Lindseyb: Need some help

[Altostrata]

On 2/12/2022 at 6:34 PM, Lindseyb said:

Stopped lexapro jan 14th but may need to reinstate.

Decreased klonopin by 0.06mg yesterday and already reacting badly to that.

Zyrtec 40mg

Carvedilol 3.125mg q12h

Omeprazole 20mg

Nexplanon

Collagen capsules

Vit d 5000 IU

multivitamin (will be starting one with methylated vitamins, start out at once weekly)

Magnesium glycinate 100mg

Omega 3

Ran out of calcium, will be starting calcium/vit d/vit k supplement

Probiotic 4 billion

 

 

Please put ALL your drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic.

 

Why are you taking carvedilol? What is nexplanon?

 

On 2/13/2022 at 10:13 AM, Lindseyb said:

I understand. Ive been in withdrawal since April 2021. The lexapro was to try to stabilize me and while it helped with my nerve pain and dysautonomia, it didnt pull me out of withdrawal. I didnt know it was helping and I was afraid the tinnitus and ear ringing would be permanent. Also afraid of permanent sexual dysfunction.

 

You went off Zoloft in April 2021, correct? When did the tinnitus start?

 

Why did you reduce Klonopin?

[Lindseyb]

1 hour ago, Altostrata said:

 

Please put ALL your drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic.

 

Shep did that for me already.

 

1 hour ago, Altostrata said:

 

 

Why are you taking carvedilol? What is nexplanon?

 

 

You went off Zoloft in April 2021, correct? When did the tinnitus start?

 

Why did you reduce Klonopin?

Carvedilol is for high blood pressure.

Nexplanon is a birth control implant. I was on the pill but had to get off estrogen due to it giving me 10 masses on my liver.

Tinnitus started when i restarted lexapro in september 2021. Switched from zoloft to paxil on 4/1/21.

Im reducing klonopin because i want off of it.

[Lindseyb]

I got tinnitus immediately after reinstating lexapro. Ive been off for 2 months and it hasnt gone away. I need to reinstate for other reasons. Would I be better off trying lamictal instead?

[Altostrata]

What drugs are you taking now, at what times o'clock and dosages?

 

What is the other reason to reinstate Lexapro?

[Lindseyb]

I reinstated at 0.1mg on march 29th. Did not see your reply. I have extreme pudendal nerve pain/bladder and genital issues (I started urinating in my sleep) and pppd and bppv will not go away.

 

0.125mg klonopin tablet + 0.062mg liquid 715am

20mg zyrtec 715am

3.125mg carvedilol 715am

Omeprazole 10mg 11am

7.5mg meloxicam sometime between 12-3pm

Omega 3 12-3pm

Calcium/vit k/vit d 12-3pm

0.25mg klonopin tablet 715pm

20mg zyrtec 715pm

3.125mg carvedilol 715pm

100mg magnesium glycinate 9pm

 

Now add 0.1mg lexapro 715am. Tinnitus is worse and having palpitations. Scared out of my mind about weight gain and sexual dysfunction/pssd because I already had symptoms of that.

But I dont see any other way out of this torture. Im suffering either way. It's clear Im not gonna get away with being cold turkeyed after 18 years, but now I have horrible side effects. Afraid of tinnitus being permanent.

[ChessieCat]

16 minutes ago, Lindseyb said:

vit d 12-3pm

 

Vitamin D is a daytime vitamin and it is best to take it in the morning.

[Altostrata]

You appear to be taking benzos inconsistently. It's very important to settle on a drug schedule and keep to it every day.

 

How long have you been taking each of these drugs on this schedule?

 

@Frogie would you review the benzo schedule? Thanks.

[Frogie]

@Lindseyb

 

How long have you been taking the klonopin at this schedule? And this dosage? It looks like in your signature you were taking .19 mg am and .25 pm as of 2/11. So have you tapered the am dose since then? If so, can you please update your signature to reflect this.

 

I would hold on this dose and not taper it any further until you become stable on everything else. But, you need to take it at the same dose every day and at the same time every day. So, if you are taking it at 7:15 am and 7:15 pm, you need to stick to that schedule so your body can adjust.

 

 

[Lindseyb]

Im not taking klonopin inconsistently. That is the same dose Im taking now, at the same time Ive been taking it. 0.125mg tablet plus 0.062mg liquid is about .19mg. I wish to decrease it but understand I cant. 

Ive been taking klonopin on this schedule since august. Omeprazole since 2019. Carvedilol since 2018. Zyrtec since 2016 (other antihistamines before that). This has been the schedule for years. Not sure why youre saying Im taking it inconsistently. I tapered down once and thats where Im at.

Im really looking for thoughts on the lexapro.

[Frogie]

@Lindseyb

 

I didn't say you took it inconsistently, I was just making sure that you took it on the same schedule everyday at the same dose. 

 

It takes approximately 7 days for the Lexapro to reach fully in your body. 

 

What type of symptoms are you having since you reinstated on the 29th? 

[Lindseyb]

@FrogieAlto said I did.

 

tinnitus is louder and more frequent, increased fasiculations (which started when i tapered lex last time and never went away), increased anxiety and palpitations, my sleep has gone from 9 hours to 6-7 hours, worse racing thoughts and earworms.

Im freaked out to be on it because of possible heart attack, permanent sexual/emotional numbing, permanent tinnitus. But I dont know any other way out. Disability wants to drop me because everyone is calling withdrawal anxiety, Im about to lose my house. I cant take any more.

[Frogie]

@Lindseyb

 

@Altostrata will be the one to address the Lexapro issue since she has been working with you.

 

She will see the symptoms you listed above and handle it the best way possible

[Lindseyb]

Day 5- POTS symptoms are worse. Hope it levels out or goes away. 

[Lindseyb]

Day 6- heart rate consistently higher since yesterday. Not sure when to increase to 0.2mg.

I had issues reinstating the first time. I know my brain is confused but I already know what happens when Im not on it and I cant do it. I need to get out of withdrawal and I know that can take months. I hope if I just keep going I will eventually feel better.

[Altostrata]

What times o'clock do you take each of your drugs, with dosages? Are these symptoms better or worse before or after each dose? Are there any times of day that they're worse?

[Lindseyb]

@AltostrataI posted that already as you previously requested it. The increase in heart rate is typically at its worst when I get up from sleeping around 1030am (as is typical with pots). Since I reinstated it has been basically all day, at its worst when I stand.

I had increased hr and palpitations when I reinstated the first time. Ive had dysautonomia since august, but noticed similar symptoms in june when I tried prozac. Even off meds my hr jumps to the 140s when I get out of bed. It just is worse now. When Im just sitting it's in the high 80s-90s instead of 70s.

Im also extremely stressed out. But I noticed the 24/7 increase in hr on day 5.

[Lindseyb]

0.125mg klonopin tablet + 0.062mg liquid 715am

20mg zyrtec 715am

3.125mg carvedilol 715am

Omeprazole 10mg 11am

7.5mg meloxicam sometime between 12-3pm

Omega 3 12-3pm

Calcium/vit k/vit d 12-3pm

0.25mg klonopin tablet 715pm

20mg zyrtec 715pm

3.125mg carvedilol 715pm

100mg magnesium glycinate 9pm- stopped this off and on a couple of times. Currently not taking it.

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by ChessieCat
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[Lindseyb]

For example just a few minutes ago I stood up and it went from 89 to 120. I stood and waited for it to go back down. After 6 minutes it went up to 124 and i gave up. This has been going on for a while but usually only in the first few hours of my day.

[Lindseyb]

I have a cold that started today as well.

[Lindseyb]

My thoughts race and keep me awake. It's nonstop. I looked at it in the middle of the night and it was 80s 90s while i was asleep. I cant win. Seriously terrified. My heart rate has always been high thats why they put me on bp meds. It was probably the antidepressants this whole time. Maybe theyre just really not good for me but what am i supposed to do to stabilize? I tried getting off of it and suffered. Im suffering either way and I cant take it anymore. 

[Lindseyb]

Took lex 715, now 830 and noticing fasiculations. They are worse from evening to morning but also ramp up if im in extreme stress.

[Lindseyb]

4 hours ago, Lindseyb said:

My thoughts race and keep me awake. It's nonstop. I looked at it in the middle of the night and it was 80s 90s while i was asleep. I cant win. Seriously terrified. My heart rate has always been high thats why they put me on bp meds. It was probably the antidepressants this whole time. Maybe theyre just really not good for me but what am i supposed to do to stabilize? I tried getting off of it and suffered. Im suffering either way and I cant take it anymore. 

I wonder if I would tolerate lamictal better but I didnt when I tried it before withdrawal. I dont know if I should just push through lex making heart/dysautonomia worse and hope it subsides. I just know I cant not be on anything, it wasnt working. I cant win. I need my withdrawal symptoms to subside.

When I was CT I was on paxil and wellbutrin and abilify...abilify for 10 days, paxil for only 6 weeks. She shouldve just stopped the abilify as I had a bad reaction to it. Instead she took me off everything immediately after 18 years.

 

How can I get some sort of relief?!

[Altostrata]

Please review this 

 

Do you think some of your symptoms might be from these drug-drug interactions? What you think are withdrawal symptoms may be those adverse drug effects.

 

You realize, of course, that benzo use can cause low blood pressure? https://academic.oup.com/ajh/article/31/4/402/4662833

 

If the overall benzo intake is too high, that can cause other problems as well, including paradoxical reactions such as insomnia.

 

With your substantial drug burden, it's unlikely 0.1mg Lexapro does anything that we can distinguish from the effects of the other drugs.

 

In your daily notes, please put the TIME O'CLOCK on the left and the note on the right, post 24 hours of notes at a time. We want to see what happens before and after you take each drug dose.

 

I don't see your Lexapro dose on your notes. What do you mean by fasiculations? 

 

Your 3-hour window of your meloxicam dose may be causing symptoms confounding your symptom pattern. Please take your drugs on a regular daily schedule.

 

Please be aware that we do not know the cause of your POTS and dysautonomia. It could be your long history of drugs, drug switches, and withdrawal caused it, or it could be from other causes. We do not treat POTS and dysautonomia per se here. 

 

The range of options we can suggest as a peer support group are limited. Our focus is tapering and withdrawal syndrome. We suggest addressing withdrawal symptoms with reinstatement and non-drug coping methods.

 

Sometimes we can spot adverse effects of drugs and suggest discontinuation of those drugs. Sometimes people are taking drugs on odd schedules causing drug-drug conflicts or, with benzos, interdose withdrawal or paradoxical reactions, and we can suggest schedule changes that may relieve those symptoms.

 

While I sympathize greatly with your situation and I know doctors are usually of little help, we're not providing a free service to help people who are taking multiple drugs and suffering adverse effects from their cocktails. I suggest you research each drug you're taking and see what effect it might have on your blood pressure and other symptoms.

 

I have no idea what Lamictal might do for you. It also affects blood pressure. You need to research this for yourself. 

[Lindseyb]

I dont think my symptoms are from adverse interactions. Ive taken these drugs for years and never had any of these symptoms until a psychiatrist CT me. I have autonomic dysfunction from the discontinuation of antidepressants.

Yes, I know benzos can cause low blood pressure. That's not the issue. The issue is my heart rate skyrocketing when I stand, motion sensitivity or pppd, both of which fall under dysautonomia and did not appear until I discontinued meds. Pppd and pots both started before i started klonopin.

Am I to understand that you only help people on just psychiatric drugs?

I reinstated a week ago and the heart rate issue got worse which is what I was asking about. There's a direct correlation.

I was put on blood pressure meds in 2018 because it was too high, and my heart rate was too high. This was probably due to my diet, weight, and multiple psychiatric drug cocktail. Im not suffering from adverse reactions as these symptoms (which are commonly recognized here as withdrawal symptoms) NEVER happened until the abrupt discontinuation of psychiatric meds.

My heart rate leveled off after a few hours for the past few months. Now on day 5 of reinstatement, it is high all day but especially on standing. Thats the only thing Ive done different so I know lexapro has something to do with it.

If you want to dismiss me because I take other drugs I will just have to figure this out on my own. I was looking for guidance on the lexapro as I know what Im experiencing are withdrawal symptoms.

Fasiculations are muscle spasms, similar to dystonia. 

I tried stopping meloxicam for about a month and couldnt take the pain. Ive been taking a reduced dose of 7.5mg.

Ive reduced omeprazole by half even though I need it because I have chronic heartburn and inflammation in my stomach. Im really over trying to prove my withdrawal to people.

 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

38 minutes ago, Lindseyb said:

Am I to understand that you only help people on just psychiatric drugs?

 

SA is not a general drug site.  Please see:

 

 

 

[Lindseyb]

7 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

 

SA is not a general drug site.  Please see:

 

 

 

I understand, but my questions are about my psychiatric drugs. Im being dismissed because Im on other drugs, and have been for years before I was CT and went into withdrawal. Im seeking reinstatement/withdrawal guidance.

[Lindseyb]

Im basically wondering if the high heart rate is an adverse reaction to reinstatement. It stays from high 80s to 100s continuously now. Reinstating again is the only thing I did differently. Do I push through and hope it subsides or am I hurting my heart?

[ChessieCat]

6 hours ago, Lindseyb said:

I understand, but my questions are about my psychiatric drugs. Im being dismissed because Im on other drugs, and have been for years before I was CT and went into withdrawal. Im seeking reinstatement/withdrawal guidance.

 

My apologies.  I misinterpreted the question you asked.

[ChessieCat]

Please provide the daily notes in the format that Alto has requested.

 

I suggest that you re-read this post which explains several things which you may have overlooked:

 

 

[Lindseyb]

I read it multiple times. What do you feel I may have overlooked?

[Altostrata]

19 hours ago, Lindseyb said:

The issue is my heart rate skyrocketing when I stand, motion sensitivity or pppd, both of which fall under dysautonomia and did not appear until I discontinued meds.

 

Do you understand how this works? Your body may be having trouble regulating your heart rate and blood pressure, going too low and too high, because of all the drugs you're taking. They could be making your symptoms worse.

 

19 hours ago, Lindseyb said:

Am I to understand that you only help people on just psychiatric drugs?

 

We help people with psychiatric drug withdrawal issues. We don't offer services to untangle polypharmacy per se, especially if you insist the symptoms you report are not related to potential adverse drug effects.

 

We can't fix something you don't want to be fixed. If you think your cocktail is working, don't change it. If you don't want to take 0.1mg Lexapro, don't take it. That exhausts what we know about dealing with withdrawal syndrome. The rest is you figuring out how to cope with symptoms.

[Lindseyb]

On 2/13/2022 at 11:29 AM, Yesyes123 said:

 

Small dose reinstatement might alleviate withdrawal symptoms.

 

If I was in your situation and were to reinstate, I would reinstate an extremely small dose, like 0.1mg

 

I would then monitor my symptoms and see if I would need to go up a bit in my dose or just hold until stable.

 

Always slowly and carefully, no big changes all at once.

How long did it take you to stabilize? I got tinnitus as soon as i started lex in september. I reinstated in march at 0.1mg. Got to 0.5mg and tried to jump to 1mg just a few days ago and thought I was gonna die. 

Im trying to figure out if I should hold at 0.5mg and hope tinnitus isnt a sign of damage, or try to switch to something else that could cause tinnitus and give my brain more work to do. 

I thought going back on lex in september would fix me because I was on that the longest. It did improve some of my symptoms but I didnt know until I got off and I was really concerned with the tinnitus. Im afraid Im having kindling. When I went up to 1mg, the first day my mood was better but then i started having panic attacks, screaming tinnitus, severe migraine, nausea, gi upset, etc. So I went back to 0.5mg today.

I geniuinely dont know what to do.

[Yesyes123]

On 7/4/2022 at 11:02 PM, Lindseyb said:

How long did it take you to stabilize?

 

For me, after reinstating Lex following a huge crash, it took about 3-5 months to fully stabilize, the first few weeks and months being the most traumatizing but after you start to feel better everything progressively soothes until you're back to fully normal

 

On 7/4/2022 at 11:02 PM, Lindseyb said:

I got tinnitus as soon as i started lex in september.

 

Tinnitus is a very common side effect of Lexapro that comes usually when starting or trying to withdrawal from its use. It is definitely not permanent, I had a lot of it too and it completely went away.

 

On 7/4/2022 at 11:02 PM, Lindseyb said:

Got to 0.5mg and tried to jump to 1mg just a few days ago and thought I was gonna die. 

 

To me, that seems too many changes too fast. In your place I would personally hold at current dose for as long as possible, and increase only very slightly if I felt like I needed some urgent soothing. 

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil seemed to help me a lot.

 

These are my views and what I would do after all my experience and personal research - I am not a doctor.

[Conner]

How is your pppd? Is it getting any better? PT has helped me some. It’s more “floaty feeling” when I do too much. I’m on lexapro as well. Hang in there 

[Lindseyb]

On 7/8/2022 at 9:01 PM, Yesyes123 said:

 

For me, after reinstating Lex following a huge crash, it took about 3-5 months to fully stabilize, the first few weeks and months being the most traumatizing but after you start to feel better everything progressively soothes until you're back to fully normal

 

 

Tinnitus is a very common side effect of Lexapro that comes usually when starting or trying to withdrawal from its use. It is definitely not permanent, I had a lot of it too and it completely went away.

 

 

To me, that seems too many changes too fast. In your place I would personally hold at current dose for as long as possible, and increase only very slightly if I felt like I needed some urgent soothing. 

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil seemed to help me a lot.

 

These are my views and what I would do after all my experience and personal research - I am not a doctor.

Thank you for your advice. I gave it 8 days back on 0.5mg and started having worse genital pain, so 3 days ago I upped to 0.6mg. My muscles are constantly tense in my shoulders, legs, and jaw again. My jaw is killing me. 

When I was cold turkeyed my massage therapist said my shoulders were so easy to release compared to when I was on meds. All of these side effects make me want to quit but I tried that already and everything got worse. Im upset I think Im stuck on these meds because I was on them for almost 20 years. I want to be done with this. Im in hell either way but need to go back to work. It's not fair. Muscle tension, racing thoughts, constant music in my head, anorgasmia, I want away from all of it but being off is worse because I was cold turkeyed and never stabilized. I think I will never stabilize.

[Lindseyb]

On 7/11/2022 at 11:56 AM, Conner said:

How is your pppd? Is it getting any better? PT has helped me some. It’s more “floaty feeling” when I do too much. I’m on lexapro as well. Hang in there 

Horrible. I havent been able to drive for a year. Cant do puzzles or color, cant go to a store, cant look outside, etc. Ive been in pt for a year.