hoosierhoney: Hi there! Thanks for having me

[hoosierhoney]

I am a 55 year old woman that has taken Zoloft in the 90's for panic disorder and anxiety. I can't really remember when I stopped taking it, but it worked for a few years. In 2004, I had a fluttering heartbeat and high pulse so I went to the Dr. and he put me on Metoprolol ER 25 mg. to help my heart beat stronger and also help with anxiety. He also started me on Lexapro 10 mg. once a day. I absolutely found Lexapro to be so beneficial to me. It worked so well on my panic and depression.

 

After about 7 or so years, I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer and became health phobic. Dr. increased the Lexapro to 20 mg.  Helped some, but still had panic and anxiety at times so somewhere along the line we added .5 Ativan a day as needed. I rarely took it., but sometimes if I was having swirling thoughts at night I would take one and it helped me fall asleep. 

 

I started having more and more stress in my life as my alcoholic husband started binge drinking, we had a house fire, a beloved Aunt and Uncle passed away within four months of each other from cancer, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery and treatment, my husband lost two jobs. Very stressful times to say the least.

 

I thought I would try a different SSRI or AD medication to see if my stress/panic/anxiety//agoraphobia would improve. My PCP had me taper over the course of four weeks, which I now realize is way too short of a taper after having been on Lexapro for 14 years! He wanted me to try Trintellix, but my insurance said no, so we tried Celexa after the taper. Yuck. I felt horrible. Now I don't know if it was the Celexa or  withdrawal symptoms, but I felt like I had a cotton head with pressure and aching, general malaise, not wanting to do anything, sweaty all the time, exhausted, not sleeping that well. Stopped Celexa and tried Buspirone. Another no-go. Same feelings with it. Not sure again if it was the Buspirone or withdrawal from Lexapro still hanging with me.

 

Finally my PCP said start Lexapro again at 10 mg. until you get in to see a Psychiatrist. So I did. I started 5 mg. on 6/29 and then 10 mg. on 7/6. Saw Psychiatrist on 7/10 and told him I didn't think Lexapro was that effective for me. He said he was okay with me staying on it. (What about me being okay with that?) and he added Gabapentin so I could stop taking Ativan. I am to take Gabapentin 100 mg  one or two capsules 2-3 times daily. Kind of scared of it. Read side effects and had fear. I have only taken two doses and already I have a bit of a sore throat.   Although I do have to say, 100 mg. last night made me relax and I got some much needed sleep. Ah! About 6 hours and only woke up twice briefly and went back to sleep. That part is great. 

 

Now I am contemplating....do I call the Psychiarist and ask for another AD medication or wait a few more weeks to see if I improve? Thanks for reading my story and any advice or help is most appreciated. Thanks for having me! Wishing good health to all.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2018 by Songbird
make paragraphs

[Songbird]

Hi Hoosierhoney, welcome to SA.

 

Please create a signature containing a summary of your med history, including all drugs, doses and dates (starting and stopping).  Your signature appears below every post you make, and helps us see your situation easily without having to read from the top every time.   You could look at my signature for an example.  Instructions for creating your signature are here: Please put your withdrawal history in your signature.  You can edit your signature here: edit your signature in Account Settings.

 

Here are some topics you might find helpful in understanding withdrawal:

how psychiatric drugs remodel your brain

What is withdrawal syndrome

 

7 hours ago, hoosierhoney said:

Now I am contemplating....do I call the Psychiarist and ask for another AD medication or wait a few more weeks to see if I improve? 

This site is for helping people come off ADs - we provide information about tapering doses and coping with withdrawal.  We aren't about recommending other meds to take.  

 

Please post all your updates and questions about your situation here in your introduction topic, and we will try to help you as best we can.