masonfrog7: possible WD symptoms after 2 fast tapers: Prozac/Lexapro

[masonfrog7]

Hello!
I am very grateful and happy to be here... Somewhere where we can share our experiences with each other. I am not sure how much of my history is related, so I will risk oversharing vs. under-sharing.
I am a 30 yo male with no previous significant physical or mental health issues.

June 2020 - Started experiencing mild health anxiety from reading too much about Covid pandemic.
July 2020 - Epididymitis treated with two courses of antibiotics
Sept. 2020 - Started experiencing pain in left shoulder/chest/neck.

Sept 2020-Jan 2021. - My shoulder/chest/neck got considerably worse. Over those 4ish months I went to easily 5+ doctors, maybe closer to 10. None of them could find anything wrong with me and they all told me the pain was "in my head." This lead to much more severe health anxiety and feeling like I was losing my mind, but I knew the pain was real and that there must be a cause. It certainly took a mental toll. I distinctly remember telling my PCP in December 2020 that "I have thoracic outlet syndrome" and his dead-pan answer was "You do not have thoracic outlet syndrome" (this will come up later). This whole experience really fueled my health anxiety.

Jan 2021 -  Took two courses of antibiotics for a sinus infection.

Jan 2021-Feb 2021 - I talked with my PCP about taking an SSRI to help with the health anxiety. At this point, the pain was pretty bad and I was desperate to try anything. I was pretty nervous about my health and the epidemic, especially since I had this "mystery" pain that no doctor could help me with. I was prescribed 20mg of Prozac(fluoxetine). This seemed to help a little bit mentally, but I was still in pain. After about 4 weeks of Prozac, I started getting really bad, all day headaches. I knew this must be a side-effect of the drug, since I rarely, if ever get headaches. I asked my doc to stop the Prozac. I did a fast taper of 10mg for 1 week and then 10mg every other day for a week. In total I was on Prozac for ~6 weeks. I did not notice any WD symptoms from Prozac and my headaches went away almost immediately as I stopped the medication.

March/April 2021 - At this point my shoulder still really hurts and the pandemic is still going on causing considerable health anxiety. I would like to try another SSRI. I am prescribed 10mg of Lexapro(escitalopram). I start my first dose March 29, 2021. For the first 2ish weeks, I experience essentially no side-effects, and my health anxiety is considerably improved. However, in mid-April, I start having a number of side-effects including: nausea, constipation, indigestion, reflux, parathesia, muscle tremors/twitches, brain zaps, hot flashes. I tell my PCP and he says this is "normal" and will improve. I continue taking for 2 more weeks and symptoms get a little bit worse. At the end of April, I tell my PCP I would like to try a lower dose to see if that helps with side-effects. I take 5mg for ~1 week, but my symptoms persist.

Early May 2021 - I meet a doctor at Mass General Hospital who diagnoses me with Arterial Thoracic Outlet Syndrome https://tos.wustl.edu/what-is-tos/types-of-tos/arterial-tos/ after several tests/studies. I finally got my correct diagnosis. It turns out I have a malformed first rib and due to bad posture and too much sitting (thanks Covid), I am compressing my artery between my first rib and collarbone. At this point, I start receiving effective treatment for my TOS and the pandemic is largely improving in the US. My anxiety is almost entirely gone, I almost feel "like my old self."
Between improved mental health and awful side-effects, I decided I would like to stop Lexapro. I was getting *REALLY* tired of all the side-effects: GI issues, tremors, parathesia. Somedays, I felt like I was going to explode or like a jackhammer. I just felt miserable. I wanted off. I took 5mg every other day for a week and then stop. For some reason on the last day I took 10mg. My last day taking Lexapro was around May 10th. In total, I was on Lexapro for 5-6 weeks.

May 2021 - Over the course of May, I continue to have the same side-effects that I had while on Lexapro: nausea, constipation, indigestion, reflux, parathesia, muscle tremors/twitches, brain zaps, hot flashes. Eventually the brain zaps go away, parathesia stops, the tremors subside (still happen, but less frequently), but the GI symptoms really persist.

June 2021 - All other symptoms are mostly gone. GI symptoms still largely present, only improvement is no more (or very little nausea). Chronic constipation, constant burping/indigestion, lower abdominal pain, loud digestion are all still very active. To be honest, I don't feel that anxious. My main "triggers" were Covid (vaccinated, much improved in the US) and TOS (effectively managed through PT). I have a wonderful partner, wonderful job, great apartment in a great city, lovely, supportive family. I have very little to be stressed or anxious about. That being said, I am hyper-vigilant, hyper-aware of my somatic GI symptoms. They really bother me. I have done considerable workup with GI (barium swallow, upper endoscopy, colonscopy, pH study) all came back normal. I did a Sitzmarker study, which showed slow colonic motility (which I believe can be a symptom of dysautonomia). My GI has basically just diagnosed me with IBS and said to eat more fiber and take a laxative as needed.

At this point, I have been off all medications for ~7 weeks. My mental health feels generally fine, but I definitely have somatic symptoms suggestive of WD. My GI issues are as bad as ever, and I have the occasional muscle twitches. 

At this point, I am not sure what to do. I wasn't on SSRIs for very long, but I undeniably quit them rather abruptly.
Did I have a mild adverse reaction to Lexapro?
Did I quit too fast and am now having a protracted withdrawal process?
Should I try reinstating Lexapro and doing a slow taper?
Are these somatic symptoms even related to the SSRIs and just a coincidence?

Do I just tough it out for another 1, 3, 6 months?
I have discussed reinstating Lexapro at a low dose with my PCP and doing a slow taper. He said take 5mg for 1 month and then every other day for 1 month (this sounds like a horrible plan imo). He does not think it is necessary, but said I can if I would like. I had pretty miserable side-effects while on the Lexapro, so I am not sure why they would improve, but at the same time, I don't want to get stuck in WD limbo.

Thank you all for reading my story. I hope maybe my story can help others and maybe you kind folks can also help me.

 

[arbor]

Hello@masonfrog7 and welcome to SA,

 

Wow, what an odyssey you've been through.  I'm glad you finally got the correct diagnosis and treatment plan.   In the process though I'm sorry you had to experience such a difficult time both on and off these medications.  As you can read on this site, you are certainly not alone.

We are a non-profit site run by volunteer Administrators and Moderators who have been through or still are going through withdrawal.  To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements.  Just drugs, dates and dosages in a list format.  This site can direct you with that:     

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

It sounds like you are experiencing psychiatric medication withdrawal symptoms.  That your mental health feels generally fine is a good sign.  These medications disrupt the digestive system and it can take awhile for it to resolve.  This site can be useful:

 

Irritable bowel syndrome

 

Here are more sites to help you with your questions:

 

Important Topics in Tapering

Please note that we do not endorse skipping medication every other day as it adds more stress to the nervous system.

 

 

Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work. Once you have stabilized on a low dose of the drug, then a slower, safer taper can be started. Here is some information about reinstatement to help you decide if its something you would like to try:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to stop withdrawal symptoms

 

There is also the option of not reinstating, but allowing your body to recover from where you are now.  Any time you reintroduce psychiatric medications into your system, there are major risks.  Since some of your symptoms--like tremors--appear to be improving, this is in my opinion a good sign that you are moving in the right direction.  I am not a medical doctor and therefore can't advise you, but others on this site are experienced and knowledgeable about your options, so I encourage you to seek information and ask questions that they will be happy to address further.

 

As you are I'm sure aware, these withdrawal symptoms are extremely challenging.  The damage is not permanent but we can't predict how long it will take for you to heal.  Some people return to normal fairly quickly while others take longer.  But what you're experiencing isn't a permanent condition.  Time is the great healer here.  We need a lot of patience to deal with the healing process.  The following links address some of the conditions you may be experiencing:

 

Brain Remodelling 

 

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. Get supplements that are single ingredient (not mixed with other types of supplements).

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can complete your drug signature, ask questions and connect with other members.  

We're glad you found your way here.

Arbor

 

 

 

[masonfrog7]

Hi @arbor!
Thanks for reading my post and offering some advice.
I had a couple questions I was hoping you and/or maybe others could maybe help with *IF* I were to reinstate.

1. At what dose should I reinstate? I was mostly at 10mg and a bit at 5mg. Should I reinstate at 0.1mg? 0.5mg? 1mg? 2mg? 5mg? I have no clue... I feel like the "kindling" effect might be big here, it's been a while since I've been off of them and I feel like my CNS is pretty sensitive.
2. In terms of "stabilizing" during reinstatement, what am I shooting for here and for how long? I always had unpleasant side-effects and never felt physically ok on these drugs after ~1 month use each time. I'm hesitant to go back on them and don't know how long I should try being back on them before I stabilize or reject the symptoms.

[arbor]

Hi @masonfrog7  

These are good questions.  I'll bring them to the attention of other moderators for you as I did not take the path of reinstatement, myself.  

Thank you for adding your dosages.

Best wishes for your healing,

Arbor

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @masonfrog7

 

Are you left-handed, by any chance? My chiro said he often sees something he calls "mouse shoulder", a condition on the mousing-hand side, which results from -- you guessed it, too much computer.

 

I had it, too, and it's very painful. We need to stretch out arms frequently when we're computer potatoes to avoid nerve entrapment, muscle tension cramps, etc.

 

I hope you have learned about the limits of psychiatric drugs from this experience. You might seek psychotherapy to learn ways to manage your health anxiety.

 

It sounds to me you had adverse reactions to both Prozac and Lexapro from too-high dosage. Despite what doctors believe, the packaged dosages are not one size fits all and not everyone gets along with SSRIs.

 

22 hours ago, masonfrog7 said:

All other symptoms are mostly gone. GI symptoms still largely present, only improvement is no more (or very little nausea). Chronic constipation, constant burping/indigestion, lower abdominal pain, loud digestion are all still very active.

 

Since you had some of these symptoms when you were taking SSRIs, it's hard to tell if your current symptoms are fallout from the adverse drug reactions or withdrawal. Since it seems they're gradually going away, you may not want to bring an SSRI into the picture again, but work on improving your digestion with non-drug "natural" methods. Drinking lots of water, eating fresh fruits and vegetables for roughage, and getting regular gentle exercise may help.

 

You should continue to slowly, gradually improve as your system settles down.

 

Many people find fish oil and magnesium supplements helpful, see

 

https://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

 

https://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

You might try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you. Please let us know how you're doing.

 

[Ryzaaa]

@masonfrog7

 

I have GI Problem either, that's probably because of my prior drugs, but I've been off from them for about month now, i stopped it cold turkey. 

 

the symptoms are similar to IBS, i have very bad constipation and very bad diarrhoea sometimes. 

 

probably it is IBS. how's your GI problem now? is it getting better? hopefully it does getting better. 

 

 

[masonfrog7]

hello!

just wanted to post an update since it’s been a little bit of time. 

thank you for the advice @Altostrata  i agree with you…. i think i was on too high dosage for both drugs. at this point in time i have decided to not reinstate and ride out my symptoms.

unfortunately symptoms are basically the same as late june. my GI symptoms maybe feel a tiny bit improved. my BMs are more normal, but i still have frequent abdominal pain, gas, and burping.

i also still have muscle tremors. they kind of come and go day to day, but don’t seem to stay away for long. they still happen all over: chest, arms, legs, hands, face. today i had eye twitches for the first time, not super fun.

i hope i’m making the right choice by not reinstating. frankly, i felt awful on the drugs, so it doesn’t seem like an option.

my mood is so far mostly fine. i occasionally get bummed out about my physical symptoms, but i think that’s normal and it is not affecting too many aspects of my life.

i’ll probably post again in a month or so, or if i have any significant updates sooner. 

[Altostrata]

Thank you, please let us know how you're doing.

[masonfrog7]

I've done some reading and food journaling and I think one of the things I am struggling with is histamine intolerance caused by, or at least exacerbated by anti-depressants. I have a number of the symptoms: IBS, sinusitis, tinnitus, muscle aches. I'm going to start a low-histamine diet soon and hope that improves my symptoms. Hopefully, this is just temporary, because I love a lot of histamine foods: avocados, beer, tomatoes, cheeses, coffee, etc.

[masonfrog7]

I thought I'd post an update since it's been a while. Fortunately, generally speaking, I am doing much, much better. I still have mild-moderate GI issues, but most everything else has vastly diminished or completely resolved. My tics/muscle twitches have basically stopped, I am much less anxious, I am more active and energetic, and generally feeling pretty good. I think the mix of anxiety and medications definitely messed up my GI tract and hopefully, slowly over time, it seems to be improving.
Part of the reason I wanted to post this is because at some point in the past, I was feeling pretty hopeless. Last May/June/July, I thought I would never be normal or happy again and that I would never get through these protracted WD symptoms. It took time, patience, and effort, but thankfully, I was wrong. I *do* feel better, not 100%, but better. Thanks for the people in the community for helping support. And I hope everyone here can find happiness and peace.

[ChessieCat]

Thank you for returning to post your update.  It is really good news that you are noticing improvements.

 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take