ABC2424: Lexapro Side Effects

[ABC2424]

I am looking for advice and I suppose some hope for my current situation…

 

I thought I was experiencing Lexapro side effects but after reading through others stories here I think I may have had an adverse reaction.

I had a baby in July and began experiencing post-partum anxiety that turned into post-partum depression.  I’ve been on Zoloft 2 different times in the past and do not remember ever having a reaction like this…

 

Long story - I  began taking 25mg of Zoloft on Monday August 5.  I took it for 2 weeks and experienced an increase in mood and no longer thought I needed it due to adjusting better with the baby.  I quit taking on Tuesday August 20.   Felt fine for a few days then severe panic set in.  I started taking again on Wednesday August 28. I was never able to get the panic to settle down so after an appointment with my psychiatrist I switched to Lexapro 5mg on Thursday September 19.  Within a couple days the panic/anxiety and depression were gone but so were all my emotions good and bad.  I upped the dose to 7.5 on Wednesday Sept 25 and stayed on that dose for a week before tapering back down to 5mg due to increased dp/dr, apathy.  On Friday Oct 18 I tapered down to 2.5mg and on Sunday October 27 I quit completely.   

Over the course of being on Lexapro I noticed the following side effects:

-gradually lost a sense of taste of smell (not completely but a good deal)

- dullness of physical pain

- extreme brain fog and trouble remembering things

- sleeping ok but not waking up feeling rested

- emotional numbness, apathy, no reward in anything in do

- dp/dr

- feeling detached from my baby and loved ones (assuming this fits in with emotional numbness)

- increased blood sugar

Since I quit Lexapro 5 days ago none of the symptoms have improved which I didn’t figure they would this soon but after reading stories online I am fearful this may never go away and maybe I tapered too quickly? 

[Catwoman73]

Hi @ABC2424, and welcome to SA!  We are a community of volunteers providing peer support in the tapering of psychiatric medications, and their associated withdrawal syndromes. 

 

I'm so sorry for what you're going through.  What you experienced with the Lexapro- the dulled emotions, exhaustion, detachment- this is what these medications do.  They don't cure a chemical imbalance, they actually cause one, which leads to all of these symptoms.  I suspect your reaction to the Lexapro was likely exacerbated by the fact that you have been on and off SSRIs previously, likely with little or no tapering.  This can cause us to become hypersensitive to the effects of these medications. 

 

The good news is that what you are experiencing is NOT permanent.  We all heal eventually.  No one can guarantee any particular timeline, but it will happen. 

 

There are a few things you can do to help with healing- most are rather intuitive.  Eat a balanced, whole foods diet, stay well hydrated, engage in gentle exercise, and get enough rest/sleep.  Avoid all neurologically active substances, such as caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and recreational drugs- these things are like pouring gasoline on a fire for your symptoms.  And avoid taking further psychiatric medications- as you've already discovered, the effects of these meds on a destabilized nervous system are not predictable, and can make you feel worse rather than better. 

 

You say you are taking natural supplements... we only recommend 2 supplements here- magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.  Do be mindful though, those experiencing withdrawal or the effects of a destabilized nervous system can become hypersensitive to all sorts of things.  Not only medications, but also supplements, and even foods!  So if you are taking or plan to take any supplements, start at a very low dose and see how you fare.  Only start taking one thing at a time, and increase the dose very slowly if you tolerate them.  I am a classic example of hypersensitivity- I cannot take magnesium at all.  It is supposed to have a calming effect, but for me, it causes brain zaps and insomnia. 

 

As you recover, you will notice that you go through periods where you feel better, and periods where you feel worse.  This is an absolutely normal part of the healing process that we refer to as the windows and waves pattern of stabilization.  This is a good sign that your nervous system is working away at healing, and everything is proceeding as it should. 

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

You would likely benefit from starting a symptom journal at this time.  Track each of the symptoms you are experiencing each day, rating them on a scale of 1-10 for severity.  This will help you identify your windows and waves, and help you see how far you've come over time.  If you choose to track your activities, foods, etc as well, you may be able to identify some things that trigger symptom flares for you.  I have discovered that I am very sensitive to coffee (even decaf), chamomile, refined sugar, and intense exercise- all cause symptoms to flare for me.  You can use the following symptom list as a template for a journal, if you wish:

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

Dealing with the emotional side of this healing process can be extremely challenging.  It is really important that you develop some non-drug coping mechanisms as early as possible in the process.  We have lots and lots of threads on these topics here- I'll link some below.  From my own experience, I have found that developing a daily mindfulness practice to be incredibly helpful.  Guided meditation and yoga Nidra are very useful for calming the nervous system and facilitating sleep.  Using CBT techniques is helpful for reprogramming your brain- I spend a great deal of time learning to recognize the negative thought patterns behind the emotions, and then challenging and transforming those thought patterns.  It is also very helpful to stay busy with things that once brought you joy- even if you struggle to feel anything right now.  Engaging in these activities do help bring you back to baseline.  I really love to cook, dance, write, and engage in all sorts of artistic projects.  At the very least, the distraction is nice on the bad days. 

 

Apathy, anhedonia, emotional numbness, emotional anesthesia 

 Derealization or Depersonalization

 Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 Easing your way into meditation for a stressed-out nervous system

Music for self-care: calms hyperalertness, anxiety, aids relaxation and sleep

Ways to cope with daily anxiety

"Change the channel" - dealing with cognitive symptoms

Dealing With Emotional Spirals

The importance of recognizing you're feeling good

 

In summary, you will heal.  We are all healing, all the time, whether we feel like we are or not.  You can help things along by treating your body really well, with good nutrition, etc, as suggested above.  A journal will help you identify your windows and waves, and your progress over time.  Most of all, be patient, and don't lose hope!  You will get there!❤️‍🩹

 

This is your introduction topic.  Each member gets one intro topic- please post any updates and questions here, on this thread.  Do explore the rest of the forum though- there's lots of good info here!  And I always recommend that new members read and comment on the intro threads of other active members.  This can be a very lonely journey, because so few people understand how these drugs really affect us.  By engaging with this community, you will built a circle of supporters who understand what you are experiencing, 100%!  And that makes things just a tiny bit more bearable! 

[ABC2424]

@Catwoman73 thank you so much for the response!

 

Unfortunately this morning I had to go back on the Lexapro.  I knew I tapered too fast and this morning I woke up with extremely low mood and severe panic mode.   I started back on the 5mg since I had only been on the 2.5mg for a week before I quit.   I know I have been so up and down with the doses and that surely doesn’t help me stabilize at all. I HATE medication and don’t want to be on it but for the sake of having to take care of a baby and toddler I also need to be able to function.  

I did take a genesight test last week and waiting on the results to come back.  I don’t know if I need to switch to another ssri for the meantime to get back to baseline and hope for less side effects since I’ve tried to get off twice now in the past 2 months and end up with severe panic 5-6 days off or try to do a much slower taper and deal with the side effects for now. 
 

Have you ever heard of anyone losing their taste and smell?  Not completely lost but to a very dull state.  
 

Sorry for all the questions/jabber I’m just so lost on what to do at the moment.  

[Catwoman73]

Regardless of what the testing shows, I would not recommend switching to another antidepressant.  These meds can’t be swapped out like an antibiotic could.  Switching will throw you into withdrawal, and you will also have to deal with start up effects of a new drug.  You would undoubtedly end up in worse shape rather than better.

 

You will likely need to hold for a few months to start to stabilize prior to tapering again.  we recommend tapering by no more than 10% of the current month’s dose, no more often than every 4 weeks.  This allows your nervous system the time it needs to reverse the adaptations it has made due to the presence of the drug.  We can help you with how to taper when the time comes, but don’t rush it.  The nervous system heals very slowly, and rushing can make things much worse!