Posted by megj on October 25, 2005, at 23:02:19
The first change I noticed after stopping my Lex about 10 months ago was my ability to tolerate caffeine. I went from being a 3 to 4 cup a day coffee drinker without any ill effects to not being able to drink any (unless it's decaf). Caffeine now makes me sick to my stomach and makes me dizzy and uncomfortable. I crave it but can't have it.
Same with alcohol. I could easily have 3 or more drinks and not feel drunk or hungover in
the morning. Now if I drink, I get drunk easily and feel hungover and depressed even from one drink.
Another symptom that I was having after stopping the Lex was my total loss of appetite. Prior to that, I was fat and happy and could eat anything. I loved eating and looked forward to dining out and tasting new things. Now, I can't stand food. My stomach is in knots all the time and everything gives me heartburn and reflux. I miss food and eating. I wish it were enjoyable again. I get so upset that I can't eat because I really need to gain some weight. Most days all I can manage is one small meal and drink one of those supplement shakes like Boost. It doesn't help my self esteem either when other people comment on how skinny I'm getting.
I also noticed how ridiculously sensitive my skin is to everything. I can't use regluar laundry detergent - it makes me itch. I can't use deodorant with an antiperspirant because it makes me itch. So I have to use just plain powder or just a deodorant but still sweat like a pig.
The last thing I noticed about how my body acts is taking any kind of OTC med. Even tylenol. For some reason, any kind of mild pain reliever makes me feel funny - like I'm lightheaded or spaced out. Once I took an Aleve after a painful dental procedure and spent the entire next day nauseated and spaced out. I used to be able to swallow anything and get nothing but pain relief.
I'm now 3 weeks into taking Lex again but not really responding. I'm not crying all the time anymore but I'm still pretty depressed. There's been a few times where I felt like crying but didn't because it upset my stomach. Anxiety has become a major issue with me where it never was before. Anyway, I digress. I'm wondering if anyone has experienced these changes after stopping AD's. And if so, did you ever return to normal? I wonder if I screwed up my liver or something. BTW, I had a TSH done not too long ago and it was normal. I had a liver function test a year ago which was normal too, but maybe that was too long ago to tell - I was still on Lex at the time.
My depression has always been very physical for me. A lot of non-specific pain, fatigue, restlessness, etc. Before I started meds, I was convinced I had a physical problem, not a mental one. But after a bunch of tests and a real supportive doc, I went on Lex and all my physical ailments went away. This time, the physical stuff is different and more intense in a way. It seems like it's a direct effect of stopping the Lex since most of those symptoms I described happened before I started really feeling depressed in the true sense again (constant crying, loss of interest, poor motivation, etc). I told my pdoc about it but he just thinks I should wait it out a little longer with the Lex again to see how it unfolds. He wasn't too impressed with my strange symptoms leading me to believe it's a "normal" part of depression.
I dunno. Can anyone relate to the madness?
poster:megj
thread:571954
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051024/msgs/571954.html