NoleKidd85: Withdrawals and/or Kindling?

[NoleKidd85]

5-6 weeks ago missed a week of doses aka cold turkey off 5mg escitalopram. Been on for 2 years. Sert for 2 years before that. 

After that first week started to get electrical shocks in my chest along with numbness/sensitivity/itching on my left chest/torso/back. Saw the doctor she recommended I go right back on the pills at the same dose. After I reinstated the numbness went down and also into my left quad. Right leg/quad has off and on burning sensations. After a few weeks the sensitivity/itching/zaps has gone down in my chest and back but not gone away. Its been around a month being back on 5mg and my symptoms are still present. 

 

My doctor is suggesting switching to an SNRI because with this some of the anxiety has come back and it comes and goes. Did I end up kindling by going back on the same dose? Would lowering the dose help? Just stay on the 5mg and wait till I stabilize??? 

Edited November 27, 2024 by Emonda
Name to title

[NoleKidd85]

2020-2022 - 10 MG Sertraline 

2022-2024(Present) - 5 MG Escitalopram 

[Jane318]

Greetings @NoleKidd85 and welcome to SA.  

 

I see that you provided your drug history in your second post.  So the moderators can best help you, please complete your drug signature by following these instructions. Adding a signature ensures your drug history appears at the bottom of every post, making it more efficient for those trying to assist. This link should go directly to your own signature: Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.  Please provide details (dates) for your CT and reinstatement and include any other prescription and OTC drugs and supplements that you also take, as there can be interactions of which we should be aware.

 

6 hours ago, NoleKidd85 said:

5-6 weeks ago missed a week of doses aka cold turkey off 5mg escitalopram

Cold turkey is never a good idea, especially true for escitalopram, which is very powerful.  This sends your central nervous system into a tailspin.  Here at SA, we recommend the hyperbolic taper method, which you can read about here:  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  A controlled, slow taper is usually necessary to avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.

 

6 hours ago, NoleKidd85 said:

After that first week started to get electrical shocks in my chest along with numbness/sensitivity/itching on my left chest/torso/back.

These sound like symptoms of severe withdrawal from CT of the escitalopram.  You can compare your symptoms with the Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF).  Onset of symptoms is often delayed by several days or more after stopping reducing the dose of a drug.

 

6 hours ago, NoleKidd85 said:

Saw the doctor she recommended I go right back on the pills at the same dose. After I reinstated the numbness went down and also into my left quad. Right leg/quad has off and on burning sensations. After a few weeks the sensitivity/itching/zaps has gone down in my chest and back but not gone away. Its been around a month being back on 5mg and my symptoms are still present. 

Given that you had been at 5 mg for a couple years and only a few days off, it seems appropriate to reinstate at the prior dose of 5 mg.  Please confirm - Your that your symptoms have improved at least a bit since reinstating at 5 mg?  If so, I would hold at 5 mg until you stabilize, which can take several weeks or months.

 

6 hours ago, NoleKidd85 said:

My doctor is suggesting switching to an SNRI because with this some of the anxiety has come back and it comes and goes.

Symptoms of anxiety are common in withdrawal.  Doctors often confuse withdrawal symptoms with relapse.  Further, withdrawal tends to follow the  The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization.  So it is not unusual that symptoms may come and go.

SA does not support adding another AD to treat withdrawal.  

 

6 hours ago, NoleKidd85 said:

Did I end up kindling by going back on the same dose? Would lowering the dose help? Just stay on the 5mg and wait till I stabilize??? 

Since your symptoms appear to be lessening since reinstating at your last dose, it sounds to me from what you describe that you are dealing with severe withdrawal from the cold turkey.  I would stay on current dose until you stabilize.  This can take weeks or months.  Once you stabilize, you can begin a slow, controlled 10% taper.

 

Recommend reading:

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

How long does it take to stabilize after reinstating or updosing?

Hypersensitivity and kindling

 

 

For after you stabilize and are ready to taper:

Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)

 

 

It’s important to keep tabs on your symptoms as you hold and also after you begin to taper so you can adjust your taper amount and schedule as needed.  This will help you identify your windows and waves and reveal your progress.  

You can use the list of typical withdrawal symptoms to track the severity of your symptoms over time, linked above and again here:  Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF).

 

You may choose to also track your foods and activities to identify things that trigger symptoms as well. 

 

We have many threads on how to cope with symptoms – I encourage you to check out the various forums / links on the SA.org home page.

 

There are a things you can do to help your nervous system heal.   Eat a balanced, whole foods diet, stay well hydrated, engage in gentle exercise, and get adequate rest/sleep.  Avoid all neurologically active substances, like caffeine, alcohol, nicotine and recreational drugs- these are like pouring gasoline on a fire for your symptoms.  Avoid adding any further psychiatric medications to deal with your withdrawal from psych meds- the effects of these meds on a destabilized nervous system is unpredictable, and taking something else could make you worse.  

 

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium (glycinate is a good form) and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system.

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

So if you decide to try a supplement, even those we recommend here, Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.  If you tolerate it well, you can increase the dosage slowly over time.  

 

This is your introduction topic.  Each member gets one intro topic- please post updates and questions here, in this thread.

 

Best wishes, and let us know if you have further questions.

[NoleKidd85]

Thank you Jane318 for responding. On week 6 now at 5mg and dealing with more numbness in different spots mainly felt at the skin level all on my left side of my body. The itching/sensitivity on my chest and back has subsided greatly but has not completely gone away. The burning on my right leg is still intermittent. Did I become hypersensitive to the meds and 5mg might be too high of a dose now? Or just wait it out and see if my symptoms decrease? Thank you for your time. 

[Jane318]

@NoleKidd85

9 hours ago, NoleKidd85 said:

Thank you Jane318 for responding. On week 6 now at 5mg and dealing with more numbness in different spots mainly felt at the skin level all on my left side of my body. The itching/sensitivity on my chest and back has subsided greatly but has not completely gone away. The burning on my right leg is still intermittent. Did I become hypersensitive to the meds and 5mg might be too high of a dose now? Or just wait it out and see if my symptoms decrease? Thank you for your time. 

Cold turkeys are enormously hard on us, and it can take many months to stabilize after reinstating.  That your symptoms are improving, albeit slowly, means you are headed in that direction.  If you were kindling (hypersensitiving), things would be getting worse.   It may well take several more months for you to stabilize.  You will need to wait this out, with patience.  

[Jane318]

How are you doing @NoleKidd85?  Wishing you the best for the holidays.

[NoleKidd85]

I'm still dealing with the Paresthesia in my left big toe and thigh. The symptoms in my chest and back have subsided a great deal but still not completely gone. The burning in my left leg comes and goes but is very manageable. I also was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis back in late 2019 which is frustrating because these symptoms I am experiencing are very common in MS. I have an MRI on my thoracic spine on Feb 11th just to rule anything else out but these symptoms especially the issues with tingling/itching/intense sensitivity in my chest/nipple started after being off my pills for 5+ days....I am still taking my 5mg dose every day at the same time. 

 

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well and a Happy New Year! Thanks for reaching out and I appreciate your time and feedback.

 

-Kyle