rilexapro: Problems with APRN, led to problems with Lexapro.

[ChessieCat]

20 minutes ago, rilexapro said:

I've read that one of the symptoms is impotency in men. I wouldn't say I'm impotent. I have sensitivity issues in my genitals still, but I think I sustained nerve damage from something, it doesn't feel like PSSD. The condition varies, and PSSD seems to stay the same where you don't feel anything.

 

24 minutes ago, rilexapro said:

I am overweight

 

I was diagnosed as diabetic in October 2021.  I've done a lot of research about this and one of the things I heard is that pre-diabetes/diabetes can cause erectile dysfunction because of reduced blood supply, which is what diabetes does and the reason why some people have amputations of toes, feet, legs, and can lose their sight.  (BTW I am female.)

 

The good news is that after only 3 months on a low carb diet (no drugs or fasting and never being hungry) my a1c went from 7.0 to 5.2.  My boss did the same thing in 7 months, going from 10.8 to 5.5.  My blood pressure reduced, my cholesterol numbers improved, I have lost 1/8th of my weight without trying (I am 5 foot and went from 80kg to 70kgs with only light exercise and stretching for my back issues) and clothes that were one a bit tight now swim on me.  I have heard that some people have had to get smaller shoes because their feet "shrunk".

[rilexapro]

Looking through the APRN's website again, this person seems like more of a quack than I realized. She does her own art based on "her emotions" that she sells online, which can be worn as a design on leggings, or you can get it on mugs, etc. Why did I let somebody like this have control over my brain chemistry? I'm so stupid.

 

I see no future. I just should have calmed down and not gone back on Lexapro. I let people who didn't care about me (virtually everybody around me, including my parents) led me to this awful result.

[rilexapro]

I'm curious as to what people on here would have recommended if I had found this forum earlier. Was attempting to go back on 10mg after cold turkey'ing 30mg a bad idea, or was it something people on here would have suggested? 

 

I thought my feelings of intense OCD-related paranoia, anger, and anxiety were withdrawal symptoms, and after my ER visit, I thought going back on Lexapro at a lower dosage might at least resolve some of those problems, and I could safely taper down from that later. I thought reinstatement was the responsible thing to do, considering I didn't taper off 30mg.

[ChessieCat]

SA probably would have suggested starting at a lower dose and increase by a small amount/s if needed.  SA might also have suggested changing to Lexapro / escitalopram gentler sibling drug, citalopram.

 

HOWEVER what you did is in the past and CANNOT BE CHANGED.  Getting upset and/or angry about it will only be stressful and is not helpful for your nervous system.  Even in general life we all do/say things which we wish we had done differently, and it is better to accept that what was done is done and the we need to concentrate on the now and doing the best for ourselves which includes reducing the stress.

 

Are you familiar with the Serenity Prayer?  It includes:  Accept the things I cannot change.

 

Acceptance

[rilexapro]

2 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

SA probably would have suggested starting at a lower dose and increase by a small amount/s if needed.  SA might also have suggested changing to Lexapro / escitalopram gentler sibling drug, citalopram.

 

HOWEVER what you did is in the past and CANNOT BE CHANGED.  Getting upset and/or angry about it will only be stressful and is not helpful for your nervous system.  Even in general life we all do/say things which we wish we had done differently, and it is better to accept that what was done is done and the we need to concentrate on the now and doing the best for ourselves which includes reducing the stress.

 

Are you familiar with the Serenity Prayer?  It includes:  Accept the things I cannot change.

 

Acceptance

 

It's hard to accept something that might have caused me permanent damage, when all I did was take a medication for being anxious and OCD, things beyond my control. I've never taken illicit drugs in my life, nor do I drink. Lexapro was the only "drug" I took.

Letting things go and general stubbornness is something I've always had a problem with, even as a child, it's why I got into this mess in the first place. My OCD traits would be triggered, and my brain couldn't let go of the fear. That's what led to my September 2020 nervous breakdown, and trying to go back on Lexapro. You are correct, but it's just very hard for me, since this has led to chronic problems which remind me every day of what happened. Even if the problems go away, I have to live with all the trauma of getting sick, going to the ER for a nervous breakdown, and my mother dying all within 3 months of each other. It just really stinks.

 

As for the medication, how is it methodology-wise that Citalopram is a "gentler" drug compared to Lexapro? I know both drugs are similar to each other. I thought Lexapro was the one supposedly with less side effects? Lexapro is one of the newest SSRIs, which is why it's given out as a first-line medication, over other ones. Luvox is meant to be better for OCD than Lexapro, but I've heard it's stronger and also causes more side effects. Do you know if that's true? It feels like I should have been on Luvox, as OCD was my primary diagnosis, with depression being a secondary one.

 

Also, yeah, it seems like what I did, with attempting reinstatement after an unintended harsh cold turkey, wasn't really any different from what this forum suggests for people in my situation. It's just unfortunate it seemed to have done a lot of damage to me. The APRN, even though I am absolutely not happy with my treatment overall, was smart enough to try a lower, more normal dosage as a restarting point.

[ChessieCat]

1 hour ago, rilexapro said:

It's hard to accept something that might have caused me permanent damage

 

I think many/most people have something/s happen in their earlier lives that is hard to accept.  The accepting is not you saying whatever it is "okay", but it is to reduce the stress so that it doesn't continue to affect you.  The idea is to acknowledge it as a fact, which is objective, (and not pretending that it didn't happen) and try to learn ways so that you don't let it affect you emotionally (subjective) to the point where the stress from it can cause you more harm.

 

If you are having difficulties with this you might consider seeing a counsellor to teach you ways of coping with this.

[ChessieCat]

1 hour ago, rilexapro said:

As for the medication, how is it methodology-wise that Citalopram is a "gentler" drug compared to Lexapro? I know both drugs are similar to each other.

 

See:

  

On 5/27/2011 at 12:16 PM, Altostrata said:

A significant characteristic of Lexapro is that milligram for milligram, it is much stronger than other SSRIs. Chemically, Lexapro is a variation of Celexa; the molecule was re-engineered to be patentable as Celexa's patent was about to expire. The streamlined molecule is a more potent SSRI, 2 to 4 times stronger than others. (Wikipedia has a good explanation of this at https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Escitalopram.)

 

 

1 hour ago, rilexapro said:

I thought Lexapro was the one supposedly with less side effects? Lexapro is one of the newest SSRIs, which is why it's given out as a first-line medication, over other ones. Luvox is meant to be better for OCD than Lexapro, but I've heard it's stronger and also causes more side effects. Do you know if that's true?

 

I have no idea about the side effects from the various drugs, just that they all do have side effects.  But I do think that the side effects can be different for different people, which can be easily see from the fact that some people can take one tablet of a drug and get and immediate adverse reaction, whereas other people can take the same drug, and continue to take it, and only have "normal" side effects from it.

 

1 hour ago, rilexapro said:

Luvox is meant to be better for OCD than Lexapro, but I've heard it's stronger and also causes more side effects. Do you know if that's true?

 

No idea.

[rilexapro]

I thought Paxil was said to be the strongest SSRI? I was on the strongest SSRI?

 

I destroyed my brain. everybody lied to me. What's the point? I was taking something so powerful, it probably damaged my brain for good. No point. Constant pain for me now. I was on an overdose of Lexapro, and now I'm being told it's stronger than Paxil, which I thought was the worst SSRI in that case.

 

How am I supposed to accept this? My life was ruined because of people around me meant to love and protect me. These people destroyed my brain. I'm supposed to accept that?

[ChessieCat]

I suggest that you read the Success Stories.  GiaK and Shep were polydrugged for many years and are now drug free.

 

I understand that it is a shock for you to find this out.  I think you are probably also grieving and that is quite common.

 

This is the information about the 2 drugs:

 

Paxil is a difficult drug to get off because of how it works.

 

Lexapro is the strongest:

 

On 5/27/2011 at 12:16 PM, Altostrata said:

If you are taking 5mg of Lexapro, it's not tiny, it's equivalent to 10-20mg Paxil or Celexa.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by ChessieCat

[rilexapro]

Where are the studies and statistics saying Lexapro is the strongest? The link in the forum post you linked to no longer works.

 

This link seems to say Paxil is the strongest. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17286545/

[ChessieCat]

This post has a link to research:

 

 

[rilexapro]

5 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

This post has a link to research:

 

 

 

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but doesn't that study show that Luvox and Paxil are more powerful than Lexapro?

 

It would make sense if Luvox is more powerful, as OCD cases need higher doses of SSRIs, and Luvox is the only one specifically OK'd for OCD.

[ChessieCat]

From the previous link I gave above, these are the 3 drugs you are comparing.

 

Luvox / fluvoxamine is the least strong of the 3 drugs, not the strongest.

 

RESULTS:

We included 83 studies (14 131 participants). In the primary analysis,

 

paroxetine dosage of 34.0mg/day,

 

escitalopram 18.0mg/day,

 

fluvoxamine 143.3mg/day,

 

[rilexapro]

Ah sorry, you're right, I misread.

 

That's strange, as I thought Luvox would be quite powerful. Why wasn't I put on that instead of Lexapro? OCD was my main diagnosis, not Lexapro. Seems negligent to me, but I don't know. Maybe because of the depression diagnosis? 

 

Is Luvox known to cause people issues? Have there been stories of bad experiences with it?

[ChessieCat]

4 minutes ago, rilexapro said:

It would make sense if Luvox is more powerful, as OCD cases need higher doses of SSRIs, and Luvox is the only one specifically OK'd for OCD.

 

Please note that I am not discussing anything regarding OCD and specific psychiatric drugs for the treatment of it.  I have no knowledge about this. 

 

All I am doing is providing you with the comparison of the strength of the different drugs, and the link to the research where that information came from.

[rilexapro]

Just now, ChessieCat said:

 

Please note that I am not discussing anything regarding OCD and specific psychiatric drugs for the treatment of it.  I have no knowledge about this. 

 

All I am doing is providing you with the comparison of the strength of the different drugs, and the link to the research where that information came from.

 

I understand. Not trying to cause problems.

[ChessieCat]

2 minutes ago, rilexapro said:

Is Luvox known to cause people issues? Have there been stories of bad experiences with it?

 

I suggest you do your own search about this.  Just search for the brand name and the drug name to find members taking them.

[rilexapro]

2 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

I think many/most people have something/s happen in their earlier lives that is hard to accept.  The accepting is not you saying whatever it is "okay", but it is to reduce the stress so that it doesn't continue to affect you.  The idea is to acknowledge it as a fact, which is objective, (and not pretending that it didn't happen) and try to learn ways so that you don't let it affect you emotionally (subjective) to the point where the stress from it can cause you more harm.

 

If you are having difficulties with this you might consider seeing a counsellor to teach you ways of coping with this.

 

If I have permanent damage, how do I accept that and move on? This isn't my fault. Honestly, what's the motivation to keep going, to live a half-fulfilled life? What's the silver lining there, that I'm not dead? There are things worse than dying.

 

My MRI showed FLAIR hyperintensities, AKA lesions. My neurologist for some reason said they weren't lesions. That could have very well been caused by Lexapro misusage.

 

I had so much that's been lost due to this. This very well could be permanent. It's been 18 months. It shouldn't take this long to recover from either Lexapro or COVID, honestly.

 

I made a stupid mistake with my cold turkey of Lexapro. I tried doing what I thought was the right thing with reinstatement. I shouldn't have brain damage from that. Lexapro never caused anything like this in me before. It's unfair, and seems almost impossible.

[Heath]

@rilexapro sorry you are in a bad place right now. The withdrawals and frustrations you have are  common, many of us here including me have had at one time or another. As you know being a member here psych drug victims do recover. It is a slow process. 
you did have a window in February and felt better and you will again! 

I ended up on Paxil and a few counselors because of unable to accept a health issue and a death and other life changing events 22 years ago. 

I’ve learned many things and continue learning. When we acknowledge what was and is. Then comes the accepting part- the hard part.  For simple terms - the way I was told - when we get a bump on the face and continue to look at it in the mirror it gets bigger and uglier, worse and worse. And then another one my aunt died from hepatitis c. She told me once during my unacceptance in my situation- after she did test and chased drs she told me “ after acknowledgement sometimes you just have to close the book” meaning you’ve done what you can do - give the reading and researching and chasing a break and live - accept what was and is and move on do what you can do. Those words caused me to move on and live my life. 

 

then there is a little harder part. But much easier after accepting part. It’s called floating. After you’ve done what can be done you float through. You live. You do everything you can . Do it in a different way if you have to. This can be tough at times. I still struggle with this at times. And the only way to practice this one is being in a struggle (hell). That’s where you get better at floating.

 

So let’s say Said person cannot sit no more than 5 or 10 minutes in a chair or seat literally without pain shooting down their leg into the foot and staying that way for a few weeks.  Pain when bending or lifting with back. So let’s say said person has always loved to water ski. So he skis he changes positions does it a different way he feels good he is happy. after acknowledging and accepting- he closed the book he floats he lives he does things a different way.  He learns and he is stronger. 
 

there are many things this can be applied. Wd symptoms for sure. 
 

 It can be overwhelming and sometimes seeking out good counsel can help work through. 
 

hang on 💪

[rilexapro]

To add insult to injury, I can't sue for damages because of pain and suffering because the damage is so hard to prove. If I had been in a car accident or had a botched surgery, I'd be able to, but I'm stuck like this with the APRN who did this to my brain getting away with it completely, even though this person was not acting ethical at all.

 

I should have just drank. People recover from that and get a whole big fat support system, don't they? My parents beat it into me, both mentally and physically, how evil drugs were, but were more than willing to dope me up with this junk. So abusive.

[Altostrata]

On 5/12/2022 at 4:26 AM, rilexapro said:

If I have permanent damage, how do I accept that and move on? This isn't my fault. Honestly, what's the motivation to keep going, to live a half-fulfilled life?

 

Suggest you make an effort to work with a psychotherapist. You seem to hold a belief that you're doomed. There is no evidence for this. An accident happened to you, you will need to accept it and cope with the aftermath.

[ChessieCat]

STRESS

 

Quote from the video:

 

 

any time that you have a stress response you're  going to decrease repair so basically you can  

defend yourself or you can repair stuff but you  can't do both at the same time

 

This is a video about liver detox but the part that I would like to you to watch, and this is where the link begins, is the explanation about stress and the body:

 

Sten Ekberg:  #1 Absolute Best FATTY LIVER DETOX

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by ChessieCat

[rilexapro]

I thought I was doing the right thing by attempting to reinstate, but I guess not. I might never have sexual urges again. I was never warned about that. I will probably never be as quick thinking as I was again, it's not normal to be like this for almost 2 years. 

 

How could it do this? I know people on here have bad experiences with SSRIs, but Lexapro never caused sexual dysfunction in me like this before. Never caused health problems like this too. I don't get it.

 

My body feels weak daily. I feel in a daze, almost constant derealization, and I still have anxiety and OCD episodes.

[rilexapro]

I don't know if this is the right place to ask, as this website is anti-depressant focused, but are there any academic studies showing COVID can cause the same type emotional blunting that SSRIs can? I never had emotional blunting when taking Lexapro until possibly 2020, so I'm not sure if that was the cause.

 

I may have asked this before, so I apologize.

 

I can still get emotional for some things, but it's hard to cry or laugh. I still get anxious and OCD though, which is just wonderful.

 

As of right now, my muscle weakness and fatigue isn't here right now. My brain is still in a fog, and I feel in a daze.

[getofflex]

You can do your own searches on this site to find answers to your questions: 

 

How to Do a Site Search on SA

 

I think you would do well to carefully read the following link, especially items 5, 8, and 10: 

 

Steps for Managing WD Symptoms

Edited May 27, 2022 by getofflex

[rilexapro]

Hi, I've actually been feeling a lot better recently. Feels different than before, like my body is actually finally coming down from the chronic inflamed feeling I had.

 

My neurologist wants to try 100mg Gabapentin for the one-sided nerve problems I've had, does that sound safe? I know some people take Gabapentin off-label for anxiety too.

[ChessieCat]

We have many members here at SA who are having issues with gabapentin.

 

I've done a site search for tagged topics.

 

Showing results for tags 'gabapentinoid', 'gabapentin' or 'neurontin'.

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/search/?&tags=gabapentinoid,gabapentin,neurontin&search_and_or=and

 

From wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin

 

See the last paragraph that I have bolded.

Neuropathic pain

Gabapentin is recommended as a first-line treatment for chronic neuropathic pain by various medical authorities.^{[6][7][23][24]} This is a general recommendation applicable to all neuropathic pain syndromes except for trigeminal neuralgia.^[7][24]

 

In regard to the specific diagnoses, the best evidence exists for gabapentin treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and diabetic neuropathy.^[8] Gabapentin is approved for the former indication in the US.^[3] In addition to these two neuropathies, European Federation of Neurological Societies guideline notes gabapentin effectiveness for central pain.^[7] A combination of gabapentin with an opioid or nortriptyline may work better than either drug alone.^[7][24]

 

Overall, gabapentin shows moderate effectiveness for neuropathic pain. Only a minority of patients obtain meaningful relief. Out of 10 persons treated with gabapentin, three to four benefit substantially as compared to one to two persons treated with placebo.^[8]

[rilexapro]

What do you recommend I do instead then, if Gabapentin isn't safe? Do you recommend any medication at all for the nerve numbness?

[ChessieCat]

I'm an unpaid peer on a psychiatric drug tapering/withdrawal internet website forum.  I am not a medical professional.

 

You asked about gabapentin and I did a search for some information and provided you with what I found.  You could try searching for support/facebook groups or forums for neuropathy.

 

There is a list of side effects on this page:

 

https://www.drugs.com/sfx/neurontin-side-effects.html

 

This is SA's tapering topic:

 

tips-for-tapering-off-neurontin-gabapentin

[Pepms]

Hi @rilexapro how have you been? I’m suffering for paresthesia (weird tingling, burning feelings in body) that started 2 months after my last dose of lexapro, and was just put on Pregabalin that is similar to gabapentin to see if it helps with these symptoms, just started 3 days ago so far no improvement but I read this meds take a week or two to start making a difference. 

[rilexapro]

1 hour ago, Pepms said:

Hi @rilexapro how have you been? I’m suffering for paresthesia (weird tingling, burning feelings in body) that started 2 months after my last dose of lexapro, and was just put on Pregabalin that is similar to gabapentin to see if it helps with these symptoms, just started 3 days ago so far no improvement but I read this meds take a week or two to start making a difference. 

 

I've slowly improved. I've lasted about an entire month now without the debilitating fatigue/body weakness. I still have a brain fog/"out of it feeling" in my head. The nerve issues in my body/face are not as bad as they were last year, but still persist. My neurologist prescribed me a very low dosage of Gabapentin for it, but I am hesitant to take it.

 

The fact that I thought I'd be stuck with the awful body weakness/inflamed feeling in my body, and now it's basically receded save for minor instances, is a gift. My memory is slowly improving, but still not great. It's possible that this was a virus I caught, even though I was reckless with Lexapro usage. My sex drive isn't "numb" anymore per se, but the nerve problems in my body make arousal an issue.

 

I mainly get mild headaches sometimes and have a sort of "out of it" brain fog feeling now. It's annoying but better than I was before.

[Pepms]

I’m glad you have a month better ! I will let you know if the Pregabalin makes an improvement in my nerve issues, feel free to dm me

[rilexapro]

Blood work done today was essentially normal save for the blood work meant to identify inflammation. I don't think Lexapro/SSRIs can cause these results. SSRIs can affect the heart/cardiovascular system, but I'm not sure if it can in this way.

 

COVID being the cause seems more likely with results like this.

[Matata44]

Hello @rilexapro

I’m also struggling here with nerve issues after stopping Lexapro. I also don’t know if my symptoms are due to Lexapro or because I had a bad reaction from any sort of virus. 
My doctor suggested Lyrica and Klonopin to help the nerves but I’m so afraid to take them.

 
I’m currently struggling to walk and have strong weakness in my calves. 
 

My best friend and my family are my reasons to keep going..

[rilexapro]

On 6/17/2022 at 11:06 PM, Matata44 said:

Hello @rilexapro

I’m also struggling here with nerve issues after stopping Lexapro. I also don’t know if my symptoms are due to Lexapro or because I had a bad reaction from any sort of virus. 
My doctor suggested Lyrica and Klonopin to help the nerves but I’m so afraid to take them.

 
I’m currently struggling to walk and have strong weakness in my calves. 
 

My best friend and my family are my reasons to keep going..

I had this result come back this week. It's very possible my issues were from a virus somehow.

 

[rilexapro]

Can anybody tell me if they've seen these results in Lexapro kindling cases or adverse reactions? Can Lexapro cause chronic CRP/ANA/ESR levels?