Meds And Me

[rymac]

Since a week ago today I started taking 10mg of Lexapro. I'm struggling with depression and general anxiety. The last two days I have been experiencing almost a constant state of anxiety. I had to go to work today and that really kicked it up a notch. My hands were even a little shaky. Before noon time I had to take half of a .5mg of klonopin.

It really didn't seem to do much. Tonight I have a pretty good headache but that could be from anything.I'm planning on sticking with it for another week to see what happens.

Before this I was taking klonopin at night to help me sleep and ease my anxiety. It worked to calm me down but I would be even more drowsy than normal the next morning.

Before the klonopin I use to take flouxetine for depression and such. I can't remember the dose but it was quite a bit. I don't think it did anything at all.

Years ago before I was ever diagnosed I took zoloft. That was a nightmare. For the week that I took it I did not sleep at all. I'm not joking I would go to bed and not even begin to get sleepy. After a few nights I just stop going to bed and watched TV all night. I also had no appetite. I don't really remember eating anything except drinking water. I called the doctor a few days in and told him what was going on. He just told me to keep taking it until it was completely in my system. After a week I was done. It was one of the craziest things I've ever experienced.

During that same time I also took ativan. Mostly for anxiety. It worked great. So great I got completely addicted. I can't remeber how many hours I had to wait between pills but I would set my alarm for when I could take the next pill. I wasn't really working at the time. It would make me drowsy and not have a care in the world. I would basically stay in bed the whole time. I think that might have lasted about two weeks or more until I realized I had to stop. I quit cold turkey. I went through some painful withdrawl. I was curled up on the floor in the fetal position with a severe migraine shaking. Good times.

I also keep toprol xl on hand but I only take it when my heart is racing. It kind of feels like a panic attack. I'm down to half a pill and I called the pharmacy today and they still don't have any in yet.

If the lexapro doesn't cut it I don't know what I might try next. Open to suggestions and opinions.

Thanks

bluesman

[Broken_Shell]

Hi Bluesman,

Thank you for sharing your experiences. What I can say right now is "hang in there". Unfortunately, what you are experiencing with the Lexapro is completely expected - those sorts of medications usually cause a bizarre array of side effects for four to six weeks before you can begin to see a benefit from them. Anxiety, headaches, and GI distress are common. That is exactly the reason why I have been very hesitant to try them, so I take my hat off to you for trying several of them. I feel as though I already feel so poorly every day and can barely manage that I cannot imagine adding a whole other list of symptoms on top of what I already have for over a month when I might not even see any benefit from it when that time is up. I do not suffer from depression or anxiety, but my neurologist and pain doctor have both offered these types of medications to treat my autonomic dysfunction and myofascial problems. I have had several scary and extreme reactions to medications in the past which has made me even more fearful of new medications. The ironic part is that my professional training is in pharmacy, but when it comes to me being the patient, all of that kind of goes out the window! Anyways, I hope that the Lexapro will at least be a positive trial and help with some of your symptoms. Keep us posted and take care!

~ Broken_Shell

[Broken_Shell]

Bluesman,

One more thought... Lexapro comes in a 5 mg tablet and an oral solution. You might tolerate it better if you start with a lower dose and very gradually work your way up. Trying something as small as a half of a 5 mg tablet or a small amount of the oral solution might agree with your system better. That's the nice thing with the oral solution... there is only 1 mg in 1 mL of solution (1/5 teaspoon), so you can really start at a small dose. If you talk to your doctor about what is going on, he might be willing to change your prescription. Otherwise, a pill cutter from the drug store can be used to cut the 10 mg tablets that you already have so that those don't get wasted and you spend more money on a whole new prescription order. Good luck!

~ Broken_Shell

[potsgirl]

Bluesman~

I have been on anti-anxiety meds for about 10 years now, and I feel your pain. I started out with Zoloft, and I was totally 'gone'. I think I made it for about a week on that. I've been on Paxil for many years now, and do well on it as long as I keep the dose between 10-15 mg. Any more and my BP plummets. I recently tried to switch over to Prozac, and thought I was going to go crazy trying to get off the Paxil. My doc kept upping my dose, and my anxiety kept getting worse, until I was shaking, sweating, and basically having some nasty panic attacks. I stuck it out for a month, then went back to the Paxil. I also take Trazodone to help me sleep. An occasional Xanax will work wonders for you if you need to calm down immediately. Those are life-savers, especially if you don't get hooked on them....

Hope this helps!

potsgirl