MindBender: Escitalopram possible Withdrawal ?

[MindBender]

Hi everyone thanks for having me. My story is a little complicated so I will try and explain it as best I can.

 

I started the road to where I am now in 2016 after having a bad dose of Flu and pneumonia followed by a huge flare up of my Ulcerative colitis which caused my mental health to decline and I started having panic attacks and low mood. A trip to the Dr and I tried serteraline but it did not agree with me after a couple of pills so was switched over to Escitalopram 10mg and also told to use a quarter of a tablet of mirtazapine 3.75mg to help with sleep. After a few months I started to feel better and was told to come off the Escitalopram and Mirtazapine which was done with a quick taper if I remember.

In 2017 I started to feel bad again with my mental health and was put back on Escitalopram again at 10mg and also mirtazapine at 3.75mg 1/4 tablet this again helped and after approx a year I was told to come off and again followed a quick ish taper. 
 

2019 my Ulcerative colitis became very bad and high dose steroids failed to help so I had emergency surgery to remove my colon and an ileostomy done. This went ok although I was still taking steroids after the surgery and had been for about 2 years constantly. About 2 months after surgery my mental health once again decided to falter so again I was put back on Escitalopram starting at 5mg and increasing to 10mg after a month. Once again this seemed to help. I was taken off steroids (hydrocortisone) in Jan 2022 after seeing an endocrinologist who said my adrenals were ok. (I’m not convinced they were tbh). I also again tapered off the Escitalopram in April 2022 again this was done in quarter of a tablet increments from 10mg. 
 

July 2022 was off all head meds. 
 

Roll on to Nov 22 and I out of the Blue have a panic attack over a mark on my eyelid that’s been there for years and this keeps happening with waking feeling very anxious. I see the dr who tells me there’s nothing wrong with my eye and suggests starting the mirtazapine again at 1/4 tablet to help with the sleep issues. This did help with the sleep but not much for the anxiety so I was told to try half a tablet of mirtazapine this gave me really bad restless legs so I dropped back down to 1/4 tablet after only 2 days. Going back to the Dr I was told re-starting Escitalopram low dose might be helpful so on the 1st Jan 2023 I added 1/4 of a 5mg Escitalopram tablet approx 1.25mg. I did this for a week with no real noticeable difference and was then told to up this to 2.5mg which is where I am now after approx 3 weeks. 
 

At first it did seem to help it has stopped the panic and given me a small bit of my appetite back but my anxiety is in a bad way I’m waking with Anxiety, sweating and increased heart rate. I’m having quite bad suicidal and intrusive thoughts and I get the shakes in my legs often. I have lots of feelings of not being able to cope. I’m also very hypersensitive in my nerves according to the Dr. My reflexes are very sensitive and I’m finding myself thinking I might be hypersensitive but tbh I’m not sure. The Dr has referred me to a Neurologist for assessment.
 

Being off the head meds is my goal but tbh I’m not sure where to go from here. Tbh I’m really struggling especially with the emotions. I have listed my current meds intake below. 
 

This is the 4th time starting the Escitalopram/Mirtazapine combo and I’m not sure starting was the best idea but it’s what the Dr advised. Since finding this site and reading into things I’m not sure if I might be having a reaction. My Dr agrees about being hypersensitive but thinks it might be the Anxiety rather than meds but I’m not so sure.
 

I have just had a whole load of blood tests done by the Dr to rule out lots of things inc Thyroid, minerals, B12 etc which were all clear apart from Im pre diabetic in the lower range which I have been for a while. 
 

Escitalopram 1/4 tablet 2.5mg 8am 3 weeks at this dose

Mirtazapine 1/4 tablet 3.75mg before bed 5 weeks at this dose

loperamide one 2mg 4 times daily to control stoma before Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and before bed.

Tesco Multivitamin once in the morning have been taking since stoma surgery in 2019.

Salofalk suppository 1g twice weekly.

O.R.S Hydration tablets in water for hydration.

 

[MindBender]

Tbh I’m unsure if I’m having a bad reaction to the reintroduction of the meds or just bad withdrawal or even just a flare up of existing symptoms. 
 

Any help or advice would be greatly received. 

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  It is quite possible you are now having an adverse reaction to Lexapro.  It is not uncommon to become sensitized to psych drugs, especially after we have gone on and off of them repeatedly, such as you have.  You may also be experiencing withdrawal in addition to the ADR (adverse reaction) from your previous drug taper in 2022. Your taper was much faster that what we suggest on this site.  

 

What symptoms did you have prior to restarting your Lexapro on January 1?  

 

What symptoms did you have after starting the 1.25 mg, but before upping it to 2.5 mg?  

 

What symptoms did you have after you increased the dose to 2.5?  

 

The answers to the above questions will help us see if what you are dealing with is withdrawal, an adverse reaction, or both. 

 

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

We need to try and figure out if this is withdrawal, or if it is an adverse reaction or possibly a combination of both. To see if there is an adverse reaction going on, please do a daily drug and symptoms journal.  Keep track of taking your drug, symptoms, eating, sleeping, etc.  Write the time on the left, and describe the event on the right.  Pay attention especially to how you feel before, and then after, you take your drug. Please do this for 24 hours, and post an entry in here for each 24 hour period.  Here is an example: 

 

February 1, 2023

 

6 AM woke with anxiety

8 am took 2.5 mg lexapro

10 am stomach is upset

10:30 am ate breakfast

11:35 am got a headache, lasted one hour

12:35 ate lunch

4 pm feel a bit better

5 pm took 2.5 mg lexapro

6 pm ate dinner

9:20 pm headache 

10:00 pm took 50 mg Seroquel

10:30 pm feeling dizzy

10:30 pm fell asleep 

2:30 am woke, took 3 mg Ambien

2:45 am fell asleep

4:30 am woke, but got back to sleep 

[getofflex]

As far as your supplements, the B vitamins in a multivitamin may be activating, and contributing to some of your symptoms, such as anxiety, insomnia, etc.  You may want to reduce them, or stop taking those for now. Many multivitamins have very high amounts of B vitamins.  You could try taking 1/2 or 1/4 of the multivitamin tablet.  

[MindBender]

Thank you for your kind welcome and the information. 
 

Prior to restarting the Lex I was having panic attacks and heightened anxiety. They came on suddenly I was doing ok before that.

 

After starting 1.25mg the panic was mildly reduced but still heightened anxiety.

 

After upping to 2.5mg the panic was better not gone but not at full on panic attack mode and the Anxiety was reduced but had fatigue.
 

After approx two weeks of being on 2.5mg things changed to a more feeling horrid dread feeling I can’t cope sort of feelings. Still not having full on panic attacks more Anxiety than panic. 

 

Currently things are pretty bad, Early waking, feelings of dread, stomach upset and hyper stimulated nerves. 
 

I will Journal my day from tonight and post once complete. 

 

I will stop the multivitamin as well and see if that helps is it wise to just stop after years of taking ? Do these have withdrawals too.. Maybe I would be better to half it and see how it goes ? 

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply it’s really appreciated. I have learnt so much already from this site and I wish as I imagine most do I found it sooner…

 

 

 

[littlebird]

10 minutes ago, MindBender said:

I have learnt so much already from this site and I wish as I imagine most do I found it sooner…

 

Right there with you, wish I found this site years ago! Welcome, you're in good company. Hope you feel better soon!

[MindBender]

24 minutes ago, littlebird said:

Hope you feel better soon!

Thank you. I hope you are doing ok too. 

[littlebird]

7 minutes ago, MindBender said:

I hope you are doing ok too. 

 

Doing better every single day! Especially as I figure out this med puzzle. 😎

[MindBender]

I stopped the multivitamin for today and have felt quite tired so far today. Last night was not a good night so that probably adds to the tiredness. Still have anxiety but was able to relax a bit this morning for about an hour. I’m compiling todays symptom timeline and will upload when complete. 
 

I have had a bit of stomach upset the past couple of days and having an ileostomy (stoma) this might be affecting med absorption as things can pass through quite quick at times. 
 

I have also switched to decaf tea without sugar in a hope it will be less activating. 
 

Thanks.

[MindBender]

List from yesterday I added the start of today at the bottom.

Symptoms journal Feb 2

 

04:45 Woke feeling anxious, hot, doze on and off.

07:00 2.5mg Escitalopram, 2mg loperamide, Banana

08:15 Shower

08:45 Feel restless, Anxious, mild headache

09:00 Breakfast porridge

09:30 Loose stool in stoma bag

10:00 Zone out on sofa feel tired

12:00 2mg loperamide

12:15 Lunch, decaf tea

12:45 Walk with dog, Anxiety raised feel hot

14:00 Anxiety still present with headache

15:00 Feel more relaxed

17:00 Headache comes and goes

17:15 2mg loperamide, 

17:30 dinner

18:00 Waves of anxiety

20:00 Feel tired and relax on sofa do a meditation on balance app

21:00 Snack

22.00 2mg loperamide, 3.75mg mirtazapine

23:30 sleep 

 

Symptoms journal Feb 3

 

06:30 Wake doze until 07:00

07:00 2mg loperamide, 2.5mg Escitalopram, banana

07:30 Feel slightly jittery mild anxiety pulse raised gurgling tummy

 

Thanks

[getofflex]

On 2/1/2023 at 2:40 PM, MindBender said:

Prior to restarting the Lex I was having panic attacks and heightened anxiety. They came on suddenly I was doing ok before that.

This may have been withdrawal, which has a way of sneaking up on his.  I've heard of many cases of people doing a fast taper off drugs, and then symptoms hit several months later. 

 

On 2/1/2023 at 2:40 PM, MindBender said:

After starting 1.25mg the panic was mildly reduced but still heightened anxiety.

 

After upping to 2.5mg the panic was better not gone but not at full on panic attack mode and the Anxiety was reduced but had fatigue.

It sounds like the reinstatement did help some.  If you had been in here when you were on the 1.25 mg reinstatement, we would have suggested that you stay on this longer than a week, to give it a chance to really help.  It takes about a week for a reinstatement to get into your system, but it can take a month or two for it to help fully.  

 

On 2/1/2023 at 2:40 PM, MindBender said:

After approx two weeks of being on 2.5mg things changed to a more feeling horrid dread feeling I can’t cope sort of feelings. Still not having full on panic attacks more Anxiety than panic. 

Overall, would you say you are currently feeling worse, or better, than you did prior to reinstating escitalopram 1.25 on January 1?  

 

On 2/1/2023 at 2:40 PM, MindBender said:

I will stop the multivitamin as well and see if that helps is it wise to just stop after years of taking ? Do these have withdrawals too.. Maybe I would be better to half it and see how it goes ? 

No you will not have withdrawal from stopping a multivitamin.  You can cut in in half, and see how that goes, or just quit altogether.  

 

It's good that you have quit caffeine and sugar.  Continue doing that.  Avoid alcohol, and other mind altering substances.  

 

thanks for doing your daily journals - excellent job on those!  Keep on doing those, and posting them here.  Your early morning anxiety at 4:45 is probably your normal daily cortisol spike.  People in WD (withdrawal) tend to have exaggerated reactions to this, causing anxiety and agitation.  This will eventually go away in time.  

 

It appears to me as though you are having spikes in anxiety after your loperamide dosage.  Is this correct?  It may just be coincidence, as loperamide does not have the side effect of anxiety usually, according to my husband who is a retired pharmacist. Do you feel your anxiety is worse in the several hours after you take your escitalopram?  

 

Hang in there, we will help you figure out what is going on, and straighten this out. 

 

 

[Tulip52]

Mindbinder, I can share with you that since I started tapering again in November I suddenly could no longer tolerate supplements that I have taken for years and caffeine.  I had to completely quit both and while I still have my anxious/depressed moods they are not near what they were.

[MindBender]

4 hours ago, getofflex said:

This may have been withdrawal, which has a way of sneaking up on his.  I've heard of many cases of people doing a fast taper off drugs, and then symptoms hit several months later. 

It was odd just a sudden onset of panic about something trivial really. It was just 4 months after I stopped which after reading some of this site is not that far out. According to the Dr it could not possibly be withdrawal…. 
 

4 hours ago, getofflex said:

It sounds like the reinstatement did help some.  If you had been in here when you were on the 1.25 mg reinstatement, we would have suggested that you stay on this longer than a week, to give it a chance to really help.  It takes about a week for a reinstatement to get into your system, but it can take a month or two for it to help fully.  

I think tbh it has both helped but also caused a few issues too. It has definitely stopped the out of control panic I was experiencing so far. I’m still getting some panic but much reduced. I also have an appetite now too. I had lost a fair bit of weight as I was hardly eating before the 2.5mg Escitalopram. I’m now eating just about normal.

unfortunately I now have a lot more of the dread feeling and cannot cope moments with suicidal and intrusive thoughts. It’s hard to explain the feeling but I’m sure lots on here know what I mean. It’s by far the worst part of all of this it really feels like you cannot go on.
 

4 hours ago, getofflex said:

No you will not have withdrawal from stopping a multivitamin.  You can cut in in half, and see how that goes, or just quit altogether.

I have decided to try with half a tab first. As I have a stoma I have limited absorption of minerals as I no longer have a large intestine and my gut transient time can be a bit quick at times. If half is too much I will try a quarter or if needs be stop until I have at least stabilised somewhat. As I have an ileostomy I’m apparently missing the part that absorbs b12. I wonder how this would affect withdrawal. 
 

4 hours ago, getofflex said:

It's good that you have quit caffeine and sugar.  Continue doing that.  Avoid alcohol, and other mind altering substances.  

I’m thinking my bad headaches the last couple of days could possibly be caffeine withdrawal. I tried half a cup of normal tea today and my headache improved somewhat. I have been a heavy tea drinker for a long time so maybe a gradual decrease is needed. Hopefully half a cup a couple of times a day will suffice with all other drinks being caffeine free. I do not drink alcohol and only drink tea and O.R.S hydration tablets dissolved in water.

 

4 hours ago, getofflex said:

It appears to me as though you are having spikes in anxiety after your loperamide dosage.  Is this correct?  It may just be coincidence, as loperamide does not have the side effect of anxiety usually, according to my husband who is a retired pharmacist. Do you feel your anxiety is worse in the several hours after you take your escitalopram?  

Tbh I’m not sure the anxiety spikes seem random to me. Sometimes I have felt ok ish in the morning but then rough in the afternoon. Sometimes the other way round. I’m not sure the loperamide is spiking the anxiety but cannot rule it out. Unfortunately I can’t really do without the loperamide as it’s used to control my stoma output and without it things go pretty bad absorption wise. 
Again with the Escitalopram sometimes it’s bad a few hours after but it can also be bad in the evening but a relatively ok morning. It seems to be a bit unpredictable tbh.

4 hours ago, getofflex said:

Hang in there, we will help you figure out what is going on, and straighten this out.

Thank you it’s really appreciated I really cannot thank everyone enough.
 

I shall update my Journal in the morning for today. 

 

Thanks…
 

 

[MindBender]

1 hour ago, Tulip52 said:

Mindbinder, I can share with you that since I started tapering again in November I suddenly could no longer tolerate supplements that I have taken for years and caffeine.  I had to completely quit both and while I still have my anxious/depressed moods they are not near what they were.

It’s mad that it can cause this especially things that have been done or the same for years. 
 

Tbh all I want is a Time Machine to 2016 so I can say “You know what doc I’ll give them a miss” I’m sure everyone on here feels the same.

[Altostrata]

Hello, @MindBender Please continue to post daily notes. They help us see what the drugs are doing. 

 

Why do you take loperamide at the same times as other drugs? This can increase drug-drug interactions. Please put ALL your drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic.

[MindBender]

Hi Altostrata thank you for you reply. 
 

I take loperamide before food and sleep to slow down gut mobility as I have a stoma and no large intestine (ileostomy). I take one upon waking, one before lunch, one before dinner and one before bed.
 

Here is a link to the drug checker report. To note the Salofalk is a suppository. I had an ECG a few weeks back which showed no abnormalities. 

 

https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=1013-0,1482-0,1640-0,2336-5005

 

I shall upload my daily notes shortly.

 

Much appreciated 

 

 

[MindBender]

Daily notes 3 feb

 

06:30 Wake doze until 07:00

07:00 2mg Loperamide, 2.5mg 1/4 tab Escitalopram, banana

07:30 Feel Jittery, mild anxiety, hot after shower, gurgling guts

09:00 Breakfast porridge, 1/2 multivitamin gummy

10:30 Strong feeling of cannot cope, Anxiety & intrusive thoughts

11:00 calmed a little, mild headache

11:30 Loperamide 2mg 

12:00 Lunch de caffe tea

13:00 Headache 

15:00 Anxiety feel hot, headache

17:00 Loperamide 2mg

18:00 Dinner, 1/2 cup normal tea headache improved

19:00 Read book, headache mild

20:00 Felt ok meditated, Snack

22:00 2mg Loperamide, 3.75mg 1/4 tab Mirtazapine 

22:30 Bed feel relaxed

23:30 Sleep

 

Thanks.

[getofflex]

17 hours ago, MindBender said:

I think tbh it has both helped but also caused a few issues too.

I still am unclear on whether this reinstatement has helped you, or not.  In just one word, overall, do you feel better or worse since reinstating?  It's a multiple choice question, not an essay question.  

 

Do please continue to post notes, and try to see if you can discern any patterns. It's especially important for you to determine if you feel worse in the several hours after you take your drugs.  It may be that you reinstated to too high of a dose of escitalopram.  

17 hours ago, MindBender said:

Tbh I’m not sure the anxiety spikes seem random to me. Sometimes I have felt ok ish in the morning but then rough in the afternoon. Sometimes the other way round.

 

In this case, you may just be experiencing withdrawal, and not an adverse reaction.  Keep doing your daily notes, just to be sure. 

 

[MindBender]

57 minutes ago, getofflex said:

I still am unclear on whether this reinstatement has helped you, or not.  In just one word, overall, do you feel better or worse since reinstating?  It's a multiple choice question, not an essay question.  

Better…. But only just I think.

 

Sorry I’m finding it hard to work out what is withdrawal, reinstatement reaction, sensitivity or just original anxiety.  Again sorry.

 

57 minutes ago, getofflex said:

Do please continue to post notes, and try to see if you can discern any patterns. It's especially important for you to determine if you feel worse in the several hours after you take your drugs.  It may be that you reinstated to too high of a dose of escitalopram.  

I will do I have been keeping notes and shall update when each day is complete. 
 

Are there any specifics to look out for that would indicate an adverse reaction ? I understand timing and I feel pretty terrible sometimes I’m struggling to know what to look for if I’m honest. 
 

Once again thank you for your help and apologies if I’m not being very clear. I’m still learning and tbh finding it very overwhelming at times. We do as the Dr says as we trust them but it seems they can be so wrong.
 

 

[Altostrata]

Not a problem, thanks for the notes. Please show the milligrams of the drug, we don't know what "1/4 tab" means.

 

You can see the potential drug-drug interactions. While there's a medical reason for you to take loperamide on that schedule, there is no medical reason for you to take the other drugs with loperamide. Can you figure out a way to separate your drugs so we can see which is causing an adverse reaction, such as "Feel Jittery, mild anxiety, hot after shower, gurgling guts" followed by "Strong feeling of cannot cope, Anxiety & intrusive thoughts"?

[MindBender]

Thanks for the reply Altostrata. Will show mg as advised.

 

The reason I take the loperamide at the same time is I tend to pass things through quite quickly and can have absorption issues I have passed some tablets through still whole in the past. I understand having a stoma and no large intestine makes this more complicated. 
 

The interactions between loperamide, Escitalopram and Mirtazapine say that using excessive amounts of Loperamide can cause heart issues I’m only taking the minimum amount of Loperamide to control gut transit times and aid absorption of minerals and food.
 

I can take the Escitalopram later in the morning but as my gut transit times are far greater outside the 1 hour or so window the loperamide works I risk possible absorption problems. 
 

Hope this makes sense and apologies it makes things a bit complicated. 
 

 

[MindBender]

Daily notes 4th Feb

 

07:00 2mg Loperamide, 2.5mg Escitalopram, Banana, Doze until 09:30

09:30 decaffeinate tea

10:00 Breakfast porridge, 1/2 multivitamin gummy

10:30 Mild Anxiety

11:00 Shower, Anxiety raised a little

12:00 2mg Loperamide 

12:15 Mild headache

12:30 Lunch, 1/2 cup normal tea

12:45 Feel ok reading book

13:45 Mild headache, Dog walk

14:45 Feel Anxious, intrusive thoughts

15:00 Mild Anxiety

17:00 Feel ok almost normal, 2mg Loperamide 

18:00 Dinner

22:00 Felt ok since 17:00 

22:30 2mg Loperamide, 3.75mg Mirtazapine, Bed.

 

 

A much better day especially after 5pm when I felt about %90 normal.

 

[MindBender]

I have noticed that being hot seems to affect my anxiety. Could explain why after a shower I generally feel worse. If I’m hot it seems to increase the anxiety feeling. 
 

 

[getofflex]

Just from the 2 days of notes I've seen so far, I don't see much evidence you are having an adverse reaction to Lexapro.  Excellent job on the notes, by the way.  Please continue to do these.  Thanks for clarifying that the reinstatement helped some.  No worries, I understand you are dealing with quite a lot right now, and it's difficult to parse all this out.  As far as what to look for with an adverse reaction, just note any worsening of any symptoms in the several hours after you take your drug.  

 

What day in Jan 2023 did you start the reinstatement of escitalopram 1.25, and what specific day did you increase this to 2.5 mg?  Please put this in your signature, thank you.  

[MindBender]

Ok that’s good to hear thanks. I shall continue the daily notes as requested. 
 

1 hour ago, getofflex said:

What day in Jan 2023 did you start the reinstatement of escitalopram 1.25, and what specific day did you increase this to 2.5 mg?  Please put this in your signature, thank you.  

I started 1.25mg on the 1st of Jan and increased to 2.5mg on the 8th Jan on advice from the Dr to increase every 7 days. I have updated my signature to show this information. 
 

Much appreciated.

 

 

[Altostrata]

12 hours ago, MindBender said:

The interactions between loperamide, Escitalopram and Mirtazapine say that using excessive amounts of Loperamide can cause heart issues

 

Large doses of loperamide can cause these severe problems, but this shows there is an interaction and you might have lesser problems that are nonetheless uncomfortable. Please do continue your daily notes.

[MindBender]

9 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Large doses of loperamide can cause these severe problems, but this shows there is an interaction and you might have lesser problems that are nonetheless uncomfortable. Please do continue your daily notes.

Understood I shall continue the notes and see if this is a problem if so I will try and space the Escitalopram and Loperamide out as much as I can.

 

Thanks

[MindBender]

Daily notes 5th Feb

 

07:00 2mg Loperamide, 2.5mg Escitalopram, banana, Doze until 10:00

10:00 Breakfast porridge, decaffeinate tea

11:00 Shower

11:30 Feel but fatigued, mild headache

12:15 Slight Anxiety

12:20 2mg Loperamide 

12:30 Lunch, 1/2 cup Normal tea

13:00 Anxiety raised slightly

14:00 Feel relaxed, slight fatigue

14:30 decaffeinated tea, feel good

16:00 feel ok slightly fatigued

17:00 2mg Loperamide

17:30 Dinner

18:00 Anxiety & stomach gurgles, mild headache

19:00 Feel ok, snack

22:00 2mg Loperamide

22:30 3.75mg mirtazapine 

22:30 Bed.

 

 

Thanks.

[Altostrata]

Does anxiety increase after every loperamide dose? Is anxiety among adverse effects of loperamide?

[MindBender]

2 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Does anxiety increase after every loperamide dose? Is anxiety among adverse effects of loperamide?

I don’t think so as there have been times I take it and not had anxiety after. I think my Anxiety spikes during the day at times and as I take Loperamide regularly during the day it might seem that way. 
 

Anxiety is not listed as an adverse effect  or side effect of loperamide it does not cross the blood brain barrier unless large amounts are taken 40mg+ a day from what I have read.

Thanks

[MindBender]

Daily notes 6th Feb

 

07:00 2mg Loperamide, 2.5mg Escitalopram, banana doze until 08:00

08:00 get up, Loose output in stoma bag

09:15 Shower

09:30 Breakfast porridge, 1/2 multivitamin gummy, decaffeinate tea

10:00 Feel hot, Anxiety as Son has cold

11:00 Feel ok

12:00 2mg Loperamide 

12:30 Lunch, 1/2 cup normal tea

13:15 Feel ok, Mild fatigue

16:00 Mild Anxiety, Mild headache

17:00 Feel ok

17:30 2mg Loperamide 

18:00 Dinner

19:00 Mild Headache, Feel a bit Anxious

20:00 Feel ok 

22:00 2mg Loperamide, 3.75mg Mirtazapine 

22:30 Bed

 

Thanks.

 

 

[getofflex]

It sounds to me as if your withdrawal symptoms are minor at this point in time.  How is your sleeping?  Assuming your sleep is OK,  If it were me, I would continue on the current drug regimen for a couple more weeks, and if you feel stable during this time, you could make a 10% cut of your escitalopram.  This link explains what we mean by stability.  

 

Stability

[Altostrata]

It seems you get a headache or something a few hours after you take loperamide. We need to note this, we don't want to mistake this for a withdrawal symptom.

[MindBender]

19 hours ago, getofflex said:

It sounds to me as if your withdrawal symptoms are minor at this point in time.  How is your sleeping?  Assuming your sleep is OK,  If it were me, I would continue on the current drug regimen for a couple more weeks, and if you feel stable during this time, you could make a 10% cut of your escitalopram.  This link explains what we mean by stability.  
 

 

Ok I think it has levelled out somewhat although the Anxiety can still creep up sometimes. Sleep is ok at the moment. Sticking as I am for 2 weeks sounds good and will then look at reducing the Escitalopram if everything remains ok ish. 
 

Thanks for the link. 

[MindBender]

2 hours ago, Altostrata said:

It seems you get a headache or something a few hours after you take loperamide. We need to note this, we don't want to mistake this for a withdrawal symptom.

Ok no problem. I was taking Loperamide at the same dose before I quit the Escitalopram for over a year without issue but I suppose things are different now and I could be far more sensitive to everything. 
 

Thanks

[MindBender]

Daily notes 7th Feb

 

07:00 2mg Loperamide, 2.5mg Escitalopram, Banana

08:00 Get up feel ok

09:00 Shower

09:30 Breakfast porridge, 1/2 multivitamin gummy

11:00 Mild Anxiety

11:30 decaffeinate tea

12:00 2mg loperamide 

12:30 Lunch, 1/2 cup normal tea

13:00 Walk with dog, Mild headache

15:00 feel ok

16:00 Feel Anxious, Head pressure comes & goes

17:00 2mg Loperamide 

17:30 dinner

18:00 Mild headache, Fatigue, Loose stoma output

19:00 Feel ok 

22:00 2mg Loperamide, 3.75mg Mirtazapine

22:30 Bed

00:00 Sleep took a while to fall asleep

 

Thanks