Sani: Is a beta blocker required during withdrawal?

[Sani]

I was put on 10mg Lexapro on may 2018. I tapered it down to 5mg on September 2018 and barely felt any symptoms other than a busy brain with random thoughts while sleeping at night. Klonopin .5mg took care of it. I reduced the dose to of Lexapro to 2.5 (step wise) in march 2019. And finally on September 2019 I took my last dose. 

Till the end of November I felt a range of psychological symptoms, depression, anhedonia, brain fog, absent mindedness, cognitive issues etc. Also faced panic attacks and intense stomach churning sensation, followed by diarrhea. But actual anxiety, the adrenaline jolts at night, the sweating pacing, jitteriness and shakiness, set in in December 2019. My tremors and anxiety has eased now, since a week and so have my cognitive issues. Sleeps better too. But my heart rate just doesn't go down. It's always in the 90s range where as my normal is in 70s. Since I'm already anxious, I'd like to know, is it necessary to take a beta blocker? Is the increased heart any sign of problem?

[Sani]

It all started with a medicine I took, a plan B pill to avoid an impending pregnancy, but that pill not only got me pregnant, but made me to have an emergency surgery to stop internal bleeding as that pregnancy ended up being ectopic (the pill didn't stop fertilization, just stopped the embryo from travelling down the fallopian tube into uterus). I was experiencing intense pain in my abdomen and went to consult the doctor. I was finally wheeled into the OT as I had lost considerable amount of blood. But the trauma for me was not that. I had no one around me to take care of my kids. As I had just moved to a new city and my husband wasn't around. I had to call my neighbor for help. The nurses finally pulled my kids away from me and I was finally operated. When I opened my eyes I was in a state of high anxiety and hyperventilating. The fear that I faced (if something happens to me , what about my kids?) Before being knocked out, carried even after I woke up from anaesthesia. And it manifested itself as PTSD.

I had developed high anxiety around my kids and got too stressed and also made me a full blown hypochondriac. Finally I sought help of a psychiatrist. I was put on Lexapro 10mg from may 2018 and brought the dose down to 5mg in September 2018. I tapered to 2.5 mg in march 2019 and finally stopped in September 14th 2019. 

My  withdrawal symptoms initially started as mental and psychological ones. Mental numbness, anhedonia, mood swings during the entire October 2019. I also had churning stomach, panic attack dizziness and neausea as physical symptoms. Then the entire November 2019, I faced a number of cognitive issues, like brain fog , loss of memory, loads of concentration. I couldn't understand what people around me would speak at times unless I tried really hard. I had head pressure and brain zaps. The the end of November, my anxiety increased, with all the sweaty palms, the tightness in muscles, hyperventilation, akathisia, the jerkiness while sleeping. I tried using benzo to take off the edge of these symptoms sleep has not been smooth either. I wake up in panic with jolts. My heart rate has been high constantly 

Now I feel like its all coming downhill. I have anxiety but not extreme, just mental, anxiety. My congnitive issues have improved a little. Anhedonia still lingers and I did have suicidal thoughts that I tried my best to ignore till they passed. I dunno what new symptoms are there for me in store now. Every day is a challenge . Just riding along. 

One mistake, one medicine, and more medicines to deal with after effect. So it's the end for pharmaceutical companies from my side!!! I'm ready to face all this than to go back to any of these drugs.

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Sani.

 

I'm sorry you're suffering from these difficult symptoms.  They are typical withdrawal symptoms resulting from your rapid taper of the Lexapro.  

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

These explain it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

   On 8/30/2011 at 2:28 PM,  Rhiannon said: 

When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

 We recommend using non-drug techniques to cope with withdrawal.  Take a look at the techniques in the following link and see which you think might be beneficial to you.

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system.

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

Regarding beta blockers, here is a post from the founder of the site, Altostrata that might be helpful to you.

 

 

"Anything might set off a hypersensitive reaction.

 

If you want to try something, try a tiny chip first.

 

Rather than beta blockers for the anxiety symptoms, my doctor prefers an alpha blocker, doxazosin. It reduces adrenaline. 

 

I tried it (a tiny chip), it worked for a long time, maybe a year or two. (It also helped with the frequent urination at night.) But I'm so hypersensitive it eventually was too strong for me and went paradoxical, which means I had an uncomfortable day or two and stopped it."

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

Edited December 12, 2019 by Gridley

[Sani]

So I tapered 5 mg of Lexapro form Jan 2019 to September 2019. I was doing well for the first three months and my mental withdrawals started. Managable anxiety, and even myoclonus that was Managable. I sailed through it an was doing well during the entire January 2020. I took a course of amoxcillin, and things spiralled down from there. I'm having debilitating withdrawal symtoms, from severe akathisia and restlessness, disturbed bowel function, sweaty palms and soles 24/7, feeling on the edge during night, reduced sleep with night sweats, also had nervous system issues last month's that got better (twitches pin pricks). Now my main symtoms are weak muscles, restlessness at night and bowel issues, nervous poops... I'm taking klonopin 0.5 as needed for sleep but seems like it's creating paradoxial symtoms now and not working. I dunno if I should reinstate after coming so far. I'm really confused. What would be the best approach. I really need help.

[Altostrata]

Hello, Sani. We haven't heard from you since last December.

 

Antibiotics can upset recovery from withdrawal syndrome. I am sorry you've had this setback.

 

When did you start taking Klonopin? How often do you take Klonopin, at what dosages? Do you take it every day?

 

A paradoxical reaction means the dosage is too high. But if you've been taking it every day, you may need to taper it carefully. We need to know how often you've been taking it.