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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by mlj 123 on February 4, 2003, at 19:54:19
In reply to Re: Lexapro has been very good for me, posted by sussus on February 4, 2003, at 14:09:18
> Hi there everyone - This is my first time ever participating in an online chat and it is motivated by my relief at finding this amazing group of people.
>
> After years - and I mean years of struggle in talk therapy, I finally hit the wall with depression and anxiety and decided to try AD's.
>
> I have been taking Lexapro for three weeks and am honestly not sure yet how I feel. I know it takes time and I am trying to be patient, but it is hard not to have expectations.
>
> At this point, I have stopped crying every day and the overwhelming sense of doom and fear that I lived with has eased somewhat. I am slightly nauseous, but that is tolerable.
>
> The one thing that really scaares me is my complete lack of motivation. I have felt this way before when depressed, but was not really experiencing it in the episode that preceded my getting on meds. I do feel better - as I said before - but all I want to do every day is lay on the couch, watch TV and lay around. I don't feel that I can't do things; I literally have noooooo motivation and that scares me.
>
> The main reason I decided to post was in response to positive people who have written of their experiences on AD's. Can anyone offer insight/experiences/advice on the subject of anti-motivatioanl syndrome? Is this a side effect? Does it tend to dissapate? My dosage is 10mg. Lexapro taken around 3 PM - works best with my sleep habits.
>
> Thanks again and I feel good to be doing at least this one thing today.....
>
> Sussus
>
>>Dont give up on the 10mg because I promise that it doesnt take that much to help. I feel that the 10mg of Lexepro has really really helped. As for the modivation- You have to get to get up and live. Once I felt like I was living happier that was modivation enuff to bring myself out of bed and try to catch up on all that anxiety that brough me down for so long. Now I want to do it all. I just pray that I continue to progress and all these wonderful people that share this ray of hope with me
Posted by sussus on February 4, 2003, at 20:19:48
In reply to Re: Lexapro has been very good for me, posted by mlj 123 on February 4, 2003, at 19:54:19
MLJ - How long did it take for you to get re-energized to something resembling a normal level?I have been taking Lexapro for 3 weeks now.
Sussus
Posted by Sadsack on February 4, 2003, at 20:43:04
In reply to Re: lexapro need help,users » male34, posted by nhg on February 3, 2003, at 11:08:15
You REALLY have to give the Lex more time. I keep reading notes about those of you who are discouraged after 3 days, 5 days, 2 weeks etc. I didn't feel any effects for 2 weeks and then it was mostly side effects. Thanks to encouragement from a few faithfuls here, I stuck it out and the side effects faded and the depression got MUCH better. My thinking got clearer, my get up and go returned. But it took awhile (2 months). The side effects (neck and shoulder pain, sleepiness or sleeplessness, headaches, jaw pain, inability to have orgasm etc,) fade before too long and are well worth the ultimate outcome. In the depression / anxiety world Patience is a Virtue. Good things come to those who wait. I know it's tough but hang in there!!!!
Good Luck to all
Sadsack> > im on lexapro only 3 days now wow im so tired anxiuos and crummy feeeling,i did paxil a year ago gained 35 pounds come off it ,it was hell coming off, but now my mother died and my anxiety is bad, im also agoraphobic . im on lexapro for anxiety mainly but i sure dont like these first days any help ,is this normal im on 10 mgs and some small doses of xanax to calm me, but believe me im calm ill i want to do is sleep along with be very anxiuos and jiterry /please help
>
> How are you feeling now? I've been on Lexapro for three days. It has helped the depression (which couldn't have gotten any worse) but isn't doing anthing for the anxiety. I have been taking xanax for a few weeks (ever since I was assaulted). I need it sometimes at night, but always in the morning. During the past weeks, I toss and turn in my sleep and wake up repeatedly in extreme panic attacks. I take some xanax and try to go back to sleep. But for some reason, mornings are the worse. I can hardly live with it.
> So you are a few days ahead of me with the Lexapro and I'm just wondering if you've had any progress.
Posted by Karen Anne on February 4, 2003, at 20:58:16
In reply to Re: Lexapro side-effects, posted by tanguerey on January 28, 2003, at 12:43:13
I started Lexapro 6 days ago. Today was day one without diarrhea! I have tried medication 4 times in 20 years always given up after 3 days. I had to cut the 10mg tabs in half because the reflux was so bad. I also notice I am keeping my muscles in a very tense state. Woke up this morning feeling like I was beaten all night! But my mood is better...don't feel like crying and worrying a lot less so I will keep taking it unless side effects get worse.
Posted by nhg on February 4, 2003, at 21:04:09
In reply to Re: Lexapro side-effects, posted by Karen Anne on February 4, 2003, at 20:58:16
> I also notice I am keeping my muscles in a very tense state. Woke up this morning feeling like I was beaten all night!
I am new to lexapro too and I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been punched in the stomach, kind of sore or bruised in the gut. I guess it's from tense muscles. I don't know what I can do about that, especially when I'm sleeping!
Posted by Donia on February 4, 2003, at 21:25:13
In reply to Re: Lexapro side-effects, posted by nhg on February 4, 2003, at 21:04:09
I was very jittery and tensed up the first week, the second week started to feel a little better. I noticed my teeth were cleanched all the time. It is getting better, on week three and so far no big complaints.
Posted by Theona on February 4, 2003, at 21:39:37
In reply to Re: Lexapro has been very good for me, posted by sussus on February 4, 2003, at 18:32:55
I have been on Lexapro about 5 days now, after being on Celexa for 4 months. It was very confusing. I was on Celexa for a year and a half about 3 years ago and it was wonderful, but when I returned to it, I was nauseated several hours a day and had jaw chatter. I don't understand why it worked well before, but not now. Prozac gives me whole body tremors in the a.m., as though I am about to have a sezure. And Zoloft gives me bad jaw chatter, like I'm freezing cold. The nausea to this severity only began with this year's round of medication, so I have been moved to Lexapro.
The first weekend, I was very nauseated, about 6 hours a day, and mild jaw chatter, but hopefully it may be the Celexa in my system and the transfer of meds. I am on 10mg of Lexapro. I was on 30mg of Celexa.
I went through a major depression last fall and tend to be chronically depressed. But more than that, over the last 4 years, I have slowly come to understand and accept that I experience OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It is moderate, I believe, not severe, but enough to interfere with my progress in life. I am a horder. Everything I touch, I need to have a lot of it. But I have white-knuckled it through life, and managed it pretty well. The trouble is that managing it take a lot of my time. And I have high anxiety and intense thought patterns.
It took four years to move through denial systems - first only accepting that the anxiety was a big problem for me, and finally during the last quarter of 2002, realizing I collect too much of everything and have too much stuff. Over my lifetime, I narrowed the stuff down to sensible stuff instead of completely useless stuff (300 patterns and I never sew) and I am ready to move into getting all my stuff to managable levels.
So I went to my family doctor in October and have always been open with him about the OCD. He told me I would be on SSRIs for the rest of my life and he would make sure I had them, even if I didn't have insurance (which I do right now). I cried when I left. Finally I had someone on my side.
I found a therapist to work with me, a cognitive-behaviorist, and I have just begun with him.
It is as though at age 55, I have finally solved the problem of why my life has been so hard, so tiring, and I am beginning to have new hope.
Reading all the postings here has been very helpful. I dispared the first few days because I felt so sick and became morbidly depressed. But by day 4, when I was upset about something, I couldn't cry, and I knew the SSRI was beginning to "take." My thinking has been so intense, like constantly talking to myself. When I was on the Celexa, I was talking outloud when I was in the car. I never did that before, and didn't before I went on the Celexa. I didn't worry about it too much because when I was coming down off of the Prozac when I was taken off of it, I began to talk out loud, almost out of control. It was pretty strange, and didn't last, but sure did make me think about people with mental disorders who talk all of the time and the role of seritonin in their brains.
I hear so many of you say what I say - I just want to feel normal. Sometimes, in the past, the axiety level has been so high that getting anything done has been hard. One thing I noticed when on the Celexa was that there was some relief from a sense of "resistance" I always have about doing anything. I didn't realize it was from the seritonin imbalance. I blamed myself dreadfully for being lazy or lacking motivation. One day, I had complete relief from this and at work, I just worked along all day. It was wonderful. I hope that lies ahead and I will feel like that most of the time.
Other than the nausea and waiting for the Lexapro to go into full gear, I guess I've been pretty lucky. I sleep okay. I am not sleepy during the day. If I was depressed on the weekend, well there were other contributors - getting over a terrible cold that put me in bed 3 weekends in a row (I have an auto-immune condition where my antibodies attack my white cells and sometimes I am sick longer than usual) and slowed my life down when I am ready to get going, stuff like that, maybe it is because I am developing a psycosomatic reaction (nausea and exhaustion) to working on my house and fighting the OCD problem (which is why I am going to the CBT therapist), so who knows what the real cause is. It will take time to tease it all apart.
All I know is that like so many I've been reading about here, I was impatient in the first week. Because I was on Celexa for 4 months, I thought the trasition would be a snap, but for some reason, it wasn't. Maybe it will work better, sooner, because of being on the other SSRI, maybe not.
I would like to be a Lexapro success story to encourage others. If I only had the Celexa which made me sick 2 hours a day, I would take that, just to bring about recovery from the OCD. It has made life so hard. At the same time, I look back and now understand what I have been able to do inspite of it, and I feel better about myself. Now I am hoping that with some relief, I can do even more.
Theona
Posted by Bipolarsux on February 5, 2003, at 7:13:09
In reply to Re: same side effects all ssri's » Bipolarsux, posted by lcg4 on February 4, 2003, at 8:11:37
Hi Linda.
I'm so sorry to hear of your son experiencing these difficulties. (You always think *you* are the worst off until you come across cases like this.)
Your idea of not changing your son's medication until Summer vacation seems very sound to me since transitions between medications are always painful and take some time to even out. A transition during vacation should impact least on his academic performance.
From personal experience, I suspect that you will not find a tremendous difference in effects and side-effects from medication in the same class (e.g. Paxil vs Lexapro SSRIs). Then again, my reaction to medication tends to be atypical.
I have panic disorder embedded in bipolar illness and SSRIs aggravate the panic and mania so I am not a big fan of them (beware of my bias!).
Best of luck.
BPsux
Posted by lcg4 on February 5, 2003, at 8:47:29
In reply to Re: same side effects all ssri's » lcg4, posted by Bipolarsux on February 5, 2003, at 7:13:09
Thanks so much for the kind email. I tend to agree with you that they all are about the same with the side effects. I myself have experienced the same side effects when taking ssri's in the past for anxiety. I noticed taking the dosage lower seemed to help quite a bit with my son's concentration so we may just lower the dose a bit over spring break or summer and see if that helps without the anxiety coming back. He definitely reacts to lowering the dosage so we have to do it when he has time off of school. He got very aggressive and paranoid until he got used to the dosage. Thanks for your support. It really helps. Linda
Posted by Dysfunk on February 5, 2003, at 10:34:13
In reply to Re: Lexapro has been very good for me, posted by Donia on February 4, 2003, at 14:45:39
Week 3 1/2 on Lex and I am in a terrible mood. I sure hope this medicine works for me. I have been very negative and anxious lately. Some of you report it working early on....has it taken anyone longer than a month for it to work? Curious. Thanks.
Posted by mills on February 5, 2003, at 10:40:44
In reply to Lexapro hasn't kicked in yet, posted by Dysfunk on February 5, 2003, at 10:34:13
my experience is different than everyone's; it takes lexapro and paxil (was on it previously) 2 or 3 months at a dose to have any therapeutic effect on me; i take 40 mg for ocd/anxiety/depression, and it is finally helping me after 4 months, so give it some time
> Week 3 1/2 on Lex and I am in a terrible mood. I sure hope this medicine works for me. I have been very negative and anxious lately. Some of you report it working early on....has it taken anyone longer than a month for it to work? Curious. Thanks.
Posted by Dysfunk on February 5, 2003, at 10:41:22
In reply to Re: lexapro need help,users » nhg, posted by Sadsack on February 4, 2003, at 20:43:04
It is nice to hear such positivity. Keep it coming, it is encouraging. Thanks male34.
Time.....and patience.....ugh, the time goes so slowly when you are waiting to feel better.
Posted by Dysfunk on February 5, 2003, at 10:43:07
In reply to Re: Lexapro side-effects, posted by nhg on February 4, 2003, at 21:04:09
It amazes me how the medicine effects us all so differently! I have terrible constipation, but I do have reflux too. Hang in there, hopefully it will pass soon (no pun intended).
Posted by Dysfunk on February 5, 2003, at 10:46:02
In reply to Re: Lexapro hasn't kicked in yet, posted by mills on February 5, 2003, at 10:40:44
Thanks for responding. I am on 40 mg Prozac, which is minimal and with 10 mg Lex, I still feel lousy. I am going to wait it out. I am glad to have this board for both encouragement and insight. Dysfunk
Posted by mills on February 5, 2003, at 10:52:27
In reply to Re: Lexapro hasn't kicked in yet-4mills, posted by Dysfunk on February 5, 2003, at 10:46:02
I hear you, it has really helped me too
> Thanks for responding. I am on 40 mg Prozac, which is minimal and with 10 mg Lex, I still feel lousy. I am going to wait it out. I am glad to have this board for both encouragement and insight. Dysfunk
Posted by Chuck2112 on February 5, 2003, at 11:21:23
In reply to Anyone switched to Lexapro? « ggrrl, posted by Dr. Bob on June 11, 2002, at 7:52:48
I am new to anti-d's. I am self diagnosed as having general anxiety disorder. This seems to have been building ever since I had a child while trying to finish college some years ago. 3 years ago i was divorced, happily i might add, and i noticed a difference in my behavior when I had trouble making ordinary conversation with old friends, i just thought i was growing different. Well i got fed up with it and dedided to work on my skills, and started pushing myself into more social situations and trying to get outside myself. I made some progress, but always felt something holding me back and couldnt figure out what it was. Shortly after, I fell into a slump that I didnt recognize as depression or anxiety, i thought it would pass. Well it didnt, finally i did the same and decided again to work through it, and again made progress, but was always held back, this time though things got real bad. I was finding myself with aching back, aching legs, just tensse all the time with no real reason to be.
I would sometimes get sweaty hands, didnt want to do anything. Had a hard time even forcing myself out the house, and sometimes just drove around town aimlessly, just looking for relief in anything. Never came. So i looked up anxiety and saw the symptoms and realized that this was my problem, so i tried to solve it on my own....didnt happen.....
So i went to the doctor and he gave me some lexapro to try out.....
I have been on it for 16 days now....i am feeling much better, i actually cooked a nice dinner last night, enjoyed the movie i watched, and put some clothes up.....
i still feel a little detached, I was feeling detached before taking it too, it comes and goes in waves.....
i have trouble getting to sleep sometimes, but once i fall asleep i stay asleep....
no nauseous feeling or any other side affect, except with vision sometimes, not too bad though...
i hoping it starts to work a little bit better in the next week or two, i feel a little better today....i take 10 mg a dayto people who have experiences with this, do anti-d's help releive the detached feeling and depersonalized feelings that accompany anxiety and depression, and how for those feelings to start to subside?
Posted by Theona on February 5, 2003, at 13:37:27
In reply to Re: Lexapro side-effects, posted by Dysfunk on February 5, 2003, at 10:43:07
> It amazes me how the medicine effects us all so differently! I have terrible constipation, but I do have reflux too. Hang in there, hopefully it will pass soon (no pun intended).
What surprises me is that different SSRIs effect the same person so differently. I don't pretend to understand the differences. I do understand Lexapro is kind of what I jokingly call a new designer SSRI, so I expect it to be different, but for sure, from personal experience, I know life on the different SSRIs before Lexapro has been different, and also different when I had different needs. About 6 years ago, I was on Zoloft for anxiety and it took the maximum dose to have any effect at all. Years later, when on Celexa, a moderate dose worked fine. Now, recently, I can't take Celexa again as it makes me quite nauseated, even after 4 months, so I don't get what's going on at all.
All I know is that if Lexapro works, I plan to stay on it in hopes things stay consistent for a long time.
Posted by Sussus on February 5, 2003, at 16:47:03
In reply to New to Lexapro » sussus, posted by Theona on February 4, 2003, at 21:39:37
Theona - I really appreciate your message and I too, look forward to the days when I want to and can work all day. I hate my living room - I have spent a year here. And many years in various living rooms...
The good news is that today I shared my struggle with my mom and she was so compassionate. She suffered a major breakdown when I was 7 or 8 years old - which I will never forget.
I have really hesitated to tell any realatives about my depression, as I couldn't deal with judgement - their specialty. But Mom was the best. She said she totally related and I can call her anytime. What a relief!
So for today I was brave and actually went to my office for 2 hours - a big deal for me....
Thanks for the encouragement - hang in there.
Sussus
Posted by Sussus on February 5, 2003, at 16:48:17
In reply to New to Lexapro » sussus, posted by Theona on February 4, 2003, at 21:39:37
Theona - I really appreciate your message and I too, look forward to the days when I want to and can work all day. I hate my living room - I have spent a year here. And many years in various living rooms...
The good news is that today I shared my struggle with my mom and she was so compassionate. She suffered a major breakdown when I was 7 or 8 years old - which I will never forget.
I have really hesitated to tell any realatives about my depression, as I couldn't deal with judgement - their specialty. But Mom was the best. She said she totally related and I can call her anytime. What a relief!
So for today I was brave and actually went to my office for 2 hours - a big deal for me....
Thanks for the encouragement - hang in there.
Sussus
Posted by pibb on February 5, 2003, at 18:48:37
In reply to New lex user, posted by Chuck2112 on February 5, 2003, at 11:21:23
My son is in a residential treatment facility. He is taking seroquel and now 20mg lexapro. He was on 40mg celexa, but the doctor wanted to try lexapro to help his OCD behaviors- primarily the obsession. He switched to lexapro 2 1/2 weeks ago and things are not going well. He feels extremely frustrated. He says he feels like he physically cannot stop himself from agruing. He is also now talking non stop (to others, himself, bedposts etc). I don't know that much about lexapro so I am wondering if I should ask that he be taken off of the lexapro or wait it out?
Posted by mlj 123 on February 5, 2003, at 18:57:23
In reply to Re: Lexapro has been very good for me, posted by sussus on February 4, 2003, at 20:19:48
Ive been on it 3 months now. things are much better. no panic attacks since Ive started it
Posted by mlj 123 on February 5, 2003, at 19:07:07
In reply to Re: Lexapro side-effects, posted by nhg on February 4, 2003, at 21:04:09
Tight muscles are also a main side effect from anxiety as well as acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome. I lost 20 pounds from aniety/panic and the mustle spasms in my neck were horrible. The doc says its all anxiety. This is before any medicine Ive taken. The Old Chinese believe acid reflux only is caused from harmony being out of balance in your soul. They belive if you can heal within yourself you can heal your stomach problems. ....Just a book I read about acute axiety. However Im not Chinese I do see that my severe stomach/mustle spasms have subsided.
Posted by mlj 123 on February 5, 2003, at 19:12:44
In reply to New lex user, posted by Chuck2112 on February 5, 2003, at 11:21:23
Your story is a very fimilar one. good luck. glad your feeling better.
Posted by EGR on February 5, 2003, at 19:16:45
In reply to Re: Changing time of Lex -- EGR » EGR, posted by bozeman on February 3, 2003, at 21:54:54
I had that happen to me at Christmas time and it was scary. That's why I went ahead and increased my dosage. In retrospect, I probably would be okay at 10. I'm thinking about decreasing to 15 but want to wait until I've been on 20 for two full months. I don't have any trouble sleeping either... except for last night and I think that's more because I had 3 sick kids. I noticed that on the days I don't take the Wellbutrin, I'm sleepier during the day. So far, still haven't been able to test it on the sse (my husband left town when I got back... :-( ) But soon! Take care and don't get scared of feeling "normal".
EGR
Posted by Theona on February 5, 2003, at 21:32:46
In reply to New lex user, posted by Chuck2112 on February 5, 2003, at 11:21:23
> I am new to anti-d's. I am self diagnosed as having general anxiety disorder. This seems to have been building ever since I had a child while trying to finish college some years ago. 3 years ago i was divorced, happily i might add, and i noticed a difference in my behavior when I had trouble making ordinary conversation with old friends, i just thought i was growing different. Well i got fed up with it and dedided to work on my skills, and started pushing myself into more social situations and trying to get outside myself. I made some progress, but always felt something holding me back and couldnt figure out what it was. Shortly after, I fell into a slump that I didnt recognize as depression or anxiety, i thought it would pass. Well it didnt, finally i did the same and decided again to work through it, and again made progress, but was always held back, this time though things got real bad. I was finding myself with aching back, aching legs, just tensse all the time with no real reason to be.
>
> I would sometimes get sweaty hands, didnt want to do anything. Had a hard time even forcing myself out the house, and sometimes just drove around town aimlessly, just looking for relief in anything. Never came. So i looked up anxiety and saw the symptoms and realized that this was my problem, so i tried to solve it on my own....didnt happen.....
>
> So i went to the doctor and he gave me some lexapro to try out.....
>
> I have been on it for 16 days now....i am feeling much better, i actually cooked a nice dinner last night, enjoyed the movie i watched, and put some clothes up.....
> i still feel a little detached, I was feeling detached before taking it too, it comes and goes in waves.....
> i have trouble getting to sleep sometimes, but once i fall asleep i stay asleep....
> no nauseous feeling or any other side affect, except with vision sometimes, not too bad though...
> i hoping it starts to work a little bit better in the next week or two, i feel a little better today....i take 10 mg a day
>
> to people who have experiences with this, do anti-d's help releive the detached feeling and depersonalized feelings that accompany anxiety and depression, and how for those feelings to start to subside?From Theona:
I am seeing your note about being self-diagnosed, and I guess I'm concerned about your not having supportive therapy along with the medication, if I am understanding you correctly. The medications can relieve physical symptoms, but it's really hard to be objective about complex behaviors we have developed to cope with the symptoms for so long. Even an amicable divorce is a trauma in life, and traumas can make existing tendencies worse. Getting guidance on the healing process can insure a more steady climb out of the hole. When we are alone, very alone, it is hard to see what we are doing that's odd or different, except what's pronounced.
I've done the medication route without therapy in the past, but recovery was not lasting. I thought if the high anxiety and chronic depression were gone, I'd get on with life. But when symptoms returned when I'd go off and on medications, I didn't have a "plan," so to speak. I want to make steady progress. I know I don't see myself objectively. So I am in my 3rd week, working with a cognitive behavioral therapist, an am surprised, already, to learn how little I have been dealing with feelings because I have been "coping" on my own for so long. Additionally, the therapist works closely with a medicating psychiatrist so that my dosage and effectiveness of Lexapro can be evaluated.
Before, I have worked with my famiily doctor, who is brilliant, funny, concerned, and just the best. But these drugs for depression, anxiety and conditions like OCD are not his daily bread.
I would have diagnosed myself as primarily having high anxiety, too, 4 years ago, but now I know it's OCD. Getting a good, professional diagnosis can mean getting the right help, holistically, and getting better in a lasting way.
I hear all of you say, "I want to feel normal." Me too. Now, on Lexapro for a week, I am not having side effects, but I moved to it from being on Celexa for 4 months. On Lexapro, I no longer have 2 hours of nausea a day. It still remains to be seen if the dose is right for the anxiety and obsessing. The compulsions are reducing. I am working more even-paced throughout the day at work. I suspect I will eventually be moved to 20mg of Lexapro.
How do they know when you are on too high a dose of an SSRI? What happens?
Theona
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