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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nmk on October 8, 2002, at 11:15:21
After three weeks, I finally had to discontinue due to severe nausea. I have dropped 15 pds. and could not stomach anything. It was disappointing since the Lex was helping with the anxiety and depression. Now I am back to square one. I weaned off effexor (one week now), am off Lexapro (2 days now), and my doc is not calling me back. I don't know what to do, what to take, and I need something because the depression and anxiety are creeping up on me. Could all of these just be withdrawal symptoms from the effexor and lexapro? I don't know what to do at this point. I am getting through the nights with 30 mg of Remeron and 25 mg of seroquel as needed but the days are a different story.
Posted by Roman on October 8, 2002, at 11:38:35
In reply to Has anyone had to discontinue Lexapro?, posted by nmk on October 8, 2002, at 11:15:21
Were you taking all four drugs at the same time? Even just the Fex & Lex in the bloodstream simultaneously could have nasty results.
I would wash-out completely, then try Lex again--talk to your doc. Maybe Ambien or a little benzo prn for sleep/start-up anxiety would be enough--three ADs and an AP swimming around together in my system wouldn't make me feel too good either.
What do you think?
Posted by babs on October 8, 2002, at 12:22:40
In reply to Re: Has anyone had to discontinue Lexapro?, posted by Roman on October 8, 2002, at 11:38:35
I had to discontinue lexapro because of extreme nausea. I tried it for about 3 1/2 weeks and couldn't eat, vomited, etc. Finally my doctor said enough and I went back on celexa on friday. Still a bit nauseous but hoping once the lexapro is out of my system i'll be ok. it was awful for me! did you switch to lexapro because your last ad stopped working?
Posted by nmk on October 8, 2002, at 14:13:37
In reply to Re: Has anyone had to discontinue Lexapro?, posted by Roman on October 8, 2002, at 11:38:35
> Were you taking all four drugs at the same time? Even just the Fex & Lex in the bloodstream simultaneously could have nasty results.
>
> I would wash-out completely, then try Lex again--talk to your doc. Maybe Ambien or a little benzo prn for sleep/start-up anxiety would be enough--three ADs and an AP swimming around together in my system wouldn't make me feel too good either.
>
> What do you think?
>
>
You are probably right. Why doesn't my pdoc ever mention these things? He just keeps adding meds and doubling dosages. How long should I wash-out for before attempting Lex again? Would 5 mg of Lex be a therapuetic dose? I am afraid that going back to the 10 mg might make me sick again.
Posted by nmk on October 8, 2002, at 14:21:00
In reply to yes!, posted by babs on October 8, 2002, at 12:22:40
> I had to discontinue lexapro because of extreme nausea. I tried it for about 3 1/2 weeks and couldn't eat, vomited, etc. Finally my doctor said enough and I went back on celexa on friday. Still a bit nauseous but hoping once the lexapro is out of my system i'll be ok. it was awful for me! did you switch to lexapro because your last ad stopped working?
I switched to Lexapro because I couldn't tolerate the side effects of the effexor and wanted off of that horrible drug. Were you on 10 mg of the Lexapro too? How does Celexa work for you? How was your nausea the first time you were on Celexa? Also, do you know how long the nausea related to the withdrawal will last? Sorry for all of the questions. I hated to give up the lex because I felt it was helping with anxiety/depression but I also need to eat.
Posted by johnj on October 8, 2002, at 15:58:49
In reply to Re: Has anyone had to discontinue Lexapro?, posted by nmk on October 8, 2002, at 14:13:37
I am med sensitive and was advised to start at 5 mg. I will in a few weeks since I have an exam and don't want to risk any adjustment periods, but I don't see why 5 would be a problem. Personaly, I don't see why 2.5 would be a problem either, IMHO.
johnj
Posted by Mystia on October 8, 2002, at 20:22:52
In reply to Re: Has anyone had to discontinue Lexapro? » nmk, posted by johnj on October 8, 2002, at 15:58:49
I felt extremely nauseous the first few days, but it went away. Today was 4 weeks and 4 days of Lexapro and I feel great!
I'm sorry Lexapro didn't work out for you...good luck to you if you decide to try again. This is a wonder drug for me =)Myst
Posted by Marathon Man on October 8, 2002, at 20:42:35
In reply to Re: nope, posted by Mystia on October 8, 2002, at 20:22:52
Could you tell us how long till you responded?
was it full response or gradual? thanks.
> I felt extremely nauseous the first few days, but it went away. Today was 4 weeks and 4 days of Lexapro and I feel great!
> I'm sorry Lexapro didn't work out for you...good luck to you if you decide to try again. This is a wonder drug for me =)
>
> Myst
Posted by babs on October 8, 2002, at 21:58:21
In reply to Re: yes!, posted by nmk on October 8, 2002, at 14:21:00
I was on 10mg of Lexapro. At first we thought the problem might be celexa withdrawal but when I took 20 mg of celexa, the feeling didn't go away. Celexa works great for me and it has never made me nauseous. The reason we wanted to try the switch was because of weight gain I experienced on it, but I'd rather exercise and get the weight off than feel horrible and nauseous. I have to say that 5 days off the Lexapro I am feeling better. Not all the way there yet but getting there.
Posted by Mystia on October 8, 2002, at 21:59:01
In reply to How long till you responded? » Mystia, posted by Marathon Man on October 8, 2002, at 20:42:35
About the 4th or 5th day I started feeling MUCH better. Since then I have felt just as good, so I guess it was more of a full response.
Myst
Posted by Alice Anne on October 9, 2002, at 0:47:08
In reply to Re: How long till you responded?, posted by Mystia on October 8, 2002, at 21:59:01
It's beginning to look like those that respond to Lexapro do so quickly. Mystia was fortunate enough to have had success with other meds as well-- I have only had partial or fleeting success on other meds, with side effects usually outweighing them. Maybe that is indicative of how I will respond to Lexapro as well. I was heartened because the most extreme side effects did seem to go away after about a week. However, the depression has not. I can only hope that maybe there will be a few of us who take longer to respond to Lexapro. It's so frustrating to hear about people getting such great relief and wondering why I'm still waking up every morning in so much emotional angst.
Posted by SLS on October 10, 2002, at 23:22:52
In reply to 13th day on Lexapro and Getting More Discouraged, posted by Alice Anne on October 9, 2002, at 0:47:08
> It's beginning to look like those that respond to Lexapro do so quickly. Mystia was fortunate enough to have had success with other meds as well-- I have only had partial or fleeting success on other meds, with side effects usually outweighing them. Maybe that is indicative of how I will respond to Lexapro as well. I was heartened because the most extreme side effects did seem to go away after about a week. However, the depression has not. I can only hope that maybe there will be a few of us who take longer to respond to Lexapro. It's so frustrating to hear about people getting such great relief and wondering why I'm still waking up every morning in so much emotional angst.
13 days is probably 4 days too short to expect anything at all.
Please don't compare your pattern of response to Lexapro to those of some of the others posting here. You might fit into a category of people for whom it takes Lexapro a full 4-6 weeks to produce substantial improvements. Regardless of any statistical tendency towards a quicker response to one antidepressant over another, there will always be people who take longer than the average. However, the quality of such a latent response can be just as complete as one that appears for someone else earlier in time.
It is hard to be patient, but with depression, patience usually pays off. Furthermore, any change in dosage of Lexapro will need a full 3 weeks to evaluate. Time is a bitch.
Good luck.
- Scott
Posted by meow mary on October 11, 2002, at 12:02:02
In reply to Re: 13th day on Lexapro and Getting More Discouraged » Alice Anne, posted by SLS on October 10, 2002, at 23:22:52
My computer ate my user profile and I had to re-register. Thank you for your response--I was feeling so abandoned on this board!! Well it is four days later, but I'm still going to wait 4-6 weeks like you say to see what happens. I see my doctor Monday and will ask if there's anything I can do in the meantime in terms of adding anything else. Thanks again.
Posted by meow mary on October 11, 2002, at 12:18:08
In reply to Thank You SLS: Formerly Alice Anne, posted by meow mary on October 11, 2002, at 12:02:02
God, that's weird. It feels like weeks. Time goes into some kind of vortex when your depressed.
This is the end of the thread.
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