Laurvic: Is this still withdrawal?

[laurvic]

Thank you Basil! That's definitely an issue in be overwhelmed by so many opinions. I don't know what's right anymore being that I have trusted professionals and look where I am now! Just bummed.

[laurvic]

BTW...I suffer from pcos and had to have my uterus and cervix removed (ovaries in tact because the doctor didn't want to put me into early menopause because I'm so young)in Dec 2011 due to dysfunctional uterine bleeding. I also found out I suffer from pmdd (which a psychiatrist would have to help depending on severity) prior to the surgery so being that I don't ovulate properly and don't when I would get my period.....I'm f***ed! Tried to journal but pattern doesn't exist...holy FML...come what may at this point. I hope 2.5mg gives me relief soon!! Thoughts? The hardest part is the struggle with are these withdrawals or do I have a problem other then myself! My new psychologist even thought the wean was fast and suggested I find a new psychiatrist and start from complete scratch. Yay #3! Lol again people FML! LOL

[Jemima]

MODERATORS...So if I go to 2.5mg tomorrow morning when will I know if I should up it to 5mg? Suffering more than I have to is not an option so I'll do anything.Especially being that I'm not sure what the hell is going on. I will take the slightest bit of relief right now.

 

As Alto said above, try the 2.5 mg. of Lexapro for at least four full days and do not make any further changes in the Trileptal dose for the time being. It may take even longer than that for the reinstatement of Lexapro to have a positive effect, but four days is the bare minimum amount of time.

 

I'm sorry to say that most doctors are quite ignorant of prolonged withdrawal syndrome and what to do about it. They get most of their information about drugs from drug company salespeople ("detail men") who have every reason to lie and deceive and very often do so. We have a very corrupt and warped medical system in the USA. Beware.

[laurvic]

JEMIMA...sorry I missed the 4 day thing. I am shocked that the doc said to just discontinue the trileptal. Actually the lackey that called for her and acted as a messenger. I am at times trying to find humor in this because if I didn't read all of this and suffer myself I wouldn't believe it! Xanax and breathing techniques are whats helping right now. I'll deal with the xanax thing once I'm stabilized because I don't take it enough to even give a s*** right now. My well being means my children are taken care of. So worst case is by Monday if I don't feel stable I can up the lexapro to 5? I like having game plans not trying to be negative.

[Jemima]

Take it one day at a time. You may not feel marvelous by Monday, but you may feel somewhat better, in which case you should continue on the 2.5 mg. There is no way to predict how any individual will react to reinstatement nor are any two withdrawal patterns alike. The process of healing our nervous systems after using psychiatric drugs is unique to each individual. Someday there may be some basic formula to use to figure it all out, but what psychiatry likes to call "prolonged discontinuation syndrome" (to avoid the appearance that antidepressants might be addictive) is only now being recognized by a minority of medical professionals so there is not a lot of science behind the concept. Honestly, Alto and this forum are probably the best sources of information on the planet.

 

Your best tools to get through all of this are time, patience, and listening to what your body has to say.

[laurvic]

Thank you guys so much. I'll keep you posted! Just hope I can get a good night sleep tonight. God knows my brain needs a healing break! I also think I'm going to get my hormone levels checked again just in case. Been in a little pain lately due to pcos so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with the severity of the nature of the emotions. That will be a call on tomorrows to do list for check up time. Patience would totally be my middle name if you knew me if it wasn't for being so scared and fear driven at this point but I get perspective every now and again. I'm trying and that's the best I can give right now. I'm hiding all that I internally feel from my kids so it makes things hard. I'm doing my best to listen to my body especially. I think that all of the people on here are so aware of themselves especially in fight or flight mode that it makes things harder on us because these feelings and thoughts are so out of character that we tend to snowball our thinking and wonder sometimes obsessively what and why is this happening. We made a decision to take a medication that helped or helps whatever was/is ailing us to come to find out we weren't educated enough whether by professionals or ourselves however so much information didn't come out til majority of us were knee deep in pills....but having said that I think majority of us have lost the faith and trust in these Dr feelgoods! So sad!

[laurvic]

ALTO....IS THIS TRUE....I read on a website that a way to test if it is withdrawal or natural anxiety is to take a xanax....if it works you have anxiety if not then it is w/d.

 

My physical symptoms have included heart racing, slight chest pains, tingling arms when I feel anxiety coming on. I never suffered the brain zaps people talk about. Psychologically there is an awful war going on in the brain. Unwanted thoughts and just racing thoughts. I am exhausted. I don't want to socialize at all and I have lost 17 pounds since this started...not complaining too much on that one. Started 2.5mg this morning. I just wish I knew for sure if I have an anxiety disorder or withdrawal but most of what I'm feeling is an extreme version of what I felt pregnant. My hormones triggered intrusive thoughts that triggered slight anxiety but that's it. This crap is beyond me! I want the premedicated me back!! I wish the thoughts would pass and then I could handle the physical. I can't get over the severity of the situation. I hope to feel better soon.

[Georgia]

Drugs.com has an interaction checker that can be useful when taking more than one drug. Please be careful when reinstating a drug while taking other drugs. On the drugs.com checker, there is an interaction listed for trileptal and lexapro, and you are also taking xanax? Even though physicians are usually not very knowledgable about SSRI withdrawal, there may be a reason your physician wanted you off one drug before reinstating another. another good resource might be a pharmacist. Take care and I hopeyou feel better soon.

[laurvic]

GEORGIA....the doc actually told me to stop the tripeptal since I haven't been on it long and reinstate the lexapro at 10mg. I did reinstate but sure as hell not 10mg. Spoke to a wonderful pharmacist and she was more helpful and caring then the doctors.

[laurvic]

OMG TOTALLY WORTH READING FROM A PSYCHIATRIST PERSPECTIVE...

 

http://wp.rxisk.org/withdrawal-zone/

 

I found one of the comments about obesity so interesting. Great comments after a great article. I'm surprised a doctor had the nerve to write this. Why can't doctors here own up to this sh**!

[laurvic]

ALTO....would it be OK to take melatonin at night to help with sleep? The anxiety today hasn't stopped. I hate being so scared!

[laurvic]

Crappy day. I need relief so badly. I'm getting upset looking at my kids happily play and I feel awful that I have to lay down. I'm not a lazy person either. What the hell did I do to deserve this kind of mental suffering other then what I thought was right?

[Altostrata]

ALTO....IS THIS TRUE....I read on a website that a way to test if it is withdrawal or natural anxiety is to take a xanax....if it works you have anxiety if not then it is w/d.

 

....

 

THIS IS NOT TRUE.

 

ALTO....would it be OK to take melatonin at night to help with sleep? The anxiety today hasn't stopped. I hate being so scared!

 

Many people use melatonin. Please use search in the Symptoms and Self-care forum to find suggestions to aid sleep.

[laurvic]

ALTO...I'm sorry to keep asking you questions but this fear is awful...what is worst case scenario with my situation? I'm trying so hard to be patient but I'm so scared. I've never felt this way before ever and I'm hanging on for dear life here. I realize see how I feel by Monday on 2.5mg. But I'm a planner and have kids and need to know the scenarios of this.

 

Normal withdrawal symptoms?

Cold, disconnected, obsessive harmful thoughts (just thoughts but scary), chest pain, exhausted, lack of energy, hopeless/helpless feeling, don't want to socialize (not my personality)

 

Better to take lexapro in the morning or at night? Used to take it at night but when I reinstated I started now in the morning.

 

I'm afraid to go to bed because I'm afraid I'll wake up suddenly in the midst of an attack.

[Jemima]

Lexapro is a stimulant so it's best taken in the morning.

 

Your symptoms are most likely withdrawal symptoms. No one knows what your worst case scenario is. You're going to have to learn to live with uncertainty. Just calm down and take things one step at a time. The anxiety you're feeling is also a withdrawal symptom, so just hang in there and that will gradually ease up along with other symptoms.

[laurvic]

God I hope so because Monday isn't coming fast enough to know if 2.5mg is enough because the way I feel is awful.

[Jemima]

It's been less than a day since you reduced your dosage, so give it some time. (BTW, Tuesday will be four days, not Monday.)

 

It would be good if you could find something to do other than ruminate about how bad you feel - read a book, play some computer games, do a crossword puzzle, watch a movie or TV. Concentrating on how bad you feel is likely making it even worse.

[SaltedGingkoNuts]

How long were you off before you reinstated?

 

Hello Laurvic:

 

I was off my SSRI from November 2012 to End/April 2013 after being on it for close to 5 years.

 

I went Cold Turkey because I didn't know any better.

 

Big Mistake.

 

I'm only now starting to stabilize after about 4 weeks back on.

 

-Salted

[laurvic]

Salted...what meds and at what dose are you stabilizing?

 

Wow! This is insane! My father was talking to me about emergency room psychiatrists....his heart was in the right place but scared me to even think about going to the ER!

[Jemima]

Please be careful of who you talk with and what you say. Most people, including doctors, are not aware of the symptoms that psych drugs can cause. You're risking being committed to a mental hospital against your will and being drugged up all over again. Really.

[basildev]

I agree with Jemima Laurvic - be very careful!

[SaltedGingkoNuts]

Salted...what meds and at what dose are you stabilizing?

 

 

It's here in my Drug History Signature:

 

10 mg daily Fluoxetine/Prozac Jan. 2009-Nov. 2012

Went COLD TURKEY Nov. 2012-March 2013

.05-1 mg daily Lorazepam March 2013-April 2013

After approximately 21 days, stopped COLD TURKEY

Doctor put me on 20 mg daily Fluoxetine/Prozac as of 4/25/13

I decided to jump down to 10 mg daily Fluoxetine/Prozac as of 5/08/13

Will stay here for a few months, then taper to ZERO!!

 

-Salted

[Nikki]

Hi L...

 

Read thru your post. I was another Lexapro user. I tried to get off of it, had major panic, went back on thought I was okay and then got slammed with 'poop out' which is taking a full dose and having WD symptoms.

 

I decided to get off of it and started the tapering process using a liquid. I was in a hurry like always so I would go two - three weeks (think I could tough it out) and have major anxiety, sever crying spells/depression a day after a drop, insomnia).

 

I don't know anything at all about the anti-convulsive medication and I really didn't understand how the Reinstatement can cause havoc if taken to high.

 

You sound like you just want to stabilize and stay put for awhile to get yourself together. RU, Alto, Jemima are well versed in this.

 

Keep posting it helps alot

 

Hugs

[laurvic]

NIKKI...so when you reinstated it was too high?

[Angel7366]

Hi

 

Please be careful of that Xanax. I was only on it for ONE WEEK and got dependant. Followed by about 14 months of benzo withdrawals! No, I couldn't believe it either but it's true. It doesn't take long to get caught in the benzo trap.

[laurvic]

ANGEL...thank you for the heads up but I don't take it daily for that reason. I take it only as needed. It felt like I was because of the intense anxiety but I counted my pills and it wasn't bad at all. I try to avoid it even if the situation warrants it but I also don't deny myself mental stability in severe moments.

[laurvic]

Anybody feel that there is a difference between generic and brand lexapro?

[Altostrata]

There can be a difference in brands, for people who are extremely sensitive.

[Rhiannon]

Hi

 

Please be careful of that Xanax. I was only on it for ONE WEEK and got dependant. Followed by about 14 months of benzo withdrawals! No, I couldn't believe it either but it's true. It doesn't take long to get caught in the benzo trap.

 

Xanax is extremely addictive. And it causes an increase in anxiety and panic attacks due to withdrawal between doses. In clinical studies, people taking Xanax initially experienced a reduction in anxiety, but after a few weeks they were experiencing more anxiety than the people who were on the placebo.

 

Xanax levels peak in the bloodstream after about two hours and then begin to drop, and that drop will produce symptoms of anxiety and panic once your CNS has become adapted to the Xanax.

 

If you're having trouble with anxiety anyway (which it sounds like you are), and you are determined to keep taking Xanax, I would be very careful to allow at least three or four days to pass in between doses.

 

If you feel you need to take it more often than every three or four days, you need to be aware that you may be setting yourself up for serious problems and that it may be contributing to your present bouts of anxiety. If you choose to take it more often than every three or four days you would be better off either (1) taking it regularly, dividing up your daily dose into multiple mini-doses every four hours or so, or (2) getting the extended-release version, or (3) taking a different benzo like clonazepam or diazepam, which can be taken only once or twice per day, unlike Xanax.

 

Note that I am NOT saying that I in any way recommend taking Xanax. All the benzos are nasty and I don't recommend any of them. I am only saying that you may be causing yourself problems with the Xanax and if you are going to take it, there are ways to take it that reduce that potential.

[laurvic]

So I had an awful weekend. The intrusive thoughts were horrific. I am now having trouble sleeping and wake up with anxiety. I don't take xanax anymore. I have klonopin as needed. I took one yesterday morning and had a good day. I woke up today with nasty anxiety and only took one klonopin and had an OK day. I'm having crying fits and the intrusive thoughts seem to settle down as the day goes on. I saw my pdoc today and told him about my anxiety and thoughts because they scare me. He prescribed Zoloft because I have GAD and OCD but just the thought obsession kind. I'm on the fence about what to do. I need to be in a proper state of mind especially for my kids. I had to stop the reinstatement of lexapro yesterday morning because it was overstimulating me which is part of the reason I came off. I don't have much of an appetite either. I don't know if I should start the Zoloft to help or wait until I see my psychologist on Thursday. I'm of course having an obsessive internal battle. I know I need to figure out the origin of my thoughts and figure out what is driving the fear and learn coping techniques but right now my negative tendencies are getting the best of me so I don't know if my brain can absorb the positive training. Oh man this sucks. Or is this recovery? I went out yesterday for the first time and was antsy but OK.

[Nikki]

Hi...

 

Sorry I am just getting back to you now....in answer to your question. No it wasn't to high.

 

I was on 40mgs. Lexapro. I started a fast taper and in a month or two I bottomed out with horrific anxiety (WD). I reinstated on 40mgs. and was fine.

 

I tried to taper again. Bottomed out again. Reinstated back to 45mgs. and I was okay and then I hit what some people call 'poop out'. It was me on a full dose and experiencing WD symptoms.

 

I elected to taper slowly which took two years. I have spoken to a few people who had this problem with Lexapro losing it's punch rather quickly.

 

I never used benzos during that taper. In the last year I have used them sparingly because I can get a rebounding depression from them. This has been my experience.

 

I am so sorry you are going thru this. I tell people to research a drug before taking it.

You can do a query here on Zoloft tapers and you can go over to crazymeds.com to read about it.

 

Hang in there...

[laurvic]

I haven't touched the Zoloft. The lexapro pooped out on me last year and I was having breakthrough anxiety which is why I wanted to stop it. I'm currently on no SSRI. I had a window yesterday and a little one today but I'm exhausted. I'm very uncertain about starting another SSRI. I'm debating if I should ride this out. The lexapro was way too overstimulating. I guess the uncertainty of WD or relapse is my problem. I have had intrusive thoughts in the past but nothing like what I'm going through. Suggestions???

[Jemima]

Beware of Klonopin. It's every bit as addictive as Xanax, and perhaps even more so.

 

I wish you had stayed with the small reinstatement of Lexapro at least the full four days, especially since you experienced some windows. That was the most likely thing to help, but there is nothing that's going to make you feel really good right away. Reinstatement that works means a gradual improvement, not instant relief. Many of your symptoms over the weekend are typical of withdrawal, and you did just drop down your dosage by 50%, from 5 mg. to 2.5 mg. If I were you I would take that 2.5 mg. immediately and continue with it for a full week (another three days, which would take your dosing through this Friday).

[laurvic]

The doctor told me to stop. The windows were after I stopped it. Yesterday and today I had the windows without the lexapro.

[laurvic]

I took a melatonin last night and actually got some sleep. I woke up this morning with slight anxiety and took nothing. I'm trying to hold my own. I know I will have good days and bad days but hoping time will help. I'm still scared but I've made it so far. Is it normal for things around me to seem surreal? I feel like I'm getting to know myself again and distinguishing what's normal is sometimes hard. There is no permanent effects from the drugs are they? It just takes time to heal my insides? Thank you for the advice regarding benzos. I will only take it in case of an emergency. At night I get this burst of energy...is that normal? I went through a lot with all of my pregnancies and relied solely on the lexapro to get me through. Bad idea. I totally need a pep talk about this stuff.

[laurvic]

Anybody out there?