiazepine) for the panic attacks. Xanax is best suited for quick relief of panic attacks because it is the fastest acting benzo however, that said; I must caution you on benzodiazepines: It is O.K. to use them as needed SHORT TERM....long term use of benzo's can lead to dependance and/or addiction. The typical starting dose of xanax for panic is .5 however, if you get a script for xanax please ask your doc for the LOWEST DOSE which is .25 (I think everyone should start at the lowest dose of anything and go up as needed)

On a personal note: I reccomend to ANYONE who is contemplating the use of any medication especially those that are neurologicly active (ie: Brain drugs) to first try older med's as oppossed to the newest supposed latest greatest med's on the market. The reason for this is that the older med's have been in use longer and therfore have been studied for long term effect etc, The newer the med, the less that is TRUELY known about it. I hope I have not scared you as, that is not my intent. I only wish to educate and help you as one who has experienced all this.

Regardless of what choices you make here are my reccomendations on supp's: fish oils 3 x's daily, Magnesium as directed, Good quality multi-vitamin.
You can try Noni juice for depersonalization(you know that feeling of unreality, like you are there but not there) You can buy it at wal-mart; it has worked for me besides it tastes awesome Also, as an alternative to benzodiazepines you can take Passion Flower capsules it works on Gabba very similar to a benzo without the undesired potential side effects....More on that later if you are interested....I know that I have left out ALLOt but, if you have questions PLEASE, fire away...I hope this has been helpful...Peace....Erin

P.S. I am NOT a doctor, just a person with experience. Double check ALL advice with your doctor and/or a nutritionist!

[vanman1981]

Erin,

Thank you for your help and I appreciate the time you took to respond. You are correct at the age of 27, I never had a history of anxiety or panic until August of this past year. I figured I would get all the tests and sure enough I was fine. I tried coping with it and I was able to manage and still do things like go to the casino or out to dinner, but just felt "off" and therefore was not myself. I knew this should not affect my life and that is why I went back to the doctor and he prescribed Lexapro. I heard of this drug from my girlfriend and dad and it worked great for both of them and both were able to stop using it.

To answer you question, I work out every morning before work. I usually run about 3-4 miles on the treadmill. I started working out 3 years ago as I was heavier and then lost 50lbs. So now I am back in shape and work out to stay fit and relax. I don't think I am overdoing my workout as I have done a similar workout for some time now.

The vitamins I take is one Centrum multivitamin every morning. I have taken that for 3 years. I started taking 500mg of Vitamin C December 1st, since I wanted to protect my immune system from winter sickness like a cold, etc. Do you recommend a better quality multivitamin? You also mentioned fish oil and is there a certain mg you should take? I started taking Lexapro for 4 days now and the first 2 days I took half of the 10mg pill, so 5mg each day. For the last 2 days (Sunday and Monday night) I took one 10mg pill for a total of 2. If I continued the Lexapro, would you still recommend the fish oil or is this an alternative to the Lexapro. Same thing with the Passion Flower capsules. I assume you would take these alternatives instead of Lexapro.

You mentioned taking Celexa instead of Lexapro. I have taken a total of 30mg of Lexapro to date, would it be ok to stop and switch medicines? I know your not a doctor but figured I pose the question.

Thank you again for your help!

[erinkj]

You said that your Dad took Lexapro and had no problems comming off of it? I am not dis-believing that as, not all people are affected the same way. I quit Paxil after 7 years no problem yet, others have had a horrible time withdrawling from it. This is a point that I should have included in the last post. When it comes to taking prescription med's, especially anti-depressants; the first person EVERYONE should check with is a family member who has taken the med or had a similar issue. Scientific re-search has shown that family members have a tendency to react the same or simmilar to medications. (All in the Genes) So, if your dad had problems with Lexapro then chances are you would to however, since your dad said it worked well for him and you are not having any side effects from it then, I would say you are fine to take it. You should ask your dad some more questions though, so that you may know what to expect O.K. 1. Find out how long he was on Lexapro. 2. Ask how/ why he quit taking it and if he had discontinuation side effects when he stopped. 3. Ask, what if any side effects he had while on Lex. The most common are sexual side effects, weight gain, fatigue and apathy.

Not everyone experiences these potential side effects. Some folks have some side effects at the beggining of treatment that subside within a few weeks while others develope the side effects over a longer period of time. Weight gain for example tends to be more gradual developing over time.

Yes, you are early enough in treatment that you may switch to celexa (citalopram) if you wish. It is the same active ingredient as Lexapro, made by the same company. It is just an older, milder version. I have been on both and I personaly have fewer side effects with celexa, but, that is me. You can stick with Lexapro though but, I would absolutely clarify those questions with your dad before making a decision.

Centrum is a decent multi-vitamin and there is no reason to change it. The fish oil's are not an alternative to med's however, the Omega 3's and 6's obtained from them are PROVEN to aid in brain function and healing. (as well as being good for your heart and everything else you can think of) So, yes I reccomend that you add that to your daily vitamin regimine. The Passion Flower would be an alternative to a benzodiazepine like Xanax, It calms the nerves much the same way. You can take Passion Flower with Lexapro safely. Also, if you have any trouble sleeping Passion Flower will help with that. Do try adding a magnesium supplement also. You may be surprised at how much that can help. I prefer liquid mag (that's just me though) just take as directed on the bottle...You may want to start Magnesium at half the reccomended dose and gradualy increase as it can cause diahrea for some people, mostly those with sensetive stomache. Try one bottle of Magnesium, if you don't think it has helped any then, don't take it but, you never know until you try. The Mag will also help relax your muscles which may also help you sleep more restfully.

I think I covered everything. If you have any other questions I will be more than happy to help. Keep me posted.....Peace and good luck...Erin

[vanman1981]

Thanks for all of your help and I will ask my dad about the effects he had from Lexapro. I appreciate the help with the vitamins, fish oil, and other things you mentioned. I will keep you posted and others so they know how things work.