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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by MoTucker on June 18, 2004, at 11:07:02
In reply to Re: Anxiety/Caffine Question, posted by platinumbride on June 18, 2004, at 10:51:31
I gave up caffiene when I started on the lex. I think it was important for me to get the confidence that the medication was working. Then I slowly brought it back. I make sure I don't get hooked on it, though... and try not to drink it daily and not ever more than one cup. It's the constant drinking of caffiene all day that leaves your blood pressure up for long periods of time that makes me feel like crud.
Also I'm a big drinker. Always a couple of drinks a day. They tell you not to do it on the meds. Well in the last week I've conducted an experiment to cut out the alcohol. I think it helps. My anxiety is tightly coupled with depression, however, so the effect of the "downer" of alcohol is probably more significant for me than the "upper" of caffeine.
M.T.
> Hi,
>
> If I were you, I would wait a few week before going back to coffee - just till u have enough of the med in your body. Then I would test the waters with decaf for a few days (still has some caffeine in it) or tea before daring to try the hard stuff again ;-).
>
> I know how you feel about the anxiety and coffee. For a while I was teriffied of coffee, but once I felt fewer instances of panic and anxiety, I was able to go back to one cup/day. Then again, my one cup is really a mug full of espresso, so that might equal 4 cups of american dirty dishwater.
>
> Good luck,
> Diane
>
> > Hey guys - I am on day 11 of Lex for Generalized Anxiety and I have a question for you guys. I have basically suffered off and on for years with anxiety attacks. Not panic attacks, but anxiety where I feel kind of disoriented, a sense of things not being real, shallow breathing and just a general bad feeling. I have xanax for when they come on. (I am a 28 year old girl by the way) They have usually been perpetuated by major life changes or anxiety over my health. I certainly qualify as a hypochondriac! (but fortunately i can laugh at my self!)
> >
> > I don't suffer from depression at all but I was wondering for those of you that have anxiety issues, do you drink caffine? I have always been a huge coffee fan but because my anxiety attacks have been so frequent lately (thus trying the lex), i had cut it out all together. It would bring on an attack ASAP. Do you think I could drink it now that I am taking the lex? Perhaps I just won't have any attacks because of the meds?
> >
> > Just curious! Thanks guys!
>
>
Posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 12:01:56
In reply to Re: Anxiety/Caffine Question, posted by MoTucker on June 18, 2004, at 11:07:02
Thanks for the feedback you guys! I was wondering about drinking because I am going to my ten year high school reunion this weekend and I was wondering if it would take less alcohol than normal.
I have enjoyed not having anxiety attacks for the last full week, so I am not going to try the coffee thing just yet I suppose!
Thanks again - this really is a great network.
Posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 12:05:37
In reply to Re: Anxiety/Caffine Question, posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 12:01:56
I never knew (before this site) that people up their dosage of lex from 10 to 20. I only take ten and that is all my doc said to take. Do you think this is because I am just being treated for GAD and not GAD & Depression?
Just curious..thanks!
Posted by sexylexy on June 18, 2004, at 12:44:06
In reply to Sorry - one more question!, posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 12:05:37
Hey Captin,
The research for lexapro said that 10mg was an effective doseage. While it is an effective dosage to help peoples symptoms, most psychiatrist (I am a therapist) I work with have seen improvement on 10 but it is not the miricale the literature seems to make it out to be. Personally, 15 was the best dosage for me at the time when I was struggling (anxiety/depression)...20 made me flat and irritated, but the differnce between 10 and 15 was night and day. If you are feeling good on 10, I would stick with it, for the most part I think we want to all be on the least amount of drugs we can, if 10 does not do it for you (after a good trial time 7/8 weeks) you may want to up your doseage! Good luck
Lexy
Posted by sexylexy on June 18, 2004, at 12:48:54
In reply to Anxiety/Caffine Question, posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 10:36:09
Hey Captin,
I had the excact same problems, caffiene brought on anxiety attacks much like you described. In graduate school, I did my single subject design requirement on the effects of caffiene on myself. Sure enough there was a huge amount of literature and a huge correlation in myself.
After being on lex for a while I wanted to try coffee again because I love it!. I started out drinking thing like latte and cappicino (sp) because they are mixed, I did find with those and have incorperated good ole black coffee back in the diet. I tend to not get anxious from it unless I get careless and drink too much or am in an anxiety producing situation.
Again, Good luck!
Lexy
Posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 13:32:42
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question!, posted by sexylexy on June 18, 2004, at 12:44:06
Thanks to both posts! Good info to have! I would like to stick at just 10 because like you said, we all want to be on the least amount as possible I am sure. I have never taken anything before and I have read horror stories about upping the dosage. I will give it the full 7 weeeks before making any decisions anyway I am sure!
Thanks again!
Posted by sexylexy on June 18, 2004, at 15:58:46
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question! Lexy, posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 13:32:42
Hey Captin,
As of now I am down to 5mg. I had depression brought on by the birth control pill and made much worse because I was in grad school 9 hours away from my family, boyfriend and best friends. form me at the time 10mg was just not enough to deal with the bad depression that would turn into anxiety ect. I am doing 1000X better than I had originally thought. I am a 24 year old female and until this past year had never had a depressed day in my life. This too was my first experience with meds. I don't like them but I thank God everyday that we have them because for a while I was in a very dark place. It is a blessing to see the sun again. I know how hard it is to be in the waiting period, if you have any questions feel free to ask. Over in psycho-social-babble is a awesome group of women all on lexapro, we are sooooooo supportive of each other and have had a lot of lex experiences. Feel free to join in with us!
Lexy
Posted by LynneDa on June 18, 2004, at 17:00:56
In reply to Re: Lexapro and Wellbutrin SR, posted by ednababish on May 15, 2004, at 10:05:45
Hi all -
I am going to be switching from Lexapro to Wellbutrin. I can't seem to get through the fatigue and fogginess after 9 months on Lex, so my doctor thought maybe a switch is in order. I'm willing to give it a try because I'm not at all ready to stop taking an AD - it's working quite well for the depression and anxiety.Sooooo.... anyone have any stories about making the switch? Things to look out for, ways to make the transition easier, thoughts on Wellbutrin????
Thanks everyone! Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in Babble-land :-)
~ Lynne
Posted by mystic on June 18, 2004, at 19:22:15
In reply to From Lex to Wellbutrin SR » ednababish, posted by LynneDa on June 18, 2004, at 17:00:56
Hey Lynne...Went to the drs myself yesterday and she is going to check with another dr about maybe switching to something else also..I hate to do that being med phobic and all but the lex just doesnt seem to be helping although it is only a week sunday that I have increased to 17.5 but my memory is horrible and that might go away but feel the weight starting to creep up also...Wellbutrin will be interested to see how it goes..When do you start to take that?...My dr is going to call on monday or tuesday and tell me what to do ..for now still taking the lex and hoping some miracle happens and I am fine by then but she was thinking of me going to go see a psychiatrist but with my experience they always want you to be on so many different meds or over medicate ...We will see..Hope you have a great weekend...Your friend Mystic
Posted by Mariposa on June 20, 2004, at 8:37:58
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question! Lexy, posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 13:32:42
> Thanks to both posts! Good info to have! I would like to stick at just 10 because like you said, we all want to be on the least amount as possible I am sure. I have never taken anything before and I have read horror stories about upping the dosage. I will give it the full 7 weeeks before making any decisions anyway I am sure!
>
> Thanks again!I had to comment on dose increase.....horror stories??? I read here regularly and don't remember any of those??? I started at 5mg and had a really rough time of it, but hung in there with a LOT of great support from Babblers. At 5 weeks I increased to 10mg because I was experiencing anxiety attacks and horrible depression. I did not experience terrible se's, only some dizziness and vertigo, and I had to go to week 9 before I noticed *improvement*. Since then I have increased to 20, and then to 30mg, without any noticeable se's.
COFFEE......I'm a JAVA JUNKIE!!! Since starting Lex I have started drinking more coffee without increased anxiety. It helps me motivate through the Lex *lethargy*.....for me the tiredness evaporates if I ignore the brain telling me it's tired and it wants a nap. If I get moving, get involved in a project, etc. the tired feeling goes away.
Good luck to us all!~~~8|8
Posted by Scribbler on June 20, 2004, at 9:33:31
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question! Lexy » captain, posted by Mariposa on June 20, 2004, at 8:37:58
I like my coffee, too (am sipping a cup as I type) and in the past two weeks went from 10mg to 12 1/2 to 15 mg without any SE's. Except I have this funny thing going on with my left eye, which may be totally unrelated. I'm also undergoing a real test of my penchant for anxiety: we've had a great deal of rain in the last month and our sump pump is running continually. We went thru a bad flood in our old home in 1998 and moved here precisely to escape something like this. Without Lex, I'd have totally freaked out and emptied the basement of everything valuable by now. So far, so good.
Posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 16:10:43
In reply to From Lex to Wellbutrin SR » ednababish, posted by LynneDa on June 18, 2004, at 17:00:56
I have tried wellabutrin for depression in the past and i had to stop taking it after 3 days. it was great the first day or so and then i went crazy. i cant explain it but i was like a monster. then i was put on lex 5 months ago and had a problem having an orgasm. the doc added wellabutrin to my mix and once again it made me really mean. i guess it is just not for me. but my dad and 2 aunts are on it and swear it is the best thing in the world. let me know how it goes for you
Posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 16:12:07
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question!, posted by sexylexy on June 18, 2004, at 12:44:06
i was also on 10, but for only a week. i found that 20 was much better and 10 did not help much at all.
Posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 16:14:10
In reply to Sorry - one more question!, posted by captain on June 18, 2004, at 12:05:37
your doc will probably keep you on 10 to start off with and then up you as time goes by. some people stay on 10 forever and some up like every couple of months. it all depends on how the med works for you. i know alot of lex users have to add meds to make it just right for them to. 20 lex works great for me, i just dont have an orgasm. (small price to pay for being happy, i guess)
Posted by sexylexy on June 20, 2004, at 17:13:55
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question!-captain, posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 16:14:10
As to the orgasm thoughts. I could not have one when I first started lexapro, even on 10mg. As I have continued on, they have come back better than ever... good luck
Posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 20:09:55
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question!-captain, posted by sexylexy on June 20, 2004, at 17:13:55
how long have you been on lex? i am going on 5 months and still no orgasms and i really dont even have the urge to have sex. tell me your story so i can gain some hope in this situation. thanks girl. love ya, p.s. come chat on social, i feel like i have not talked to you in forever.
Posted by Mrs. C on June 20, 2004, at 22:12:20
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question! Lexy » captain, posted by Mariposa on June 20, 2004, at 8:37:58
I have to agree with Mariposa guys. I have only noticed good things with my increases. Side effects were minimal compared to the benefits I have experienced. Mrs. C
Posted by Mrs. C on June 20, 2004, at 22:13:43
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question! Lexy, posted by Scribbler on June 20, 2004, at 9:33:31
Scribbler, I am interested to know what is going on with your eye as I am having something funky going on with my right eye. Thanks,Mrs. C
Posted by LynneDa on June 21, 2004, at 9:52:31
In reply to Re: From Lex to Wellbutrin SR, posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 16:10:43
Thanks Bride - This is gonna sound weird, but I'm wondering if wellbutrin is better for older people (I'm 40)? Most of the people I know who are on it and like it are older than me!! I'm a little nervous to switch and have warned my husband that the next few weeks may be a bit rocky .... poor thing!
Good luck with everything, you're on the down-hill slide now! Enjoy every minute :-)
~ Lynne
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I have tried wellabutrin for depression in the past and i had to stop taking it after 3 days. it was great the first day or so and then i went crazy. i cant explain it but i was like a monster. then i was put on lex 5 months ago and had a problem having an orgasm. the doc added wellabutrin to my mix and once again it made me really mean. i guess it is just not for me. but my dad and 2 aunts are on it and swear it is the best thing in the world. let me know how it goes for you
Posted by LynneDa on June 21, 2004, at 9:58:11
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question!-captain, posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 16:14:10
Hi Bride, one more note . . . I was finally able to orgasm again after about 5 months or so on Lex. I can't remember how long you've been on it. When I took the Lex at night, we made sure we were "active" before I took it (when it's starting to wear off a bit, I guess) and with a lot of attention to me beforehand, it seemed to work. Sorry to be so personal, but I hate to see a new bride with that issue (even tho you seem okay with it!) & thought I'd give you my two cents! :-)
~ Lynne
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
your doc will probably keep you on 10 to start off with and then up you as time goes by. some people stay on 10 forever and some up like every couple of months. it all depends on how the med works for you. i know alot of lex users have to add meds to make it just right for them to. 20 lex works great for me, i just dont have an orgasm. (small price to pay for being happy, i guess)
Posted by LynneDa on June 21, 2004, at 10:00:56
In reply to Re: Day 8, new dosage?, posted by Tweek on June 16, 2004, at 15:37:10
Hi Tweek - How are you doing this week? Hopefully better. It takes a few weeks to settle into it! Agitation, weird dreams are all par for the course! What did your therapist say?
~ Lynne
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Well, I'm finally on Day 8 (actually day 7, switched from evening to morning dose, but close enough), and starting to feel "funny" again. I had a good weekend, no funny feelings, but last night I started getting moody and just feeling strange. Woke up from weird dreams feeling agitated (not as bad as before, but enough to ruin my morning). I'm still on 5 mg/day. Is this normal as I keep adjusting to Lex? Or maybe my dosage is too low, even though it's only been a week? I'm seeing a therapist tomorrow, so maybe it's something that will just clear up after a bit of therapy. Been facing issues that had actually brought on the depression/anxiety that caused me to go on the Lexapro, so maybe it's just that. Hmmm...
Posted by Scribbler on June 21, 2004, at 10:28:01
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question! Lexy, posted by Mrs. C on June 20, 2004, at 22:13:43
My left eye has been kind of dry, and my vision is kind of blurry. Also have a new floater -- and some flashing lights. Worry it's a retina problem, but after two weeks it's a bit better. I vaguely remember when I began Lex last Oct. I had blurred vision but my whole self was kind of wacko then and I attributed it to the medication; it got better. Now I've gone from 10 to 15mg and the increase could be causing the eye-thing? Or not? Other than that, I feel great. What's your right eye doing?
Posted by want info on June 21, 2004, at 14:32:08
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question!-lexy, posted by bride2be on June 20, 2004, at 20:09:55
i posted here last week and no one replied. i no longer go on the social board...no time...so busy! but i know a lot of you are on here as well, but i guess no one's interested. i won't be around here anymore...my therapist thinks it's a bad idea anyway. best of luck to all.
emily
Posted by Mrs. C on June 21, 2004, at 15:46:21
In reply to :(, posted by want info on June 21, 2004, at 14:32:08
Em, So sorry that you didn't get the reply you were looking for. Sometimes I will only reply to something I can relate to. But I read every day to catch up on everyone. I am so busy lately too that I barely have time to do that. Now that school is out I will be home alot more. I hope you decide to stick around. Why does your therapist think we're a bad idea. We are all just friends helping eachother with our experiences. Please explain that one to me. Oh well, you have to do what is best for you but I will miss you. If you are interested in talking via our personal emails (I talk with Mystic & Anxious babe) let me know and I will post it. Mrs. C
Posted by Mrs. C on June 21, 2004, at 15:50:33
In reply to Re: Sorry - one more question! Mrs. C., posted by Scribbler on June 21, 2004, at 10:28:01
Hey Scribbler, My right eye has been twitching. Since beginning lex I have had many facial twitches. In the beginning my chin twiched. Just a little spot that had a muscle twitch. Then it moved to my upper lip, now my eyelid. Weird. I hope it's just from the Lex and not some nerve problem (I'm a hypochondriac). Mrs. C
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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