Ashkaye: took Lexapro for a week for heart palpitations

[Ashkaye]

Hello all. I was prescribed Lexapro 10mg for heart palpitations and blood pressure. Never struggled with anxiety but the cardiologist determined my heart rate issues were from anxiety and I even argued with him over it and his reply was that my heart was anxious. So I attempted the Lexapro as the palpitations were uncomfortable. 3 hours after taking the first dose I had my first ever panic attack. Kept having panic attacks upon waking and started having bad anxiety. Stopped the lexapro after a week. It’s been 4 weeks since I’ve been off the lexapro. The anxiety is bad still. It’s interfering with my work and life. I have moments I feel like I’m going to pass out and get really dizzy. I’m 26 and have been married for a year. I was loving my life and now I don’t feel happiness towards much of anything. My husband is out of town for work and so I’m living with my mother because I don’t even care enough to take care of my dog and cat whom I love more than anything. I loved my job and was saving for a house, now the idea of going to work makes me anxious and the idea of being off work makes me equally as anxious. How long until I get back to normal? 

[Ashkaye]

I only took lexapro for a week for heart palpitations.  It’s been a month since quitting and I’m still miserable. I’ve never had anxiety issues and now I do. Please help. 

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, Ashkaye.  I'm sorry you're going through this.

 

You are experiencing an adverse reaction to the Lexapro, which means the drug was basically poison to your system.  The symptoms you describe are typical of an adverse reaction.  You will heal, but unfortunately there is no way to predict how long it will take.  The following link explains what has happened and the healing process.

 

Adverse reactions to an antidepressant within a few doses ...

 

This link is a good illustration of the healing process.

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

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 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) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

[Ashkaye]

Thank you for the advice on the magnesium. It has helped some. I am a bit better than I was even a week ago. Not fully recovered but better. I am slightly more optimistic about the future and able to enjoy a few things in life. 

[Gridley]

31 minutes ago, Ashkaye said:

Thank you for the advice on the magnesium. It has helped some. I am a bit better than I was even a week ago. Not fully recovered but better. I am slightly more optimistic about the future and able to enjoy a few things in life. 

 

That's great, Ashkaye.

[Ashkaye]

Having a bad day today. My husband flew home for the weekend from work so you would think that at least I could enjoy my weekend with him. Real bad Anhedonia today. 

[christianjw12]

1 hour ago, Ashkaye said:

Having a bad day today. My husband flew home for the weekend from work so you would think that at least I could enjoy my weekend with him. Real bad Anhedonia today. 

Hi Ashkaye ! Don't worry too much, you'll heal.

I also had bad experience with Lexapro.. I took it for 3 months but I think I had a very bad reaction to this drug as well but my psychologist told me "it's normal to feel bad at the beginning, just keep taking it". He was partly right because indeed I felt a "little better" after 3 weeks taking this drug BUT I started to feel depersonalized and got suicidal ideation. So I decided to stop this drug and I'm 5 months off this drug. The first 4 months were hell, now it's a little bit better but the next day can still be so bad that I feel like I made 0 improvement.

What non drug technique that can help you is acceptance. Acceptance (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) means to let things how they are without changing them. The more you try to control your own experience and the more you risk to feel worse, that's how the mind works. Time is really the only solution to this problem.

[Ashkaye]

I’m not a huge drinker or anything. Prior to all of this I was taking spin classes and walking 2 miles every morning and focusing on being healthy in preparation for my husband and I to start having kids. However since all of this started I’ve noticed that if I have a couple of drinks, I feel like my old self again. Why is that? I don’t want this to turn me into an alcoholic. My life was just getting started. 

[brassmonkey]

We strongly recommend that people who are on or are tapering off of ADs avoid drinking alcohol at all times. There are a number of reasons for this. ADs and alcohol react badly together and compound each others affects causing greater impairment. ADs reduce a persons inhibitions which can cause them to drink to excess. ADs in some cases cause intense alcohol cravings and a desire to drink and decreased ability to resist. The effects of alcohol on the body and nervous system is the quickest way there is to derail a taper that is going well. For some a few drinks can make them feel better for a while because of the drug interactions, but it is short lived and the repercussions can be debilitating.

[Ashkaye]

I’m not still taking ADs. Only took it for a week and that was 7 weeks ago and quit CT after that week. I am currently working but every day is a struggle. I have these intense moments where I literally feel as if I am dying or about to die. Does anyone else have that? 

[Nyfa25]

@Ashkaye Hey, sorry for my bad english i'm french girl

 

I took an AD only 14 days and I have an adverse reaction like you, now its been 11 weeks without this awful med and I feel very bad like you.. I have a lot of bad moments but when i'm good i feel better than the beggining of stop the med.

 

I hope that will be temporary and I hope we healing quickly, we are young (I have 27 years olds) and we are took the med only fews days so we have a lot of chances to healing... 

[Ashkaye]

@Nyfa25 it has been by far the most awful experience of my life. I have some good moments too. I was a happy go lucky person before this happened and I hate who I am now. I’m so sorry this happened to you and I also hope we heal quickly. I tried to go read your intro topic but I’m very bad with French. 

[Gridley]

15 hours ago, Nyfa25 said:

I hope that will be temporary

It will be temporary.  We can't tell you how long it will take to heal--everyone is different--but it will happen.  The effects of an adverse reaction are not permanent.

[Nyfa25]

@Ashkaye like me, its the worst experience in my life... I was a happy and fun girl before, I hate too what i am now with this adverse reaction 

[Ashkaye]

@Nyfa25 have you noticed any improvement? 

[Nyfa25]

A little, my symptoms goes worse and worse but when I have a short time in my day without symptoms, I feel better ! I don't have Windows or waves for my case, It’s just the succession of symptoms that change throughout the day, anxiety, depression, dizziness, ill-being and others and suddenly a time when I’m okay and no longer experiencing symptoms

 

A member here told me that the symptoms can goes worse a lot before an amelioration so i hope this is that..

[Ashkaye]

@Nyfa25 I have all of that too. I wouldn’t necessarily say I have windows or waves either. I’m symptomatic in the mornings and in the afternoons I don’t tend to have symptoms then they come back at night. 

[Ashkaye]

Yesterday was a bad day for me. My appetite came back and for me the anxiety gets worse when I eat. When I got off work yesterday it was raining terribly. I was driving home on a 3 lane highway in traffic with rain so bad I could barely see. Talked myself down from panic until I made it to my exit and the rain lightened up. I was sitting at a red light when all of a sudden it a jolt hit me that made me feel like I was about to die, lose my mind, or lose consciousness. It was so bad I grabbed onto the inside of my vehicle. This kept happening periodically for about the next 3 hours. Took a LONG epsom salt bath to try to help. It made the jolts lighter at least. Then I had a few drinks last night and it was completely gone. This morning I got up for a Covid test at work (I’m a nurse) and I was feeling pretty good. Came back home and went back to sleep for a few hours. It’s my off day.  Dreamed about my symptoms getting worse and being like this permanently. Woke up feeling panicked but that settled after a few minutes. So far I’m feeling like I’m in a bit of a window today. About to try to grab a light lunch and take a walk and see where that gets me. 

[Nyfa25]

@Ashkaye how do you Feel today ?

[Ashkaye]

@Nyfa25 not good. Been a bad couple of days honestly. What about you? 

[Nyfa25]

I hope you're healing quickly..

 

For me, its a little better on the evening, but its depends day by day, some days its very difficult and hard and some days its little better...

[Ashkaye]

Thank you. Your adverse reaction happened a couple weeks before mine so your a bit further along than I am. Glad to see you’re improving. 

[Nyfa25]

@Ashkaye How are you? Have your symptoms been reduced? Can you sleep at night?

 

for me its changing now the symptoms goes worse only in the beginning or the afternoon but i feel pretty good sometimes during the day.

But for a week i've been loosing my sleep, i feel so tired about all of this ****

[Ashkaye]

@Nyfa25 I’m sleeping okay now. Have been for a while. Was even able to take a nap yesterday but that was a first. My anxiety is still through the roof. Had to go to my husbands grandfathers funeral and I think that has made me a bit worse. I’m just so ready for all of this to be over with. I’m ready to start a family but can’t with all of this going on. My appetite is gone. I barely eat. 

[Ashkaye]

This all feels so hopeless. 

[Colonial]

On 9/29/2020 at 1:33 PM, Ashkaye said:

Yesterday was a bad day for me. My appetite came back and for me the anxiety gets worse when I eat.

 

Hi Ash,

 

This happens to me as well if I force my body to do either of 2 things:

1. Digest too much food at once.'

2. Eat food that spikes my sugar to high. 

Granted these things could be related, since too much food itself, if eating the wrong foods will raise your sugar.

I've changed to rye bread and can tolerate a toasted piece of that with some peanut butter or cream cheese when my anxiety is worse.

I also found eating in the afternoon from 3pm-8pm could make any number of my other symptoms worse.

After 9pm I could eat the house out and I'd be fine.  Very strange, right?

 

Hope you have a better day tomorrow!

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by Colonial

[christianjw12]

4 hours ago, Ashkaye said:

This all feels so hopeless. 

@Ashkaye, I feel you. I am a very positive person in general but in withdrawal, I have so many negative thoughts that I even thought about suicide many times. But it's normal, suicide ideation is also part of withdrawal symptoms because we feel so hopeless and that we are damaged forever. But life must go on, with or without pain. I think we (all the people in survivingantidepressant) are very brave, no one other than us can understand our pain, it all happens inside our head, our body. My friends asked me how I feel, they see that I try to keep being present and smile but they don't understand that I sometimes feel so hopeless that we really want it to end but there's nothing we can really change other than accept the situation and become the observer of our pain.

Your situation reminds me of a post I read. Have a look about @SupahSet success story. He took Lexapro for 3 weeks for heart palpitations and he got an adverse reaction like. He wrote a success story after 1 year off so I believe you'll also heal, but when we don't know. But I can guarantee you you'll heal, hang on !! 😇

[Nyfa25]

@Ashkaye Maybe you can try acupuncture? I’ve done two sessions this week and it has reduced a little my anxiety, she’s not quite gone yet but it seemed to alleviate it

[Ashkaye]

Thanks for the advice everybody. It’s just such a daily struggle because I’ve never been one to have anxiety before. And the physical symptoms are rough. I haven’t been super in shape since I met my husband 8 years ago, I got “fat and happy” but I’ve still walked 2 miles daily and enjoyed going to the gym. I’ve always wished there was an appetite suppressant pill because I love food (I’m from the south) but I guess I found one and learned it’s not a good thing. I’ve lost so much weight that I’m almost the size I was when I met my husband. 

[Ashkaye]

Also I made a chart like @SupahSet so we’ll see how it goes 

[Ashkaye]

Just an update. Today’s been okay so far. Feeling a lot more myself today. Haven’t eaten yet which makes my anxiety worse but I’m hungry so that’s a start. Well see what happens. 

[Ashkaye]

Tomorrow will be 9 weeks that I stopped the lexapro after use for just one week 

[Nyfa25]

@Ashkaye good to read this!

For me acupuncture work well to reduce my anxiety, maybe you can try it ?

[Ashkaye]

So today I keep having these very strong falling/dropping sensations. Does anyone else get these? 

[Erell]

Please add a signature.  Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can.

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

I understand that you have given the info in you posts above but this will appear below every post you make, and allow the other folks to see your history at a glance 😊

[Ashkaye]

How do I add a signature?