Shown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by vffmom on December 26, 2007, at 14:01:39
Please let me start out by telling you a little about myself. I am a female, 29 yrs old, mom of 3. I am a volunteer firefighter and serve on the ambulance crew in my town. I multi-task constantly without a problem until I was put on the drug LEXAPRO. I was put on lexapro a year ago in February for depression after someone close to me passed away, being reassured that the side effects were low compared to other drugs. I started out on 10mg, increased to 20 and then 30mg. For about 3 months I have been having INCREASING problems with side effects.. so I quit taking LEXAPRO cold-turkey (highly not recommended) about 2 weeks ago thinking enough was enough. The withdrawals are almost more than I can bare, but I am not turning back to the alternative. During this 3 months I was let go from 2 jobs.. I have never.. never been fired from a job and now twice, due to some of the side effects. I wasn't for sure what was going on until talking with my mom and finding she had similar problems with the drug. While talking to each other it clicked with us what was going on. Meanwhile through all the doctors appointments I have had to go through for them to try and get to the core problem they keep coming up empty handed and have false diagnose's. The side effects that I have endured from this drug are a horrible fate for anyone they include : extreme muscle soreness, headaches, not being able to lift my own head, lack of libido, bruising, forgetfulness, 'brain zaps', unbelievable dizzy spells with almost fainting, nausea, inability to focus, tremedous mood swings, weight gain, chills, sweating, fatigue, lethargy, being unable to carry on a conversation, over-all achiness and being worn down. The side effects that I have had from this drug are horrible and through some websites have learned that I am not the only one suffering. I was being treated for depression.. and now I have a whole mess of other problems. I can't be a mom to my kids or serve my community with the shape this drug has put me in. Can you tell me will these symptoms ever go away? Will I be able to get back to my life? my kids?
Posted by Justherself54 on December 26, 2007, at 15:00:38
In reply to LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by vffmom on December 26, 2007, at 14:01:39
30 mg is a high dose of Lexapro..titrating down would have made the withdrawals much easier..the highest dose I was on with Lexapro was 20 mg. and I took about 3 weeks to slowly get off it..I had the brain zaps, and a bit of fatigue but not too much else..has your doctor prescribed a benzo or anything that can help calm your system down?
> Please let me start out by telling you a little about myself. I am a female, 29 yrs old, mom of 3. I am a volunteer firefighter and serve on the ambulance crew in my town. I multi-task constantly without a problem until I was put on the drug LEXAPRO. I was put on lexapro a year ago in February for depression after someone close to me passed away, being reassured that the side effects were low compared to other drugs. I started out on 10mg, increased to 20 and then 30mg. For about 3 months I have been having INCREASING problems with side effects.. so I quit taking LEXAPRO cold-turkey (highly not recommended) about 2 weeks ago thinking enough was enough. The withdrawals are almost more than I can bare, but I am not turning back to the alternative. During this 3 months I was let go from 2 jobs.. I have never.. never been fired from a job and now twice, due to some of the side effects. I wasn't for sure what was going on until talking with my mom and finding she had similar problems with the drug. While talking to each other it clicked with us what was going on. Meanwhile through all the doctors appointments I have had to go through for them to try and get to the core problem they keep coming up empty handed and have false diagnose's. The side effects that I have endured from this drug are a horrible fate for anyone they include : extreme muscle soreness, headaches, not being able to lift my own head, lack of libido, bruising, forgetfulness, 'brain zaps', unbelievable dizzy spells with almost fainting, nausea, inability to focus, tremedous mood swings, weight gain, chills, sweating, fatigue, lethargy, being unable to carry on a conversation, over-all achiness and being worn down. The side effects that I have had from this drug are horrible and through some websites have learned that I am not the only one suffering. I was being treated for depression.. and now I have a whole mess of other problems. I can't be a mom to my kids or serve my community with the shape this drug has put me in. Can you tell me will these symptoms ever go away? Will I be able to get back to my life? my kids?
Posted by vffmom on December 26, 2007, at 16:10:52
In reply to Re: LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by Justherself54 on December 26, 2007, at 15:00:38
Nothing else has been done by my dr. his solution was to tell me he thought I had an adult form of ADD instead of depression and referred me to a psychiatrist after treating me for almost a yr... so needless to say I am on the hunt for a better doc. At this point I'm scared to try anything else.. It's a catch 22... not sure if I should just try and ride through the storm or get different meds..
> 30 mg is a high dose of Lexapro..titrating down would have made the withdrawals much easier..the highest dose I was on with Lexapro was 20 mg. and I took about 3 weeks to slowly get off it..I had the brain zaps, and a bit of fatigue but not too much else..has your doctor prescribed a benzo or anything that can help calm your system down?
>
> > Please let me start out by telling you a little about myself. I am a female, 29 yrs old, mom of 3. I am a volunteer firefighter and serve on the ambulance crew in my town. I multi-task constantly without a problem until I was put on the drug LEXAPRO. I was put on lexapro a year ago in February for depression after someone close to me passed away, being reassured that the side effects were low compared to other drugs. I started out on 10mg, increased to 20 and then 30mg. For about 3 months I have been having INCREASING problems with side effects.. so I quit taking LEXAPRO cold-turkey (highly not recommended) about 2 weeks ago thinking enough was enough. The withdrawals are almost more than I can bare, but I am not turning back to the alternative. During this 3 months I was let go from 2 jobs.. I have never.. never been fired from a job and now twice, due to some of the side effects. I wasn't for sure what was going on until talking with my mom and finding she had similar problems with the drug. While talking to each other it clicked with us what was going on. Meanwhile through all the doctors appointments I have had to go through for them to try and get to the core problem they keep coming up empty handed and have false diagnose's. The side effects that I have endured from this drug are a horrible fate for anyone they include : extreme muscle soreness, headaches, not being able to lift my own head, lack of libido, bruising, forgetfulness, 'brain zaps', unbelievable dizzy spells with almost fainting, nausea, inability to focus, tremedous mood swings, weight gain, chills, sweating, fatigue, lethargy, being unable to carry on a conversation, over-all achiness and being worn down. The side effects that I have had from this drug are horrible and through some websites have learned that I am not the only one suffering. I was being treated for depression.. and now I have a whole mess of other problems. I can't be a mom to my kids or serve my community with the shape this drug has put me in. Can you tell me will these symptoms ever go away? Will I be able to get back to my life? my kids?
>
>
Posted by bleauberry on December 26, 2007, at 17:37:33
In reply to LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by vffmom on December 26, 2007, at 14:01:39
I hear you loud and clear. These drugs are wicked powerful. Great for some people, horrible for others. Life changing in a positive way for some, and absolutely devastating to others.
The brunt of the withdrawals is what you are feeling right now. It will ease. In my own experiences the ssri withdrawal period lasts about 3 to 6 weeks, with the first 2 weeks being the worst. It is usually better to cut down dosage very slowly in very small steps, like maybe 2.5mg steps at the largest.
Three options...1)keep going as you are, 2)go back on a small dose of lexapro and then ween off it slowly in small steps, 3)enlist the help of 5htp. 5htp is the natural supplement that converts to serotonin. Several of us have found it helpful for ssri drug withdrawals, as it keeps the serotonin levels at the synapse high as the drug did without a sudden crash. For me it helped zoloft withdrawals a lot, but did not prevent the nausea or the brain zaps of withdrawal. Mood wise, muscle wise, and sleep wise, it was a good help. I used doses of 10mg to 25mg (empty some out of a 50mg capsule for a custom dose), while usual doses are in the 50mg to 200mg range. I am sensitive.
Longrun you sound like you might be more comfortable with an alternative doctor. One who you can ask to look at specific things such as cortisol, thyroid, candida, food intolerances, and such, and be treated with things like st johns wort, natural neurotransmitter precurosors, and a variety of herbs, vitamins, minerals for specific purposes. I say that for 2 reasons...1)many depressions have a physical cause that can be identified and treated with a doctor who knows what to look for, or one who will look for what you ask him to, 2)you may need some help but you sound terrified of pharmaceutic drugs. I don't blame you.
Ah, almost forgot. There are 2 decent standbys for ssri withdrawals...1)benadryl as needed...don't know why it helps but it has helped others in their withdrawals, 2)a 10mg dose of prozac once or twice a week for a couple weeks...it has a very long halflife (7 days) compared to lexapro halflife of 1 day, so prozac lets you off the hook very gently over a period of time.
Posted by KathrynLex on December 26, 2007, at 18:43:12
In reply to Re: LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by bleauberry on December 26, 2007, at 17:37:33
I'm sorry to hear you're having such an awful time tapering off Lexapro. I did it in very small increments and had almost no side effects. My pdoc says it's very common to prescribe something like Prozac when tapering off a drug. (Prozac is a blessing because it has such a long half life that there are virtually no side effects when you stop taking it.) But before you do anything, find a doctor you trust and get his or her advice. Good luck!
Posted by nfc on December 27, 2007, at 7:55:23
In reply to Re: LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by KathrynLex on December 26, 2007, at 18:43:12
i tried quiting lex cold turkey once and anxiety symptoms started appearing, nausea, irritable, can't focus or think calmly and had to go back on. try the above post from bleauberry about going back on lex (a small dose like 5mg and slowly taper)or using prozac. but u need a pdoc's advice on doing so. thats best. when dealing w/ psych meds, best to get it from a pdoc, not a doc who's deals w/ general medicine IMO.
take care
nfc
Posted by vffmom on December 27, 2007, at 9:21:03
In reply to Re: LEXAPRO PROBLEMS » KathrynLex, posted by nfc on December 27, 2007, at 7:55:23
My withdrawal effects I beleive peaked last night.. I had to go back on Lexapro.. Just taking 10mg, but the brain zaps and the over-all muscle twitching has stopped, which I was getting every 30 seconds. I can't Thank everyone enough who responded so quickly to a strangers plea for help. GOD BLESS YALL !!!
Posted by oldschool305 on December 27, 2007, at 10:54:21
In reply to Re: LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by vffmom on December 27, 2007, at 9:21:03
> My withdrawal effects I beleive peaked last night.. I had to go back on Lexapro.. Just taking 10mg, but the brain zaps and the over-all muscle twitching has stopped, which I was getting every 30 seconds. I can't Thank everyone enough who responded so quickly to a strangers plea for help. GOD BLESS YALL !!!
hi vffmom... wow, do i know what you are going through. i tried quitting cold turkey and it wasn't pretty. Plus my depression and anxiety came back very strongly so I went back on but at a very small dosage. I take 5mg just before bedtime. I believe 30mg was a very high dosage, I couldn't even handle 10mg hehe. So, I believe that 5mg is better than 0mg =O What you're doing is the right think, slowly decrease your dosage until you can finally quit. Good luck and keep us posted =)--CYN
Posted by rskontos on December 27, 2007, at 21:25:10
In reply to Re: LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by oldschool305 on December 27, 2007, at 10:54:21
vffmom, I tapered off 10 mg slowly and have been off for about 1 month and still get a brain zap every other day. They don't hurt the same but you know what they are. Mostly when I turn my head. Weird. But when I tapered off lex I already went through what you did only with cymbalta so I was wise to the heck you can go through getting off these ad's. Interesting my neuro told me that certain supplements will help and that benedryl does indeed help. Now she explained why but that was awhile back and I dont retain too much information fo r all that long. Too many brain zaps I guess. Anyway, it does make sense for certain things to help and she said if I had ask her for help prior to going off my first ad she would have given me a better strategy than the prescribing doctor of course who would have thunk that. Not me. I only called her because i didn't know what the brain zaps were. I decreased my dosages by 1/4 a pill. Not an exact science but it worked. Not too bad.
Good luck when you do, do it again. Wait until you feel better thought to try again. Let your body stabilize a bit. rsk
Posted by michelle36 on December 27, 2007, at 23:09:56
In reply to LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by vffmom on December 26, 2007, at 14:01:39
My name is Michelle. I have been through the entire process of quitting lexapro cold turkey after being on lexapro 10 mg. daily for 2 1/2 years. I have been off of this for 12 weeks now. It has been extremely difficult. The withdrawals are terrible. From all my research it can take an average of 4 months to stabilize because lexapro plays a roll in not only changing the brain chemistry but most importantly the hormones. I have found a great forum and there is lots of information on the withdrawals of lexapro.
http://www.drugs.com/forum/featured-conditions/lexapro-withdrawal-24681-23.html
Read the post by Auntybiotic on 10-27-05
Posted by bleauberry on December 28, 2007, at 21:39:09
In reply to LEXAPRO PROBLEMS, posted by vffmom on December 26, 2007, at 14:01:39
Michelle36 is correct. Lexapro has effects on hormones, most specifically cortisol, which takes a long time to undo and stabilize, even long after the primary withdrawals are behind you. Several months.
Not sure what size your tabs are. You can cut them to custom sizes. They don't need to be exact. I believe my 10mg tabs were big enough and easy enough for cutting. 5mg tabs are tiny and difficult. Actually for weaning off it is better if they are not exact in my experience. If you do want exact doses though and want to step down in say 1mg increments you can do that by asking for a prescription of lexapro liquid.
Putting some prozac in the backdrop will definitely help. If you took 10mg prozac once or twice a week you could probably get that 10mg lexapro down to 2.5mg - 5 immediatley, and then continue weaning down. Who knows, but some stroke of fortune you might even find you like prozac a lot and make a straight across trade.
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