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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Nemo2 on February 3, 2004, at 20:41:58
I'm on Lexapro for almost 4 weeks now and my normal familial hand tremors, which are pretty minor, have amplified quite a bit since starting the meds. Anyone experience this along with the common feedback that "jitteryness" is one of the side effects of Lexapro? NEMO2
Posted by lepus on February 3, 2004, at 21:24:13
In reply to Hand Tremors ??, posted by Nemo2 on February 3, 2004, at 20:41:58
> I'm on Lexapro for almost 4 weeks now and my normal familial hand tremors, which are pretty minor, have amplified quite a bit since starting the meds. Anyone experience this along with the common feedback that "jitteryness" is one of the side effects of Lexapro? NEMO2
Yes, but I didn't know if it was from the Lex or from the Depakote I take so I can't say for certain that it is the Lex. Mine have gotten so bad that it has been hard to move the mouse on the computer.
Posted by laurie_lu on February 3, 2004, at 22:16:16
In reply to Hand Tremors ??, posted by Nemo2 on February 3, 2004, at 20:41:58
My hands tremor noticebly since starting Effexor. When I drink caffeine now on Effexor, I look like I have Parkinsons Disease. I've been on the drug for 2 months now.
Posted by shadows721 on February 4, 2004, at 13:11:30
In reply to Hand Tremors ??, posted by Nemo2 on February 3, 2004, at 20:41:58
Have you noticed any twitching? I have that all over now. I too have a familiar tremor and have a problem just using the mouse on the computer. Oh, this is so frustrating. I totally understand about the jitterness. I feel like I just want my body to relax. It never does. What a trade off lifting depression for jitterness and shakiness? I feel I don't have any alternatives at this point.
Posted by KathrynLex on February 4, 2004, at 13:40:11
In reply to Hand Tremors ??, posted by Nemo2 on February 3, 2004, at 20:41:58
Hi Nemo,
I've been on lex for about a month and a half. I have had very slight hand tremors ever since starting lex. (When I was on prozac the hand tremors were constant.)
I don't know if it goes away. But I'm going to be discussing it with my pdoc in March when I have my next appointment. If he has any useful information for me I'll be sure to post it.
K.
Posted by flyingdreams on February 4, 2004, at 17:58:30
In reply to Hand Tremors ??, posted by Nemo2 on February 3, 2004, at 20:41:58
It's likely to pass after you've been on the meds awhile, about 6 months. That's what happened for me on Prozac.
Posted by scott-d-o on February 4, 2004, at 20:05:21
In reply to Hand Tremors ??, posted by Nemo2 on February 3, 2004, at 20:41:58
> I'm on Lexapro for almost 4 weeks now and my normal familial hand tremors, which are pretty minor, have amplified quite a bit since starting the meds. Anyone experience this along with the common feedback that "jitteryness" is one of the side effects of Lexapro? NEMO2
yes, this can happen with all ssri's.. the fix is to add a dopaminergic medication, since SSRI's suppress dopamine which allows acetylcholine to take over.. acetylcholine excites movement, dopamine inhibits it. what you want to do is add a low dose of an antipsychotic, a dopaminergic medication, or an anticholinergic medication.
buspar is similar to antipsychotics, somewhat dopaminergic, and an easy medication to get, and seems to augment well with SSRI's.. it is commonly used to counteract SSRI-induced bruxism (teeth-grinding) and SSRI-induced sexual side effects.. this might be a good place to start.
if you need more info, let me know.
scott
Posted by Nemo2 on February 4, 2004, at 22:23:19
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ??, posted by scott-d-o on February 4, 2004, at 20:05:21
Thanks Scott. That sounds well informed and accurate. I'll check into it on my end. I appreciate your advice. NEMO2
Posted by lauram on February 5, 2004, at 17:38:12
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ??, posted by lepus on February 3, 2004, at 21:24:13
I am not on Lexapro but am on Depakote. I noticed that I began to experience a pretty bad case of hand tremors when taking the Depakote. I was interested in your post as I too have trouble using the mouse on my computer. Actually it is a roller ball and I find it impossible to use at times. Hope it improves for you.
Posted by lepus on February 5, 2004, at 18:36:02
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ?? » lepus, posted by lauram on February 5, 2004, at 17:38:12
> I am not on Lexapro but am on Depakote. I noticed that I began to experience a pretty bad case of hand tremors when taking the Depakote. I was interested in your post as I too have trouble using the mouse on my computer. Actually it is a roller ball and I find it impossible to use at times. Hope it improves for you.
What dose are you on and for how long? I am on 1000mg Dep ER for over a month now. The last few days I have not been noticing the hand tremors as much, but when I did it would be when I held a fork or when I cupped the mouse my hand would be shaking all over the place (my rollerball isn't on the top - I can imagine with the tremors I experienced that having the rollerball on top would make things difficult for you). It is rather disconcerting. Have you noticed any other side effects?
Posted by lauram on February 5, 2004, at 19:07:21
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ??, posted by lepus on February 5, 2004, at 18:36:02
I started Depakote 1250 mg ER six months ago after a three month manic phase. I noticed after one week a resolution of my mania. It was such a relief to me. It has made the side effects tolerable after being so manic.
My side effects have been a lot of hair loss. My hair is quite thick so I've been able to tolerate that. My hand tremors at first were pretty bad, also when I held a cup or a fork. In my job I have to do a lot of charting and noticed my hand writing getting quite sloppy. I gained a bit of weight but not enough to be of concern. Like you these side effects are decreasing the longer I am on this med.
With all of that said I still think it was a life saver for me as it had a fairly rapid onset of action. However, my Pdoc would like to switch me to Lamictal for it's AD effect as I am still prone to depression. He is slowly titrating the Lamictal up to 150 mg and then will slowly decrease the Depakote. I'll let you know how this goes. Hope you are doing well.
Posted by lepus on February 5, 2004, at 20:16:59
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ?? » lepus, posted by lauram on February 5, 2004, at 19:07:21
> I started Depakote 1250 mg ER six months ago after a three month manic phase. I noticed after one week a resolution of my mania. It was such a relief to me. It has made the side effects tolerable after being so manic.
>
> My side effects have been a lot of hair loss. My hair is quite thick so I've been able to tolerate that. My hand tremors at first were pretty bad, also when I held a cup or a fork. In my job I have to do a lot of charting and noticed my hand writing getting quite sloppy. I gained a bit of weight but not enough to be of concern. Like you these side effects are decreasing the longer I am on this med.
>
> With all of that said I still think it was a life saver for me as it had a fairly rapid onset of action. However, my Pdoc would like to switch me to Lamictal for it's AD effect as I am still prone to depression. He is slowly titrating the Lamictal up to 150 mg and then will slowly decrease the Depakote. I'll let you know how this goes. Hope you are doing well.I also have thick hair and yet am noticing the hair loss. My bathroom sometimes looks like Bigfoot has been showering in there! Have you tried taking Selenium and Zinc along with using a shampoo that contains Selenium to try to combat this side-effect? I have been using the shampoo (Selsun Blue) and my multi-vit has Selenium and Zinc so I hope that combination has been combating the hair loss some.
Sounds like your pdoc is on the right track with trying Lamictal if you are still having some depression. I am on Lexapro for the depression but it is still too early to tell if it is really helping. Are you taking any other meds or just the Depakote?
Hope you are doing well also.
Posted by lauram on February 5, 2004, at 21:54:37
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ??, posted by lepus on February 5, 2004, at 20:16:59
I laughed when I read your Bigfoot analogy. I had that same thing happen to me. Thanks for the advise regarding the Selsun Blue. I do take a multi-vit with Zinc and Selenium. Glad to know that the advice is credible. Good news though. My hair loss did stop after three months on this med so there is hope.
I am not on any other meds other than Depakote and Lamictal. As mentioned, he is slowly tapering the Depakote to see if the Lamictal works by itself. If he sees my mania returning he will than reinstate the Depakote or try an additional med.
I am so glad I found these boards. I find it so helpful to hear other experiences from those actually taking these meds.
Posted by scott-d-o on February 5, 2004, at 23:30:38
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ?? » lepus, posted by lauram on February 5, 2004, at 17:38:12
Posted by Angielala on February 9, 2004, at 10:47:21
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ??, posted by shadows721 on February 4, 2004, at 13:11:30
When I was on Depakote, I shook like a little old lady, my hands were so bad. Even my Xanax couldn't help the shaking too much. I did find, however, that Herbal Essences Sleepytime Tea helped me at nighttime. I know it sounds strange, but I started shaking less. Also- warm bathes with Lavendar bath Salt- I have no idea why it worked for me, but the shaking got better when I would try yo do both of these when I could (which is hard because bathes take up a LOT of time :))
> Have you noticed any twitching? I have that all over now. I too have a familiar tremor and have a problem just using the mouse on the computer. Oh, this is so frustrating. I totally understand about the jitterness. I feel like I just want my body to relax. It never does. What a trade off lifting depression for jitterness and shakiness? I feel I don't have any alternatives at this point.
Posted by terrics on February 12, 2004, at 15:51:08
In reply to Re: Hand Tremors ??, posted by shadows721 on February 4, 2004, at 13:11:30
pdoc put me on inderal[a bp med]for hand tremors which were pretty bad. Works great! terrics
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