Moderator Onmyway Posted November 29, 2019 Moderator Share Posted November 29, 2019 Recently I have been having trouble finding the right words when speaking, especially at work. It gets worse when I am tired but it's there when I'm not tired either. I also substitute one word for another (inappropriately). I'm able to recognize it soon and correct it but it's quite disturbing. It happened multiple times during a presentation I was giving in front of colleagues at work. When I think about it, I sometimes also have trouble understanding whole sentences when people speak. I hear the words but can't put them together. and have to ask the person to repeat. It feels like I can't focus on the words somehow. Does anyone else have such symptoms and are they caused by WD and go away eventually? Or should I talk to a neurologist as it might be a different issue. I'm a bit worried. I've been cognitively mostly OK except for some complete brain fog on occasion in early WD. But this is continous and seems to be getting worse. I searched for the word aphasia and found a few people on the forums (@Shep) but was wondering if more people had it but did not use the word aphasia to describe it. "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted December 1, 2019 Share Posted December 1, 2019 Yes, I had this and it does get better. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Onmyway Posted December 2, 2019 Author Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2019 3 hours ago, UnfoldingSky said: Yes, I had this and it does get better. Thanks UfoldingSky, this means a lot to me. I have dementia in the family and was kind of losing my mind with worry whether it's that or whether it's WD. I can be patient with WD and bear and accept. For the other one I need to plan and change life choices. Thank you for giving me hope. "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 Onmyway, I am glad it helps. For whatever this may be worth we don't have dementia in my family, and I had these problems, so I can say the pills alone can do this. I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delsol Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Yes, this most definitely could be a withdrawal symptom. I've experienced it too. I can understand why it seems like so many WD things feel like more serious neurological conditions -- especially if you've had dementia in your family. But know that, like UnfoldingSky says above, these things occur in people who aren't at risk for dementia. It is especially frustrating when aphasia happens during a presentation. As for difficulty following conversation, my go-to visual image for WD is of a socket with too many plugs jammed into it. Maybe your auditory/speech processing circuitry is dealing with a lot of extra stuff. Also, if it's during a stressful situation like a presentation, it makes sense why it would happen then, when your nervous system (even in a non-WD person) is on high alert. Good luck. --Current supplements: Fish oil 1000 mg x4 (split into 2 doses of 1000 mg); Vit. D 2,000 iu once daily; 2-3 tsp coconut oil daily --3/14/20: Re-discontinued gabapentin after 2 weeks, due to agitation --2/27/20: Reinstated Kpin .5mg and also briefly reinstated gabapentin 300mg. 2x/daily, to help with side effects (Kpin dose usually taken in a.m. between 5-8 a.m.; gabapentin once in a.m. and once around 6 p.m.) --2/13/20: Tried reducing Kpin down to .375mg due to dysphoric side effects; tried to CT but started hallucinating again after 4 days --1/23/20: Placed on daily .5mg dose of Klonopin --From July 2017-Jan. 2020: PRN Klonopin 1mg. : up to 1x/day: sometimes weeks without it, sometimes 1-2x/week, sometimes 4-5x/week; tried to CT in Jan. 2020 and ended up in hospital with delirium and hallucinations --November 2019: Weaned down gabapentin approx. 100 mg. per week and discontinued it --August 7, 2019-10/18/19: Reduced Trintellix from 10mg. down to zero (insurance stopped paying for it - I couldn't afford it). --February 2019-11/30/19: Reduced nortriptyline from 75 mg. to zero --As of February 2019: Meds were 10 mg. (1x/day) Trintellix, 75 mg. (1x/day) nortriptyline, and 600 mg. gabapentin --1992 through 2018: On various cocktails of meds, starting with anafranil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnfoldingSky Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 That's an apt image, the socket with too many plugs in it delsol, it's amazing when someone can sum up your experience in such a concise way, that very much describes part of my withdrawal journey. Thank you for posting! I am not a medical professional and nothing I say is a medical opinion or meant to be medical advice, please seek a competent and trusted medical professional to consult for all medical decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackM Posted November 17, 2022 Share Posted November 17, 2022 (edited) SSRI Aphasia Hello, I have been diagnosed with aphasia stemming from antidepressant withdrawal. I discontinued Lexapro several months ago and have been bed ridden. I am otherwise healthy and 31 years of age. I get pressure in my head and vertigo, daily, and I have noticed a precipitous decline in my cognition. Most notably, my vocabulary and word finding ability are diminished. My deficits are most problematic later in the day. I am afraid this is permanent. Has anyone experienced aphasia? One of the symptoms I have is an inability to recall the meanings of basic words that I’ve known all my life, as well as very significant word finding difficulty. In short, is this common, and ultimately, transient? Should I go on another drug, perhaps Vortioxetine, in an attempt to regain my cognitive function? I’m desperate and terribly melancholy. Perhaps light jogging and swimming in combination with reading and writing could be an efficacious means of maximizing neuroplasticity? Cheers, Jack History GAD, OCD, depression Treated with 10mg of Lexapro from November 2020 through April ‘22. symptoms: head pressure, headaches, aphasia (expressive and receptive), vertigo, and fatigue. Edited November 18, 2022 by ChessieCat added topic title before merging with existing topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Heath Posted December 23, 2022 Mentor Share Posted December 23, 2022 (edited) Aphasia. I just learned this from watching a movie. I think I have had this several times during my ssri journey . Just the other day I pronounced a word wrong in a safety meeting . The guys chuckled about it of course they didn’t know the reason. so for many years taking Paxil in the morning. I didn’t speak in the mornings after dosage and talking more the further away from Paxil dosage as day goes on. I would be ready to speak in morning meeting then after breakfast and Paxil dose I could not speak nothing no words . This seems to get better as ssri dosage gets lower. So this I don’t think was aphasia, don’t know. Of course the being sensitive to peoples words didn’t help🙄 another wonderful wd symptom. But now in my wd the word process and speaking incorrect words is very familiar. The movie is The Ice Road. 2021. It is a rescue similar to rescue of Nome Alaska with the dog Baltic in 1925 but in modern times with trucks. Two brothers. One a veteran developed aphasia in a war. The other helps take care of him. There is a scene where they try to get help with therapy and disability income at a va mental hospital . His caretaker brother comes back after the assessment and the dr has ordered him to take Xanax and lexapro and have him committed. Well I won’t say any more and spoil the movie you will have to watch it. It is suspenseful so only watch if you are able Edited December 23, 2022 by Heath 2000-2013 Paxil - 1 year fast taper 2013-2018 merry go round zoloft, cymbalta, lamictal, Prozac. Nov. 2018 lexapro 15 mgs, Dec. 2019 to Mar. 2020 taper to 10mg. Jul 2020 to October 2020 taper to 8.5 ml. Oct 2020 reinstated to 9 ml. Apr 2021 to Jul taper to 7ml. Oct 2021 to Jan 2022 taper to 5.9ml, Mar 5 2022 5.8 ml, Mar 12 5.7ml, Mar 20 5.6ml, Mar 27 5.5ml, April 23 5.4ml, April 30 5.3ml, May 7 5.2ml, Jul 9 2022 5.4ml, Klonopin prn, Allegra 180 for 3 seasons, aspirin 81 mg, plavix , nitroglycerin 0.4 mg prn, 2k mg turmeric Qunol, 4- Trader Joe’s omega 3 -2400 mg, Pepcid 20mg, Prilosec 40 mg, Tylenol arthritis 4 tablets daily, 350mg calm magnesium citrate, melatonin 2.5- 5mg as needed to sleep. Saline spray as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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