sylvhan: Desperate for help, chronically dizzy. Is it from reduction?

[sylvhan]

Hello,

 

I am yet to post my questions regarding my withdrawal issues from lexapro but I have come down with a horrendous flu/viral infection in the winter season and my symptom of dizziness from which I think May be from reducing lexapro too quickly a few months ago has become horrible. Is it something that can happen with withdrawal? Can a flu make wd symptoms worse? And for how long? I am slowly shaking this flu off but the dizziness is very severe still!

Thank you!

[bubble]

Hello Sylvhan and welcome to SA!

 

It's hard to answer your questions in more detail unless you give us more details on your drug history, best in your signature as it is described here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Were you taking any other medication before, after, at the same time as Lexapro, how long were you taking it, how much, how fast did you reduce, when exactly did you stop? Just some of the questions

 

Discontinuing 2.5 mg of Lexapro (together with a benzo - an awfully bad idea) is the reason I'm here. Not that I'm complaining for being here - it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me actually but what prompted me to join wasn't so nice.

 

One of the things which happened very early after discontinuing Lexapro was a very strange and mysterious sinus inflammation in the middle of the blazing summer. It lasted for 30 days and I couldn't breath at night because my nose was so blocked. I didn't connect it with withdrawal at the time but when I came here I noticed that quite a few people mention flu-like symptoms as a withdrawal symptom which might be your case.

 

Do you have any other symptoms except this flu and dizziness? Dizziness is also a withdrawal symptom although for me it was much more pronounced with that other AD called Zoloft and not so much with Lexapro but we are all different so it affects us differently.

 

I hope we will be able to help more once we have more detail on your drug history.

 

Best,

 

bubble

[Pokeshaw]

Hi Sylvhan,

 

You have certainly come to the best place for advice and support around tapering off A/D's!

 

I myself am here because of the withdrawal symptoms from tapering too quickly off what is considered a normal dose of Lexapro.  i can say that dizziness and nausea (along with a lot of other symptoms) were very pronounced for me. i still deal with dizziness each time i reduce the medication, but it passes. 

 

I was in a very bad place until i found this forum - and i had tried various treatments and spent a ton of money on doctors who could not help me until one finally suggested that i was suffering from protracted withdrawal syndrome.

 

Once you create your signature with details you will get response from the moderators who have a lot of experience guiding folks thru this.

 

Good luck and welcome!

 

Pokeshaw in Brooklyn

[Petunia]

 Can a flu make wd symptoms worse? And for how long? I am slowly shaking this flu off but the dizziness is very severe still!

 

 

The simple answer is yes, any infection, illness or stress of any kind can make withdrawal symptoms worse.  If you give us some more details of your situation, like others have suggested, we will be able to provide more help.

 

Welcome

[sylvhan]

Hello everyone!

 

I'm In need of advice on everything to do withdrawal as no one including my psychiatrist or doctor have been able to help nor have they been telling me what I need to hear when it comes to tapering off. I have been suffering with a chronic illness from 2011 and as the doctors didn't initially know what was wrong the psychiatrist put me on 40mg - never really noticed if it did anything anyway. This year I have decided to come off as I didn't even need them in the first place. Last year I went from 40 to 20mg and for about 5 weeks had really bad depersonalisation - didn't know if it was from the tablets or from my health issues but it subsided after a period of time. For most of this year I have been on 20mg and felt fine on it. In April I went down to 10mg and about 12 days later I started to feel increasingly dizzy to the point where I felt like I was swaying unable to do anything. I went up to 15mg for 2 weeks it didn't do anything, then 15mg one day, 20mg the next day, 15mg next etc, again no difference and now back up to 20mg and have been for over a month and not even my regular dose of 20mg has made the dizziness subside. Does that mean that it's not related to the antidepressants? Because I read somewhere that reinstatement sometimes doesn't work. I did reinstated quite rapidly about 2 weeks from initial reduction hence why I am confused why the reinstatement didn’t work and I am therefore questioning whether this dizziness is even from the lexapro. Sorry to ramble on, could the reduction of been to fast and that's why I'm so dizzy (I am chronically dizzy literally everyday, it's only better when I lie down). Is it possible to have just the one symptom if it is truly a withdrawal symptom? I am at a loss. Saw my doctor he claims it's not from the tablets, also saw the chiropractor and he said its probably not from my back.

 

 

In need if some hopeful advice.

Thank you.

 

2/4/2014 – started 10mg Lexapro

 

14/4/2014 – started to experience sight dizziness that didn’t last long up to 1hr then pass.

 

18/4/2014 = dizziness started to become more intense and would last much longer. Also slightly drowsy/headachey.

 

22/4 – 24/4/2014 = took 20mg

 

25/4/2014  - 8/5/2-14 =15mg consistent

 

9/5/2014 – 19/5/2014 =15mg/20mg alternating daily

 

20/5/14 – 13/6/3014 =20mg

 

14/6/2014 = 22.5mg

 

15/6/ 2014 – 16/6/2014 = 25mg

[sylvhan]

Also in terms of my chronic illness i have never experienced dizziness before, thats why I am potentially associating it with reducing too quickly perhaps but the dizziness has  gone on for so long despite reinstating. Also the other week I came down with a horrible viral/flu infection (definitely not a symptom from ssri) and it has made my dizziness extremely severe again.

[bubble]

Thank you for providing more details. I have merged your new thread with the thread you started the other day because we have one thread per person here. When you want to post or check replies, you just look for your thread which starts with your name.

 

I'm sorry to say that I don't have many ideas as to why dizziness didn't go away despite reinstating and holding your dose steady for a month. But the principle of keeping your dose steady to allow for your CNS to settle after too fast tapering still applies. 

 

Lexapro is a very potent drug. I'll put here the link to the information about tapering Lexapro. I'm in no way encouraging you to even think about tapering again any time soon. I just think it contains some great information on the drug and what happened to you when you reduced it abruptly. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/406-tips-for-tapering-off-lexapro-escitalopram/

 

After I messed up with Lexapro it took me 4 months to somewhat recover so it could be that reinstating but holding steady will bring relief. It's important to stabilise on a dose and not change it in search of the "right" dose: once we have destabilised our CNS with abrupt changes, there is no more right dose (if there ever was). There is only stability over time. Sometimes quite long time. What you did in May with alternating dosing definitely didn't help. I also don't think that updosing will help. Quite the contrary: in the two weeks you halved your dose, your CNS had already made some adjustments and 20 mg might have been too much.

 

I also don't understand why anyone put you on such a hefty dose of such a potent drug such as Lexapro ;( I was on 10 mg "only" compared to 40...

 

I would stop changing anything and wait for as long as it takes. In the meantime, I'd educate myself on the proper way to safely come off.

 

I'm sure others will come soon with more opinions and suggestions. I'm glad you've found us and I believe you will find a lot of friendly support here.

 

best,

bubble

[Rhiannon]

We find that alternating doses can be very destabilizing.  All that bouncing around the brain chemistry makes it impossible for your brain to find any kind of homeostasis. It's much better for your nervous system to have a consistent chemical environment, taking the same amount of the drug at the same time every day. So my guess from here would be that you're experiencing nervous system instability, basically withdrawal symptoms, due to both the 50% cut in April (that's quite large, we recommend no more than 10% at once) and the going up and down and up and down on dosages throughout May.

 

I think probably holding your dose for a while and stabilizing is your best bet. While you're doing that you can read the links in the Tapering section. Check out the "pinned" topics at the top and follow the links inside those topics. There's a topic specifically on tapering Lexapro. 

 

It may take a while to settle down from all the chaos your brain has been through in the past few months.

[Petunia]

The recommended dose of Lexapro is 10mg, once per day.  The maximum dose is 20mg, see:

 

http://www.drugs.com/dosage/lexapro.html

 

So, I'm also questioning why you were put on double the maximum dose, and wondering what effect that may have had. Many doctors don't realize that Lexapro is a very potent medication at a low dose.

 

I have noticed from your signature that you have been increasing your dose from 20mg and are now at 25mg.  Like the others have advised, I don't recommend constant changes, but in my opinion, you don't need to be taking more than 20mg, and possibly that is even too much.

 

I agree with Rhi's analysis of your situation and also suggest a long hold before starting a 10% taper.  It may take a while before the dizziness subsides, and I think its completely related to the effect of Lexapro (changes).

 

Here are a couple of links you may find helpful:

 

Important topics in the tapering forum

 

What is antidepressant withdrawal syndrome

 

Please let us know what you decide to do and keep us updated with how you are doing.

 

Petu.

[sylvhan]

Hello Sylvhan and welcome to SA!

 

It's hard to answer your questions in more detail unless you give us more details on your drug history, best in your signature as it is described here:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Were you taking any other medication before, after, at the same time as Lexapro, how long were you taking it, how much, how fast did you reduce, when exactly did you stop? Just some of the questions

 

Discontinuing 2.5 mg of Lexapro (together with a benzo - an awfully bad idea) is the reason I'm here. Not that I'm complaining for being here - it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me actually but what prompted me to join wasn't so nice.

 

One of the things which happened very early after discontinuing Lexapro was a very strange and mysterious sinus inflammation in the middle of the blazing summer. It lasted for 30 days and I couldn't breath at night because my nose was so blocked. I didn't connect it with withdrawal at the time but when I came here I noticed that quite a few people mention flu-like symptoms as a withdrawal symptom which might be your case.

 

Do you have any other symptoms except this flu and dizziness? Dizziness is also a withdrawal symptom although for me it was much more pronounced with that other AD called Zoloft and not so much with Lexapro but we are all different so it affects us differently.

 

I hope we will be able to help more once we have more detail on your drug history.

 

Best,

 

bubble

 

 

 

Hi Bubble,

 

I have a lot of symptoms however, they have been caused by my chronic illness and its so hard to pin point whether this is from the lexapro. The flu was definitely a viral flu as everyone in my family caught it off eachother. When I first noticed the dizziness (which previously never occured with my health issues only after reducing lexapro to 10mg) I was a bit headachey and now I'm just a bit foggy in the head and sometimes I have mild pressure of feeling like I have a heavy head but thats about it. The dizziness more so of an disequilibrium feeling rather than vertigo is the main one. I've not added a full history of my tapering regime if you'd like to read down below and let me know what you think. 

 

Thanks!

[bubble]

Hi Sylvhan,

 

Thank you for adding your drug history in the signature.

 

Rhi and Petu gave you some excellent advice and explanation on what went wrong and what to do now to make it better. So I'm copying their posts and highlighting the key points:

 

 

We find that alternating doses can be very destabilizing.  All that bouncing around the brain chemistry makes it impossible for your brain to find any kind of homeostasis. It's much better for your nervous system to have a consistent chemical environment, taking the same amount of the drug at the same time every day. So my guess from here would be that you're experiencing nervous system instability, basically withdrawal symptoms, due to both the 50% cut in April (that's quite large, we recommend no more than 10% at once) and the going up and down and up and down on dosages throughout May.

 

I think probably holding your dose for a while and stabilizing is your best bet. While you're doing that you can read the links in the Tapering section. Check out the "pinned" topics at the top and follow the links inside those topics. There's a topic specifically on tapering Lexapro. 

 

It may take a while to settle down from all the chaos your b

 

Petu then suggests dosing strategies that I fully agree with: 

 

 

I have noticed from your signature that you have been increasing your dose from 20mg and are now at 25mg.  Like the others have advised, I don't recommend constant changes, but in my opinion, you don't need to be taking more than 20mg, and possibly that is even too much.

 

I agree with Rhi's analysis of your situation and also suggest a long hold before starting a 10% taper.  It may take a while before the dizziness subsides, and I think its completely related to the effect of Lexapro (changes).

 

Here are a couple of links you may find helpful:

 

Important topics in the tapering forum

 

What is antidepressant withdrawal syndrome

 

Please let us know what you decide to do and keep us updated with how you are doing.

 

Petu.

 

So, we all agree on a long hold at 20 mg.

 

I just want to emphasise that there is no "quick fix". After all the badgering that such severe cuts and changes in dosing did to your brain, I'm actually surprised that dizziness and other symptoms are actually quite mild. The only way we have found that enables our CNS to stabilise after such shocks is a long period of no changes. We are very tempted to react to symptoms by changing something about the meds in an attempt to find a dose that will fix us. But these drugs are not antibiotics nor aspirins and there is no right dose after your CNS has been so confused: it's stability that heals over (usually quite a long) period of time. So we have to be very, very patient. Sometimes it can take months. It's hard to predict because we are all different and what we did to our brains is different but they still have a remarkable ability to heal and achieve homeostasis if left alone.

 

I hope this answers your question.

 

Symptoms and self-care section contains great tips on how to deal with every symptom we might have. But what you need most at the moment is patience. And you might need it for quite some time. This is hard but you can do it.

 

Come here for support whenever you need it.

 

best,

bubble

[sylvhan]

Hi,

I am having serious anxiety regarding whether my current symptoms are from withdrawal or from my chronic health issues. My history is in my signature, it's been about 2 months where I have been feeling chronically dizzy to the point that I can't function. This year I've been on 20mg lexapro. 2 months ago I reduced to 10mg which is a huge jump and about 12 days later I started to feel increasingly dizzy and it just got worse from there. I reinstated to 20mg for 3 days within 3 weeks of reducing but obviously the reinstatement didn't work... I went to 15mg after this for about 2 weeks it didn't do anything, then 15mg one day, 20mg the next day, 15mg next etc (alternating), again no difference and now back up to 20mg and have been for over a month and not even my regular dose of 20mg has made the dizziness subside. Does that mean that it's not related to the antidepressants? I am really distressed as I don't understand why the reinstatement didn't work despite reinstating under a month.. Could it be that the tablets are no longer working? Or have I become intolerant/desensitised to them? Or is does it take a while to stabilize after a sudden reduction? Not sure what to think... Is there any way I can check?

Thank you

[mammaP]

Sylvhan, I moved your post from the Reinstating topic to your intro thread because it

is specific to your taper. I have to agree with what the others have already said, and feel that 

all the jumping around with doses has destabilised your nervous system.  The only way for it to

settle again is to stay put at the 20mg and allow it to stabilise. 

 

I know from experience that the dizziness can be very distressing and I found that good quality

fish oil helps a lot.  I say good quality because I once bought some unbranded capsules online 

and within a week of taking them the dizziness had become worse. I bought some from a reputable

company locally and all is well again! I thought I was being canny and saving some pennies but

as I chucked them in the bin I gave myself a lecture about listening to and taking advice 

 

I really hope that you feel better very soon, this is going to take time, and patience is what will pay

off in the end. 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, sylvhan.

 

Yes, your inconsistent dosing of Lexapro could be entirely responsible for your current symptoms. Or, there could be an interaction with other drugs you are taking.

 

What other drugs are you taking every day? What drugs are you taking occasionally?

[sylvhan]

I am not taking any other drugs thankfully. It's just the lexapro. The dizziness has become extremely severe following the flu that I had and despite recovering from the flu the dizziness has not gone back to its milder form prior to the flu. I didn't have any medication to shake of the flu, I took one cold and flu tablet just for one night, otherwise have just been supplementing.

Could I have become intolerant? My psychiatrist advises me to start going down again or to swap medication but I am scared.

[sylvhan]

 

 

 

We find that alternating doses can be very destabilizing. All that bouncing around the brain chemistry makes it impossible for your brain to find any kind of homeostasis. It's much better for your nervous system to have a consistent chemical environment, taking the same amount of the drug at the same time every day. So my guess from here would be that you're experiencing nervous system instability, basically withdrawal symptoms, due to both the 50% cut in April (that's quite large, we recommend no more than 10% at once) and the going up and down and up and down on dosages throughout May.

 

I think probably holding your dose for a while and stabilizing is your best bet. While you're doing that you can read the links in the Tapering section. Check out the "pinned" topics at the top and follow the links inside those topics. There's a topic specifically on tapering Lexapro.

 

It may take a while to settle down from all the chaos your brain has been through in the past few months.

 

 

Rhi,

 

I will stick to this advice and hold. Bubble said that it took her four months to stabilize after she played around with doses which gives me hope and more assurance that it is perhaps the lexapro. What have you found to be the average for stabilising on a dose when people have played around with doses or reduced too quickly?

I suppose I still don't understand why reinstating to the 20mg on the 22nd/4 for 2 days (which is short) but then to 15mg on 25/4 didn't help the dizziness. Most people day that even after a few hours after reinstating normal dose they're withdrawals disappear which makes me so uncertain also because I read a post by Alto which says even reinstating to a smaller dose (which is lower to your normal/regular dose) can help withdrawals. I held the 15mg for 2 weeks hoping it would have helped and it didn't.

 

Would I be able to test my question by not talking 20mg for a few days say 4 to 5 and see if it gets worse?

 

Thanks again

[sylvhan]

Also how do I know if I'm intolerant to it/ or if it's no longer working? Is there a thread on this info?

[mammaP]

Sylvhan please do not test your theory by missing a few days of the Lexapro.  You

really do need to stay put for a while to stabilise. Whatever dose you have been

on you have changed in an attempt to feel better but all this has doe is destabilise 

your brain and nervous system. Your brain is trying to right itself and changing things

is rocking the boat.  I reinstated after a month off Effexor after tapering too fast.

Things did get better but it took many months of windows and waves.  

 

Having flu certainly does make things worse and recovering takes time too. 

I had adverse effects from the effexor which is why I decided to taper, many of us have

intolerable side effects that get better as the drug is reduced but that has to be done slowly

so that you don't get withdrawal symptoms along with the side effects! 

I realise how desperate you are feeling, you just want off....NOW,  we all feel or have felt that

way and that is what brought most of us here. It will get better, it just takes time. 

[Altostrata]

Flu-like symptoms are a very, very famous symptom of antidepressant withdrawal, as is dizziness. If your psychiatrist doesn't know this, he or she is a very ignorant psychiatrist.

[Pokeshaw]

Hi Sylvhan,

 

I have also experienced flu like symptoms and last year had a bad cold bug that left me with ongoing symptoms. it seems that withdrawal from Lexapro made all the symptoms worse.  i have been holding steady on doses now for over 6 months and have experienced some real healing after 2 years of hell because of stopping the Lexapro too quickly.

 

you mentioned that you are 'supplementing". it would be helpful for the moderators here to know what exactly you are taking besides the Lexapro since many supplements can aggravate symptoms.  You might want to ask about that and indicate what you are taking.

 

i hope you find the help you need here.

 

Best,

 

Pokeshaw in Bklyn

[sylvhan]

Hi Sylvhan,

 

I have also experienced flu like symptoms and last year had a bad cold bug that left me with ongoing symptoms. it seems that withdrawal from Lexapro made all the symptoms worse.  i have been holding steady on doses now for over 6 months and have experienced some real healing after 2 years of hell because of stopping the Lexapro too quickly.

 

you mentioned that you are 'supplementing". it would be helpful for the moderators here to know what exactly you are taking besides the Lexapro since many supplements can aggravate symptoms.  You might want to ask about that and indicate what you are taking.

 

i hope you find the help you need here.

 

Best,

 

Pokeshaw in Bklyn

Pokeshaw,

Thanks for your reply. How long did your flu symptoms exacerbate your withdrawal symptoms for? I'm past the flu yet dizziness is mor severe than ever before. It could be that my immune system is having a hard time on top of the withdrawals who knows.

 

I am taking bioceuticals ultra clean EPA/DHA plus.

 

Thanks

[sylvhan]

I was also wondering whether at different doses eg. 20mg down to 10mg or 10mg to 5mg - can at each level there be different symptoms? For eg. When I went down from 40mg to 20mg lexapro I had the depersonalization for a few weeks. Now from the 20mg to 10mg reduction I don't really have the depersonalization but the dizziness...and it has lasted much longer.

Can there be differing symptoms at different tapering levels? And can the duration of symptoms differ too? Hope I make sense with what I'm asking. Thanks!

[bubble]

It makes sense but I don't have an answer. I think nobody does but symptoms are very unpredictable so everything is possible. 

 

What is really important here is that I think we agreed there will no longer be such cuts, didn't we? These were huge cuts but in some a bit distant future when you stabilise on 25 mg, you will try making 10 % cuts and see what difference it makes  

[Altostrata]

Making changes in dosage triggers symptoms. You may have had different symptoms at each level of dosage, but if you try changing dosage again, most likely you will get a different symptom pattern.

 

Also, changing dosages itself can sensitize your nervous system to the drug so that you do not respond to it the same way again.

 

Higher dosages generally mean more side effects.

[sylvhan]

I've noticed that a lot of people have taken ssri's who also have health problems. Eg Lyme etc like myself. How am I supposed to know if it's not from my health issues but from the lexapro? Does the fact that I have malabsorption issues and am immune comprimised make me more prone for protracted withdrawal?

 

I've done some research in the last few days and some people have symptoms from antidepressant medication that never go away?!! Is this possible? I'm scared that because I've been on such a high dose of the lexapro (40mg) for 2 years my dizziness won't go away

Can ssri's cause brain damage?

 

Sorry I'm so afraid and distressed that I have to go through this on top if already being unwell and am only 22 years old

 

Thank you again

[Altostrata]

If your symptoms arose after a dosage change, most likely it was the dosage change.

[sylvhan]

Hello everyone, 

I am back after holding my dose of 20mg for about 4months and a bit. My dizziness is still around, sometimes a little less sometimes the same. Its strange though because recently when I became sick with another cold (yet another one, my immune system is quite weak and this definitely was not a withdrawal "flu") its almost as though I forgot that the dizziness was there because I was feeling so crook with the cold and the tiredness its like I didn't take notice of it. However, as I got better the dizziness/unsteadiness has flared up again. It;s been a while now and I have been on the 20mg, and the last time i had caught the flu the dizziness had become extremely severe so I suppose this time around my dizziness decreased whilst having another cold, however, I am still dizzy which doesn't solve my problem. Perhaps its not from the lexapro? I mean its the only symptom I have at the moment that popped up after the reduction, is it normal to have "one" withdrawal symptom or is it more likely to have a cluster of symptoms which point more to the direction of withdrawal syndrome. Im not sure what to think at this point in time, so any advice is appreciated!

thank you!

[Altostrata]

Dizziness is the most common antidepressant withdrawal symptom. Does yours have any daily pattern?

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/
 

sylvhan, are you in Australia? Please post here http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6284-australia-members-please-check-in-here/

[Petunia]

I've noticed that a lot of people have taken ssri's who also have health problems. Eg Lyme etc like myself. How am I supposed to know if it's not from my health issues but from the lexapro? Does the fact that I have malabsorption issues and am immune comprimised make me more prone for protracted withdrawal?

 

 

Do you have lyme disease? Have you been treated for it?

 

-Increased motion sickness, vertigo, spinning

-Off balance, “tippy” feeling

-Lightheadedness, wooziness, unavoidable need to sit or lie

 

these are all potential symptoms of lyme disease  http://www.lymeneteurope.org/info/lyme-disease-symptoms

 

If the dizziness started after cutting your lexapro dose from 40mg to 10mg, and becomes worse after getting sick with the flu, but has remained for 4 months while holding at 20mg of lexapro, I think there may be a connection with drug changes, but possibly not be the complete cause.

 

If you have lyme disease, then the situation becomes complicated.  It could be that any kind of stress, including withdrawal from cutting lexapro too fast, increases lyme symptoms. Increased stress also increases withdrawal symptoms. Both lyme and withdrawal can effect many parts of the body.  It sounds like the dizziness was starting to decrease, until you got another cold/flu.

 

If I were you, I would continue to hold at 20mg.  Continue to take good care of yourself, doing what you can to relieve stress in your life, and see if with a bit more time this symptom goes away.  When you do start to taper again, perhaps you could start with 5% cuts at first to see how it effects you.

[sylvhan]

Hello, I've been on lexapro since 2012. Initially on 40mg but now on 20mg. I don't think I had any immediate side effects when I started taking them however recently I have put on a lot of weight without a real reason, i look bloated even though I'm not. So I'm wondering can lexapro cause weight gain from long term use or is it only immediate symptoms that can be linked to the antidepressant.

Thanks

[Fresh]

Hi sylvhan , welcome to the site.  

Nice work on your signature - we're limited to 12 lines so you may want to use the space across the lines to bring it up to date.

 

Long term use of lexapro CAN cause weight gain , for a variety of reasons.  This article suggests a range of contributing factors -  it may

answer some of your questions.

http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/01/18/lexapro-and-weight-gain-causes-contributing-factors/

 

Best wishes ,  Fresh

[Horns85]

Hi Sylvhan,

 

I was in Lexapro for about 2 years. About the 1 year mark, despite doing CrossFit 5 days a week and a strict diet, I steadily gained almost 25-30lbs over the next year.

 

After being off Lex for about 9 months, I literally lost 25 lbs in about 8 weeks. It was crazy. So I do believe it can cause weight gain.

[Petunia]

Hi sylvhan,

I found your original introduction topic and joined this new one to it. Its one intro/update topic per member. Please bookmark or follow it so you will be able to find it again.

 

I also gained a lot of weight while on antidepressants, but the difference from normal weight gain was that no matter what I did, I couldn't lose it until I stopped the medication. In my desperation, while still on lexapro, I also started taking Duromine which is a stimulant weight loss drug. There is a major interaction between the two and my doctor didn't know. It caused more damage to my health and life.

 

When I stopped taking lexapro, it was easy to lose weight again, but unfortunately I tapered much too fast and I'm now in protracted withdrawal, so weight issues are the last of my concerns.

 

Did the dizziness resolve? How is your tapering going?

 

Petunia.

[sylvhan]

Thank you everyone!

[sylvhan]

Hi sylvhan,

I found your original introduction topic and joined this new one to it. Its one intro/update topic per member. Please bookmark or follow it so you will be able to find it again.

 

I also gained a lot of weight while on antidepressants, but the difference from normal weight gain was that no matter what I did, I couldn't lose it until I stopped the medication. In my desperation, while still on lexapro, I also started taking Duromine which is a stimulant weight loss drug. There is a major interaction between the two and my doctor didn't know. It caused more damage to my health and life.

 

When I stopped taking lexapro, it was easy to lose weight again, but unfortunately I tapered much too fast and I'm now in protracted withdrawal, so weight issues are the last of my concerns.

 

Did the dizziness resolve? How is your tapering going?

 

Petunia.

 

Thanks for the reply petunia!

Oh gosh, that doesn't sound fun at all. My dizziness did thankfully resolve, I eventually just went back to the 20mg and held it for about 6 months and the dizziness subsided. I am still on 20mg and am planning to start tapering soon. My only concern I have at the moment is I'm not sure whether I should taper while being on antibiotics as I am treating Lyme disease and I don't want to get confused with what drugs cause what. Not sure what to do!

How is everything going with you?

Sylvhan

[tgirl]

Hello Sylvhan,

 

I'm think you should stay put at 20 mg. for a good long while. Even after your rounds of antibiotics.

Antibiotics can also effect your cns.

 

I wish you well,

Tgirl

I am not a doctor