whatsgoingon12: brain feels messed up by Lexapro

[whatsgoingon12]

Original title: Feels like My Brain Might Have Gotten Messed Up By Lexapro

 

I had been trying to adjust to Lexapro. It seemed to be helping with the depression and anxiety a good bit, but it was odd in that it didn't seem to help me much with actual stressful situations, I just felt able to calm down much more quickly when I was out of them. I was literally just trying to get to 5mg, but it seemed like as I increased I was having this weird reaction to anxiety a couple times that I hadn't had before, where I would get light headed and really confused. I think that happened twice but I figured it was just temporary and I would adjust. 

 

Here's the complicating factor- I caught Covid. It was not fun but sort of like a really bad cold. Five days in I have this really weird experience, which is why I think this was caused possibly by the Lexapro and not solely Covid...

 

I start working (I work remote). For some reason, any time I try to write a message or work on anything, immense panic, and sort of an unnatural over the top kind. As soon as I step away or outside, instant calm, but in a really weird way where it felt chemical/artificial. My mind didn't gradually get panicked or calm like would be normal; It was sort of this abrupt, odd fluctuation based on the stimuli and seemed very strange. Then eventually this caused a 14 hour panic attack (my first ever) that landed me in the ER. I've stopped Lexapro, but since then, debilitating panic and insomnia, even three months later. And worst of all is an intense brain burning an inch above my right eyebrow that comes on when I try to think about anything complex or even mildly stressful and causes immense prolonged confusion. I will try to do something as simple as paying a bill now and it will take an hour and then I will have to lay down with my brain burning and confusion so bad I can barely communicate, read, and I can't drive.

 

I don't know for sure if it was Lexapro, but my experience adjusting to it and the weird way this all kicked off and the preceding pseudo-panic attacks while adjusting to it make me think it could have been. I was rather confident, social, and intelligent, and now my physical and mental anxiety are so bad I can barely function, and then the immense brain burning brought about by almost any task leaves me in a debilitating confusion for hours or even a whole day or two.

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by ChessieCat
added topic title before reducing original

[Altostrata]

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