Posted by lil' jimi on June 3, 2003, at 16:25:35
In reply to Paxil CR to Lexapro, posted by PJ Fin on June 3, 2003, at 12:58:25
hey there PJ,
you wrote:
>> Hi, I'm new to this board. I suffer from Panic Attacks - seems to have started when I turned 40!
>> A little over a year ago, I was started on Zoloft. This did a number on my stomach, so I was switched to Paxil CR. I have to say, I loved Paxil CR. Very little side effects, many people told me how "calm" I seemed, etc. The only SE I encountered was weight gain. I gained over 10 lbs. in the year. No matter what I tried, Pilates, Tread mill, Wt. Watchers, etc. I didn't lose a pound. I am not horribly overweight, but going from 129 to 140 was a big difference, and I was concerned it would just keep going up.
>>
>> Last week, my Dr. switched me to Lexapro. She thought it would be a good change, and we could see if Paxil was the culprit. The Dr. had me go straight from Paxil CR to Lexapro 10 mg.
>>
>> So, I don't know if I'm experiencing withdrawals from Paxil CR, or if Lexapro hasn't kicked in.
>> I was taking Lexapro after dinner. At night, I am waking at 3:00 am -wide awake - and have ringing in my ears. During the day, I feel very tense, with the lump in my throat, and constant clogging of ears, or ringing. I'm also tired.
>>
>> Last night, I took Lexapro right before bed and I did sleep better. However, today I was noticing I was itchy on my arms, and my skin was rather pink (a reaction?). I find I am obsessing about switching meds, and feel as though I'm just looking for SE's. Again, don't know if this is just "breakthrough" from the Paxil. But I haven't had this feeling in a very long time.
>>
>> Anyone have suggestions -- could Paxil withdrawals be causing the problem?
>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>>my bet is that a lot of your symptoms are Lexapro adaptation SEs ... although i have read that Paxil withdrawals can be rough too..... of course there's always that unfortunate combination of the two ....
check out the lex thread here at:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020609/msgs/109458.htmli had anxiety/panic attacks the 1st week i was on lex .... never'd had themm before ... a week later they and almost all of my lex SEs were gone, but for most folks seems like SEs can last 4 to 6 weeks ....
...and the beneficial effects of lex sometimes takes even longer to kick in... maybe 6 to 8 weeks .... check out the posts of Okpolosi/Mariposa, maybe..... for experience with anxiety, you might want to read blkvettes' posts.
i hope things get better for you soon ... keep us posted and ....
TAKE CARE !!!!
~ jim
poster:lil' jimi
thread:231094
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030530/msgs/231136.html