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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 12:39:35
In reply to Re: wantinfo » want info, posted by jlynne on March 15, 2004, at 11:51:01
hi jlynne...that's good to hear! what dose are you on now, and how long have you been on it? i think i mentioned i'm on my 5th week total and 6th day of 15mg. i just feel dizzy and spacey all the time...it's really disconcerting! xanax helps some but i still feel this way. and my pdoc thinks i should go to 20! im glad to know someone that understands is there :)
EM
Posted by Magdalena on March 15, 2004, at 12:49:10
In reply to Re: Magdalena-shopping/headaches, posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 6:43:13
Hi Mystic, thanks for the heads up, i have made a concious decision to not drink often while i am medicated. The sad thing was alcohol was how i self-medicated for so long before seeking professional help, i mean if i was going to a social event or even just to a friends house i needed to have a couple of drinks to hide the anxiety. As bad as that sounds its true, and so now i will drink responsibly if i do at all and i dont see me doing it more than 3 times a month.
I think its too soon to say if i will gain weight on this treatment but time will tell, im just glad summer is on its way cause i love being outdoors, im way more active in the summer than the winter.
oh i have also have a question to anyone out there who can give me insight about the birthcontrol pill and paxil. Is this an ok mix?, is anyone out there on birth control while taking a SSRI? My doctor wants me to start this month for bad cramps and well obviously so for contraceptive reasons too. :)
and Mystic you said you were on Paxil before? Was the weightgain the only negative side effect you had? i am also worried about the withdrawl when i do finally feel i am ready to get off of them.
Take care everyone and thanks for any insight.:)
Magdalena
Posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 12:51:55
In reply to Re: Magdalena-shopping/headaches » mystic, posted by Magdalena on March 15, 2004, at 12:49:10
i was on paxil forever and took birth control with it. i also take it now with lex. no probs as far as i could see :) EM
Posted by jlynne on March 15, 2004, at 13:31:58
In reply to Re: wantinfo » jlynne, posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 12:39:35
Em, I am near the end of my 5th week; increased to 15mg 5 days ago . . . jlynne
Posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 13:35:14
In reply to Re: wantinfo » want info, posted by jlynne on March 15, 2004, at 13:31:58
so how are you feeling? im majorly spacey...its so annoying!!
Posted by jlynne on March 15, 2004, at 13:48:38
In reply to Re: wantinfo » jlynne, posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 13:35:14
Em, same here. Worse since I upped the Lex. Am assuming it will get better as our bodies adjust. I write myself a lot of notes, and check the mirror a lot.
I'm on my way out right now. Keep posting!
...jlynne
Posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 14:58:53
In reply to Re: wantinfo » jlynne, posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 13:35:14
its so great to see someone else feels the same way...yet its been almost 6 wks and i feel like ive been spaced the whole time. shouldnt i have adjusted by now? next thing i know ill be going to work without pants or something...lol
Posted by Gator on March 15, 2004, at 16:31:21
In reply to Re: wantinfo » want info, posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 14:58:53
Happy Monday to everyone,
I've been coming to this site since I started taking Lex 4 months ago. I read every day, but only post sometimes. I'm on 10mgs and doing good. I went out of town this weekend to my husbands Aunt's 90th birthday party. I had a blast with all of my husbands family. It felt good to be able relax and have fun!!
For all of you guys that have been around awhile...the incident my husband and I had in December...has been resloved. He got probation for a year and no alchol at all for the whole year. Since we have been able to be together again (Jan 5) things have been much better between us which helps my state of mind also. I always thought I was never good enough and everything that went wrong was my fault. But with Lex I have had the courage to stand up for myself and it feels really good.
Well, sorry this is so long. Thanks to everyone for all the support.
Take Care!!
Gator
Posted by Magdalena on March 15, 2004, at 17:31:44
In reply to Re: Magdalena-shopping/headaches » Magdalena, posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 12:51:55
thanks EM;)
Posted by LynneDa on March 15, 2004, at 18:28:58
In reply to Hi everyone, posted by Gator on March 15, 2004, at 16:31:21
Well, boy did I miss a lot not being able to check in for a few days!!! Glad to see everyone found their way to social. Be prepared, this will be long cuz I have to catch up with all of you from the last 3 days :-).
For spaciness (Kate?) - have you tried any herbal remedies or vitamins/supplements? I take Omega 3 capsules and it seems to help me. Also, be sure you are taking a multi and maybe throw in some Vitamin B. That seems to help with the spaciness. Also, have you tried taking your AD at night?
Birth control pills - I've been on Lex and BCP and haven't found myself pregnant yet! I've heard varying things, that the interaction isn't as bad as antibiotics, but there could be a slight lessening in the BCP's effectiveness. Haven't got a definitive answer though.
Mystic - you sound great!!! One thing you may want to consider. I am told (& could be so wrong) that the meds help your brain make new pathways. So, would taking the Xanax regularly help your brain combat anxiety long term? Don't know, but it's a thought that maybe will help motivate you to take it when you need it:-).
Emily, you're sounding much better too! Hang in there and you're almost past the worst of the s/e's.
Gator - it is good to hear the ending to your story. I hope you and your husband can grow together through this.
In general, feeling better grows on you. If you sleep better, have more days without anxiety, start thinking more positively about yourself, have the energy to eat and care for yourself - it all just wraps into a big snowball that keeps growing as you push along your path!
I take 20mg - started at 10, upped after 2 months and have been at 20 for about 3 months. I'm in about the same time frame as Mrs. C. I believe. I still struggle with insomnia and bouts of down times before my period. I think I have some issues with anger and low self-esteem that I could deal with in therapy, but just haven't picked up the phone to make that call. I don't know if I have the energy yet to deal with all that therapy will dredge up.
I bought a treadmill this weekend and have used it twice - yesterday and this morning. Hoping that will help with the energy and insomnia.
I think for women, depression is hard because we are counted on in so many ways and our self-esteem is so wrapped in being that good caretaker. We often forget to care for ourselves or ask for help. I spent so much time in my first marriage caring for my ex with all his issues, I totally depleted myself. What I did was not good for him either.
JLynne (good name!) - your ex-husband clearly does not deserve you. Now that you are on your own and on the way to recovery, I know you will start discovering things about yourself you either forgot or never realized were there. Loneliness is hard, but a lonely marriage is even worse. Hang in there, give yourself some time to recover and be open to your true self!
I guess that's enough for one night! I'm glad you all are here and it is good to read your posts. Thanks for all your wisdom and support :-)
~ LynneP.S. I'm in St. Louis, Central time. Also, Mystic do be careful about your email address. I did that early on and I get the nastiest spam now. Truly offensive :-(.
Posted by LynneDa on March 15, 2004, at 18:37:48
In reply to Re: Hi, Magdalena, posted by magdalena on March 14, 2004, at 23:53:47
Magdalena -
I love how you ended your message - isn't that the truth:>> see what i cant understand is, some people take street drugs so they can feel like this, we take 'legal' drugs so that we dont. just a thought.;)
Be careful with alcohol and ADs though. From what I've read there are a few things to think about:
>Alcohol's a depressant and ADs are anti. You could really confuse your brain and make the depression worse!
>Alcohol can make you sleepy. ADs can make you sleepy. Not a good combo for driving (or just socializing).
>Alcohol can mess with your heart rate, as can ADs for some people.
>Alcohol makes you uninhibited & can impair your judgement. ADs make you feel better about yourself, less inhibited and, at the beginning, a little spacey. Could possibly not be a good combo when out in public!Just a few cautions to keep in mind. The heart thing is the scariest for me because I've felt it when I've had wine or a margarita.
Take care of yourself!
~ Lynne
Posted by LynneDa on March 15, 2004, at 18:45:09
In reply to Re: wantinfo » want info, posted by want info on March 15, 2004, at 14:58:53
Emily - I didn't really lose the spacy feeling until 8 or 9 weeks at 10mg. Then I upped to 20mg and I'm on week 11 at that dose - insomnia returned with the upping and so did spaciness & a few other minor s/e's, but not as bad. I feel like it's just now leaving again. There are so many things that determine your body's adjustment.
Mine took longer to adjust cuz of my insomnia, I believe. A friend of mine told me to have my thyroid and iron levels checked too, that those things being off-kilter can cause spaciness, among other things.
Also, your spaciness is probably not as noticeable as you think. I find I've put myself under a microscope since starting meds! Hang in there!!!
~ Lynne
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>its so great to see someone else feels the same way...yet its been almost 6 wks and i feel like ive been spaced the whole time. shouldnt i have adjusted by now? next thing i know ill be going to work without pants or something...lol
>
>
Posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 19:59:14
In reply to Re: Magdalena-shopping/headaches » mystic, posted by Magdalena on March 15, 2004, at 12:49:10
Hello Magdalena...Hope you had a good day..In answer to your question...Weight gain was a big problem as i gained quite a bit and the only other thing is I dont think that I cried for 5 years you are kindof just oblivous I think which with the anxiety problem was a good thing and it did work for me so that is a good thing...I did have a hard time getting off it was on 10mgs for 2 years and then the dr put me right on lex without changing so I think it made it even harder for that reason..I dont want to be discouraging becauase I really wouldnt have changed those years I was on it..it really did work..but needed to be on something different..I have since lost the weight and have very high cholesterol so really couldnt afford to stay on it...But good luck...Emily did you say that you are on Paxil and the Lexapro?...Mystic
Posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 20:04:03
In reply to Hi everyone, posted by Gator on March 15, 2004, at 16:31:21
Hey Gator..not familiar with you but good for you..glad that it is working and thanks for sharing appreciate it...Glad you life is going better...and we are all worthy of anything...we are alllllll special...and dont forget it...We are compasionate people..You take care of yourself..Mystic
Posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 20:09:51
In reply to Re: Hi everyone (long!) » Gator, posted by LynneDa on March 15, 2004, at 18:28:58
Lynne your back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...its sooo good to hear from you...you were missed.>!!!>>!>!..You sound really really good..and congratulations on being a new treadmill user it will help for sure it helps to sleep at night also..Its true I am feeling better and I'm glad just waiting for it to catch up with me...Still on the 10mgs and sticking with it for now..on 3 days without xanax but will take it if needed thanks for the input..!!!!...e-mail address I know but I just want to help people and dont want them to get lost...but will remember your advice for sure...Well thanks for the update it was great to hear from you..and have a great rest of the week...welcome home..!!!!>..mystic
Posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 20:12:01
In reply to RE: LYNNE, posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 20:09:51
Hello Mrs C...how are you doing today??>.good I hope...I'm feeling ok had a pretty good day and for that I'm very thankful for...so will run with it...Hope that your increase is still treating you good and talk to you soon...Mystic
Posted by Mrs. C on March 15, 2004, at 20:52:44
In reply to mrs. c re: OCD, posted by jlynne on March 14, 2004, at 23:04:49
Jlynne, my ocd began in my late twenties after I had a cervical cancer scare. I didn't actually have it but there was a chance that I did and I worried myself sick until the negative tests results came back. Ever since then I have obsessed over any bodily symptom.
I have only had one therapy session so far. My second is next week.
Thanks for your interest. It feels good to talk about it openly. I can't with anyone except my husband and my aunt, who also has OCD. I'd like to hear about yours when you are ready to share.
Mrs. C
Posted by Mrs. C on March 15, 2004, at 20:56:56
In reply to Mrs C., posted by kateincali on March 15, 2004, at 11:17:40
Kate, I also hesitated to take my lex in the beginning. I had such terrible jitters and anxiety and by the time that feeling wore off it was time to take another pill. But I am glad that I stuck with it because I am clearer now then I have ever been! Keep going, you won't be sorry. Mrs. C
Posted by Mrs. C on March 15, 2004, at 20:59:27
In reply to Hi everyone, posted by Gator on March 15, 2004, at 16:31:21
Good to hear from you again Gator and I'm so glad that everything is going well for you. Mrs. C
Posted by Mrs. C on March 15, 2004, at 21:05:59
In reply to RE: Mrs C., posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 20:12:01
Hi Mystic,
I am feeling really good today! I am so glad to hear that your day went well. You are getting better everyday. You sound so much lighter if that makes any sense. It will only get better from here. How are the plans going for the shower. Are you feeling more positive about being able to handle that. If you want, we can set up a time to come to the board that day and you can get some positive thoughts from all of us! Let me know. I am going to bed now though because I am totally exhausted. Just wanted to check in. Talk to ya tomorrow. Mrs. C
Posted by susielalala on March 15, 2004, at 21:23:49
In reply to Redirected Lexaproers, posted by jlynne on March 13, 2004, at 1:31:16
I am so glad that I came to this post. You all have been so helpful to me. I am on day 13 of taking Lexapro and am having a hard time with anxiety. My head feels wierd to sometimes. I also sometimes feel like I want to jump out of my skin. I have to admitt the depression is getting better. You all have given me so much encouragement without even knowing it. Thank you. I hope to become apart of your lexapro family. :) I have been talking to mystic, she is a God send and is such a wondeful person. She is so caring and nice. Thank you mystic for all your encouragement. I am gonna stay with the Lex and ride out this storm. I will be praying for all of you. Take care, a friend.
Posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 21:32:40
In reply to RE: Mrs C., posted by Mrs. C on March 15, 2004, at 21:05:59
Mrs C...thanks for remembering..I'm still very nervous about the shower and still waiting for that bad feeling to go away..I had a hard time last month while in my cycle and the shower will be at that time so that is just making me more nervous...not knowing what is going to happen..I just want everything to go well and dont want to disappoint anyone..I just love my daughter so much and cant imagine letting her down she needs me soooo much...So maybe some extra on that day would be much appreciated...Hopefully I wont need it that much....Also I have the same problem as you have with the always thinking I have some terrible disease and also Im obsessed with death I think my husband is going to die..I'm going to die and I just think about it all the time mostly before and during my cycle for some reason..It is horrible and wish I could get away from these obsessive thoughts...so we are all alike in so many ways..it is hard to talk about it because people just dont understand...but sometimes it helps to share...Hope your day tomorrow was as good if not better than today...take care Mystic
Posted by Journeyman on March 15, 2004, at 21:35:27
In reply to RE: Journeyman, posted by mystic on March 14, 2004, at 9:05:51
Hello Mystic,
To answer your question, here's some background.
By April of last year, I was so depressed, there was one day when it was difficult for me to muster up the emotional energy to walk to the park 3 blocks from home and have to interact with people...a very unusual situation for me. I decided to see a therapist, because the oppressive feelings were getting to be too much to deal with.
Started weekly therapy, with good results, but my therapist and I noticed a tendency for me to see-saw between happy and sad phases. Took some diagnostic tests about depression, but they determined my symptoms were classic depression.
My therapist was convinced that my depression was 'organic' - that is, a biologically generated/perpetuated problem and that in order to break the cycle, I should try an AD. She came to that conclusion fairly early on in our sessions, but I was reluctant to medicate myself as I saw it as an admission of defeat. I thought that I should be able to work through it by eating well, exercising, giving myself positive messages, etc. The problem with that approach had always been that things started out well, but depression always depleted my desire to take that kind of good care of myself. In other words, I believed I had the cure, but I couldn't get myself to administer it. Thus, back to the round of spiraling depression I would go. I felt guilty, ashamed, weak, and sometimes nearly hopeless.
Things got worse. June, July, & August had some good moments. Things crashed in September and I suffered terribly for nearly 3 months. Decided to pay a visit to a psychitrist (you'll sometimes see them referred to on this site as 'p/docs').
The p/doc came to the same conclusion my therapist had and wanted me to try Lexapro for a year to see whether the organic cycle could be broken.Nov. 21 - Started taking 5 mg. of Lexapro. I experienced many of the milder side-effects that lots of people have mentioned: slight dizziness, mild headaches (and I never get headaches), diarrhea, sleepiness after lunch, a caffeine-like perkiness at night. These pretty much disappeared by six weeks.
I felt better emotionally almost immediately. Part of that may have just been from the good feelings I had that I was actually doing something new to take care of myself, but whatever it was, it felt good not to be under such an oppressive cloud of angst.
I have continued to feel better and better. I'm enjoying art, music, people, everything, more than I ever have. This in spite of the fact that I am currently undergoing the most difficult time of my life. Were it not for my current therapy, I have no doubt that I would be suicidal under my (formerly) usual circumstances.
The greatest shift in my thinking is related to how I view myself. Prior to my current therapy and Lexapro treatment, I had always sought my role in relationships through what I perceived to be what other people wanted me to be. You want me to be funny - I'll be a clown. You need me to be empathetic - I'll cry for you. Etc. Etc. ad self-destruction. I wanted so badly to please others that I was always the last person I concerned my self with pleasing. I was so finely tuned to other peoples' needs, that I was virtually incapable of listening to my own body and my own thoughts.
Another part of this change has been in the way I view negative events, whether outside myself or in my head. I used to think that acknowledging 'bad' thoughts would magically make them more realistic, more a part of how I would be defined. So I would ignore the negative, focus on only the positive, and be missing half of what was actually going on. I thought the dark and the negative would weaken me.
I now, however, view them as an essential part of me and of everything else that we call life. Without hate, there is no such thing as love...without darkness, there is no such thing as light. They are part of the experience of life, and I now welcome them into my life as wise teachers that can guide me every bit as well as those things we consider to be 'positive.' I no longer fear the thoughts that come into my mind - I invite them to sit with me so that we can get to know each other, and when we do, I stop viewing them as enemies. They, like everything else, are just passing through.
I am still on 5 mg. of Lex. That amount seems to be enough for me. I'm also in two therapy sessions a week, and I do quite a bit of reading. About 5 weeks ago, my therapist declared that I was 'depression-free.' I'll continue the Lex for the year that my p/doc recommends. Then, we'll see from there. As for the therapy, I'll know when I'm ready to stop.
That's a brief summary. Let me know if there's anything else.
When you're falling asleep tonight, maybe you can focus on the light (and the darkness) in you, that has so fortunately brought you to where you are now. There is hope. There is love. There is openness and acceptance. And all three of those things are present not only here on this message board...they're present in you.
May you continue to experience growing peace with yourself.
Journeyman
Posted by Journeyman on March 15, 2004, at 21:49:49
In reply to So glad I came here!, posted by susielalala on March 15, 2004, at 21:23:49
Susielalala,
I'm sure you know the tune, complements of Judy Garland:
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.This is just a public service announcement that you already ARE a part of the Lexapro family. It happened the moment you took that slightly bitter, chalky little white pill that led you here.
You have already ridden out the much harder storm; that tempest we refer to as depression. Compared to self-doubt, self-loathing, fear that we aren't enough and never will be, anxiety that if people really knew what we were like they wouldn't love us (and we're probably just misleading ourselves if we really believe they do anyway), a few side effects of Lexapro are really a small and short-term price to pay.
Yes, you will stick with it. You've already proven your strength by surviving the experiences that led you to where you are now.
Embrace all of the new experiences, and I'm sure you'll find they'll embrace you.
We are with you.
Journeyman
Posted by mystic on March 15, 2004, at 21:58:54
In reply to Mystic, posted by Journeyman on March 15, 2004, at 21:35:27
Wow Journeyman....That was very inspirational as always...thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to write all of that...I can relate to alot of what you said...I think we all can...I'm starting this week with yet another therapist..I have tried many with no luck..This time I'm going in with the mind set that I want to learn to deal with what is here and now to make myself better and try not to get into the past because I truely believe that is where it belongs..and it has never helped to bring up the past before..So that is my plan and if it doesnt work with this therapist I will go to someone else until I find the right one...Right now I'm very grateful that I have found these posts and the wonderful people that share like you...It helps sooo very much and I do believe that everything happens for a reason and something brought us all to this place so that we could find comfort...I thank you Journeyman I wish you all the wonderful things in life..I do have to add that I hope that you are not putting a time limit on the meds and will have an open mind after the year to realize that just maybe they help you and make you a whole person again...just a thought...thank you talk to you soon I hope...A friend Mystic
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