sicksagittarius: Lexapro/escitalopram withdrawal

[Altostrata]

46 minutes ago, Sicksagittarius said:

I have the worst results she has ever seen in her career. I have pathogens: C diff, E. Coli, parasites: Giardia, H. Pylori, bacteria overgrowth mostly likely SIBO, fungi: candida, and various other issues. To help heal, my functional dr prescribed me herbal supplements, multivitamins, probiotics etc. I started taking them and I thought I was tolerating them but I started gettig intense depersonalization and derealization when I get too anxious.

 

Is this a reliable doctor? If I were you, I'd get a second opinion from the best gastroenterologist in your area. If you have a serious infection, it may make more sense for you to take antibiotics.

 

Not everything is related to withdrawal. You may be experiencing adverse effects from taking a basket of powerful herbs and supplements at once. Did you discuss this with the functional medicine doctor?

 

I wish we could help you, but we do not treat parasitic intestinal infections, candida, or other gastrointestinal diseases here.

[Sicksagittarius]

Hi! So I was wondering what the best daily practices to incorporate into my routine were to keep my nervous system calmed and prevent a worsened disregulated autonomic nervous system. I have anxiety and feel I am stuck in a loop of panic attacks and everythgin I read and hear from people trigger me so badly. So far I've read light exercise dialy, sleep esp between 11 pm and 3 am to heal, meditation, music, balanced diet. When you try to accomplish tasks throughout the day, how do I pace myself so I don't burnout? For example, I need to do research on my PCOS and lexapro withdrawal, diet plans, functional drs to go to, look for a job, be a good employee, earn enough money to move out to be in a more peaceful environment, be a good friend and family member. How can I accomplish what I need to to feel satisfied and proud of myself for moving forward in life. I know this healing process is a beautiful, gnarly journey because of the spiritual awakening I'm going through and I love that aspect of it. I could learn about spiritual aspects all day but I still need to accomplish other things to survive in life. 

 

What have you heard about CBT,DBT, EDMR, somatic experiencing therapy to manage stress levels? any other types of therapy? Is acupuncture or craniosacral therapy too invasive and cause us to increase symptoms?

 

How do you create a healthy balance of charging your nervous system with calming it? I really want to start working again because I need to move out of my home with my parent to my own apartment because its more stressful since they dont believe in lexapro withdrawal. I was thinking part time freelance blogging to start small.

 

I also want to live as normally as I can by hanging out with friends and exercising. I need to try to maintain my friendships because I don't want to be lonely and want to do more light exercise like walks in nature/yoga etc. How do I do this without overwhelming myself and going into more intense withdrawal symptoms like disassociation, vertigo, etc? How can I stay consistently as calm as possible when I have extreme anxiety, especially if I don't stick to the right diet? I've been going too hard in the past few weeks and set myself back 10 steps. 

 

Are there any books you recommend to help regulate your nervous system especially as you ween off lexapro? What about the book "Paravagal Theory for Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation" by Deb Dana?"

 

I'm very frustrated at how I have to go through life so slowly. However, I belive the universe has a plan and I needed to slow down in order to become my true self. How do you learn to accept that you cannot function to society's standards and adapt in a way that friends, future partners, family member can understand and won't see me as less than? I feel disabled because I am and my mom looks at me like I'm lazy.

 

 

@Grateful

[Altostrata]

You might want to post those questions in the Finding Meaning forum.

[Greatful]

@Sicksagittarius

You have a lot you want to accomplish, that is great, you are healing and want to look to the future.

1 hour ago, Sicksagittarius said:

 So far I've read light exercise dialy, sleep esp between 11 pm and 3 am to heal, meditation, music, balanced diet.

These are all good places to start.  Learning acceptance is also a big one.  Tapping is good for anxiety.  I think you would benefit from connecting with @Mia1 She is teaching me so much about anxiety and acceptance.  Youtube has Therapy in a Nut Shell.  The woman doing the videos is a therapist.  She has lots of videos.  I like her.

2 hours ago, Sicksagittarius said:

When you try to accomplish tasks throughout the day, how do I pace myself so I don't burnout?

 Listen to your body.  If you are feeling tired slow down.  If wd symptoms increase slow down.

2 hours ago, Sicksagittarius said:

What have you heard about CBT,DBT, EDMR, somatic experiencing therapy to manage stress levels? any other types of therapy

Yes I think it would be very helpful to find a good therapist to work with.  They can guide you along as you heal.  This would also help you find what is important to you and how to work towards it.  Maybe you should make a list of what you want out of life and prioritize it.  Go slow and don't overwhelm yourself, again a good therapist will help you learn healthy coping skills and learn how  grow with self confidence.

 

CBT is a good one for learning how to recognize distorted thoughts. David Burns has a 'Feeling Good' mood therapy book that has helped me.  He  also has another book I recently  bought 'When Panic attacks', helps with anxiety, panic.

Clair Weeks ' Hope and Help for Your Nerves' is popular here on SA.

 

You sound like a nice young woman who just wants to have a good life. You have a good out look, that help you with your journey through life.  Be patient and kind to yourself and slowly grow into who you are.❤️

 

You are do great job pulling yourself together.  You should be proud of yourself.

 

 

[Sicksagittarius]

@Altostrata @Greatful Thank you for the wonderful advice!! 

 

I'm having issues with increased withdrawal symptoms. I got too confident, and felt like I tolerated bowelia complex for inflammation well and tried more supplements all at once. I tried the multivitamin for about 2 weeks. I started disassociating and feeling numb, I couldnt even feel love or connection to my cats which are my world. I didnt connect that the vitamin could be casing increased WD symptoms because I was going through excess stress by taking on a job that week.

 

I tried a probiophage probiotic, microbiome powder, DIM all within the same week. I started feeling even worse so I stopped the probiophage, multivitamin, DIM and powder and the multivitamin. I also dropped my last pharmaceutical antiinflammatory mesalamine which I think is causing rebound inflammation.

 

I now feel like I cannot focus my vision on things without it looking clear, as I did when I first withdrew. I feel dizzy because I cant focus clealy on things, especially if I go outside and try to focus my vision on a tree, I cannot seem to do it it seems like its slightly blurry or shaking.

 

I've been eating more histamine rich foods like peanut butter even with a histamine intolerance bc it's hard to feel full on the limited foods I can tolerate. Can that cause my nervous system to make my vision be blurry and shaking due to excess inflammation? How do I calm my nervous system from doing this? Is that what it is? SHould I go back on mesalamine for this rebound inflammation or will the boswelia complex help once this rebound stops? When I eat too much histamine, I get panic attacks and its happened a lot for the past few weeks. Could that increase WD symptoms bc its hard on my body? Should I increase the amount of omega 3 or add magnesium or wait because of all the different supplements added and dropped?

 

I know I made a mistake by not going slow with adding and then dropped medication. I felt so good that I got way too confident. How can I calm down my nervous system from shaking with my vision. It's really scaring me to the point where I cry about it and I feel very out of it. How long do you think it will take to stabilize again? Its been about two weeks since I stopped the extra supplements. Should I stop the boswelia complex? I need something for inflammation of my entire body

 

• Boswelia Complex: 2 a day

• Probiophage DF: 2 a day

• Microbiome host defense powder: 1/2-1 tsp

• DIM

• Quicksilver Liposomal multivitamin liquid: biotin, zinc, Vitamins A, C, D E, K, Niacin,, Thiomine, Riboflavin,Vitamin B6, B12, - immediate absorption liquid once a day 1 tsp

[Sicksagittarius]

@AltostrataI'm having issues with increased withdrawal symptoms. I got too confident, and felt like I tolerated bowelia complex for inflammation well and tried more supplements all at once. I tried the multivitamin for about 2 weeks. I started disassociating and feeling numb, I couldnt even feel love or connection to my cats which are my world. I didnt connect that the vitamin could be casing increased WD symptoms because I was going through excess stress by taking on a job that week.

 

I tried a probiophage probiotic, microbiome powder, DIM all within the same week. I started feeling even worse so I stopped the probiophage, multivitamin, DIM and powder and the multivitamin. I also dropped my last pharmaceutical antiinflammatory mesalamine which I think is causing rebound inflammation.

 

I now feel like I cannot focus my vision on things without it looking clear, as I did when I first withdrew. I feel dizzy because I cant focus clealy on things, especially if I go outside and try to focus my vision on a tree, I cannot seem to do it it seems like its slightly blurry or shaking.

 

I've been eating more histamine rich foods like peanut butter even with a histamine intolerance bc it's hard to feel full on the limited foods I can tolerate. Can that cause my nervous system to make my vision be blurry and shaking due to excess inflammation? How do I calm my nervous system from doing this? Is that what it is? SHould I go back on mesalamine for this rebound inflammation or will the boswelia complex help once this rebound stops? When I eat too much histamine, I get panic attacks and its happened a lot for the past few weeks. Could that increase WD symptoms bc its hard on my body? Should I increase the amount of omega 3 or add magnesium or wait because of all the different supplements added and dropped?

 

I know I made a mistake by not going slow with adding and then dropped medication. I felt so good that I got way too confident. How can I calm down my nervous system from shaking with my vision. It's really scaring me to the point where I cry about it and I feel very out of it. How long do you think it will take to stabilize again? Its been about two weeks since I stopped the extra supplements. Should I stop the boswelia complex? I need something for inflammation of my entire body

[Altostrata]

On 8/11/2021 at 3:02 PM, Altostrata said:

Not everything is related to withdrawal. You may be experiencing adverse effects from taking a basket of powerful herbs and supplements at once. Did you discuss this with the functional medicine doctor?

 

I wish we could help you, but we do not treat parasitic intestinal infections, candida, or other gastrointestinal diseases here.

 

Perhaps you should stop being aggressive with your natural remedies?

 

You'll have to let your symptoms settle down. I'm sorry, we don't have any magic formulas here for fixing nervous systems upset by herbs, supplements, megavitamins, orthomolecular cures, naturopath treatments, purges, detox programs, etc.

 

You may wish to join a Facebook group for histamine intolerance. We do not do any in-depth counseling for that here.

[Sicksagittarius]

@AltostrataIf I switch to crushing my lexapro into a powder and putting it into a gel capsule from previously cutting it in half, weighing it on a scale, and shaving it to the exact weight, will that set off more withdrawal symptoms for me? I want to be as exact as possible to help stabilize myself.

[Happy2Heal]

33 minutes ago, Sicksagittarius said:

@AltostrataIf I switch to crushing my lexapro into a powder and putting it into a gel capsule from previously cutting it in half, weighing it on a scale, and shaving it to the exact weight, will that set off more withdrawal symptoms for me? I want to be as exact as possible to help stabilize myself.

not Alto, clearly,

 and I apologize that I haven't read thru your entire thread but did you know you can get lexapro in liquid form?

once you are down to just 2.5 mgs it's much easier to dose the liquid.

 

Lexapro is a very strong drug, don't be surprised if things get a bit tougher the lower you go in dose. You may even need to slow down a bit. Saying this from experience, not to scare you or anything. I'm finally totally off it and doing great.

 

 

[Altostrata]

5 hours ago, Sicksagittarius said:

@AltostrataIf I switch to crushing my lexapro into a powder and putting it into a gel capsule from previously cutting it in half, weighing it on a scale, and shaving it to the exact weight, will that set off more withdrawal symptoms for me? I want to be as exact as possible to help stabilize myself.

 

I have no idea. If you're using the same scale, you have the same margin of measurement error. In my opinion, keeping the tablet as intact as possible is probably better for consistent results. Lots of mistakes can happen in crushing, weighing, and re-encapsulating.

[Yesyes123]

Hi @Sicksagittarius!

 

In the SA community we all share the same ideals and established practices known about psychiatric drugs. 

 

Still, we have our preferences and sometimes members will differ a bit.

 

@Altostrata isn't a big fan of crushing pills method, but personally, I prefer it and chose it for my taper instead of switching to liquid.

 

The reason for that is Lexapro is very potent and I have seen many stories from people running into big problems and completely destabilizing themselves when switching from solid pill to liquid, even if done very carefully.

 

While it's true that the crushing pills method takes a bit of work and may seem scary at first, it offers no risk when switching from solid pills - afterall, you're still taking a solid pill, but crushed.

 

I find it very easy to make the crushed pills now, and I have been using it for my Lexapro taper for a long time with no issues. In fact, it helped me stabilize as it offered a safe way to make custom doses without having to risk any type of switches. 

 

@Gridley is a moderator who is very experienced with this method and he gave me valuable tips.

 

We use 2 spoons to crush the pills into a glass bowl. I like to use one of the spoons to further crush the pill into a finer powder. Then I fold a piece of paper in the shape of a paper airplane and that makes it easier to put the weighed powder into the gelatin capsule.

 

Do you have any doubts about this method? It's really so simple - I use it with no issues and others too. But you are free to make your own choices. 

 

Peace and healing

[Sicksagittarius]

On 8/23/2021 at 7:29 PM, Altostrata said:

 

I have no idea. If you're using the same scale, you have the same margin of measurement error. In my opinion, keeping the tablet as intact as possible is probably better for consistent results. Lots of mistakes can happen in crushing, weighing, and re-encapsulating.

@AltostrataThank you for your advice! I also need to get off of omeprazole 40 mg that I've taken for many months (November 2020: omeprazole 20 mg/March 2021: omeprazole 40 mg - current). I've been on 2.5 mg of lexapro since April after weaning off way too fast and having extreme withdrawal symptoms. I found research stating these two specific drugs together can double the amount of lexapro in system. I'm scared I really have 5 mg worth in my system and if I try to wean off of omeprazole I'll go into withdrawal symptoms. Can I prepare my body in any way before trying to lower it? I have SIBO, C diff, grey hairs in my twenties, brain fog and lots of other bacterial overgrowth and its extremely important I get off so I can absorb more nutrients. I am getting back to being strict with my diet of no gluten, dairy, soy, antiinflammatory, low fodmap, GAPS, low histamine, etc. Do you know of specific users I could tag to get more information on their experience doing this? Thanks!

[Altostrata]

Why are you taking omeprazole? Why do you need to go off it?

[Sicksagittarius]

On 8/26/2021 at 1:05 PM, Altostrata said:

Why are you taking omeprazole? Why do you need to go off it?

@AltostrataBefore I realized lexapro withdrawal was causing all of my stomach issues, my traditional GI doctor stupidly prescribed me omeprazole to stop the reflux and pain.Again, no one told me the interaction between lexapro and omeprazole doubles the amount of lexapro in your system.

 

 I need to go off of it because I've developed nutritional deficiencies, can't gain back the weight I rapidly lost (I was 130 and now I'm 95 lbs at 5'0 tall,) and I learned through a GI Map test from my functional practioner that I have c. diff, girardia, SIBO, candida, h pylori, lots of other bacterial overgrowth/pathogens/bacteria.

 

I don't need omeprazole because I learned how important diet is and avoid things like gluten, sugar, dairy, soy, inflammatory foods, processed foods, high FODMAP, high histamine foods etc. Its extremely important I get off so I can absorb more nutrients and stop taking away the acid to aid digestion and absoprtion. I'm so nervous I'll have a setback with withdrawals and not sure how to come off of it safely so I can heal my gut but don't want to put myself in withdrawal. I'm scared the longer I'm on 40 mg the worse I'll get and no diet will help me heal. It scares me  how longn it will take me to get off omeprazole and that will delay my healing. 

 

My functional dr is unaware about the withdrawal symptoms of lexapro. Are there functional drs who understand how to create a diet to aid with all these issues? she recommended only low fodmap and SCD but I need to follow low histamine and am having trouble finding carbs and proteins I can eat that won't hurt me instead of heal me. 

[Altostrata]

I see you posted here 

 

 

Please read that topic from the beginning. The omeprazole tapering process is quite simple. I would not worry about the Lexapro level.

[Sicksagittarius]

Hi! Does anyone have any functional drs or health professionals who can help with diet that will help me heal and are familiar and understanding with SSRI withdrawal side effects? I struggle with histamine intolerance, FODMAP, gluten, dairy, soy, inflammatory foods etc. Thanks!!

[ChessieCat]

I've moved your post back to your intro topic from the Drug Interaction topic.

 

There are various topics about diets on SA.  I suggest that you search for those and you could ask your question there.  Search separately for each of the different words you have listed and add site:survivingantidepressants.org to the search term in an internet search engine.

[Sicksagittarius]

On 8/22/2021 at 4:10 PM, Altostrata said:

 

Perhaps you should stop being aggressive with your natural remedies?

 

You'll have to let your symptoms settle down. I'm sorry, we don't have any magic formulas here for fixing nervous systems upset by herbs, supplements, megavitamins, orthomolecular cures, naturopath treatments, purges, detox programs, etc.

 

You may wish to join a Facebook group for histamine intolerance. We do not do any in-depth counseling for that here.

 @AltostrataWould I help stabilize my nervous system from this shaking, dizzy feeling from too many herbal supplements then dropping them all with an increase in omega 3 in food/ pill form? Magnesium? Should I wait until I stabilize more to add more omega 3 or magnesium pills or would I benefit from starting them now to aid symptoms? Thanks!

[Altostrata]

I don't understand your question. If I were you, I would not take a batch of supplements without knowing how each one affects me. If you've added them by the handful, you do not know if they're helping or harming.

[Sicksagittarius]

@Gridley@Altostrata I've been following the advice of a functional practiioner, which I thought I could trust but after further research on this site I see that supplements can increase WD symptoms. I dropped the multivitamin, probiotics, DIM, I tried taking between 3 days to 2 weeks because I was dissosciating from reality very intensely where I felt no emotion and felt completely out of body. The only one I kept taking for about 2 months is Boswelia complex for inflammation because I stopped my mesalamine for inflammation which was from my GI dr and I don't trust pharmaceutical medicine to do anything but mask the pain and cause further damage through side effects and me not listening to my bodys root cause. I dropped the supplements all at once which was not smart and Ive felt really dizzy and stimulated nervous system stil but no depersonalization which is good. I thought I could tolerate the Boswelia complex, but I googled online and it says its a effing stimulant. Could this be causing my WD symptoms increase? Ive taken it for about 2 months will it take a while to get it out of my system?  Am I going to be stuck in this dizzy out of focus nervous system for months since i took it for that long and even took 2 pills a day? Will just dropping it cause increased side effects? I was taking 2 a day for awhile and I dropped down to one a day. I'm really sad and frustrated because I was finally stabilized and now I cannot focus my sight on anything it slightly shakes and I feel out of my body. I'm also in the process of reducing my omeprazole which I just started day 3 of reducing 40 mg by 25 percent. Is this not a smart idea to drop the last boswelia while doing this? I also am moving back the time i take my lexapro from 1 am to midnight and keep moving it back an hour because I kept falling asleep without taking it at the proper time of 9 pm. 

[Altostrata]

Any supplement you take could be causing a bad reaction or enhancing withdrawal symptoms.

 

We always tell people to add only one thing at a time and if they get a bad reaction, reduce it or stop it.

 

We cannot discuss your supplements with you in detail, sorry.

[Sicksagittarius]

On 8/15/2019 at 1:01 AM, KMart95 said:

I sent you options for naturopaths in your area and got no response back so i'm assuming you don't want to help yourself or you'd rather work with a GI doc. 

Hi! I was wondering if you knew of successful naturopathic drs to in Toledo, Ohio area to help with gastro issues. I was diagnosed with candida, giardia, c. diff, h pylori and more with a gi map test and my functional dr isnt understanding that when I tried her probiotics and herbal supps, I couldnt tolerate due to hypersensitive nervous system. 

[Sicksagittarius]

@FrogieHi there! I saw you discussing kindling on another thread yesterday. I believe this is what I'm going through. Is it a stressor (anxiety/changing of meds) causing WD symptoms to be remembered by your nervous system and give a strong wave? Ive been coming off of traditional medications that the GI dr recommended to me because they're causing more harm than good on my body. I came off an antispasmodic, an antiinflammmatory, and then tried a plethora of supplements (multivitamin, boswelia complex, probiotics, DIM, etc.) byb the guidance of my functional dr. I felt normal after stabilizing from too fast taper of lexapro in April and reinstated at 2.5 mg and have stayed there since. I was too confident and was feeling very pressured by my mom and functional dr to try all these supplements, esp when my mom was paying for my treatment and im living at home. I resisted for a long time to drop the bad traditional meds and try the seemingly natural non harmful ones but when I did, all hell broke lose. Im having out of body depersonalization, my vision is very blurry unfocused and dizzy seeming, esp when trying to focus on an object outside is when I notice how unsteady and disconnected I feel. Its been that way for a month as soon as I dropped the final anti-inflammatory mesalamine which was 1.2 grams. I was taking 3 a day for months but dropped each one slowly. The final one really impacted me but it was also at the same time I tried different supplements. I tried boswelia complex and seemed to tolerate that for weeks. I then tried a multivitamin for 2-3 weeks and that caused depersonalization. I then tried 2 probiotics at once along with DIM for ovarian cysts. I realized the meds were causing me depersonalization and stopped all the herbal supps at one time. Ive been stuck feeling dizzy and unfocused for about a month. Should I try to take some of the supps again to restabilize or is it too late? I just tried dropping the last boswelia as I was taking 2 a day because before i realized what kindling was, i thought maybe it was too stimulating and thought I better drop it. Also, can smoking cannabis make kindling worse? It makes me a tad dizzy but it gives me such relief from anxiety. I also have been changing the time I take my 2.5 mg of lexapro as I kept falling assleep at 9 pm when I was supposed to take it and am trying to start from 1 am back to 9 pm. Could changing the time also increase the wave? I know I have a nightmare history I'm presenting you and I feel badly that I treid and quit so many different meds. I was very consistent with not making crazy changes from April to July because of my fear of this happening but I felt pressured by my mom and functional dr to try something. 

[Sicksagittarius]

Can kindling be caused by changes in non psychiatric drugs (starting or stopping) such as antinflammatories and herbal supplements? I also changed my diet around the time I started taking the multivitamin. I was eating lots of starchy carbs, like a ton of sweet potatoes and sweet potato glass noodles and some veggies and then i switched to fish and veggies without a gradual drop of sweet potatoes. This could upset my system as well?

[Sicksagittarius]

Does holding on lexapro mean continuing WD symptoms until I completely ween off? Ive been holding since April and I dont plan on dropping anytime soon. Before I held in april, I was inconsistently cutting a 20 mg pill from "18" mg (eyeballing cutting a 20 mg pill) then "15" (inaccurate cutting) until March. Then i tapered way too quickly by the advice of a dr and was cold turkey for 6 days until I reinstated to 2.5 and now cut and weigh my pills to the same weight each day. When people say they recover in 2ish years (everyones different i know) should i start this time at when i started weaning off from 20 to an inaccurate 18 or in april when i was accurately cutting the pill to 2.5? I know I shouldnt put a time on healing but for my sanity I need to understand what lies ahead if possible to keep my hope.

 

How do you guys stay positive and stick out the multiple years of not being able to fully live your life? I know it will be worth it in the end but I feel like im barely surviving this right now and its so frustrating. I get so sad thinking about how much I'm missing out on even though I know once Im healed it'll be bliss because I'll never take anything for granted but I'm just so sad about how awful my life is right now. I want a job, my own place, a boyfriend, attend events like concerts and weddings without fear of my nervous system being overwhelmed. I want to have a normal full productive day but when i do that I send myself into a wave for weeks. I feel like a bad friend because I'm so inconsistent. & honeslty what friend would want to deal with me and all my issues. my two very close friends both tried lexapro at one point in life but took it for a short time and had no problem getting off of it. I feel like they dont believe what im going through. Ive been sick for about a year now and my friends are probably so confused as to why I still cant work. This whole journey has given me a spirutal awakening and i believe that friends who cant accept this new version of me were only supposed to be around for the unhealed version. It sucks to see my friends take new jobs and finish college when I graduated school early and had a job and this took it away. 

 

Has anyone dated successfully while recovering or would you advise wait until I'm more healed? I just want someone to tell me I'm beautiful and to care about me because I have a huge lack of support from my family members and barely any support from friends. Have people found others to date via websites like this? It would be amazing to find someone who understands what I'm going through and we could actively support one anothers healing without judgement but with complete understanding. 

[Frogie]

I don’t think you are kindling. I think your CNS is just extremely angry and desensitized. You have taken many supplements (I know you said you didn’t have a choice as your mother was helping you). But you just need to stop and let your body heal. B vitamins are very activating and I saw where you took those. Like Altostrata said, we can’t advise on supplements here, but there are a couple that members find helpful to them. Magnesium and Omega. You might try small amounts, one at a time, to see if one may help you.

 

But, like I said, you need to stop trying to find the “magic pill” and let your body heal. Unfortunately there is no magic pill. It’s all in holding and resting your CNS. 
 

I hope you are better very soon😊

[Sicksagittarius]

Im currently really upset and angry. I always had anxiety, which I now think was due to poor diet and nutrient absorption since I was a kid, but I went on lexapro at 16 due to the increasing anxiety from living with an alcoholic father. When I went to college, I was so numbed I never even thought about my dad or went to therapy to process it all. I just ran away and suppressed it all. I didnt talk to him for years. I finally reconnected senior year of college because his health is deteriorating and then stopped talking to him again when I withdrew from lexapro becase I couldnt handle the extra stress. Now he is dying and doesnt have much longer left. I'm angry at myself for just now trying to process the impact his alcoholism had on my life 8 years later. My sister had tons of therapy for it because it caused her to get an eating disorder and my mom went to al anon. I never did anything because I didnt want to talk about it with strangers as I was ashamed. I also wanted to be "strong" for my mom and sister who were severely depressed because of it. He is going to pass away and I feel like its going to break me because of how unstable my emotions are due to WD. I wish i didnt go on lexapro and dealt with this years ago, but I have to remember I was just a kid with a parent who told her this magic pill would take all her pain away.  I wish I showed him more compassion than ignoring him due to anger. I wish I wasnt numbed. Now I have to process this on top of the traumatic events of my poor health from WD. If I wouldve processed this years ago it would have takem stress off me now when I already have too much with my health issues. Does anyone who has had alcoholics in the family or as parents have any advice for me on how to handle it and forgive myself for not taking care of myself emotionally years ago.

[SolarPlexus]

On 8/12/2021 at 2:50 AM, Greatful said:

@Sicksagittarius

You have a lot you want to accomplish, that is great, you are healing and want to look to the future.

These are all good places to start.  Learning acceptance is also a big one.  Tapping is good for anxiety.  I think you would benefit from connecting with @Mia1 She is teaching me so much about anxiety and acceptance.  Youtube has Therapy in a Nut Shell.  The woman doing the videos is a therapist.  She has lots of videos.  I like her.

 Listen to your body.  If you are feeling tired slow down.  If wd symptoms increase slow down.

Yes I think it would be very helpful to find a good therapist to work with.  They can guide you along as you heal.  This would also help you find what is important to you and how to work towards it.  Maybe you should make a list of what you want out of life and prioritize it.  Go slow and don't overwhelm yourself, again a good therapist will help you learn healthy coping skills and learn how  grow with self confidence.

 

CBT is a good one for learning how to recognize distorted thoughts. David Burns has a 'Feeling Good' mood therapy book that has helped me.  He  also has another book I recently  bought 'When Panic attacks', helps with anxiety, panic.

Clair Weeks ' Hope and Help for Your Nerves' is popular here on SA.

 

You sound like a nice young woman who just wants to have a good life. You have a good out look, that help you with your journey through life.  Be patient and kind to yourself and slowly grow into who you are.❤️

 

You are do great job pulling yourself together.  You should be proud of yourself.

 

 

For help on anxiety I highly recommend two books. The first is "Dare" (Google dare anxiety book) by Barry McDonagh and "hope and help for your nerves" by Claire Weekes. Excellent, with natural tips that will help. May you be fully healed soon, all of us 🙏

[Sicksagittarius]

On 4/19/2016 at 1:35 PM, brassmonkey said:

Unless you have a diagnosed toxic condition where something needs to be drawn out of your system I would suggest leaving the clay alone.  It basically acts like a sponge and sucks all the nutrients out of your body.  Used infrequently and in small doses it isn't going to hurt you but it won't do much for you either.  Used long term it can make you very sick.  In the late nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centurys in rural America there was a class of people referred to as "clay eaters".  They were the absolute bottom of the barrel poor and unable to obtain enough food to live.  To suppress the hunger they would eat small amounts of clay because it would make them feel full.  They invariable died of malnutrition with in a year of starting the practice because the clay sucked the small amount of nutrients they were getting right out of their bodies.

@brassmonkeyHi! Is it okay if I use a toothpaste with bentonite clay in it and not ingesting it? Or putting it inside my mouth can make me potentially really sick? I'm trying to find the most clean, organic toothpaste with no gums like xantham due to intolerances. I use primal life organics. Thanks!

[brassmonkey]

The problem with clay comes from ingesting large amounts. The little bit in toothpaste shouldn't cause any problems, like baking soda it acts as an abrasive.

[ChessieCat]

@Sicksagittarius

 

I have moved your post and BM's response from btdt's Introduction topic.

 

Please ask questions about your own situation here in your Introduction topic.  A member's Introduction topic is for them to ask questions about their own situation and where they can journal their progress.

 

If you want to quote from a post in another member's topic, you can quote it, which will put it in the reply box, select all and then cut and paste it into a post in your own topic.

 

Please remember that a member's Introduction topic is about them.

[ChessieCat]

And as requested recently in a PM to you, please fix up your drug signature.   I have given details in that PM.

 

Thank you.

[Sicksagittarius]

@brassmonkeyI'm having issues with the timing I take my lexapro. It's been screwed up timing for awhile now to the point where I was trying to take it at 130 am to regulate the time and slwly move up by 30 min to 1 hour to get to a better time like 7 pm. It was at 130 am because i kept falling asleep and missing the dosage and would take it in the middle of the night when I woke up. i always set an alarm but I'm so tired I dont wake up to it. Every other day this week I have been not taking it at 130 am. The past two times it was at 430 am then 830 am which is when i woke up and realized it wasnt taken. Since I took it at 830 am today, is it okay to take it at 130 am tonight or do I need to take it at 8 or 730 am tomorrow so I don't overlap dosages? How do you recommend I slowly move to a better time for my sleep schedule? Is night better to take it then the morning or should I just go with taking it in the morning time now and work back to take it at night? I'm so frustrated. Will I have weird symptoms because I had a 7 hour window where I didn't take the lexapro?

[Sicksagittarius]

1 hour ago, Sicksagittarius said:

@brassmonkey@ChessieCatI'm having issues with the timing I take my lexapro. It's been screwed up timing for awhile now to the point where I was trying to take it at 130 am to regulate the time and slwly move up by 30 min to 1 hour to get to a better time like 7 pm. It was at 130 am because i kept falling asleep and missing the dosage and would take it in the middle of the night when I woke up. i always set an alarm but I'm so tired I dont wake up to it. Every other day this week I have been not taking it at 130 am. The past two times it was at 430 am then 830 am which is when i woke up and realized it wasnt taken. Since I took it at 830 am today, is it okay to take it at 130 am tonight or do I need to take it at 8 or 730 am tomorrow so I don't overlap dosages? How do you recommend I slowly move to a better time for my sleep schedule? Is night better to take it then the morning or should I just go with taking it in the morning time now and work back to take it at night? I'm so frustrated. Will I have weird symptoms because I had a 7 hour window where I didn't take the lexapro? When I took it this morning at 830 am I immediately felt like a weight was on my head and I was cloudy.

 

[brassmonkey]

I would just take it at 1:30am as planned. Give things a week or so to settle down and then continue moving the the time by an hour every four or five days.

[Sicksagittarius]

1 hour ago, brassmonkey said:

I would just take it at 1:30am as planned. Give things a week or so to settle down and then continue moving the the time by an hour every four or five days.

@brassmonkeyThanks so much for your response, I really appreciate it! Will it be okay because lexapro stays in your system for like 32 hours or whatever it is? I get scared overlapping and also nervous due to that 7 hour gap of it not being in my system. So anytime I take my dose later than expected I should just take it the next day at my regularly scheduled time, this case being 130 am? I did that when I accidentally slept thru my alarm and took it at 430 am and took it the next day at 130 am again and it was okay but taking it at 8 am today messed me up.