agtaylor: Protracted Lexapro withdrawal, hypersensitivity and accidental kindling

[agtaylor]

Hi, I’ve so desperately been awaiting the acceptance of new members. As my title states, I have accidentally kindled myself and am looking for support. I had been on Lexapro 10mg from Sept 2013 - Jan 2023. I was put on it to help my dysautonomia/POTS. It helped for a long time, but in the later years I would have break through “episodes”. Now that I know more about SSRIs from this site, I’m not sure if they were POTS related or breakthrough anxiety from getting to tolerance on the Lexapro. In 2022 I started feeling depression, which was something I had never experienced prior to being on Lexapro. I had always experienced more anxiety. I was also not as loving as I thought I should be towards my kids, so I made the decision to wean myself off in Jan 2023. I thought I had done adequate research and decided on a slow taper that lasted until April 2023, but I now know after finding this site that was still way too quick. I didn’t seem to have any immediate withdrawal symptoms. I do remember the occasional brain zap, not but they would subside before I continued to lower my dose, so I thought I was being careful. I rocked along, managing my waves of anxiety and irritability until July 2023 when the insomnia hit. At the time I was concerned I had other issues going on and didn’t realize it could be protracted withdrawal. When my old go-to’s of magnesium and ashwagandha weren’t working, and were in fact causing the opposite reaction I needed, I had no idea that the Lexapro withdrawal could be causing hypersensitivity. I worked with a naturopath (I have severe trust issues with western medicine, although I’m an RN) to try and correct any underlying problems. She suggested several supplements, which I tried. Some would work for a while and then I would become hypertensive to them or have paradoxical reactions. On Nov. 7th I accepted a full time position at the previous job I had been at and hated due to how stressful it was. The next day I was having a full on meltdown and decided I needed to get back on my Lexapro. I stupidly went to an urgent care and asked for my previous 10mg dose and they gladly gave it to me since I had tolerated it well before. On Nov. 8th I took my first dose before bed (as that’s when I used to take it) and woke up with an intense panic attack. My anxiety had intensified 10 fold the next day and I had akathisia. I decreased to 5mg for the next 3 days thinking it was too much for my system, but it was still too much for my fragile nervous system. It sent my POTS into an awful flare. I couldn’t eat without my heart rate spiking. I stopped it on Nov 12th. In those 4 days I went to a mental health nurse practitioner and she gave me vistaril for the insomnia and Xanax 0.5mg for break through panic. She also wanted to swap me to Paxil, but I was too afraid to try another SSRI. Thank God for the intuition not to try it. I took the vistaril but it made me too groggy the next day and didn’t really help with sleep. I started taking the Xanax at bedtime and it would give me about a 4 hour window of sleep. I took about 20-25 of those before I stopped and threw them away. My health anxiety was back with a vengeance. I went to a new primary doctor on Dec. 5th. He ran a whole bunch of labs that all came back normal and convinced me I really needed to be on the Lexapro. I agreed to try it back at an even lower dose and using the previous manufacture I had used in the past (part of me was convinced I hadn’t tolerated the Lexapro in Nov due to fillers in the pills). I started Lexapro 2.5mg on Dec. 5th around noon. I did ok on it for several days. I was having waves and windows of increased anxiety but was telling myself I just needed to push through it, but on Dec. 10th I determined what I was experiencing was more than just side affects. I was having an adverse reaction - increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, dilated pupils, severe anxiety, weakness. I could barely get off the couch that day. I had to go to my son’s Christmas program that night and almost couldn’t drive. I did, but probably shouldn’t have. The following day my husband and I had a long discussion and decided I needed to stop it. My last dose was on Dec. 10th. On December 12th my heart rate was in the 130s walking around (not sure if that was my POTS flare or withdrawal) and I went to see my cardiologist and was put on propranolol 20mg. Since then I’ve been in hell. My vision is blurry and I’m super sensitive to brightness. I’m dizzy most of the day. I’ve got brain fog and my brain literally hurts when trying to think and multitask. I lost about 15lbs in the time I started the Lexapro back in Nov until now due to nausea and lack of appetite. I’ve started a low histamine diet because my histamine levels are out of control and are making the anxiety worse. Sleep is not as bad as it has been, but it’s still not normal. I wake about every 1.5hrs through the night and don’t feel rested in the morning. I get severe DR/DP sometimes and it scares me to death. I’m supposed to start a new job tomorrow. During all of this I was supposed to work out a notice at my old job, but after calling in for a week I just told them I wouldn’t be able to. I’ve been off work for 3 weeks. I have to young children to care for. I’m just so scared. I don’t know what is withdrawal or what is my POTS flare anymore. I’m supposed to follow up with a dysautonomia specialist near me but I’m afraid they’ll just want to put me on more meds and my nervous system is already super sensitive. Has anyone had a similar story to mine? I haven’t come across any yet on here. I do know I’ve slowly been getting better since I stopped, so I know being off the Lexapro is the answer, but I still struggle with severe waves multiple times a day. If it weren’t for my supportive husband and the grace of God, I don’t know where I’d be. If you’ve read this far, thank you. Any advice or words of wisdom would be much appreciated. 

[LotusRising]

Hi @agtaylor and welcome to SA,

 

I won't bombard you with a bunch of links, since it sounds like you've already done a fair bit of reading on the site.

 

I can tell you that your story is not unusual, in that your nervous system became sensitized to lexapro and reacted adversely when you tried to resume your previous dose. This happened to me as well when I tried to reinstate a small dose of buspar. Unfortunately, I ended up having to taper off a benzo, when it was prescribed to help the symptoms from the reinstatement. It was a disaster. 'm glad you had the foresight to not go this route. 

 

2 hours ago, agtaylor said:

Now that I know more about SSRIs from this site, I’m not sure if they were POTS related or breakthrough anxiety from getting to tolerance on the Lexapro.

 

Was POTS a confirmed diagnosis prior to lexapro? If it was, it would be difficult to know if these symptoms are the result of an underlying condition, or the lexapro WD. I suspect you will get your answer over time, as you move through the waves and windows. However, it wouldn't be unusual to have breakthrough anxiety if you were becoming tolerant to your dose of lexapro. Did you see this link already What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

2 hours ago, agtaylor said:

Thank God for the intuition not to try it.

 

I'm glad you had this intuition too. From what we've seen here, additional drugs often don't help the problem, and instead can make it much worse. 

 

Have you read the thread on dysautonomia? 

Please continue to read through the site and connect with other members. 

 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out and again, welcome.

 

I know this can be a scary time, but there is every reason to believe that you'll return to your prior self  

[Tigz91]

23 hours ago, agtaylor said:

Hi, I’ve so desperately been awaiting the acceptance of new members. As my title states, I have accidentally kindled myself and am looking for support. I had been on Lexapro 10mg from Sept 2013 - Jan 2023. I was put on it to help my dysautonomia/POTS. It helped for a long time, but in the later years I would have break through “episodes”. Now that I know more about SSRIs from this site, I’m not sure if they were POTS related or breakthrough anxiety from getting to tolerance on the Lexapro. In 2022 I started feeling depression, which was something I had never experienced prior to being on Lexapro. I had always experienced more anxiety. I was also not as loving as I thought I should be towards my kids, so I made the decision to wean myself off in Jan 2023. I thought I had done adequate research and decided on a slow taper that lasted until April 2023, but I now know after finding this site that was still way too quick. I didn’t seem to have any immediate withdrawal symptoms. I do remember the occasional brain zap, not but they would subside before I continued to lower my dose, so I thought I was being careful. I rocked along, managing my waves of anxiety and irritability until July 2023 when the insomnia hit. At the time I was concerned I had other issues going on and didn’t realize it could be protracted withdrawal. When my old go-to’s of magnesium and ashwagandha weren’t working, and were in fact causing the opposite reaction I needed, I had no idea that the Lexapro withdrawal could be causing hypersensitivity. I worked with a naturopath (I have severe trust issues with western medicine, although I’m an RN) to try and correct any underlying problems. She suggested several supplements, which I tried. Some would work for a while and then I would become hypertensive to them or have paradoxical reactions. On Nov. 7th I accepted a full time position at the previous job I had been at and hated due to how stressful it was. The next day I was having a full on meltdown and decided I needed to get back on my Lexapro. I stupidly went to an urgent care and asked for my previous 10mg dose and they gladly gave it to me since I had tolerated it well before. On Nov. 8th I took my first dose before bed (as that’s when I used to take it) and woke up with an intense panic attack. My anxiety had intensified 10 fold the next day and I had akathisia. I decreased to 5mg for the next 3 days thinking it was too much for my system, but it was still too much for my fragile nervous system. It sent my POTS into an awful flare. I couldn’t eat without my heart rate spiking. I stopped it on Nov 12th. In those 4 days I went to a mental health nurse practitioner and she gave me vistaril for the insomnia and Xanax 0.5mg for break through panic. She also wanted to swap me to Paxil, but I was too afraid to try another SSRI. Thank God for the intuition not to try it. I took the vistaril but it made me too groggy the next day and didn’t really help with sleep. I started taking the Xanax at bedtime and it would give me about a 4 hour window of sleep. I took about 20-25 of those before I stopped and threw them away. My health anxiety was back with a vengeance. I went to a new primary doctor on Dec. 5th. He ran a whole bunch of labs that all came back normal and convinced me I really needed to be on the Lexapro. I agreed to try it back at an even lower dose and using the previous manufacture I had used in the past (part of me was convinced I hadn’t tolerated the Lexapro in Nov due to fillers in the pills). I started Lexapro 2.5mg on Dec. 5th around noon. I did ok on it for several days. I was having waves and windows of increased anxiety but was telling myself I just needed to push through it, but on Dec. 10th I determined what I was experiencing was more than just side affects. I was having an adverse reaction - increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, dilated pupils, severe anxiety, weakness. I could barely get off the couch that day. I had to go to my son’s Christmas program that night and almost couldn’t drive. I did, but probably shouldn’t have. The following day my husband and I had a long discussion and decided I needed to stop it. My last dose was on Dec. 10th. On December 12th my heart rate was in the 130s walking around (not sure if that was my POTS flare or withdrawal) and I went to see my cardiologist and was put on propranolol 20mg. Since then I’ve been in hell. My vision is blurry and I’m super sensitive to brightness. I’m dizzy most of the day. I’ve got brain fog and my brain literally hurts when trying to think and multitask. I lost about 15lbs in the time I started the Lexapro back in Nov until now due to nausea and lack of appetite. I’ve started a low histamine diet because my histamine levels are out of control and are making the anxiety worse. Sleep is not as bad as it has been, but it’s still not normal. I wake about every 1.5hrs through the night and don’t feel rested in the morning. I get severe DR/DP sometimes and it scares me to death. I’m supposed to start a new job tomorrow. During all of this I was supposed to work out a notice at my old job, but after calling in for a week I just told them I wouldn’t be able to. I’ve been off work for 3 weeks. I have to young children to care for. I’m just so scared. I don’t know what is withdrawal or what is my POTS flare anymore. I’m supposed to follow up with a dysautonomia specialist near me but I’m afraid they’ll just want to put me on more meds and my nervous system is already super sensitive. Has anyone had a similar story to mine? I haven’t come across any yet on here. I do know I’ve slowly been getting better since I stopped, so I know being off the Lexapro is the answer, but I still struggle with severe waves multiple times a day. If it weren’t for my supportive husband and the grace of God, I don’t know where I’d be. If you’ve read this far, thank you. Any advice or words of wisdom would be much appreciated. 

Hi, I’m sorry to hear what you are going through but just wanted to say your story sounds exactly like mine. I was on citalopram for 9 years and went to see my dr to ask for CbT because I felt health anxiety was starting to creep in and instead he just switched my meds no tapers. I was switched to mirtazapine then back to citalopram then to Sertraline because nothing was working and I was in a really bad state. I honestly blame my dr because I didn’t want to swap meds but I had no knowledge of tapering or kindling. It’s 14 months now since I completely stoped the meds and I’m still not in a good place. I have histamine issues and maybe even mcas. I do know pots and mcas go hand in hand. My heart rate is always above 100 and everyday I can feel

it pounding away really hard. I still have major gastro issues as well as loads of other physical symptoms that seem to chop and change. I hope things resolve for you quicker than me, this page and also the antidepressant withdrawal page on Facebook have been really helpful. 

[agtaylor]

It’s been a while since I’ve updated. I’m still struggling daily with anxiety and depression. I’m thinking about reinstating. I would appreciate any advice on that or if I you think at this point, being almost 6 months out, that I should keep pushing forward.

[Celeste1990]

@agtaylor how are you doing? Your story is very similar to mine. I had been on lexapro in the past, attempted to get back on and in doing so triggered an adverse reaction. My main symptom is dizziness. I’m struggling so much 😢

[agtaylor]

Hi @Celeste1990 it’s so funny, I actually posted on your thread earlier today, but with the delay in getting my posts approved by a moderator I don’t think you’ve seen it yet. I’m doing much better than I was when I posted back in January. I’m a little over 5 months out now but still have residual symptoms. The worst being dizziness, visual disturbances, anxiety, depression and DP/DR. I actually just started going to vestibular rehab hoping it might help the dizziness some. I don’t have dizziness coming from my inner ear, but they do think it’s coming from my neck and that the receptors in my neck aren’t communicating correctly with my eyes and ears. I’m not sure I completely buy that, but I’m willing to try anything.

 

I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling so much. I definitely have my moments - usually multiple throughout the day. I’ve just recently started getting back into this group and am accepting that my symptoms are related to the Lexapro. I’ve been on a journey over the last few months going from doctor to doctor trying to figure out if there is some underlying cause, but I’ve been cleared by cardiology, neurology and the dysautonomia specialist. If the vestibular rehab doesn’t help then I guess I’ll just chalk it up to the Lexapro and hope that it’ll heal in time. 

[agtaylor]

I’ve since decided reinstatement is not what I need to do. I had such a bad reaction in Nov/Dec to it, I’m sure I would just kindle myself again. My fear is that my dizziness and DP/DR won’t go away because I had those symptoms prior to starting Lexapro back in 2013. I think the dizziness and DP/DR were related to my anxiety to begin with. The Lexapro actually made them better… 

[Erimus]

1 hour ago, agtaylor said:

I’ve since decided reinstatement is not what I need to do. I had such a bad reaction in Nov/Dec to it, I’m sure I would just kindle myself again. My fear is that my dizziness and DP/DR won’t go away because I had those symptoms prior to starting Lexapro back in 2013. I think the dizziness and DP/DR were related to my anxiety to begin with. The Lexapro actually made them better… 

Anxiety symptoms can become constant when you are in a stressed state. Prior to psychiatric drugs I had constant feelings of dizziness and lightheadedness, these were caused by an accumulation of stress and intense anxiety. Your fear feeds the symptoms and you get stuck in a negative feedback loop.

 

It's called hyperstimulation, and in order to eliminate chronic anxiety symptoms you have to eliminate hyperstimulation. This can be done through 30-90 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing per day. I used to do three spells of 30 minutes, it worked great but unfortunately for me I was inadvertedly making things worse with the introduction of medication.

 

Given you are not on medication, now would be the perfect time to try the deep breathing.

Edited May 21 by Erimus

[agtaylor]

Thank you @Erimus for your feedback. I had been in a good routine of daily meditation a couple months ago and it really did help with the anxiety. I need to get back to doing that and practicing deep breathing. 

[agtaylor]

Does anyone else suffer with a feeling I can only describe as like a decreased level of consciousness? I mean, I guess it’s like brain fog, but it feels like my brain is trying to shut down sometimes. Overstimulation seems to trigger it - lots of noise or busy environments. Sometimes it’s also accompanied by head pressure, dizziness and my eyes feeling “funny” - kind of blurred vision, kind of tight/pain behind them… Part of me wonders if it’s an atypical migraine? I didn’t experience this feeling until about 6 months after my initial taper from Lexapro and then the reinstatement/kindling really kicked it up. Does it sound like a WD symptom? I get up in my head and worry that not all my symptoms can be related to Lexapro WD and that something more sinister is going on - although I did have an MRI of my brain in January and was cleared by a neurologist… when this feeling comes on it also triggers DP/DR and I feel like I’m in a dream and really disconnected from others around me. 

[agtaylor]

This past Tuesday I was started on doxycycline for acne. I *thankfully* haven’t gotten worse from it and have actually been experiencing more windows. My dizziness/visual symptoms have improved significantly over the last couple days.  
 

 https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/28974-sabrina4-doxycycline-is-‘ssri-like’/#comment-638532

 

However, I just found a post on here saying doxycycline can be similar to an SSRI and now I’m wondering if the doxy is easing my WD symptoms and am worried that after I stop this course (on Thursday) that I’ll be hit with a wave again. Initially I thought my windows were due to it being a holiday weekend and not being at work for 3 days (lowering my stress). I’m praying that I don’t have a rebound wave after Thursday 🤞🏻

[Celeste1990]

3 hours ago, agtaylor said:

This past Tuesday I was started on doxycycline for acne. I *thankfully* haven’t gotten worse from it and have actually been experiencing more windows. My dizziness/visual symptoms have improved significantly over the last couple days.  
 

 https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/28974-sabrina4-doxycycline-is-‘ssri-like’/#comment-638532

 

However, I just found a post on here saying doxycycline can be similar to an SSRI and now I’m wondering if the doxy is easing my WD symptoms and am worried that after I stop this course (on Thursday) that I’ll be hit with a wave again. Initially I thought my windows were due to it being a holiday weekend and not being at work for 3 days (lowering my stress). I’m praying that I don’t have a rebound wave after Thursday 🤞🏻

That’s great, agtaylor! Since reinstating lexapro caused an adverse reaction I would GUESS if the doxycycline was going to have an affect it would be similar. So I’m hopeful for you that the doxycycline is unrelated and this is a sign of a window/recovery! ❤️

[agtaylor]

6 minutes ago, Celeste1990 said:

So I’m hopeful for you that the doxycycline is unrelated and this is a sign of a window/recovery! ❤️

Thanks @Celeste1990! I’m hopeful it’s unrelated too because these are the longest/best windows I’ve had this far. I guess we’ll see what happens after I take my last dose on Thursday…

[agtaylor]

My vision/dizziness has been worse today. The worst it’s been in several days. I’m hoping it’s because I’ve started my menstrual cycle and that it’s put me into a wave… when these symptoms increase so do the negative thoughts that something else is wrong with me other than WD. I’ve also been experiencing more jolts/twitching sensations when trying to fall asleep the past few nights which is causing some insomnia. I take my last dose of doxycycline tomorrow and I’m afraid it’s what has been giving me these windows and all will be lost once I stop it. I got home from work early today and instead of meeting my family at the pool, all I did was lay in bed trying to nap, and getting woken up by the zaps. Now I feel like a crappy mom for just wanting to lay in bed instead of interacting with my family. I wonder if I’ll ever feel the sensation of be relaxed ever again. I feel like part of me is always constantly on edge, especially when I’m around my kids. Sorry for all the ramblings, but I just needed to get it out today and figured I might look back at this one day and see how far I’ve come. 

[Celeste1990]

@agtaylor I’m sorry you’re having a rough few days. I really struggle with mom guilt too. It’s also really hard for me to be at places or events where everyone else is happy. I know this isn’t logical (or true) but I look around at all the “normal” families and feel like I’m missing out. Like I’m on the outside looking in. One thing that’s helped me is trying to reframe my thinking by looking towards the future. For example, envisioning a future me who is actually thankful that I went through this because it means I’ll never take the simple things in life for granted ever again. We will enjoy carefree pool days, zoo trips, vacations and much more one day. Just keep pushing through. You got this!

[Tweed9674]

Doxycycline being an antiobiotic, I believe it can sometimes be an issue when in withdrawal.

When I say issue, i'm talking about wave like symptoms.

 

I'm no expert about it, but I don't believe antibiotics are usually linked to windows. Maybe it's where the sleep issues are coming from.

 

Don't be too harsh on yourself. We do the best we can as parents. Withdrawal is no walk in the park.

[agtaylor]

23 minutes ago, Celeste1990 said:

I know this isn’t logical (or true) but I look around at all the “normal” families and feel like I’m missing out. Like I’m on the outside looking in.

I feel that same way often. I think how nice it must be to just be happy and normal. 
 

24 minutes ago, Celeste1990 said:

Just keep pushing through. You got this!

Thank you. I know I’ll get through to the other side, it just seems so hopeless while I’m in it. 

[agtaylor]

3 minutes ago, Tweed9674 said:

Maybe it's where the sleep issues are coming from.

Maybe so. It could be that it’s finally catching up to me. 
 

4 minutes ago, Tweed9674 said:

Don't be too harsh on yourself. We do the best we can as parents.

Thanks for the reminder. I just hope my kids don’t look back one day and only remember their mom who was always crying or irritable. 

[Celeste1990]

Also, have you tried magnesium for the jerks? I take magnesium glycinate before bed and it does seem to help. 

[agtaylor]

2 hours ago, Celeste1990 said:

Also, have you tried magnesium for the jerks? I take magnesium glycinate before bed and it does seem to help. 

I take magnesium threonate in the morning, but a very low dose as I couldn’t tolerate magnesium for a while. I also use magnesium lotion on my feet at bedtime. I was taking some magnesium citrate gummies before bed, and they helped for a while, but then the jerking got worse again. I didn’t take it last night and I slept better… maybe a coincidence or maybe that form of magnesium wasn’t agreeing with me. I haven’t tried glycinate yet. Maybe I’ll try that to see if it helps. 

[agtaylor]

I need advice on what I’m supposed to do if I think I’m having a relapse of old symptoms, not just withdrawal. I was put on Lexapro for severe health anxiety and it helped me for over 10 years. When I decided to come off of it, I don’t know if it wasn’t working as well because I had built up a tolerance or because I was experiencing several life stressors. I understand that my body was in withdrawal, was hypersensitive, and that I kindled myself last November/December when I tried to reinstate at too high of a dose again. But now I’m concerned that all my anxiety that’s has come back is just a relapse. What are my options? It’s been almost 6 months since I stopped Lexapro again. Can I reinstate at 0.5mg? 0.25mg? Try reinstating with citalopram? I’m just at a loss. 

[Tweed9674]

One thing to consider is that anxiety is absolutely a symptom of withdrawal.

I would go as far as say that the majority of us suffer from it at some point.

Anxiety was the first symptom I got when I first reinstated venlafaxine years ago. I now know it was not a relapse but a symptoms of discontinuation the drug.

 

It is not an easy thing to deal with daily but there are ways to cope with it:

 

Breathing exercices

Walking

Having a daily routine

Magnesium

Keeping ourself busy (not just distracted....)

Working on acceptance (see the first two post in here: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/28647-techniques-for-managing-an-adverse-drug-reaction-or-cold-turkey-withdrawal/ )

 

My WD brain is a bit fuzzy at the moment (lol!)... I'm having trouble thinking about how I cope with it myself, but it's pretty much it.

 

About a possible reinstatement, I'm not quite sure. It's been a while since you last took 10mg outside of an attempt at reinstatement and your previous attempts didn't go to well.

I don't know if it's worth a shot, even at a very little dose.

[agtaylor]

12 hours ago, Tweed9674 said:

 

One thing to consider is that anxiety is absolutely a symptom of withdrawal.

 

I know part of my anxiety is definitely withdrawal. But the other part feels like my old anxiety I used to have before I ever got on Lexapro. And that heightened state of anxiety all the time makes me feel dizzy and have DP/DR - which again, can be a part of withdrawal. But I had that with my anxiety before I ever went on Lexapro too. It’s all so confusing to figure out what is withdrawal and what part is me…

 

@Erimus @LotusRising do you or any other moderators have any insight or suggestions about if I’m in relapse vs withdrawal and what my options for reinstatement would be at this point?

[Tweed9674]

I hear you! It is indeed very hard to tell.

 

I tend to believe that what can be explained by withdrawal is withdrawal.

But of course, anxiety also exists oustide of withdrawal and there is no reason to think that it cannot happen to us.

 

That being said, know that even if Lexapro end up not being an option anymore, it is possible to get it under control.

It does require a lot of work and acceptance though.

 

There is a thread about anxiety that might be worth your time! https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/1112-non-drug-techniques-to-cope-with-emotional-symptoms/

 

Take care

Edited June 2 by Tweed9674
added link for the thread about anxiety

[agtaylor]

26 minutes ago, Tweed9674 said:

I hear you! It is indeed very hard to tell.

 

I tend to believe that what can be explained by withdrawal is withdrawal.

But of course, anxiety also exists oustide of withdrawal and there is no reason to think that it cannot happen to us.

 

That being said, know that even if Lexapro end up not being an option anymore, it is possible to get it under control.

It does require a lot of work and acceptance though.

 

There is a thread about anxiety that might be worth your time! https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/forums/topic/1112-non-drug-techniques-to-cope-with-emotional-symptoms/

 

Take care

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to comment on my situation when I know you’re going through your own. 🤍

[Celeste1990]

@agtaylor hello! Just curious if you ended up trying to reinstate? And did your symptoms change at all after coming off the doxycycline? I hope you’re feeling better!

[agtaylor]

1 hour ago, Celeste1990 said:

@agtaylor hello! Just curious if you ended up trying to reinstate? And did your symptoms change at all after coming off the doxycycline? I hope you’re feeling better!

Hey! No, I’ve decided not to reinstate again. I’m so back and forth 🤦🏻‍♀️ I initially felt more moody after stopping the doxycycline, but I was also on my cycle so I don’t know if it was that or hormones, but I’ve been feeling better the past couple days. Thanks for checking on me! I hope you’re doing ok. Any relief from the dizziness?

[Celeste1990]

Glad you’re feeling better! About the reinstatement I’m really not sure either. From what I’ve read it can go either way. If you’re in withdrawals it might help with your symptoms. But also multiple withdrawals and kindlings can sensitize your system and reinstatement can make things worse. I wonder if the doxycycline triggered symptoms (since it’s an antibiotic) and the further you get from that the better you feel. Hoping you continue with an upward trajectory!
 

and I’m feeling ok, thanks for asking! It’s just so frustrating because it feels like every day is the same. No progress, no changes just symptoms. I keep telling myself that maybe the changes are so small and incremental that I’m not noticing it. But it’s really discouraging. 

[agtaylor]

27 minutes ago, Celeste1990 said:

and I’m feeling ok, thanks for asking! It’s just so frustrating because it feels like every day is the same. No progress, no changes just symptoms. I keep telling myself that maybe the changes are so small and incremental that I’m not noticing it. But it’s really discouraging. 

I’m sorry to hear that, but try not to be too hard on yourself. At 2 months I wasn’t seeing any big improvements in the day to day, but when I look back I’m definitely better now than I was then. I feel like I’m just now having better days - where the whole day feels different than the day before - instead of just better times during the day. I hope that makes sense. Keep the faith. We do and will heal, unfortunately it’s not quite as fast as we’d like 😕

[Celeste1990]

thank you! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to post about my own issues on your thread. But that’s exactly how I feel, like I have good hours within a day but no good days. So it’s encouraging to hear it was like that for you but eventually got better!

[agtaylor]

1 hour ago, Celeste1990 said:

thank you! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to post about my own issues on your thread. But that’s exactly how I feel, like I have good hours within a day but no good days. So it’s encouraging to hear it was like that for you but eventually got better!

No, don’t apologize! I asked you how you were doing. But yes, better days are yet to come! 

[agtaylor]

I’m seriously considering reinstatement, but could use some guidance. I had a bad reaction/kindling trying to reinstate Lexapro at way too high a dose last November and December when I was already in PAWS and hypersensitive. I’m wondering what people’s thoughts are on me reinstating 0.5mg of Lexapro or maybe trying the “sister drug” citalopram (Celexa)? Or is there some other drug recommended after being so far out from stopping? Any advice would be welcomed. I’m really struggling. 

[LostInCanada]

@LotusRising I think this request for help has been missed. ❤️

[LostInCanada]

@agtaylor sorry to hear you are struggling. Can you give us an idea what is happening on a daily basis? What are the worst symptoms? Thanks.

Also what happened when you reinstated the last time? What was the reaction and did the reaction occur as soon or within an hour of taking the medication?
Have your symptoms increased since taking the doxycycline? Have they increased since starting the pill?

[LotusRising]

@agtaylor

 

Great questions from LostinCanada. It will definitely be helpful to know the answers since both birth control and doxycycline could be influencing symptoms.

 

Have you read the thread on reinstatement? Reinstating and Stabilizing

[agtaylor]

17 hours ago, LostInCanada said:

@LotusRising I think this request for help has been missed. ❤️

Thank you @LostInCanada for brining this to a moderators attention 🤍