☼ clearday: Off Prozac 12 yrs, off Lexapro 1 yr

[Addax]

 

IMO, my story is a good example of how NOT to handle getting off of SSRIs. I just didn't know any better. My doctor basically denied that this brutal withdrawal existed. My story can help those make decisions about whether or not they want to go cold turkey (go through what I did,or worse) or do long slow taper, by reading the stories of those who did long slow taper. They now have information that I never had, to make an informed decision about getting off these dreadful poisons.

 

My story is also a message that says, even with cold turkey and catastrophic WD, there is hope for recovery. I survived Prozac cold turkey WD, largely recovered, and am now surviving Lexapro cold turkey WD, and doing well. I am surviving antidepressants, and so are you - we both belong here equally. 

 

But the cold turkey was not a nice thing to do to my brain after feeding it those drugs for so long. It would have been better to wean off slowly rather than pull the rug out from under it.  Oh well, can't turn back time. Moving forward! 

 

 

Well said. You are indeed a survivor!  I like your story's message.

[clearday]

I had a bad night last night, bad head pressure and ear ringing.

 

I read this tapering information from here on SA last night, it is very informative:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

After reading it, I began wondering if reinstating might be a good idea -

 

But of course, I am one year out, and there are no guarantees it would help to go back on, and could make things worse.

 

Also, so many things have improved for me this last year, that I would hate to undo that. 

 

But if my persistent two month wave of head pressure/ear ringing/ slight body numbness gets worse,

 

Or other worse symptoms hit me, should I consider re-instating at a low dose? 

 

I can't imagine doing that; it would be a very disheartening step back, this far out.

 

An expert on another website once declared, "KNOW THIS: Withdrawal cannot harm you!"

 

I was skeptical of that absolute statement. What it implies is that whether you cold turkey out of ignorance as I did, or whether you carry out a long slow taper, that the long term end result and prospect of recovery will be THE SAME.

 

So why would I go back on, knowing that what I am experiencing now cannot harm me?

[luv2knit]

Just stopping by to say hello clearday. Just happened to run across your thread. I too am a CT--or more correctly, a VERY rapid taper, having come off 100 mg. of Zoloft in six weeks about 6 1/2 months ago.

[Pugknows]

I'm glad you can read info regarding tapering. I can't without getting depressed, or worse, scared. Thanks anyway.

[JanCarol]

 

Clearday wrote:

Need help – suffering from Winter.

 

Not sure if it’s protracted WD from being on Summer for three months. Tried to taper by using 3 months of Fall before going fully off.

 

At first Winter was not so bad, but it just got worse and now it’s unbearable. I don’t even remember what it’s like to be Summer anymore, or if I’ll ever see Summer again. Worrying that this Winter may be permanent.

 

I suffered from Winter off and on as a child; seemed like it came once a year and lasted for 3 months. Somehow I always came out of it ok. I have a history of Winter in my family too.

 

The symptoms are horrible: so much darkness and cold. Ineffective sunlight. I wake up to Winter, feel Winter all day, and at night, it’s worse, I feel so much Winter. And the snow shoveling is constant and unrelenting. I feel like I'm going to lose it! Will this never end?

 

I was considering reinstating back to October, but I don't want to go through Fall and early Winter again. I might just ride it out until Spring and see what happens. Who knows? Summer may return after that. 

 

My doctor says it’s not really Winter, that Winter really can only last a few weeks. He says whatever I am feeling is in my head. He said I need to take a pill, and that the pill will bring on Summer overnight. And he promised if I take his pill, it will stay Summer forever, and that I will never feel Winter again.

 

But I talked to a groundhog on this blog, and he said there will definitely be six MORE weeks of winter.

 

I trust the groundhog!  

 

 

Not only side-ripping funny - but an apt metaphor, too.  Sometimes when talking about emotions, metaphors are clearer and more touching than description!  and this emphasizes what we all know - but have trouble FEELING:  this, too, shall pass.

 

 

ps - in Indiana, I *was* the groundhog - made it a special day that I would celebrate the shedding of winter - maybe sooner, maybe later - depended on how friendly I was with my Winter Shadows!  

[Zvezda]

How are you feeling today?

[JanCarol]

Clearday, I think you are doing amazing work.  You're keeping your head above water while swimming in sewage, and somehow managing to see that clear blue sky, even when you're thrashing about in the muck.

 

In reference to your question above (I think you've already determined your answer, I just want to affirm your choice)  

 

I think it would be more trouble to reinstate than continue on.  

 

Wouldn't you say that you are clearer, brighter, stronger, than 6 months ago?  A year ago?  Can you "talk to" the Clearday of a year ago and see how bad things were then?

 

You've come a long way, and are getting glimpses of the clearing ahead.  It may still be a long ways away - but being able to see the sky is a strong motivator for staying the course!

 

Take care,  Jan

[clearday]

How are you feeling today?

 

Thanks for asking -

 

Today I am a little tired from a few days of head pressure and ear ringing. My right ear suffers the worst, in the past couple days a new symptom appeared - on top of the ringing, I hear a blood vessel whooshing near my eardrum with each heartbeat, worse at night. 

 

Overall I feel the way one does a day or two after having a fever. A little spent. But just like a fever is a bodily response to illness, it seems this head pressure is a result of my body working very hard to get the nervous system back to normal, probably an inflammatory response in the nerves. 

 

And the symptoms evolve over time, demonstrating that I am not stuck in damage, but that my body is healing. I have had many great days in the past six months, so I assume that once this wave (lasting three months now) subsides, I should have some more great days to come. This three month wave has ups and downs within it. Some days are harder than others. I have plenty of physical energy for my 3 mile runs two or more times a week, and for snow shoveling.

 

Today my nervous system is overall very calm, a very good development. In recent weeks I had been having a small second cup of coffee around noon that normally would not bother me. But this wave involves all my nerves being a little "raw" as they heal, so the second cup was enough to cause my insides and head to feel taxed, tight, and anxious. Once I stopped the second cup, I see a big improvement in my days. I went through the same thing last month with the occasional cigar I would smoke. I had to quit them totally for now. It seems I am unusually sensitive to things that normally wouldn't bother me, during this wave. I hope to be able to resume some of my unhealthy and bad (but fun) habits in a few months once this wave is over. Fingers crossed!

[clearday]

In reference to your question above (I think you've already determined your answer, I just want to affirm your choice)  

 

I think it would be more trouble to reinstate than continue on.  

 

Wouldn't you say that you are clearer, brighter, stronger, than 6 months ago?  A year ago?  Can you "talk to" the Clearday of a year ago and see how bad things were then?

 

 

Thanks for the affirmation - I can't imagine reinstating at this point. I have visions of someone trying to put Lexapro in my mouth, and the wrath they would incur if they tried to do that. 

 

I sleep better every night for the last four months than during all five years on Lexapro and the six months after cold turkey. For me, that is majorly good news; restorative sleep has always been my number one hard thing to come by, so this great sleep I am getting is worth its weight in gold, even more, it is priceless.

 

I had such a great window in November, the whole month I felt super. I hope to have a similar window after this current wave subsides.

 

This current wave is disheartening, and if I didn't know that it was withdrawal, and that it will pass, I would be in abject confusion and despair.

 

But since I know what's going on - I'm good to go.

[withdrawlsucks]

Good my ear sensitivity is driving me mad.. flutter flutter... Ring ring and stiff jaw... Does anyone get a stiff jaw ?

[Pugknows]

So sorry your wave is pounding you. I have the same cortisol head whooshing in synch with my heartbeat, starting at 3:30am cortisol wake up call. I have a bp monitor. When I'm 100+ BPM, I feel lousy. Around 4pm, I feel almost normal, or at least less sh***y. I take BPM reading and, sure enough, 84 BPM.

[Pugknows]

When I get this cortisol under control, I'm convinced I'll be healed. Until then, I guess I'll just dance.

[clearday]

So sorry your wave is pounding you. I have the same cortisol head whooshing in synch with my heartbeat, starting at 3:30am cortisol wake up call. I have a bp monitor. When I'm 100+ BPM, I feel lousy. Around 4pm, I feel almost normal, or at least less sh***y. I take BPM reading and, sure enough, 84 BPM.

 

Hey Pug -Yes, I too get the increase in heart rate with these WD symptoms. That has been slowly getting better over time. But when it comes back, it's a drag. Thanks for stopping by!

[clearday]

Good my ear sensitivity is driving me mad.. flutter flutter... Ring ring and stiff jaw... Does anyone get a stiff jaw ?

 

I get tightness in my chest. 

[clearday]

Just an update on my recovery from five years of Lexapro - I stopped cold turkey 13 months ago because I didn't know any better -

 

My latest wave has been a four month long ordeal of head pressure, mostly radiating into my ears and accompanied by roaring tinnitus. I also get bruit in one ear, but usually only when I lay down. On bad days, the head pressure causes some fatigue, but not so bad. Also occasional numbness on my left leg during the night. One night the skin on my head felt kinda numb. I never had any of this in my life before the last few months. This SSRI is such bizarre stuff. The SSRI bottles should have a skull and crossbones on them like rat poison. Really. It should read "Take at your own grave risk. It could very well poison you and cause years of misery". 

 

Initially this wave was accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath, and uncomfortable heart. I finally figured out that my occasional cigar - which usually caused no problems - was causing the problem. Then I discovered that my second cup of coffee - which usually caused no problems - was also causing problems. So I stopped the cigars and reduced the coffee, and improved. For some reason exercise helps me, it doesn't aggravate my symptoms like substances do.

 

I have good days and bad days within the wave. I sleep very well thanks to being off that lousy Lexapro, which had been allowing me only light sleep, preventing a nice deep sleep. I also have so much more energy for my 3 mile runs and other activities thanks to being off Lexapro. My nervous system is much more stable overall recently. In many important ways I actually feel overall better than I did before I went on SSRIs, oddly enough. I have no depression or anxiety. 

 

But it is just this head pressure and ear ringing that has me at my wits end lately. When I wake up in the middle of the night, the sound is like I'm standing next to a roaring waterfall. This sound comes and goes during the day. Sometimes I will have two different frequencies rocking at once - a high pitch and a low pitch. The high pitch usually stays.

 

I had a nice morning, while walking my dog I noticed that my ear ringing was put far back on the shelf. It lasted for over an hour. I never knew silence could be so awesome. It reminds me that it can go away. 

 

So overall I am doing so well, but all it takes is one thing to make your life miserable and you forget the good stuff. Persistent roaring tinnitus and head pressure itself can cause depression and despair, and affect one's life badly. Many of my plans are on hold because of my current wave.

 

I suppose I should stop my first and only cup of coffee in the morning too. Waaaaaah!!! Can I have NO vices??? How am I supposed to get through this ordeal without my comforting vices???    

 

I can't believe this is my second time going through protracted SSRI withdrawal. If only my doctor told me eleven years ago last time that it was the Prozac causing me years of misery, I never would have gone on Lexapro six years ago.

 

Last night it finally hit me that I might be stuck here for awhile. I got a little disheartened, but Fresh posted somewhere that "Despair is part of withdrawal" and that helped me alot. I will just lump despair in with the rest of the lousy WD symptoms which will all someday fade away. But when will that day be? Six months? Two years? Yikes! 

[clearday]

AND.....I can't believe I only started posting on here three weeks ago. This Withdrawal, along with this Winter, seems to last forever!  

[Zvezda]

It will get better. You've already gone a long way! And you survived from the previous withdrawal, there's no reason to believe you you won't recover from this current one.

[clearday]

Thanks Zvezda -

[ikam]

Just an update on my recovery from five years of Lexapro - I stopped cold turkey 13 months ago because I didn't know any better -

 

My latest wave has been a four month long ordeal of head pressure, mostly radiating into my ears and accompanied by roaring tinnitus. I also get bruit in one ear, but usually only when I lay down. On bad days, the head pressure causes some fatigue, but not so bad. Also occasional numbness on my left leg during the night. One night the skin on my head felt kinda numb. I never had any of this in my life before the last few months. This SSRI is such bizarre stuff. The SSRI bottles should have a skull and crossbones on them like rat poison. Really. It should read "Take at your own grave risk. It could very well poison you and cause years of misery". 

 

Initially this wave was accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath, and uncomfortable heart. I finally figured out that my occasional cigar - which usually caused no problems - was causing the problem. Then I discovered that my second cup of coffee - which usually caused no problems - was also causing problems. So I stopped the cigars and reduced the coffee, and improved. For some reason exercise helps me, it doesn't aggravate my symptoms like substances do.

 

I have good days and bad days within the wave. I sleep very well thanks to being off that lousy Lexapro, which had been allowing me only light sleep, preventing a nice deep sleep. I also have so much more energy for my 3 mile runs and other activities thanks to being off Lexapro. My nervous system is much more stable overall recently. In many important ways I actually feel overall better than I did before I went on SSRIs, oddly enough. I have no depression or anxiety. 

 

But it is just this head pressure and ear ringing that has me at my wits end lately. When I wake up in the middle of the night, the sound is like I'm standing next to a roaring waterfall. This sound comes and goes during the day. Sometimes I will have two different frequencies rocking at once - a high pitch and a low pitch. The high pitch usually stays.

 

I had a nice morning, while walking my dog I noticed that my ear ringing was put far back on the shelf. It lasted for over an hour. I never knew silence could be so awesome. It reminds me that it can go away. 

 

So overall I am doing so well, but all it takes is one thing to make your life miserable and you forget the good stuff. Persistent roaring tinnitus and head pressure itself can cause depression and despair, and affect one's life badly. Many of my plans are on hold because of my current wave.

 

I suppose I should stop my first and only cup of coffee in the morning too. Waaaaaah!!! Can I have NO vices??? How am I supposed to get through this ordeal without my comforting vices???    

 

I can't believe this is my second time going through protracted SSRI withdrawal. If only my doctor told me eleven years ago last time that it was the Prozac causing me years of misery, I never would have gone on Lexapro six years ago.

 

Last night it finally hit me that I might be stuck here for awhile. I got a little disheartened, but Fresh posted somewhere that "Despair is part of withdrawal" and that helped me alot. I will just lump despair in with the rest of the lousy WD symptoms which will all someday fade away. But when will that day be? Six months? Two years? Yikes! 

It will get better...

I have reached the same point, I think...suddenly hit with new awarness, that it will take more time than I thought...

It makes me feeling more sad than angry today...kind of hopeless...

[clearday]

It will get better...

I have reached the same point, I think...suddenly hit with new awareness, that it will take more time than I thought...

It makes me feeling more sad than angry today...kind of hopeless...

 

 

Yes, it will get better - looking forward to the Spring, that will surely help - I know I will have good days this Spring....and this Summer! 

[ikam]

 

It will get better...

I have reached the same point, I think...suddenly hit with new awareness, that it will take more time than I thought...

It makes me feeling more sad than angry today...kind of hopeless...

 

 

Yes, it will get better - looking forward to the Spring, that will surely help - I know I will have good days this Spring....and this Summer!

Great positive thinking!

 

I need to re-define the way I think about my life...i tend to get easily miserable, as if I was a victim of my situation...

I moved to a new flat more than half a year ago and make myself suffer, as I dont like the area...

Today it has taken me more than half a day to feel a bit better...

It was nice and sunny day...but...

[clearday]

 

I need to re-define the way I think about my life...i tend to get easily miserable, as if I was a victim of my situation...

I moved to a new flat more than half a year ago and make myself suffer, as I dont like the area...

Today it has taken me more than half a day to feel a bit better...

It was nice and sunny day...but...

 

 

Yes, same here. I have always been like that, my whole life. So in most ways I am still my same old self - these meds haven't changed my personality or overall tendencies - so I am glad that I am still me.

 

For me, right now, my WD symptoms are physical, not psychiatric. My recent physical WD symptoms can push me to feel depressed, thinking about them.

[ikam]

 

I need to re-define the way I think about my life...i tend to get easily miserable, as if I was a victim of my situation...

I moved to a new flat more than half a year ago and make myself suffer, as I dont like the area...

Today it has taken me more than half a day to feel a bit better...

It was nice and sunny day...but...

 

 

Yes, same here. I have always been like that, my whole life. So in most ways I am still my same old self - these meds haven't changed my personality or overall tendencies - so I am glad that I am still me.

 

For me, right now, my WD symptoms are physical, not psychiatric. My recent physical WD symptoms can push me to feel depressed, thinking about them.

I have lots of physical symptoms too. Last two days I had paresthesia back and this has made me really down...

I can cope with depressed modd, even with anxiety, but physical symptoms get me to catastrophic mode...

[Purplestars22]

Hi Clearday, thanks for posting on my thread. I read that you are having physical symptoms such as tinnitus I get that too it's bothersome. My symptoms have been mostly psychiatric which are horrible. I hope your symptoms subside and the best wishes to you.

[clearday]

UPDATE.

 

I'm 14 months off Lexapro.

 

I am currently in a five month wave of head pressure, ear ringing. 

 

It is worse at bedtime and immediately upon waking. Also off and on during the day.

 

Often wake up with head feeling a little beat-up from dealing with the head pressure and ringing. 

 

Had only two windows, two days each during last five months.

 

The nerve damage caused by Lexapro is worse than I thought.

 

Otherwise I am doing well. Sleeping good, which is amazing considering how bad the symptoms are at bedtime.

 

The left side body numbness and scalp numbness during this wave have mostly gone away. .

 

Hard to imagine the head pressure and ringing will ever going away, it is as strong as ever.

 

But it changes from day to day, week to week. It was worse in right ear for four months, now both sides equal. The bruit in right ear has gone away.

 

I hope the fact that it is changing means my body is dealing with it and trying to heal.

 

I remain hopeful for getting slowly better.

[Altostrata]

Thanks for the update, clearday. At least you can see some progress.

 

I added our cheerful "here comes the sun" symbol

☼

to the title of your Intro topic, to show you're recovering.

 

How much magnesium are you taking?

[clearday]

I had been taking 400 mg of Magnesium oxide, not sure if it helped -

 

Then I heard that Magnesium oxide is not the best source to get Magnesium from, so I stopped taking it -

 

I should probably look for a better source of Magnesium and take it, it may help the ringing?

 

Perhaps Magnesium chloride, or Magnesium taurate?

[Ssriwarrior]

I take a magnesium glycinate but have also been using a magnesium oil that is absorbed into the skin and it seems to be helping...

 

Who knew magnesium was so complicated? Sorry to hear about the ear stuff...

[LexAnger]

Hi clearday, thanks for keeping us updated. Glad you making some progess with some symptoms going away!

You told you have head pressure but the numbness is gone. How do you distinguish pressure from numbness? I have the similar symptoms but never know I should all it pressure or numbness.

 

Hope you keep recovering faster with the rest problem.

[clearday]

Hi clearday, thanks for keeping us updated. Glad you making some progess with some symptoms going away!

You told you have head pressure but the numbness is gone. How do you distinguish pressure from numbness? I have the similar symptoms but never know I should all it pressure or numbness.

 

Hope you keep recovering faster with the rest problem.

 

Hi LexAnger and SSRI Warrior,

 

For me, the numbness on my left side body - left arm and left leg - is most similar to having your arm "fall asleep" when you sleep on it by mistake. But as a symptom, it is much less numb than that, not totally "dead arm", it is a similar numbness but much less severe. Same thing with my scalp. The numbness is only on the skin surface, not deep. All that numbness went away a week or so ago. I only felt the numbness while in bed at night. I am lucky as far as the numbness goes, some have it real bad. As for the head pressure and ringing, I have it bad, and it can happen all day, but horrible at night.

 

The head pressure is totally different than the skin numbness. It is related to my ear ringing. In fact, the ear ringing is better described as "head ringing", it is like a wind raging through my head. Like standing next to a rushing waterfall.  And occasionally actual ear ringing at low or high pitches does happen as a result, in both ears. The high and low pitches come and go, but the raging wind is always there, sometimes on a back burner, but always there.  

 

And once a week, I will wake up as usual with the raging head wind, and a brain zap will sneak in! (yes, brain zaps at 14 months out, for sure). Less and less brain zaps over time. I will also feel "brain bubbling" inside the head, like percolating bubbles, rare but only while in bed. No bubbling for two weeks now.

 

The head pressure is like my brain feels swollen, like during a head cold. The pressure radiates from the inside of my brain and out toward my ears. The ear canals make occasional popping noises like when your ears pop in an elevator, and your ears feel "full". There is normally no pain, but sometimes the swollen feeling in the ears can be uncomfortable. I believe the head pressure is ultimately responsible for causing the ear ringing. Recently my ear canals will feel a little itchy, similar to a scab or sunburn feeling itchy once it is healing.

 

This head pressure comes and goes like a fever. But a typical fever comes and goes, and spikes over the course of three or four days - and then finally goes away. This head pressure has been coming and going for five months now. Just like a fever, when the head pressure spikes, I feel tired - it takes its toll. And when it subsides, I feel better.

 

My right ear has been worse the whole time. I also felt "bruit" in my right ear, which is the sound of your pulse - heart beat - whooshing through vessels near auditory nerves that are under pressure in the ear. Always worse at night or while laying down. Bruit is now mostly gone for a week, a good sign. 

 

All this pressure and ringing was worse in my right ear for four months straight. Only last week the right ear is now the same as the left. And now my left ear seems to be more active. Perhaps the brain focused on healing the worse right ear, and now it is tackling the damage on the left side.

 

Thank you SSRI Warrior for the Magnesium info, I will  drive to the supplement store now to shop for magnesium. I heard that there will be more oversight on supplement companies in the US to ensure quality control on supplements, that's good news.

 

Good luck to both of you, Lexapro sure is one damaging drug. Advertised as "having the least side effects". They should add to that " having severe withdrawal effects and nerve damage", but that would hurt their sales. And they should put a big "skull and crossbones" on the Lexapro pill bottle to let the consumer know it is a damaging poison.

[Prestorb]

You could try chelated magnesium, it's cheap and is supposedly easily absorbed. Hang in there! 

[clearday]

thanks  Prestorb - 

[ikam]

 

Hi clearday, thanks for keeping us updated. Glad you making some progess with some symptoms going away!

You told you have head pressure but the numbness is gone. How do you distinguish pressure from numbness? I have the similar symptoms but never know I should all it pressure or numbness.

Hope you keep recovering faster with the rest problem.

 

 

Hi LexAnger and SSRI Warrior,

 

For me, the numbness on my left side body - left arm and left leg - is most similar to having your arm "fall asleep" when you sleep on it by mistake. But as a symptom, it is much less numb than that, not totally "dead arm", it is a similar numbness but much less severe. Same thing with my scalp. The numbness is only on the skin surface, not deep. All that numbness went away a week or so ago. I only felt the numbness while in bed at night. I am lucky as far as the numbness goes, some have it real bad. As for the head pressure and ringing, I have it bad, and it can happen all day, but horrible at night.

 

The head pressure is totally different than the skin numbness. It is related to my ear ringing. In fact, the ear ringing is better described as "head ringing", it is like a wind raging through my head. Like standing next to a rushing waterfall.  And occasionally actual ear ringing at low or high pitches does happen as a result, in both ears. The high and low pitches come and go, but the raging wind is always there, sometimes on a back burner, but always there.  

 

And once a week, I will wake up as usual with the raging head wind, and a brain zap will sneak in! (yes, brain zaps at 14 months out, for sure). Less and less brain zaps over time. I will also feel "brain bubbling" inside the head, like percolating bubbles, rare but only while in bed. No bubbling for two weeks now.

 

The head pressure is like my brain feels swollen, like during a head cold. The pressure radiates from the inside of my brain and out toward my ears. The ear canals make occasional popping noises like when your ears pop in an elevator, and your ears feel "full". There is normally no pain, but sometimes the swollen feeling in the ears can be uncomfortable. I believe the head pressure is ultimately responsible for causing the ear ringing. Recently my ear canals will feel a little itchy, similar to a scab or sunburn feeling itchy once it is healing.

 

This head pressure comes and goes like a fever. But a typical fever comes and goes, and spikes over the course of three or four days - and then finally goes away. This head pressure has been coming and going for five months now. Just like a fever, when the head pressure spikes, I feel tired - it takes its toll. And when it subsides, I feel better.

 

My right ear has been worse the whole time. I also felt "bruit" in my right ear, which is the sound of your pulse - heart beat - whooshing through vessels near auditory nerves that are under pressure in the ear. Always worse at night or while laying down. Bruit is now mostly gone for a week, a good sign. 

 

All this pressure and ringing was worse in my right ear for four months straight. Only last week the right ear is now the same as the left. And now my left ear seems to be more active. Perhaps the brain focused on healing the worse right ear, and now it is tackling the damage on the left side.

 

Thank you SSRI Warrior for the Magnesium info, I will  drive to the supplement store now to shop for magnesium. I heard that there will be more oversight on supplement companies in the US to ensure quality control on supplements, that's good news.

 

Good luck to both of you, Lexapro sure is one damaging drug. Advertised as "having the least side effects". They should add to that " having severe withdrawal effects and nerve damage", but that would hurt their sales. And they should put a big "skull and crossbones" on the Lexapro pill bottle to let the consumer know it is a damaging poison.

What helps you to cope?

 

I did not realise that I experience the numbness as well...on my right side mostly...

Sometimes my head seems tense as well...

What helps me is distraction...i have noticed that when I am at home and have not much to do, I concentrate on my symptoms...

[LexAnger]

Clearday, thanks for your Indepth explanation! Great job describing in such a insightful sense. It seems regardless CT or slow taper, head pressure and body numbness are unavoidable for lex users. I've been having them for 1 year constantly changing doses followed by stedy micro taper. It's very discomfort able and distracting. I feel I like cutting off the entire part of my left head, face, body to stop it. It always starts immediately after waking up in morning, can get less starting dosing at 10:30, usually subsides as the day goes and most days gone later of the day, latest in the evening.

 

Nothing helps, massage, alcupuncture, exercise etc. I tried MG once got muscle twitch immediately so stopped MG. I'm down to 3.6mg now and got some windows recently without it, am hoping it goese away gradually from here thinking the lower dose is the reason I'm getting the break.

 

Do you see any pattern over time and within a day?

[clearday]

What helps you to cope?

I did not realise that I experience the numbness as well...on my right side mostly...

Sometimes my head seems tense as well...

What helps me is distraction...i have noticed that when I am at home and have not much to do, I concentrate on my symptoms...

 

 

Distraction is great. If I am out and about, doing physical things, walking through different environments, I can feel normal, the ringing subsides into the background.

 

Me too, when I am at home and trying to relax I concentrate on the symptoms and think about what has happened to me, and I become sad.

 

I cope by hoping for recovery, knowing that over time I am slowly healing. 

 

As stated by this recovered member, who took a few years to get better:

 

“The recovery was slow and painful, but I became conscious of every little improvement as it happened. I got used to the pattern: something would get better for a while, then suddenly everything would swing right back and all that recovery would vanish. But I learnt the trick - once something had recovered temporarily, it was only a matter of time before it recovered permanently. It made no difference if it came back for a while... it had already revealed its weakness, and sooner or later it was going to be gone for good. That was true in every single case.”

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3523-success-recovery-from-protracted-zoloft-withdrawal-and-pssd/

[clearday]

Do you see any pattern over time and within a day?

 

Over time, will have a bad few days, then not so bad couple of days.

 

Then when wave comes back, just as strong, but changed a little bit as far as left or right ear, which one is worse.

 

Type of ringing and pressure changes too, over time -

 

The pressure and ringing in my right ear was much worse than my left for four months, now it is the same as my left ear. So it seems that I am not "stuck" with a certain level of damage, it seems that healing is happening. And if one thing can improve over time, then all symptoms may improve over time (see quote in my previous post above, in red).  

 

Within a day, I always wake up to worse symptoms. Loud ringing.

 

Breakfast helps, then still ringing.

 

Lunch helps.

 

Afternoon, sometimes subsides, ringing is less noticeable.

 

Sometimes no pattern during day, comes and goes as it pleases. 

 

Laying down for bed at night, always worse. 

 

Overall, I hope that "it gets worse before it gets better" may apply, similar to progression of a fever, only played out over many months. Consistent with waves and windows pattern of recovery.