Theguy: Still having problems, 4 years after quitting escitalopram

[Theguy]

I was on it (escitalopram) for 3 years, 20mg a day. In the middle of the 3rd year I started to feel dizzy and so I reduced the dose to 10 mg. The dizziness went away but came back after a few months. A doctor put me on two other antidepressants for a couple of months. I can't remember their names but they were atypical ones. After two months I decided it was enough and stopped taking any antidepressants. Severe withdrawal effects followed: insomnia, agoraphobia, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty thinking straight. Some of them went away after a while but insomnia and the mental fatigue problem persisted. Suddenly it was like I became  a decade or two older. And I still have this problem. There were a lot of stuff that I used to care about but not after quitting. I just don't have the mental fortitude to deal with them. I also have difficulty getting things done. I wish I could sue the company making these "drugs".

 

I think this is caused by a problem related to dopamine in my brain but I don't know what to do about it. I don't think most doctors know anything about antidepressant withdrawal effects. I did a brain MRI earlier this year (for frequent dizziness) and the neurologist told me there were no problems. Maybe it's my age but I don't think late 30s is that old. 

 

I've taken L-tyrosine but it wasn't of much help. Mucuna pruriens* sometimes helps but people say it's dangerous to take it. But then, I think my brain has developed a problem already. 

 

* tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia and widely naturalized and cultivated. Its English common names include velvet bean, Bengal velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, Mauritius velvet bean, Yokohama velvet bean, cowage, cowitch, lacuna bean, and Lyon bean

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by ChessieCat
added drug name from title, space and *

[ChessieCat]

Hi Theguy and welcome to SA,

 

It would be helpful if you could find out the details (dates, drug names and doses) for what you were prescribed that you can't remember.

 

Please create a drug signature using the following format.  Include what you already know about, and then add the others once you have that information:

 

Please make it nice simple by following these instructions (NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you):

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

This is your own introductions topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.

[Theguy]

Let me clarify a few things. First, I took those two antidepressants  for two months and two weeks respectively so I don't think they've had such an effect, compared to ecitalopram (cypralex).  Also I was on Wellbutrin for 3 years before switching to cypralex.

 

For increasing dopamine, it is suggested to take its precursors. It works like this: tyrosine -> L-Dopa -> Dopamine. Mucuna Pruriens is rich in L-Dopa. 

 

Before quitting I traveled  a lot but after that I've not been having enough energy for it. 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Theguy.

 

Please disregard the dopamine theories, these drugs have wide-reaching effects beyond a couple of neurohormones. You can't "rebalance" by artificially increasing dopamine or anything else.

 

Were these "atypical antidepressants" in fact antipsychotics such as Seroquel or Risperdal?

 

Going on and off psychiatric drugs can make your nervous system hypersensitive to drugs and even supplements and foods. I would not take tyrosine, it can be activating and cause you worse problems with anxiety and sleeplessness.

 

This is a fairly typical description of psychiatric drug withdrawal symptoms followed by post-acute withdrawal syndrome:

 

On 11/13/2018 at 8:21 AM, Theguy said:

Severe withdrawal effects followed: insomnia, agoraphobia, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty thinking straight. Some of them went away after a while but insomnia and the mental fatigue problem persisted.

 

We have many people here with similar problems.

 

It's important to repair your sleep. What is your sleep pattern?

[Theguy]

No they were just antidepressants. I remember one of them had just been approved for use only in Europe and the other could cause hepatitis...

But now that you said this I remembered I was put on a low dose of an antipsychotic medicine which had caused diabetes in some people (at the same time I started cypralex). Can't remember the name. I quitted it about 9 month before quitting the antidepressant. Was feeling dizzy for a couple of months...What a mess I let myself get into. 

 

Yeah sleep is very important but my sleep is in the gutters. I can fall asleep with the help of tryptophan and magnesium (or alternatively theanine) but I keep waking up at ungodly hours. I usually get 4-5 hours of sleep. If I'm lucky 6 hours, if not, may not sleep at all. All of this is spontaneous, I can't remember the last time I woke up by an alarm. Once I wake up I hardly can get back to sleep.

I usually got to bed around 10.

 

What do you guys suggest for sleep and also for "mental fatigue"? Any resources?

 

[Altostrata]

Do we have resources! Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

 

Let's assume you are hypersensitized. I'd be careful with supplements.

 

A lot of people find fish oil and magnesium helpful, see

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Theguy]

I don't know about hypersensitivity. Modafinil is one of the most powerful "nootropics". I got my sleep doctor prescribe it for me although I take it rarely. After a sleepless night, 100mg gives me a good boost but it lasts just for a few hours. So I'm not sure about hypersensitivity. (Maybe I misunderstand it).  But it's true that I have a lot of reactions to supplements. I've also had my hormones checked. My cortisol is very suboptimal which means I shouldn't be considered "anxious". Coffee seems to be culprit for this and for sleep. I've quitted it several times...

 

Anyways, I've been taking both of magnesium and fish oil for a couple of years. I tried 5HTP once. It was good for sleep but made me sooo groggy. I'm thinking of taking again, this time a very low dose.

 

I think the cause of my insomnia, at this stage, is just good old depression, how mild it may be.

 

What do you guys think of choline? Antidepressants have anticholinergic effects and it is also prescribed for people who've had a stroke.   

 

  

[Altostrata]

The saliva cortisol tests are not valid for our purposes.

 

You cannot treat withdrawal syndrome by trying to balance neurotransmitters or amino acids.

 

Please read the links I gave you -- no matter what the cause of your sleep problem, they contain good information -- plus Again, chemical imbalance is a myth. Stop the lies, please.