LaFlem Lexapro - Cold Turkey - Stuck In A Nightmare

[LaFlem]

Hello,

 

I wanted to share my story in hopes that it may help someone else now or in the future just as many have shared their stories and helped me better understand protracted withdrawal.

 

I began taking Citalopram in 2016 for social anxiety and depression.  I was told that there was a chemical imbalance in my brain and that this drug would correct it.

 

Initially, the drug made me extremely happy and I didn’t question it.

 

In the next year, the efficacy of the drug wasn’t as high so my doctor switched me to Escitalopram. A few years later, I increased to 20mg.

 

I decided to stop taking the drug because of erectile dysfunction, low libido, and emotional blunting. 

 

In my first attempt to quit in Feb of 2022, I did a fast taper, over 2 weeks roughly, down to 0mg.

 

It was going well up until I was getting ready to start a new job in Aug of 2022. My anxiety was extremely high after a recent Fourth of July party and I began having tension headaches that wouldn’t go away. I felt like the only way to cope and make it through starting a new job was to resume taking the medication. 
 

Upon reinstatement, within 1-2 days, I felt immediate relief of the headaches and my relentless anxiety began to dissipate. 
 

I started the new job, began feeling better physically/emotionally, and comfortable with the job duties/people I was working with.

 

In Nov of 2022, I was ready to try quitting again and this time I did it cold turkey. I was mad that I gave up so much recovery time by reinstating and wanted to get started on recovery as fast as possible irregardless of the potential withdrawal effects. My knowledge of potential length of withdrawal and severity of symptoms was sparse and I felt I could tough through it after going through it the first time.

 

Boy was I wrong. This time was much, much different. A few days after stopping cold turkey, I was hit with what I thought was a really bad cold/flu. It was the worst sickness I had ever endured.

 

I began to wonder if it was related to discontinuing my antidepressant so I did some research and confirmed that this was likely the case.

 

Over the next few weeks/months, I began to not feel emotionally numb but at the consequence of debilitating anxiety, depression, and irritability. The first physical symptoms I noticed were a swollen eyelid, dry skin on eyelid, and dry lips.

 

Two months after stopping, I began to have diarrhea with blood that wouldn’t go away. I was concerned so I saw my GP who referred me to a Gastroenterologist. They conducted a colonoscopy and found inflammation in the colon so I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. 
 

I told my doctor about my history of antidepressants and thought it could be correlated to stopping my medication which increases Serotonin levels in the body. It made sense to me because Serotonin is mainly made in the gut. My doctor dismissed me and told me that I should go the Mayo Clinic for a second evaluation if I didn’t agree.

 

They prescribed me Mesalamine to help with inflammation in the colon. I took the medication for a couple of months as I still was unsure what was happening in my body. I have now discontinued this medication because of my experience with prescriptions/side effects and I still question the validity of the diagnosis.

 

While I was having GI issues, I was also dealing with chronic daily headaches that wouldn’t go away. This has been my most debilitating symptom and still is to date.
 

Other notable symptoms, body aches, muscle cramps, fatigue, cognitive impairment, difficulty communicating, anxiety, depression, intrusive thoughts, and difficulty sleeping.

 

I assumed the headache and GI issues were protracted withdrawal symptoms. However, I was going to bed/waking up every day with debilitating headaches and couldn’t wait to see if it resolved with time. There’s been a doubt in the back of my head saying “what if you wait years for it to subside but nothing changes.” I would kick myself knowing that I didn’t try to do what I could to help my situation and pain.

These headaches are best characterized as Occiptital Neuralagia and starts at the back of the skull, radiates up to the top of the head, and also on one side of the head around the left ear and around the left eye, between eyebrows, down through cheek, and into neck. It generally is most painful behind the left ear and is a stabbing, burning, dull ache that won’t away. It tends to get worse as the day goes on. This is my experience and it could be more painful for others in other areas of the head. It took a lot of time, awareness, and understanding of the nervous system to get to this diagnosis of my headaches.

 

Before this, I was committed to researching and looking at every possible solution to alleviate the head pain. I started with a neurologist where he took an MRI of the head which looked fine. He recommended taking an anticonvulsant to help the CNS calm down. The drug prescribed was Topamax. I researched the drug and its user reviews and just knew that this wasn’t something I was going to do.

 

I competed a sleep study as I felt the headaches, fatigue, and cognitive impairments could be related to poor sleep. I had 10 “events” per hour which basically means your breathing stops. They diagnosed it as mild sleep apnea and prescribed a CPAP. I’m a fit, 30 year old, so it stunned me that I was being told I have sleep apnea. 
 

I tried the CPAP for over a month and saw no improvement in my headache, fatigue, brain fog, and emotional well being.

 

I have a water damaged home so I took a Myocotoxin test to check for mold toxicity and that came back negative.

 

Next, I visited a craniofacial specialist who specializes in TMD. I had TMJ popping, pain behind my ear, and headaches so I wanted to see if I got any relief from treatment. They gave me steroid and lidocaine injections throughout the shoulders necks and head with no relief. Additionally, I was given day and night bite splint appliances to take pressure off of the TMJ joint. I’ve worn these for a couple of months with no relief. 
 

The craniofacial specialist took a CT scan and noticed that I had a deviated septum. She referred me to an ENT for evaluation as nasal blockages can cause headaches and be a contributor towards TMD.

 

Last week, I underwent surgery for Septoplasty, Turbinate Reduction, and Adenoidectomy. I was really hoping that this was the cause of my headaches and ear ache but so far I haven’t seen any improvement. I was in his top 10 worst septum’s operated on over his 25 years. He told me to give it a few weeks until it’s healed to see if my headaches let up.
 

Post surgery, I had to take an antibiotic. At this point, I’m 11 months off of Escitalopram and have noticed that I have an extremely sensitive stomach. Earning processed foods, grains, dairy, sugar, and alcohol all seem to upset it. I’m still not positive if it’s due to Ulcerative Colitis or discontinuing the antidepressant. I hadn’t had any diarrhea or blood since my initial UC diagnosis in March of 2023 up until last week when I had to take the antibiotic. It brought all of those symptoms back.

 

I’ve become a hypochondriac and just want to have control over my health but it seems I can’t. After visiting various doctors to look for answers, I continue to land back at my initial assumption which is protracted withdrawal. 
 

This is my fault for not doing my research and quitting cold turkey. I want to share my story for input from others on what they think is going on and to help others to not make the mistake I did if this is protracted withdrawal. It’s like being stuck in your worst nightmare and it doesn’t feel like reality. I wouldn’t wish this pain upon my worst enemy. 
 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

Welcome. @LaFlem

 

It could be that your health problems started with cold turkey. It's possible that you have protracted withdrawal from going off your antidepressant in November 2022. It's also possible that you have ulcerative colitis or other ailments.

 

Aside from the gut issues, what are your most prominent symptoms now? How has your symptom pattern changed in the last 4 months?

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

 

[LaFlem]

Thanks for your response, @Altostrata.  I've added my drug and withdrawal history to my signature. 

 

Headaches, mental fatigue, and pretty high levels of anxiety, OCD about symptoms, intrusive thoughts, upset stomach, are the most common symptoms.  

 

I think the intensity of all of these symptoms has decreased a little but it's hard to say really.

 

Have you ever heard of someone who had a chronic daily headache that wouldn't go away after stopping cold turkey?  When I look at the physical symptoms, it seems bizarre to me that I develop UC a few months after stopping and have also developed a headache that I can't get rid of.  I'm continuing to wear a TMJ appliance and going to see a chiro for some neck adjustments to see if either help with the headaches.  

 

I've also thought about re-instating because I'm not sure what's happening and I'm afraid that I will be stuck with these symptoms for a very long time or indefinitely.  I don't know if that would be wise though after being off the drug so long though.  It's a tough spot to be in right now. 

 

Any advice is appreciated.  Thank you for taking the time to help.

[andy96gr]

Hello @LaFlem,I have almost the same history as you and same symptoms as you.It is very difficult to handle this situation but the best we can do is let time heal and try not to stress out very much as this slows down the process of healing.I thing  we can go through this,we have seen people 20years+ in these drugs after doing CT of cocktail drugs,so  I think we can do it to. Just a little faith and maybe day by day things will be better.Time is a very difficult word for us now but is the only weapon te leave this hell of srri.Stay strong!

#andy96gr

[Altostrata]

On 10/2/2023 at 6:42 PM, LaFlem said:

Have you ever heard of someone who had a chronic daily headache that wouldn't go away after stopping cold turkey? 

 

Cold turkey is very well known for causing severe and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms of every type. Please see

 

Migraines, Headaches, Neck Ache and Head Pressure

 

Facial tics, jaw, tongue muscle tension and pain, bruxism, teeth clenching, TMJ 

 

and other topics about symptoms here and elsewhere in the Symptoms and Self-Care forum

What is withdrawal syndrome? 
 
About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms 
 
The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

[LaFlem]

@andy96gr @Altostrata so get this. I’ve been having headaches, fatigue, and stomach issues for nearly the last year. I think they’re caused by Histamine Intolerance. Today is day one of eating foods low in Histamine and it’s the best I’ve felt in a long time. Going to keep trying a low histamine diet and also ordered a probiotic with bacteria strains that are known to help with histamine intolerance. I also ordered Quercetin and Vitamin C which are said to help.

[LaFlem]

I think antidepressants somehow affect histamine and DAO in the gut. It’s all about healing the gut. The brain gut connection is huge and when your gut is off it can cause lots of problems.

[LaFlem]

Forgot to mention that anxiety is much better, energy levels are good, seem to handle stress better and not be so irritable 

[LaFlem]

I’ve been eating a pretty consistent diet as of recently which is what actually led me to this assumption. I was eating a smoothie in the morning every day of 3 bananas, 1 avocado, 1 pint of blueberries, 2 tablespoons cacao powder, and coconut milk. I was trying to eat lots of prebiotics, probiotics, and anti-inflammatory foods to fix the dysbiosis in the gut. However, this only gave me diarrhea. I later discovered that while this is considered healthy most of the foods are high in histamine.

[LaFlem]

The last time I had diarrhea and bloody stool was in Feb of 2023 when I was diagnosed with colitis. The diet I was eating leading up to that was also fixed. I was meal prepping for the entire week. Left overs are high in histamine no matter the food type. Additionally, I was eating an avocado every day. I also had puffy and itchy eyelids with dry skin on my eyelids during that period. That same symptom came back when I was eating the smoothie that was high in histamine.

[Altostrata]

We've seen histamine intolerance in antidepressant withdrawal before. See 

 

 

Elimination or exclusion diets for reactions to food (food intolerance)

 

Histamine intolerance

[LaFlem]

@Altostrata I started taking high doses of vitamins A, B2, B12, C, D, Zinc, and K2. It seems to help reduce the intensity of my headache a lot. I had also started taking Quercetin to try to help heal my gut. I found a post on here from @brassmonkey a while back about staying clear of Quercetin because of its effects on serotonin. I took it for about 2 days before seeing that post and I felt really good. As if I had reverted back to pre medication. I know combining Quercetin and Vitamin C make it more potent. My energy was really good, anxiety pretty low, good mood, no brain fog. I initially bought Quercetin to try to heal my gut because it’s pretty bad right now. I’m also waiting on glutamine and planned to combine to combine the two as I heard these two supplements are great at healing the gut. Im currently 12 months off Lexapro and my symptoms all seem to stem from gut health. I’m wondering if you have any input on trialing Quercetin and Glutamine. I don’t want to set my self back but I also want to heal.

[LaFlem]

I ordered these two products from Amy Meyers to help try to fix my gut. 

Glutamine powder:

https://www.amymyersmd.com/products/leaky-gut-revive

Digestive Enzymes:

https://www.amymyersmd.com/products/complete-enzymes
 

I purchased this collagen powder but also have some concerns.

 

https://ancientnutrition.com/products/multi-collagen-gut-restore-lemon-ginger?variant=19976518631494&em_source=google&em_adid=&em_campaign=15459479231&em_keyword=&utm_term=em:google::15459479231:&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2Ob_0_f2gQMVo_DjBx2cyAMqEAQYAyABEgJAIvD_BwE

 

I found that most collagen products contain lots of heavy metals. Also, collagen depletes tryptophan which is the precursor to serotonin. It can worsen mood.
 

It’s really frustrating to hear about all these supplements that can heal the gut but seem to contradict what I’m trying to achieve.

 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

Good to hear you're doing well with the supplements. Suggest you add only a little bit of one at a time to see what it does.

[LaFlem]

Appreciate the advice to add one at a time. I was previously taking high levels of B2 and B12 and I think they were actually making my headache worse. I seem to be doing pretty well with Vitamin A, C, D, K2, Zinc, Fish Oil, probiotics, and magnesium.

 

I’ve been doing a lot of research on how Amy Myers teaches to naturally heal the gut as I feel my headache, fatigue, low mood, irritability, and brain fog are all related to gut issues.
 

She recommends eliminating all toxic (sugar, tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, processed foods) and inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, legumes, nightshades, eggs, corn, soy, citrus) to heal and reverse auto immune diseases. Foods ok to consume are high quality meat (grass fed/naturally raised), fish, leafy greens, and organic fruits/vegetables. 
 

I’ll be starting the Amy Myers Way next week. I’m also waiting on a few other supplements that she recommends to take to help with leaky gut and healing autoimmunity. These are Glutamine, Glutathione, Betanine and HCL, Digestive Enzymes, and Liver Support. I’ll be trying to add these slowly and listening to my body as much as I want to start adding them in faster. 
 

I also ordered a supplement sold by Amy called Adrenal Support. The reason I ordered this supplement is I’ve felt my body has been stuck in fight or flight and I believe I have adrenal fatigue.

 

I’ve also been drinking a lot of bone broths, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice to help with inflammation and gut healing.

 

I will keep you posted on how this goes over the next few months. Fingers crossed!

[LaFlem]

@andy96gr hope you’re doing well buddy!

[LaFlem]

I stopped the Quercetin because @brassmonkey mentioned it interacted with Serotonin. When I took it I felt a huge relief of anxiety so I don’t want to mess around with a supplement that has any effect on serotonin while I’m healing. Quercetin also inhibits thyroid hormone production and I’ve had Thyroid panels done over the past year on the verge of hypothyroidism but not quite high enough levels to clinically diagnose it. Between serotonin and thyroid interactions, even though it may help with fighting inflammation/free radicals and healing the gut, I just don’t want to risk it. Especially since there are alternative options to healing the gut like Glutamine.

[LaFlem]

I took a CBH Energetics test using my hair and saliva. I just received the results and have attached them for reference. The systems under stress are pretty spot on. It also seems like all these systems are affected by a prescription drug like an antidepressant.

 

 

CBH Energetics Results.pdf

[LaFlem]

I’m going to follow the Amy Myers autoimmunity plan to help heal thyroid and digestive issues. After that, if I see positive results, I plan to de-toxify the bacteria, virus, parasites, and mold.

[Altostrata]

6 hours ago, LaFlem said:

I stopped the Quercetin because @brassmonkey mentioned it interacted with Serotonin.

 

With all due respect to brassmonkey, this is not a thing. Quercetin isn't for everyone, though.

 

6 hours ago, LaFlem said:

I was previously taking high levels of B2 and B12 and I think they were actually making my headache worse.

 

We advise against taking high doses of B vitamins.

 

5 hours ago, LaFlem said:

I’m going to follow the Amy Myers autoimmunity plan to help heal thyroid and digestive issues.

 

This may or may not be helpful for you.

 

5 hours ago, LaFlem said:

After that, if I see positive results, I plan to de-toxify the bacteria, virus, parasites, and mold.

 

These factors are not responsible for withdrawal syndrome from having cold-turkeyed escitalopram and if you currently still have withdrawal syndrome, detox programs could make it worse. 

 

It might be better for you to try fewer naturopathic remedies rather than more.

[LaFlem]

Appreciate your guidance Alto. Do you have any knowledge on whether an antidepressant like Escitalopram would affect thyroid levels and discontinuing it could potentially cause low thyroid levels signaling hypothyroidism? I’m curious if it could be related or a separate condition I’m dealing with.

[Altostrata]

It's possible 6 years of SSRIs affected your thyroid, according to this paper https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10195165/

[andy96gr]

On 10/18/2023 at 9:25 PM, LaFlem said:

 hope you’re doing well buddy!

Thaku you LaFlem I'm not doing very well.How are you doing?How is your diet going?

[LaFlem]

I’m not doing too great myself. My headache intensity and emotional state seem to have improved over the last few months since I focused on eating a healthy organic diet.

 

I still struggle each day with anxiety, chronic fatigue, brain fog, anhedonia, DP/DR, difficulty communicating, stomach pain/digestive issues. 
 

I took an antibiotic back in September after getting surgery and it sent my colitis back into a flare. 
 

I tried to get it into remission naturally with diet but to no avail. In December, I started taking Balsalazide and it has helped with the gut symptoms.

 

However, it’s a catch 22. The medication calms my flare but is too stimulating on my nervous system. I get extremely anxious, worsening of brain fog, and worsening of my headache. I find it difficult to interact in this state. It’s a short lasting medication that needs to be taken three times a day.

 

I’m planning to take some tests with a functional doctor and get his advice. I am concerned with their treatment method though as they tend to recommend supplements to heal which all seem too stimulating at this point in my recovery.

 

It’s a really hard decision on what to do. Take my colitis medication and supplements or to not. I know he’ll probably recommend a SIBO detox or something around those lines and that scares me. But I may need to do it to help my gut heal.

 

I’m a few days off my colitis medication and I feel much calmer and can think clearly. However, my colitis symptoms seem to come roaring back.

 

I want to follow the guidance of the group which is to limit supplements in PAWS to let the nervous system heal. However, it seems like I may not have the option. Do I just battle through the adverse effects that the supplements have on my nervous system since they will help with whatever conditions my body is struggling with?

 

Life is just a battle right now. Go to work because I need money to live. Cook food. Come home and go straight to my room. Sleep. Repeat.

 

I don’t want to be around people because I don’t have the energy for interaction and it just adds stress. I prefer to self isolate and focus on relaxing to try to recover. It’s lonely but what I feel need. Sadly, I’d prefer to be alone than with anyone even family.
 

 

 

 

[LaFlem]

@Altostrata if I need to take medication for autoimmune disease, do you believe this will delay the healing process of the nervous system? 

[LaFlem]

Additionally, do you feel a SIBO detox could do more harm than good in PAWS? Considering I have colitis I suspect the doc will recommend a detox/supplement regimen after testing. I’m trying to decide if I battle through the side effects of the supplements. Unfortunately, I don’t know how long it will be until I’m out of PAWS. My thought is that following the recommendation of the doctor to supplement/detox will likely help my body function better and lessen the stress on my immune system and body overall. However, it will be very uncomfortable/overwhelming to my nervous system and I’ll struggle with anxiety, brain fog, and my headache getting more intense. I’m not sure if I should wait 2-3 years to begin working with a functional doctor. I feel like the oxidative stress will pile up if I wait and I won’t heal. 

[Altostrata]

If drug treatment is necessary for a medical condition, you must discuss risks and benefits with your doctor and make your decision for what's best for your physical survival.

 

46 minutes ago, LaFlem said:

Considering I have colitis I suspect the doc will recommend a detox/supplement regimen after testing.

 

Have you been thoroughly examined by a medical doctor? Have you rejected medical treatment? Are you talking to a naturopath? You have the choice whether to take the supplements.

 

You are going to need to work much closer with your doctors for your medical conditions. The outcome of their treatments is their responsibility. We do not provide counseling for general medicine issues here. I am stepping away from my role on this site and will not continue to provide counseling. Best wishes to you in the new year.

[Farm24]

On 1/1/2024 at 5:29 PM, LaFlem said:

Additionally, do you feel a SIBO detox could do more harm than good in PAWS? Considering I have colitis I suspect the doc will recommend a detox/supplement regimen after testing. I’m trying to decide if I battle through the side effects of the supplements. Unfortunately, I don’t know how long it will be until I’m out of PAWS. My thought is that following the recommendation of the doctor to supplement/detox will likely help my body function better and lessen the stress on my immune system and body overall. However, it will be very uncomfortable/overwhelming to my nervous system and I’ll struggle with anxiety, brain fog, and my headache getting more intense. I’m not sure if I should wait 2-3 years to begin working with a functional doctor. I feel like the oxidative stress will pile up if I wait and I won’t heal. 

Just wondering if you had an update for us and how you are doing?

[LaFlem]

@Farm24 I’m doing a lot better than earlier this year. I went off all supplements and have seen a big improvement. I realized that the colitis was being caused by the supplements. My stomach and nervous system couldn’t handle them and it caused colitis like symptoms. I’m still in protracted withdrawal and have an extremely sensitive nervous system. My cognitive function and ability to deal with stress is slowly improving. I still can’t feel many positive emotions and have had to work through withdrawal the last two years but it seems I’m through the worst of it as long as I watch what I eat and drink. I’ve had a hard time functioning and communicating at work in withdrawal but am seeing those improve. I started consuming a diet higher in folate and magnesium this past month and I’ve seen some positive changes. My brain function seems to have improved and I’m much calmer. I did try a very small dose of methyl-folate for a couple of days and felt amazing until it wore off. I suffered for 24 hours as my head started throbbing and I had a hard time functioning. I think that’s my body’s way of telling me that I pushed it too far. Anyways, I’ve still got a lot of progress to go but have seen significant improvement the last 6 months eating a Whole Foods diet that’s low in sugar. How has your Lexapro withdrawal been the last year or so?

[Farm24]

3 hours ago, LaFlem said:

@Farm24 I’m doing a lot better than earlier this year. I went off all supplements and have seen a big improvement. I realized that the colitis was being caused by the supplements. My stomach and nervous system couldn’t handle them and it caused colitis like symptoms. I’m still in protracted withdrawal and have an extremely sensitive nervous system. My cognitive function and ability to deal with stress is slowly improving. I still can’t feel many positive emotions and have had to work through withdrawal the last two years but it seems I’m through the worst of it as long as I watch what I eat and drink. I’ve had a hard time functioning and communicating at work in withdrawal but am seeing those improve. I started consuming a diet higher in folate and magnesium this past month and I’ve seen some positive changes. My brain function seems to have improved and I’m much calmer. I did try a very small dose of methyl-folate for a couple of days and felt amazing until it wore off. I suffered for 24 hours as my head started throbbing and I had a hard time functioning. I think that’s my body’s way of telling me that I pushed it too far. Anyways, I’ve still got a lot of progress to go but have seen significant improvement the last 6 months eating a Whole Foods diet that’s low in sugar. How has your Lexapro withdrawal been the last year or so?

So...in 2021 I had covid and ended up with sepsis. The doc at the er became my GI doc by default.  He told me I had crohns disease and if I didn't take the meds it would devastate my body.  A month later I got a second opinion.  I was taking the same med as you for it.  The doc said...I'm not so sure you have crohns and took me for the med. I don't want to jinx anything but I've been off the med for 3 years. I have check ups every 6 months and no signs of it.  

 

Is your occipital issues better? Mine are driving me insane!  Those muscles just pull

[LaFlem]

It’s been 22 months since I quit Lexapro cold turkey. In the beginning of withdrawal, I was taking multiple supplements trying to combat the symptoms unaware of hypersensitivity. I began to have bloody stools and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after having a colonoscopy completed. I was prescribed balsalazide to combat the inflammation in my colon. I took the prescription for three months. It got rid of the bleeding but it was the worst I had felt since quitting Lexapro. It made me extremely anxious. I decided to discontinue Balsalazide because of the side effects and I was convinced that the colitis was a side effect of quitting Lexapro cold turkey. Fast forward to 11 months into withdrawal and I’m still feeling awful with crippling fatigue, anxiety, and chronic headache. I’m still taking supplements, still have stomach pain, but no bloody stools. I end up getting surgery and put under anesthesia. I was prescribed an antibiotic and a few days after surgery I begin to have bloody stools again. During months 12-16 I committed myself to researching ulcerative colitis and implemented Amy Myer’s autoimmune solution through diet and supplements. I remained in a flare for these four months and could not get rid of the bloody stools. By month 16 I was concerned and decided that I would go back on Balsalazide because diet and supplements weren’t helping. Again, it worked but I was struck with crippling anxiety. I decided to stop the Balsalazide after about a week and eat a carnivore diet as I had heard great things about carnivore healing autoimmune diseases. Carnivore got rid of the bloody stools almost immediately but I still had colon pain. Around this time I began working a functional doctor and took a lot of blood tests to look for nutrient deficiencies, myocotoxins, lymes, SIBO, food sensitivities/allergies, etc. He found high levels of inflammation in my colon. My testosterone was 200 mg/dL which is considered extremely low for a 31 year old male. My thyroid T3 level was 68 ng/dL which is low and my TPO antibodies was 168 IU/mL which is high. I was also extremely deficient in vitamins B2, B3, B9, and a handful of amino acids. Magnesium was tested and it came back normal but it was a serum test which doesn’t give a good picture of magnesium since it’s mainly stored in your bones. My functional doctor wanted me to meet with a hormone specialist to get put on thyroid and testosterone meds as he was really concerned about those. I decided not to do this because of my concerns with withdrawal. I began one week of supplementation with a perfect amino acid and vitamins B2, B3, B9, and B12 at very low doses. My first couple of days went great. I had my energy back and my anxiety was gone. By day 3 though I I developed extreme hip pain and could barely walk. I stopped the supplements and had a very bad reaction for 24 hours. I got the sweats and my small intestine was in immense pain. This was worse than acute withdrawal of Lexapro. Around this time I was very aware of hypersensitivity after finding this forum. From months 16-22 I have stopped all supplements and eaten a well rounded whole foods diet. My colitis has not returned and I’ve seen improvement yet very very slowly. I’m still very fatigued and have nerve dysfunction in my left half of my head. Over the last few weeks I’ve been consuming foods that are higher in folate and magnesium and have felt better than usual. I decided to try magnesium glycinate over the last few days to see how I react. After two days of taking 120 mg I woke up in the middle of the night unable to sleep. I sleep great. I was wired for the next 24 hours and noticed that my nerve dysfunction was pretty much gone. I felt really good and was happier than normal. I was able to exercise again and do a lot more. Lately I’ve felt like I have fibromyalgia. It felt so good to have energy again. I found that magnesium is very important in every cell of the body especially ATP production. After 3 days I started to have colon pain again and so I started to lower the dose to roughly 40mg in the morning and 40mg in the evening. My energy and nerve dysfunction is still much better but I still have the side effect of a painful colon just like I had when I was supplementing last year and caused my colitis. I’m pretty certain my body is extremely deficient in magnesium and needs it to heal. I don’t think eating a magnesium high diet is sufficient to increase my magnesium stores. I’ve seen such a benefit from magnesium supplementation but then I have some bad side effects. I’m concerned that I may be activating my nervous system too much and colitis could return. I’m going to continue to lower my magnesium glycinate dose even further and hopefully my colon settles down.

[LaFlem]

To summarize, the worst of my symptoms at this point in withdrawal are fibromyalgia/brain fog and a chronic headache/nerve dysfunction through my left part of my head. My body needs minerals like magnesium and b vitamins to heal but my nervous system is so sensitive that I can’t tolerate the supplements my body needs to increase them. My descending intestine can’t tolerate nearly every supplement I’ve taken and becomes inflamed. 

[LaFlem]

@Farm24 I’m glad to hear you were able to get off the crohn’s meds. We weren’t meant to take medication for life and I firmly believe that. I wonder what caused your reaction back in 2021??

 

My occipital pain is chronic but less intense. I would consider mine type two trigeminal neuralgia that stems from the left brain stem around the ear. I have seen improvement but it’s very slow.

 

The worst symptom as of late is fibromyalgia, anhedonia, and depersonalization. 
 

I began to test the waters again with supplements. I tried small doses of methyl-folate and magnesium glycinate but my colon pain comes back. Magnesium really activated me and gave me a lot of energy. I actually felt great taking both supplements until I developed some adverse reactions. With both supplements, I felt energized and my nerve dysfunction in my head improved a lot. I’m going to continue to focus on eating Whole Foods with high levels of folate and magnesium in the mean time. Hopefully one day I can tolerate the supplements that my body is so deficient in!

 

Whats your 10 month Lexapro withdrawal been like? You should hopefully have a swifter recovery seeing that you only took it for 3-4 months and then tapered somewhat. I was on Lexapro for 7 years and then cold turkeyed which has been rough to say the least.

[LaFlem]

I’m looking for some advice. I cold turkeyed Lexapro in Oct. 2022 after 7 years of use. It’s been a terrible withdrawal but have seen slow improvement over the past year especially as I began to understand food and supplement triggers. I’m sensitive to all supplements and many foods like fruit/foods with sugar, nuts, and leafy green vegetables that are high in b vitamins. My colon aches whenever I’ve ingested something that’s stimulating. I’ve had a chronic headache around my left ear for two years. The intensity has slowly reduced but will get worse when I consume something stimulating or get stressed. I experience high levels of anxiety and anhedonia which seem to be improving slowly. Mental fatigue was bad in the early days but have slowly improved. I have a difficult time dealing with stress especially with things like communicating at work. I’m 2 years out since the last dose of Lexapro and am worried that I could be looking at a 5+ year recovery timeline of my autonomic nervous system. I’ve read stories like altostrata’s who suffered for years and she tapered.  She used lamotrigine to calm her autonomic nervous system and then did a slow taper off of it. If there’s anyone who has any experience or recommendations I would love to chat. I’m hesitant to get back on another psychotropic but can see the benefits in recovery especially considering I shocked my nervous system with a cold turkey and have seen how slowly I’ve recovered in 2 years. 

[LaFlem]

To clarify, I’m hypersensitive to anything that I eat. I have noticed that I’m more sensitive to the foods I listed because my symptoms get much worse.

[Farm24]

10 hours ago, LaFlem said:

To clarify, I’m hypersensitive to anything that I eat. I have noticed that I’m more sensitive to the foods I listed because my symptoms get much worse.

I'm very hypersensitive too. Do you take any other drugs?  I'm wondering what year Alto tried the Lamotrigine?