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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 11:42:50
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl, posted by leedsman on September 14, 2003, at 17:10:36
> Anybody feel better when it gets dark or closer to bedtime, it seems to happen to me. How about you Mariposa, I was curious if that happened to you.
Yes, I would have to agree. I also seem to have more energy in the evenings, have to control myself or I'll stay up all nite CLEANING!!!
Posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 11:48:38
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl, posted by leedsman on September 14, 2003, at 20:39:55
> While I start my 5th week of Lexapro 10mg. what about the time I started on 5mg.Lexapro a week before that , did that help? Or the week before that when I was on Paxil 12.5 mg CR one day and 5 mg. Lexapro the next for a week. I have been off Paxil cold turkey for 5 weeks now, could I still be suffering from some kind of Paxil withdrawal besides taking Lexapro now. I know Wayne said it could be a combo of both, but I am having this sinus burning feeling, anybody ever have that? Like your sinus feel inflammed but are not and congestion in the morning. Any one else t out there have any input?
Yes I got that Too. Have a little of it now, about 4 weeks at 20mg. But then again I also get allergies this time of year, so it may be a combination of both.
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 12:41:23
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 11:42:50
> > Anybody feel better when it gets dark or closer to bedtime, it seems to happen to me. How about you Mariposa, I was curious if that happened to you.
>
> Yes, I would have to agree. I also seem to have more energy in the evenings, have to control myself or I'll stay up all nite CLEANING!!!
Yep, the night is better!!! Maybe its some kind of mental release you get for making it through the unknown of the day. I used to be afraid of sleeping because I knew that feeling would be gone in the morning. TAKE CARE!!!!
WAYNE
Posted by Wildflower on September 15, 2003, at 12:49:31
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 11:42:50
> > Anybody feel better when it gets dark or closer to bedtime, it seems to happen to me. How about you Mariposa, I was curious if that happened to you.
>
> Yes, I would have to agree. I also seem to have more energy in the evenings, have to control myself or I'll stay up all nite CLEANING!!!I'm with you Mariposa. For some reason, I've had a sudden urge to clean at night - which isn't a bad SE. ;-)
For those of you who have this "night energy" when do you take your Lex? Morning? Evening? I take mine in the morning and wonder if I'd have more "morning energy" if I took the med at night.
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 13:08:15
In reply to Lexapro Side Effects, posted by PHV on September 14, 2003, at 21:25:44
> Help -
>
> I've been taking 10mg of Lexapro for just a little over ten weeks now for depression. I noticed significant improvement almost immediately and really felt back to my old self. Suddenly today, I have been so anxious and feel like I'm ready to jump out of my skin. I have never had problems with anxiety in the past and am wondering if it's a side effect of Lexapro or perhaps my body's way of telling me I no longer need it? Ten years ago I was on Serzone for approximately six months for depression. My doc at the time told me my body would tell me when I no longer needed the meds. Butterflies in the stomach and overall anxious feelings seemed to come about the time my doc said I was okay to stop taking meds. I was able to withdraw with no problems. Though depression runs in my family, I'm generally not reliant upon meds to get me though. However, the past year has been overwhelming with the deaths of three people very close to me, cancer diagnosis in my father, and two other people who have been my rocks my entire life, moving across country. Now that I seem to be feeling better and accepting all of the difficult situations in my life recently, could the anxiety be an indication that I no longer need Lexapro? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Patty
>
>
I truly just wanted to avoid this post all together. But after reading it the last couple of days, what the heck!!!!!! Your post is very unique!! I have read where traumatic events cause the chemicals in the brain to get unbalanced and going on a med sometimes straightens them out after awhile. Even my own situation I believe everything that has happened to me was triggered by events over a 2 year period. That might be true and then again not. Even Jim, I wonder about this also. I have also read where your body will tell you when you hit the right dose. Meaning if a person never has side effects they up the dose until they do. I will tell you this I was on a med before and felt pretty good and then everything went away very quickly. I wont get into why because it was rare. I dont believe anyone here can tell you what to do. As for me I cant take the chance of stopping my med. Once you have had a panic attack its a constant reminder never to stop your med, if your lucky enough to recover. TAKE CARE!!!!!!!
WAYNE
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 13:18:33
In reply to Increased Night Energy, posted by Wildflower on September 15, 2003, at 12:49:31
> > > Anybody feel better when it gets dark or closer to bedtime, it seems to happen to me. How about you Mariposa, I was curious if that happened to you.
> >
> > Yes, I would have to agree. I also seem to have more energy in the evenings, have to control myself or I'll stay up all nite CLEANING!!!
>
> I'm with you Mariposa. For some reason, I've had a sudden urge to clean at night - which isn't a bad SE. ;-)
>
> For those of you who have this "night energy" when do you take your Lex? Morning? Evening? I take mine in the morning and wonder if I'd have more "morning energy" if I took the med at night.
>
>I have taken my med at so many different times without finding what I was looking for. I gave up and take it late afternoon. Its something you can try though. We are all different and it might work for you. But depression and anxiety zap your energy. It takes a lot of work to deal with these disorders. Its a constant mental workout that leads to exhaustion. I bet thats why a lot of us wake up so tired. TAKE CARE!!!!!
WAYNE
Posted by vandy on September 15, 2003, at 13:21:30
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 11:42:50
Gosh! Stay up all night cleaning? I wish that happened to me because that's how long it would take me to put a dent in this mess. Say! Would you like to come and visit us? <grin>
Posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 13:57:48
In reply to Increased Night Energy, posted by Wildflower on September 15, 2003, at 12:49:31
> > > Anybody feel better when it gets dark or closer to bedtime, it seems to happen to me. How about you Mariposa, I was curious if that happened to you.
> >
> > Yes, I would have to agree. I also seem to have more energy in the evenings, have to control myself or I'll stay up all nite CLEANING!!!
>
> I'm with you Mariposa. For some reason, I've had a sudden urge to clean at night - which isn't a bad SE. ;-)
>
> For those of you who have this "night energy" when do you take your Lex? Morning? Evening? I take mine in the morning and wonder if I'd have more "morning energy" if I took the med at night.
>
>
I have tried all different times....I do best taking it early in the morning.
Posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 14:05:15
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl, posted by vandy on September 15, 2003, at 13:21:30
> Gosh! Stay up all night cleaning? I wish that happened to me because that's how long it would take me to put a dent in this mess. Say! Would you like to come and visit us? <grin>
I had the same problem..... I moved into Mom-in-Law's house Dec. to help take care of her, then she passes away Jan.1! She had been in house 5 yrs. and rarely cleaned, not her fault so much as diabetes, falling & breaking hip, ankle, shoulder (at dif. times). Also had MASTIFF (200 lbs.!!!) and Shit-su who lived in house and were not housebroke!!! Needless to say the place was a MESS! Started taking Lex end of Feb. and now the place is almost CLEAN!!! So I am not at all upset by this se!!!!
If it happens to you I say just go with it and ENJOY!!!
Best of luck to us all!~~~8|8
Posted by galkeepinon on September 15, 2003, at 14:10:11
In reply to Increased Night Energy, posted by Wildflower on September 15, 2003, at 12:49:31
Hi Wildflower, I find that taking my Lexapro in the early morning works the best. I sem to sleep better at night when I take it in the early morning for some reason.
> For those of you who have this "night energy" when do you take your Lex? Morning? Evening? I take mine in the morning and wonder if I'd have more "morning energy" if I took the med at night.
>
>
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 14:40:10
In reply to Re: paxil to lexapro » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 14, 2003, at 16:52:24
> > Mariposa, how long did you have this eyes feel like lead feeling and what week were you into of Lexapro. Did you have the muscle aches in shoulder and neck and the fatigue that comes with it? Did you feel better at night , especially hours before bedtime, I seem to feel better whwn it gets dark outside , I know it's strange , but I must have strong anxiety in the daytime. Do you think the Lexapro makes you tired and sedated, what time of the day did you take it,I take it after dinner,
>
> If I remember right, the Heavy fatigue/lethargy/aches & pains went into 6th week, maybe even 7th. I also started @ 5mg and had TERRIBLE side effects. If you were not so far along I would have considered cutting back to 5mg, but you are *almost there*!!
>
> I was taking dose in the morning to begin, and had terrible headaches at nite first couple of weeks. Then I started falling asleep right after dinner, I couldn't stay awake. So I moved to taking dose w/dinner. That worked for a while, then I started catching a *buzz* in the evening and I was up all nite cleaning house. Moved to afternoons and still had trouble going to bed, so now I'm back to taking in the morning again.
>
> For me the tiredness, lethargy, etc. was deffinitely a side effect of the Lex, I have none of those problems now. I would have to force myself to get out of bed and get moving, and it really seemed like after a while the *tired* feeling was all in my lazy head, as when I got the body moving, the head decided it really wasn't tired after all. I really hope my *goofy* descriptive style is not annoying, but I try to write what I remember *feeling* at the time.
>
> Hope this helps!~~~8|8you're writing is beautiful as always, sweet Mariposa ... .... whatever it could conceivably lose in clarity , it more than makes up for in it's poetry ... ... not to mention it's sincere helpfulness .... .... i love your posts ....
and it could help .... it might be easier on you too ... if you had the url for your posts back then, so those wanting to read your at-the-time first-person specific reports, they could .... .... and then they would be able to learn from following the thread from there, if they wanted to ....
(and our new posters won't know to search for your posts under your former posting name ... okpolosi)
and i can do the same thing ... we can do searches for our early posts and then use them like footnotes when we refer to our past experiences for folks .... maybe?
... and they would be free to post back to us from any of our past posts, should they have a question, or a contribution, from back then, too ... ....
as you can easily tell, leedsman, you are getting the lowdown here with our Mariposa .... ..... this is the good stuff here, pardner .... !
i couldn't say it any better, nor lay it out with the depth of compassion, nor speak from the experience of some of the worst lexapro adaptaion SEs (mine were nothing compared to Mariposa's or Wayne's!), as Mariposa does ... ... but i can add my complete endorsement of all of her advice, and the observation of the consistency of her advice with the perponderance of posts we've read here ... ... .... all by way giving greater reassurance of the validity of Mariposa's insights ...
... as i was saying, the good stuff ....
TAKE CARE !!
~jim
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:41:33
In reply to re: The Women ARE Great !!!!, posted by lil' jimi on September 14, 2003, at 1:29:27
We are blessed to have each other. I have been reading the earlier posts and think that as Wayne??? said, we are just reacting to normal life. No one goes around happy and smiling all the time and even on meds, we should still "feel." I wish I could figure out what makes me go down. Sometimes I can, but for instance, this morning was one of those where I was so tired and just could not get up to face the world until about 1 hour ago. I had a little anxiety, but not as much as I used to before Lex. Maybe, I just overdid it over the weekend and was tired, who knows. YOU ALL - Men and Women - are great. It's nice to be able to talk to people who know what you are going through. My therapists says it's an illness and you have to take care of yourself like it's the flu and you CAN'T just talk yourself out of it. Boy, is she right! Thanks to All.
!
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:43:44
In reply to Re: paxil to lexapro, posted by leedsman on September 14, 2003, at 14:55:08
Hang in there Leedsman. It was at least week 5 before mine kicked in and probably a little longer!
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:48:29
In reply to Re: paxil to lexapro » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 14, 2003, at 16:52:24
I can vouch for what Mariposa is saying. Leedsman, the same with me. In fact, I still have trouble in the mornings, but have to admit that it may be somewhat in my "lazy head" too as when I get up and get going, I'm okay!
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 14:57:22
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl, posted by leedsman on September 14, 2003, at 20:39:55
i had a sinus thing ... for sure ... ... but i couldn't identify it as an SE at the time ...
... i have allergies, like you ... and about the time ... no, at the exact same time as i started lexapro, i started "Nasacort" nasal inhaler stuff ... ...
... so i still can't tell if it was a lex SE, or a symptom of allergies, or a SE of the Nasacort ... ... isn't cortisone an anabolic steriod ?... you know, it's rough enough to rearrange your tneurotransmiiters' chemistry ... ... but then to be squirting anabolic steriods ... into your olfactories just beneath your brain there ... ...
cripes !! ... i should feel great !
take care!
~ jim
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 15:07:39
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? » leedsman, posted by galkeepinon on September 14, 2003, at 23:15:53
to Leedsman,
... and, of course, everyone ...i was thinking that it may have been made worse by dehydration ... ... always be sure we are drinking lots of water and benefical fluids ... ... not only do our neurochemistries gotta have those electrolytes ... and LOTS of them ... ...
... but our sinuses are going to work a lot better too .. ... ....keep on drinking (water!) !
~ jim
Posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 15:27:09
In reply to re: sinus thing II » galkeepinon, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 15:07:39
Thanks, jimi, Mariposa, Wayne and all of you replied to, thanks for your input. I have a question is the 10mg. Lexapro on a time release or not, and do you guys feel these wavy feelings go over your eyes like there is a chemical in your body, any blurred vision, I have had a little blurred vision , but the neck and shoulder pain or tension, I do not know what it is., is really bothering me where I have to take 4 advil to get any kind of relief.I do not know ifit is areturning fibromyalgia thing or what, but when I took Paxil before , all that pain had stopped, but now for the last two or three weeks, this neck pain in the daytime causes fatigue, Anybody have any suggestions , I also heard folic acid helps Lexapro kick i faster, or Wellbutrin , any thoughts?
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 15:51:06
In reply to re: The Women ARE Great !!!!, posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:41:33
> We are blessed to have each other. I have been reading the earlier posts and think that as Wayne??? said, we are just reacting to normal life. No one goes around happy and smiling all the time and even on meds, we should still "feel." I wish I could figure out what makes me go down. Sometimes I can, but for instance, this morning was one of those where I was so tired and just could not get up to face the world until about 1 hour ago. I had a little anxiety, but not as much as I used to before Lex. Maybe, I just overdid it over the weekend and was tired, who knows. YOU ALL - Men and Women - are great. It's nice to be able to talk to people who know what you are going through. My therapists says it's an illness and you have to take care of yourself like it's the flu and you CAN'T just talk yourself out of it. Boy, is she right! Thanks to All.
> !
I know this for a fact, when I dont get enough sleep over a few days. I get depressed and have trouble controlling my thoughts and feelings. Even though I know exactly what the problem is, it is still hard to accept. But after catching up on sleep Im fine again. TAKE CARE!!!
WAYNE
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 16:03:05
In reply to re: The Women ARE Great !!!!, posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 15:51:06
I'll try to get to bed early tonight, Wayne. I feel okay now. Thanks.
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 16:05:25
In reply to Re: Lexapro Side Effects, posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 13:08:15
hi Patty,
you wrote:
> > Help -
> >
> > I've been taking 10mg of Lexapro for just a little over ten weeks now for depression. I noticed significant improvement almost immediately and really felt back to my old self. Suddenly today, I have been so anxious and feel like I'm ready to jump out of my skin. I have never had problems with anxiety in the past and am wondering if it's a side effect of Lexapro or perhaps my body's way of telling me I no longer need it? Ten years ago I was on Serzone for approximately six months for depression. My doc at the time told me my body would tell me when I no longer needed the meds. Butterflies in the stomach and overall anxious feelings seemed to come about the time my doc said I was okay to stop taking meds. I was able to withdraw with no problems. Though depression runs in my family, I'm generally not reliant upon meds to get me though. However, the past year has been overwhelming with the deaths of three people very close to me, cancer diagnosis in my father, and two other people who have been my rocks my entire life, moving across country. Now that I seem to be feeling better and accepting all of the difficult situations in my life recently, could the anxiety be an indication that I no longer need Lexapro? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Patty
> >
> >
>
>
> I truly just wanted to avoid this post all together. But after reading it the last couple of days, what the heck!!!!!! Your post is very unique!! I have read where traumatic events cause the chemicals in the brain to get unbalanced and going on a med sometimes straightens them out after awhile. Even my own situation I believe everything that has happened to me was triggered by events over a 2 year period. That might be true and then again not. Even Jim, I wonder about this also. I have also read where your body will tell you when you hit the right dose. Meaning if a person never has side effects they up the dose until they do. I will tell you this I was on a med before and felt pretty good and then everything went away very quickly. I wont get into why because it was rare. I dont believe anyone here can tell you what to do. As for me I cant take the chance of stopping my med. Once you have had a panic attack its a constant reminder never to stop your med, if your lucky enough to recover. TAKE CARE!!!!!!!
> WAYNE
>i want to add my voice to Wayne's here ... ... this is not like any other post we've read here ... ... but because you're considering going off your lex, we have to take it seriously ... and want to help you ... very much ...
how some ever, i have never heard your theory of this kind of experience you're having being an indicator of no longer needing your lexapro, or other med for that matter ...
... now Wayne and i both saying it's new would only amount to a little over a year's worth of lexapro experience ... but when you add in all of the reports we've read here and all that Wayne's reads everywhere else ... then we may have accumulated a LOT of collective knowledge ....
... and we ain't heard of this before ...... which ain't saying it ain't so ... at all ... but it is very different from anyhing i've heard or read here ... that's all
... now i don't have a theory on when to quit, other than intuition ... ... and this does seem to be a form of intuiton ... ... so it could work for you ...
those are my disclaimers (along with "your mileage may vary"):
here's my feelings about this ...
... after only ten weeks total, it just seems early to be recovered completely ... ... then one might face relapse, which could be devastating (as Wayne fears it might)(i do too) ...alternatively, you might want to try lowering your dose to see if you could get by at a lower dose and still feel good ... and this could then turn into just titrating down your dose in order to quit without withdrawals ...
... in every event, you should discuss these options extensively with your doctor, before making any changes ... ... especially to help get relief from possible withdrawals aka "discontinuation syndrome" ...
as for Wayne's theory of the origins of chemistry imbalances ... ... i agree ...
.... i look at like this:
somethings, we brought here with us ...
somethings, we got since we arrived ...
either one or some combination of both, could cause inadequate neurochemistry ... ... Has caused an imbalance in our neurochemistry ... ...we aren't real likely to know which caused the imbalance ... ... and we aren't going to be able to be sure, if we do think we know ...
if we are fortunate enough to have lexapro gives us our balance back ... .... ... that is a truly rare blessing and we should treasure it ... ... and if we think we have our balance and want to walk away from our lexapro ... ... then we think we are cured ... ... i would pray that this is true for you ...
... but i would walk away very carefully ...
GOOD LUCK!
~ jim
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 16:10:14
In reply to re: sinus thing , posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 15:27:09
> Thanks, jimi, Mariposa, Wayne and all of you replied to, thanks for your input. I have a question is the 10mg. Lexapro on a time release or not, and do you guys feel these wavy feelings go over your eyes like there is a chemical in your body, any blurred vision, I have had a little blurred vision , but the neck and shoulder pain or tension, I do not know what it is., is really bothering me where I have to take 4 advil to get any kind of relief.I do not know ifit is areturning fibromyalgia thing or what, but when I took Paxil before , all that pain had stopped, but now for the last two or three weeks, this neck pain in the daytime causes fatigue, Anybody have any suggestions , I also heard folic acid helps Lexapro kick i faster, or Wellbutrin , any thoughts?
Paxil has a time release antidepressant. If this were the case with lexapro I could not cut it. I have someone I exchange emails with and she takes like half in the morning and half at night. She said this helped her get more balance. Dont know if that would help or not. If you did a search under paxil withdrawal on the web you would find some really terrible stories. If you are experiencing any of this you are doing better than most as far as what they report. Somewhere around 6 to 8 weeks you should have a good idea of where you are. Neck pain I had and my back muscles flare up time to time. I have found that aspercreme or p-k-5 or I think its called flexall do wonders. It surely helps if you have someone to massage it in for you also. TAKE CARE!!!!!
WAYNE
Posted by phv on September 15, 2003, at 17:48:54
In reply to re: PHV's Lexapro Side Effects, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 16:05:25
Hi Everyone -
Thanks so much for your honest opinions. This is the first time ever I've really even used a message board for anything serious - and I'm overwhelmed by the amount of genuine responses in such a short time. THANK YOU! I took all of the advice I've seen to heart - literally - and went to see my doctor today. She agreed with what most of you are saying - the anxiety is likely a side effect and will hopefully be very temporary. She also agreed that it is not likely my body's way of telling me it's time to go off - especially only in week ten. She prescribed Busbar and Xanax and told me I'll need to experiment with them. I'm relieved she was able to prescribe those to me because I'll be sitting on a plane for five hours tomorrow and the way I've been feeling for the past few days, I was terrified I would never be able to sit still that long without going crazy. I expressed my concerns to her about adding more drugs to my system for fear of becoming an "addict." She comforted me and confirmed that is not the case.
Honestly, I am grateful I found this message board. I have told no one that I even started Lexapro - for fear of people always whispering "she's on medication." I feel as though I've found a group that I can share my concerns and experiences with now - so, thank you!
I will be out of town the remainder of the week and will not have computer access - so I'll check back in over the weekend. Thank you all again for your support. I think together, we can all make it through!
Godspeed!
Patty
Posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 17:53:02
In reply to sinus thing » leedsman, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 14:57:22
Hey, Lil Jimi, are you having itchy, red or burning eyes during this ragweed , pollen or dustmite season,I just talked to my nurse at the allerg office and she said its pretty bad out there now people are suffering. I stopped my allergy shots about February because I had reached my immunity level and did not have to go back any more, but now I am going to have to look into that because that could be part of the tiredness I am feeling
Posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 18:09:22
In reply to Re: sinus thing, posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 17:53:02
How do you know when it really kicks in, when you feel like you did before you felt that way, all side effects gone? Clear thinking returning, no more fogginess like a space cadet, with no more fatigue?
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 18:44:39
In reply to Re: sinus thing, posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 17:53:02
hi leedsman,
> Hey, Lil Jimi, are you having itchy, red or burning eyes during this ragweed , pollen or dustmite season,I just talked to my nurse at the allerg office and she said its pretty bad out there now people are suffering. I stopped my allergy shots about February because I had reached my immunity level and did not have to go back any more, but now I am going to have to look into that because that could be part of the tiredness I am feeling >
... i hear you ... and yes, i am suffering ...
... but not so much if i take my nasacort nasal spray ... ... it's strong ... ... i just have to remember to drink more water because both the spray and lexapro will dehydrate me ...... i'll bet you're right about the tiredness too ...
take care,
~ jim
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