![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 4432 to 4456 of 8406. Go back in thread:
Posted by galkeepinon on September 15, 2003, at 14:10:11
In reply to Increased Night Energy, posted by Wildflower on September 15, 2003, at 12:49:31
Hi Wildflower, I find that taking my Lexapro in the early morning works the best. I sem to sleep better at night when I take it in the early morning for some reason.
> For those of you who have this "night energy" when do you take your Lex? Morning? Evening? I take mine in the morning and wonder if I'd have more "morning energy" if I took the med at night.
>
>
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 14:40:10
In reply to Re: paxil to lexapro » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 14, 2003, at 16:52:24
> > Mariposa, how long did you have this eyes feel like lead feeling and what week were you into of Lexapro. Did you have the muscle aches in shoulder and neck and the fatigue that comes with it? Did you feel better at night , especially hours before bedtime, I seem to feel better whwn it gets dark outside , I know it's strange , but I must have strong anxiety in the daytime. Do you think the Lexapro makes you tired and sedated, what time of the day did you take it,I take it after dinner,
>
> If I remember right, the Heavy fatigue/lethargy/aches & pains went into 6th week, maybe even 7th. I also started @ 5mg and had TERRIBLE side effects. If you were not so far along I would have considered cutting back to 5mg, but you are *almost there*!!
>
> I was taking dose in the morning to begin, and had terrible headaches at nite first couple of weeks. Then I started falling asleep right after dinner, I couldn't stay awake. So I moved to taking dose w/dinner. That worked for a while, then I started catching a *buzz* in the evening and I was up all nite cleaning house. Moved to afternoons and still had trouble going to bed, so now I'm back to taking in the morning again.
>
> For me the tiredness, lethargy, etc. was deffinitely a side effect of the Lex, I have none of those problems now. I would have to force myself to get out of bed and get moving, and it really seemed like after a while the *tired* feeling was all in my lazy head, as when I got the body moving, the head decided it really wasn't tired after all. I really hope my *goofy* descriptive style is not annoying, but I try to write what I remember *feeling* at the time.
>
> Hope this helps!~~~8|8you're writing is beautiful as always, sweet Mariposa ... .... whatever it could conceivably lose in clarity , it more than makes up for in it's poetry ... ... not to mention it's sincere helpfulness .... .... i love your posts ....
and it could help .... it might be easier on you too ... if you had the url for your posts back then, so those wanting to read your at-the-time first-person specific reports, they could .... .... and then they would be able to learn from following the thread from there, if they wanted to ....
(and our new posters won't know to search for your posts under your former posting name ... okpolosi)
and i can do the same thing ... we can do searches for our early posts and then use them like footnotes when we refer to our past experiences for folks .... maybe?
... and they would be free to post back to us from any of our past posts, should they have a question, or a contribution, from back then, too ... ....
as you can easily tell, leedsman, you are getting the lowdown here with our Mariposa .... ..... this is the good stuff here, pardner .... !
i couldn't say it any better, nor lay it out with the depth of compassion, nor speak from the experience of some of the worst lexapro adaptaion SEs (mine were nothing compared to Mariposa's or Wayne's!), as Mariposa does ... ... but i can add my complete endorsement of all of her advice, and the observation of the consistency of her advice with the perponderance of posts we've read here ... ... .... all by way giving greater reassurance of the validity of Mariposa's insights ...
... as i was saying, the good stuff ....
TAKE CARE !!
~jim
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:41:33
In reply to re: The Women ARE Great !!!!, posted by lil' jimi on September 14, 2003, at 1:29:27
We are blessed to have each other. I have been reading the earlier posts and think that as Wayne??? said, we are just reacting to normal life. No one goes around happy and smiling all the time and even on meds, we should still "feel." I wish I could figure out what makes me go down. Sometimes I can, but for instance, this morning was one of those where I was so tired and just could not get up to face the world until about 1 hour ago. I had a little anxiety, but not as much as I used to before Lex. Maybe, I just overdid it over the weekend and was tired, who knows. YOU ALL - Men and Women - are great. It's nice to be able to talk to people who know what you are going through. My therapists says it's an illness and you have to take care of yourself like it's the flu and you CAN'T just talk yourself out of it. Boy, is she right! Thanks to All.
!
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:43:44
In reply to Re: paxil to lexapro, posted by leedsman on September 14, 2003, at 14:55:08
Hang in there Leedsman. It was at least week 5 before mine kicked in and probably a little longer!
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:48:29
In reply to Re: paxil to lexapro » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 14, 2003, at 16:52:24
I can vouch for what Mariposa is saying. Leedsman, the same with me. In fact, I still have trouble in the mornings, but have to admit that it may be somewhat in my "lazy head" too as when I get up and get going, I'm okay!
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 14:57:22
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl, posted by leedsman on September 14, 2003, at 20:39:55
i had a sinus thing ... for sure ... ... but i couldn't identify it as an SE at the time ...
... i have allergies, like you ... and about the time ... no, at the exact same time as i started lexapro, i started "Nasacort" nasal inhaler stuff ... ...
... so i still can't tell if it was a lex SE, or a symptom of allergies, or a SE of the Nasacort ... ... isn't cortisone an anabolic steriod ?... you know, it's rough enough to rearrange your tneurotransmiiters' chemistry ... ... but then to be squirting anabolic steriods ... into your olfactories just beneath your brain there ... ...
cripes !! ... i should feel great !
take care!
~ jim
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 15:07:39
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? » leedsman, posted by galkeepinon on September 14, 2003, at 23:15:53
to Leedsman,
... and, of course, everyone ...i was thinking that it may have been made worse by dehydration ... ... always be sure we are drinking lots of water and benefical fluids ... ... not only do our neurochemistries gotta have those electrolytes ... and LOTS of them ... ...
... but our sinuses are going to work a lot better too .. ... ....keep on drinking (water!) !
~ jim
Posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 15:27:09
In reply to re: sinus thing II » galkeepinon, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 15:07:39
Thanks, jimi, Mariposa, Wayne and all of you replied to, thanks for your input. I have a question is the 10mg. Lexapro on a time release or not, and do you guys feel these wavy feelings go over your eyes like there is a chemical in your body, any blurred vision, I have had a little blurred vision , but the neck and shoulder pain or tension, I do not know what it is., is really bothering me where I have to take 4 advil to get any kind of relief.I do not know ifit is areturning fibromyalgia thing or what, but when I took Paxil before , all that pain had stopped, but now for the last two or three weeks, this neck pain in the daytime causes fatigue, Anybody have any suggestions , I also heard folic acid helps Lexapro kick i faster, or Wellbutrin , any thoughts?
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 15:51:06
In reply to re: The Women ARE Great !!!!, posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 14:41:33
> We are blessed to have each other. I have been reading the earlier posts and think that as Wayne??? said, we are just reacting to normal life. No one goes around happy and smiling all the time and even on meds, we should still "feel." I wish I could figure out what makes me go down. Sometimes I can, but for instance, this morning was one of those where I was so tired and just could not get up to face the world until about 1 hour ago. I had a little anxiety, but not as much as I used to before Lex. Maybe, I just overdid it over the weekend and was tired, who knows. YOU ALL - Men and Women - are great. It's nice to be able to talk to people who know what you are going through. My therapists says it's an illness and you have to take care of yourself like it's the flu and you CAN'T just talk yourself out of it. Boy, is she right! Thanks to All.
> !
I know this for a fact, when I dont get enough sleep over a few days. I get depressed and have trouble controlling my thoughts and feelings. Even though I know exactly what the problem is, it is still hard to accept. But after catching up on sleep Im fine again. TAKE CARE!!!
WAYNE
Posted by Esmarelda on September 15, 2003, at 16:03:05
In reply to re: The Women ARE Great !!!!, posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 15:51:06
I'll try to get to bed early tonight, Wayne. I feel okay now. Thanks.
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 16:05:25
In reply to Re: Lexapro Side Effects, posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 13:08:15
hi Patty,
you wrote:
> > Help -
> >
> > I've been taking 10mg of Lexapro for just a little over ten weeks now for depression. I noticed significant improvement almost immediately and really felt back to my old self. Suddenly today, I have been so anxious and feel like I'm ready to jump out of my skin. I have never had problems with anxiety in the past and am wondering if it's a side effect of Lexapro or perhaps my body's way of telling me I no longer need it? Ten years ago I was on Serzone for approximately six months for depression. My doc at the time told me my body would tell me when I no longer needed the meds. Butterflies in the stomach and overall anxious feelings seemed to come about the time my doc said I was okay to stop taking meds. I was able to withdraw with no problems. Though depression runs in my family, I'm generally not reliant upon meds to get me though. However, the past year has been overwhelming with the deaths of three people very close to me, cancer diagnosis in my father, and two other people who have been my rocks my entire life, moving across country. Now that I seem to be feeling better and accepting all of the difficult situations in my life recently, could the anxiety be an indication that I no longer need Lexapro? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Patty
> >
> >
>
>
> I truly just wanted to avoid this post all together. But after reading it the last couple of days, what the heck!!!!!! Your post is very unique!! I have read where traumatic events cause the chemicals in the brain to get unbalanced and going on a med sometimes straightens them out after awhile. Even my own situation I believe everything that has happened to me was triggered by events over a 2 year period. That might be true and then again not. Even Jim, I wonder about this also. I have also read where your body will tell you when you hit the right dose. Meaning if a person never has side effects they up the dose until they do. I will tell you this I was on a med before and felt pretty good and then everything went away very quickly. I wont get into why because it was rare. I dont believe anyone here can tell you what to do. As for me I cant take the chance of stopping my med. Once you have had a panic attack its a constant reminder never to stop your med, if your lucky enough to recover. TAKE CARE!!!!!!!
> WAYNE
>i want to add my voice to Wayne's here ... ... this is not like any other post we've read here ... ... but because you're considering going off your lex, we have to take it seriously ... and want to help you ... very much ...
how some ever, i have never heard your theory of this kind of experience you're having being an indicator of no longer needing your lexapro, or other med for that matter ...
... now Wayne and i both saying it's new would only amount to a little over a year's worth of lexapro experience ... but when you add in all of the reports we've read here and all that Wayne's reads everywhere else ... then we may have accumulated a LOT of collective knowledge ....
... and we ain't heard of this before ...... which ain't saying it ain't so ... at all ... but it is very different from anyhing i've heard or read here ... that's all
... now i don't have a theory on when to quit, other than intuition ... ... and this does seem to be a form of intuiton ... ... so it could work for you ...
those are my disclaimers (along with "your mileage may vary"):
here's my feelings about this ...
... after only ten weeks total, it just seems early to be recovered completely ... ... then one might face relapse, which could be devastating (as Wayne fears it might)(i do too) ...alternatively, you might want to try lowering your dose to see if you could get by at a lower dose and still feel good ... and this could then turn into just titrating down your dose in order to quit without withdrawals ...
... in every event, you should discuss these options extensively with your doctor, before making any changes ... ... especially to help get relief from possible withdrawals aka "discontinuation syndrome" ...
as for Wayne's theory of the origins of chemistry imbalances ... ... i agree ...
.... i look at like this:
somethings, we brought here with us ...
somethings, we got since we arrived ...
either one or some combination of both, could cause inadequate neurochemistry ... ... Has caused an imbalance in our neurochemistry ... ...we aren't real likely to know which caused the imbalance ... ... and we aren't going to be able to be sure, if we do think we know ...
if we are fortunate enough to have lexapro gives us our balance back ... .... ... that is a truly rare blessing and we should treasure it ... ... and if we think we have our balance and want to walk away from our lexapro ... ... then we think we are cured ... ... i would pray that this is true for you ...
... but i would walk away very carefully ...
GOOD LUCK!
~ jim
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 16:10:14
In reply to re: sinus thing , posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 15:27:09
> Thanks, jimi, Mariposa, Wayne and all of you replied to, thanks for your input. I have a question is the 10mg. Lexapro on a time release or not, and do you guys feel these wavy feelings go over your eyes like there is a chemical in your body, any blurred vision, I have had a little blurred vision , but the neck and shoulder pain or tension, I do not know what it is., is really bothering me where I have to take 4 advil to get any kind of relief.I do not know ifit is areturning fibromyalgia thing or what, but when I took Paxil before , all that pain had stopped, but now for the last two or three weeks, this neck pain in the daytime causes fatigue, Anybody have any suggestions , I also heard folic acid helps Lexapro kick i faster, or Wellbutrin , any thoughts?
Paxil has a time release antidepressant. If this were the case with lexapro I could not cut it. I have someone I exchange emails with and she takes like half in the morning and half at night. She said this helped her get more balance. Dont know if that would help or not. If you did a search under paxil withdrawal on the web you would find some really terrible stories. If you are experiencing any of this you are doing better than most as far as what they report. Somewhere around 6 to 8 weeks you should have a good idea of where you are. Neck pain I had and my back muscles flare up time to time. I have found that aspercreme or p-k-5 or I think its called flexall do wonders. It surely helps if you have someone to massage it in for you also. TAKE CARE!!!!!
WAYNE
Posted by phv on September 15, 2003, at 17:48:54
In reply to re: PHV's Lexapro Side Effects, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 16:05:25
Hi Everyone -
Thanks so much for your honest opinions. This is the first time ever I've really even used a message board for anything serious - and I'm overwhelmed by the amount of genuine responses in such a short time. THANK YOU! I took all of the advice I've seen to heart - literally - and went to see my doctor today. She agreed with what most of you are saying - the anxiety is likely a side effect and will hopefully be very temporary. She also agreed that it is not likely my body's way of telling me it's time to go off - especially only in week ten. She prescribed Busbar and Xanax and told me I'll need to experiment with them. I'm relieved she was able to prescribe those to me because I'll be sitting on a plane for five hours tomorrow and the way I've been feeling for the past few days, I was terrified I would never be able to sit still that long without going crazy. I expressed my concerns to her about adding more drugs to my system for fear of becoming an "addict." She comforted me and confirmed that is not the case.
Honestly, I am grateful I found this message board. I have told no one that I even started Lexapro - for fear of people always whispering "she's on medication." I feel as though I've found a group that I can share my concerns and experiences with now - so, thank you!
I will be out of town the remainder of the week and will not have computer access - so I'll check back in over the weekend. Thank you all again for your support. I think together, we can all make it through!
Godspeed!
Patty
Posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 17:53:02
In reply to sinus thing » leedsman, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 14:57:22
Hey, Lil Jimi, are you having itchy, red or burning eyes during this ragweed , pollen or dustmite season,I just talked to my nurse at the allerg office and she said its pretty bad out there now people are suffering. I stopped my allergy shots about February because I had reached my immunity level and did not have to go back any more, but now I am going to have to look into that because that could be part of the tiredness I am feeling
Posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 18:09:22
In reply to Re: sinus thing, posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 17:53:02
How do you know when it really kicks in, when you feel like you did before you felt that way, all side effects gone? Clear thinking returning, no more fogginess like a space cadet, with no more fatigue?
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 18:44:39
In reply to Re: sinus thing, posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 17:53:02
hi leedsman,
> Hey, Lil Jimi, are you having itchy, red or burning eyes during this ragweed , pollen or dustmite season,I just talked to my nurse at the allerg office and she said its pretty bad out there now people are suffering. I stopped my allergy shots about February because I had reached my immunity level and did not have to go back any more, but now I am going to have to look into that because that could be part of the tiredness I am feeling >
... i hear you ... and yes, i am suffering ...
... but not so much if i take my nasacort nasal spray ... ... it's strong ... ... i just have to remember to drink more water because both the spray and lexapro will dehydrate me ...... i'll bet you're right about the tiredness too ...
take care,
~ jim
Posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 19:02:45
In reply to re: leedsman's paxil to lexapro » Mariposa, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 14:40:10
I SO appreciate your compliments!!!! Although attention usually embarasses me, it's still nice!!!
I agree using old posts as *footnotes* is a great idea, so often I want to refer to them just to remember what it was like, what I was going through....it only re-enforces my opinion that I am doing much better than I was!!!
Guess I'll do some research on my day off an get prepared!!!
As always...your posts are the best....keep up the GOOD WORK!!
~~~8|8
Posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 19:12:47
In reply to Re: Lexapro kicking in, posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 18:09:22
> How do you know when it really kicks in, when you feel like you did before you felt that way, all side effects gone? Clear thinking returning, no more fogginess like a space cadet, with no more fatigue?
It kind of snuck up on me, and several others that have posted here....I was sitting on the couch w/hubby and actually really LAUGHED at something on TV and realized *HEY I'M LAUGHING AND I FEEL GOOD!* just like that, one minute and I just KNEW it was the Lex and it was working.
I too was *looking* for a sign, I got very impatient around 6-7 week, thought this is NEVER going to work and I'm just wasting my time. But it doesn't work that way....one day you'll be sitting in your car staring at the traffic lite and BAM! it'll hit you that *HEY I feel different and it's GOOD!*
All I can Say is *Patience young Grasshopper...your time WILL come!*
Until then hang in there and be strong!~~~8|8
Posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 19:17:06
In reply to Re: Lexapro kicking in, posted by leedsman on September 15, 2003, at 18:09:22
> How do you know when it really kicks in, when you feel like you did before you felt that way, all side effects gone? Clear thinking returning, no more fogginess like a space cadet, with no more fatigue? >
hey, leedsman,
... tough call ...
... i remember being on a bummer after about 4 weeks because i didn't feel that much different since the SEs had quit ... i just felt blah ...... within a couple of weeks ...
... i was like doing something with my family or something ... and i started to hear this sound ...
... then i realized it was coming from me ...
... only then was i surprised when i recognized
... it was laughter ...
... i was laughing !!
... and that's when i could tell that it was workinganother common experience is to be complaining, like i was, about getting no benefit .... only to have others comment on how it has made a difference ... ... they always notice these things first, it seems ...
take care,
~ jim
Posted by Peter on September 15, 2003, at 19:29:43
In reply to Re: Lexapro kicking in » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 19:07:50
I began 5mg Lexapro 11 days ago. I had some GI upset and lethargy for the first 4 days. My pdoc had me increase to 10mg on day 7.
I also take adderall 30-35mg and klonopin 3mg.
The day I began 10mg (daY 7), I really thought I was beginning to feel better - like the med was starting to work. My social phobia improved and I felt like I was beginning to gain interest again in everyday things - something my depression prevented me from being able to do.
However, since that day, my mood has gone down again. I feel much more irritable, somnolent, and socially avoidant - just more symptomatic overall.
What's going on? Was that day just a psychosomatic reaction to increasing the dose?
Shouldn't I be starting to feel better already?
And what's with the increased irritability? Is that a common, acute transient SE that passes?
Or am I having a bad reaction? Does this med just not work well for me?
I've been on SSRI+stim+klonopin combos in the past, and the synergies between all 3 seemed to work well for me; the klonopin+stim helps different areas of my social anxiety and ADD/impulsivity, while the SSRI's usually 'smoothed over' any ups and downs or anxiety caused by the stim and helped with more over-arching depression/anxiety. Now everything seems a mess - in fact, my adderall doses don't even seem to work anymore, as if the lexapro is blunting its efficacy. Each adderall dose just makes me more exhausted.
I'm hoping the irritability and lethargy will subside and the synergies will all work together well. If not, I fear this is going to be another of a million 'cocktails' I've had to taper off of and begin again from scratch, and I'm just so tired of doing that, I don't think I'd be able to handle it again.
Peter
Posted by bruce_w6 on September 15, 2003, at 20:49:44
In reply to Re: Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl, posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 12:41:23
Has anyone heard of Neurontin? Supposed to work for what we take lexapro for. pdoc adding it to my 15mg of lex.
Here is a link I found that tells about it.
www.psycom.net/depression.central.gabapentin.html
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 21:03:09
In reply to Re: Lexapro kicking in » leedsman, posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 19:12:47
> > How do you know when it really kicks in, when you feel like you did before you felt that way, all side effects gone? Clear thinking returning, no more fogginess like a space cadet, with no more fatigue?
>
> It kind of snuck up on me, and several others that have posted here....I was sitting on the couch w/hubby and actually really LAUGHED at something on TV and realized *HEY I'M LAUGHING AND I FEEL GOOD!* just like that, one minute and I just KNEW it was the Lex and it was working.
>
> I too was *looking* for a sign, I got very impatient around 6-7 week, thought this is NEVER going to work and I'm just wasting my time. But it doesn't work that way....one day you'll be sitting in your car staring at the traffic lite and BAM! it'll hit you that *HEY I feel different and it's GOOD!*
>
> All I can Say is *Patience young Grasshopper...your time WILL come!*
>
> Until then hang in there and be strong!~~~8|8
Yep, I was sitting on the computer late one night and realized I was not depressed. I was happy!!!! In fact I was afraid to go to sleep because I thought it would go away!!!! TAKE CARE!!!
WAYNE
Posted by Mariposa on September 15, 2003, at 21:13:57
In reply to Lexapro troubles - day 11, posted by Peter on September 15, 2003, at 19:29:43
> I began 5mg Lexapro 11 days ago. I had some GI upset and lethargy for the first 4 days. My pdoc had me increase to 10mg on day 7.
> I also take adderall 30-35mg and klonopin 3mg.
> The day I began 10mg (daY 7), I really thought I was beginning to feel better - like the med was starting to work. My social phobia improved and I felt like I was beginning to gain interest again in everyday things - something my depression prevented me from being able to do.
> However, since that day, my mood has gone down again. I feel much more irritable, somnolent, and socially avoidant - just more symptomatic overall.
> What's going on? Was that day just a psychosomatic reaction to increasing the dose?
> Shouldn't I be starting to feel better already?
> And what's with the increased irritability? Is that a common, acute transient SE that passes?
> Or am I having a bad reaction? Does this med just not work well for me?
> I've been on SSRI+stim+klonopin combos in the past, and the synergies between all 3 seemed to work well for me; the klonopin+stim helps different areas of my social anxiety and ADD/impulsivity, while the SSRI's usually 'smoothed over' any ups and downs or anxiety caused by the stim and helped with more over-arching depression/anxiety. Now everything seems a mess - in fact, my adderall doses don't even seem to work anymore, as if the lexapro is blunting its efficacy. Each adderall dose just makes me more exhausted.
> I'm hoping the irritability and lethargy will subside and the synergies will all work together well. If not, I fear this is going to be another of a million 'cocktails' I've had to taper off of and begin again from scratch, and I'm just so tired of doing that, I don't think I'd be able to handle it again.
> PeterI have no experience with anything but Lex....and Lex can take 6-8 weeks until you begin to feel *benefits*. I had a long list of very intense side effects starting @ 5mg, most of which subsided by 4th week, increased to 10mg at 5th wk. I did not know for sure Lex was working until week 9. I had bouts of deep depression and anxiety around weeks 4-5, and general blah feeling wk 6-8.
Maybe some of the other posters have input as far as the other meds.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!~~~8|8
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 21:14:02
In reply to Re: Lexapro kicking in, posted by lil' jimi on September 15, 2003, at 19:17:06
> > How do you know when it really kicks in, when you feel like you did before you felt that way, all side effects gone? Clear thinking returning, no more fogginess like a space cadet, with no more fatigue? >
>
> hey, leedsman,
>
> ... tough call ...
> ... i remember being on a bummer after about 4 weeks because i didn't feel that much different since the SEs had quit ... i just felt blah ...
>
> ... within a couple of weeks ...
> ... i was like doing something with my family or something ... and i started to hear this sound ...
> ... then i realized it was coming from me ...
> ... only then was i surprised when i recognized
> ... it was laughter ...
> ... i was laughing !!
> ... and that's when i could tell that it was working
>
> another common experience is to be complaining, like i was, about getting no benefit .... only to have others comment on how it has made a difference ... ... they always notice these things first, it seems ...
>
> take care,
> ~ jim
>
>Oh yea Jim, people would tell me that I seemed so much better. I was like are you kidding me I feel like Im dying here. Even as I look back Im not sure if they saw something or was just trying to give me hope!!!!!!! TAKE CARE!!!!!!
WAYNE
Posted by BLKVETTES on September 15, 2003, at 21:29:08
In reply to Lexapro troubles - day 11, posted by Peter on September 15, 2003, at 19:29:43
> I began 5mg Lexapro 11 days ago. I had some GI upset and lethargy for the first 4 days. My pdoc had me increase to 10mg on day 7.
> I also take adderall 30-35mg and klonopin 3mg.
> The day I began 10mg (daY 7), I really thought I was beginning to feel better - like the med was starting to work. My social phobia improved and I felt like I was beginning to gain interest again in everyday things - something my depression prevented me from being able to do.
> However, since that day, my mood has gone down again. I feel much more irritable, somnolent, and socially avoidant - just more symptomatic overall.
> What's going on? Was that day just a psychosomatic reaction to increasing the dose?
> Shouldn't I be starting to feel better already?
> And what's with the increased irritability? Is that a common, acute transient SE that passes?
> Or am I having a bad reaction? Does this med just not work well for me?
> I've been on SSRI+stim+klonopin combos in the past, and the synergies between all 3 seemed to work well for me; the klonopin+stim helps different areas of my social anxiety and ADD/impulsivity, while the SSRI's usually 'smoothed over' any ups and downs or anxiety caused by the stim and helped with more over-arching depression/anxiety. Now everything seems a mess - in fact, my adderall doses don't even seem to work anymore, as if the lexapro is blunting its efficacy. Each adderall dose just makes me more exhausted.
> I'm hoping the irritability and lethargy will subside and the synergies will all work together well. If not, I fear this is going to be another of a million 'cocktails' I've had to taper off of and begin again from scratch, and I'm just so tired of doing that, I don't think I'd be able to handle it again.
> PeterHi there, I know the benzos work well with the lexapro. I was taking xanax with the lexapro. I dont know anything about your other med. But if you were feeling good at 5mg you might want to get with your doc and move back down to see if that works again. Or you can just wait out the 10mg for awhile and see if you adjust. TAKE CARE!!!
WAYNE
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