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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by johnny b good on September 15, 2003, at 1:04:19
Hi all, I have been reading these posts as if they were a best selling novel. Just can't seem to pull myself away. I can relate to so much that I have read here today. I am a 58 year old male. I am recently taking Lexapro and am currently in my 21st day. My results are like a cranky automobile that is trying to get up to speed. An occasional backfire and sputter and the car lunges ahead for a half block and then stumbles and sputters and struggles til the next lunge. Around about day 14 I felt as if the clouds were lifting and did well for a day or two but the clouds came down again shortly there after. I call it a preview of the good days to come. I took Paxil for several years and did ok with the exception of gaining a good deal of weight and difficulty with sexual intimacy. Also I had a tendency to sleep more than I felt like I should. I am a business owner and it is not good to show up late to open up the place and let your employees in. I might add that it is also very embarrassing. Back in July I took a few days off and visited the ranch where I spend time in the fall of the year. Upon returning home from the 300+ mile trip I discovered that I had left my medication at the camp house there. Well I decided to make the best of a bad situation and stop taking any med until my system was clear of the Paxil and then I would ask my Doc about one of the new "Wonder Drugs". I have heard people speak of the dreaded burn-out effect that can happen after prolonged use of anti-depressants and I felt like I might be riding a good horse to death so why not try something else? And what better time than this situation to switch? I am very grateful for having found the relief that I did in Paxil for my bouts of anxiety and depression. I was feeling pretty brave along about this time and having not had to deal with anx./dep. for several years I felt like this would be the time to stand up on my two legs and look this monster in the eye and see what I had been seeking relief from. The cold turkey withdrawal method from Paxil is not one that I would recommend to any of you. I have been on a physical exercise routine at the health club for about four months prior to this and had lost about 25 lbs in the process. I was in high hopes that I could eliminate the need for medications altogether with a vigorous work out program and did for about 6 weeks or so. Sure enough those clouds began to form over me and it just got darker and darker. After that I didn't really want to do the exercise thing any more. I could feel hope start slipping away a little more each day. So I got my rear end over to see my P-Doc and was told about the latest phenom to hit the drug market, Lexapro. And here I am. I might add that I am a recovering alcoholic and entered A/A in May, 1993. I have not had a drink since. I suppose that I was a classic self medicator for 25 years. I drank every day for that period of time and alcohol seemed worked for many years. In 1989 my family doctor told me after reading my blood test results that I would have to "learn to live without alcohol or my liver" And he added, "it's your choice". I knew more old drunks than I did old doctors so I kept on drinking until 93 when alcohol could no longer stop the pain. I guess you could say I was driven into recovery. It felt good to see the world with a clear mind after so many years. I still experienced occasional bouts with depression and anxiety and went untreated for a long time. I knew about A/D medications and decided it was time to seek some relief. The rest is history and that is what brought me to this point. Some meds worked and some didn't but Paxil was one that did and really helped me to move forward. I am very hopeful that Lex will be one to help me to continue this journey forward. I have read many good things about it here from your posts and can't wait for it to kick in on a regular basis. I know it may take 4 to 6 weeks to help but I came a long way and don't intend to stop now. Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences as it means so much to have the support that is offered here. I will give progress reports in the future. Keep that chin up.
Posted by HenryO on September 15, 2003, at 3:34:27
In reply to 21 days and sputtering, posted by johnny b good on September 15, 2003, at 1:04:19
Good on ya Johny, I have been sober since '83 and have been chasing the solution for my depression for about half of that time. It never occured to me before then that other people didn't feel as bad as I did all the time. You know Bill Willson had depression terribly. He called it, despondency. I know he'd have tried pharmacology big time, if he'd had the chance. He was quite the explorer. Actually he did try it but that's another story.
I have never taken Lexapro. I have however taken many other meds over the past decade and the one I'm taking now gets the prize. Lamictal. Now these meds effect us all very differently so who knows. What works great for me might be poison for you. There is a "rash" issue with Lamictal. I haven't seen anybody post here who's actually had it, but it is a possibility. And I have seen several people post about lamictal poop-out. However for me it has been the best med I've tried to date. I've been on it for close to two years. 200mg daily. No weight gain, no sexual impact. You have to build up the dose very slowly, 25mg a week max. That was the worst part for me, gutting it out waiting for it to start working. I don't know if that is any help at all, but that's my 2 cents worth.
Posted by galkeepinon on September 15, 2003, at 4:22:54
In reply to 21 days and sputtering, posted by johnny b good on September 15, 2003, at 1:04:19
Hi, Thank you for sharing your post.
It means so much to have people like you come to the board and share what you did.
I'm about to start my 7th week of Lexapro and it has been, by far, the best SSRI I have tried. (And I have tried them all except Zoloft)
I am really starting to understand that medication will not help my depression alone~I have to take control somewhere, somehow. I pray everyday for the strength. I wish you the best on Lexapro and look forward to many more posts from you. Thank you for the support of 'keep that chin up'~that's what I'm hoping we ALL will do.
:-)
Thank you.
Best,
galkeepinonHi all, I have been reading these posts as if they were a best selling novel. Just can't seem to pull myself away. I can relate to so much that I have read here today. I am a 58 year old male. I am recently taking Lexapro and am currently in my 21st day. My results are like a cranky automobile that is trying to get up to speed. An occasional backfire and sputter and the car lunges ahead for a half block and then stumbles and sputters and struggles til the next lunge. Around about day 14 I felt as if the clouds were lifting and did well for a day or two but the clouds came down again shortly there after. I call it a preview of the good days to come. I took Paxil for several years and did ok with the exception of gaining a good deal of weight and difficulty with sexual intimacy. Also I had a tendency to sleep more than I felt like I should. I am a business owner and it is not good to show up late to open up the place and let your employees in. I might add that it is also very embarrassing. Back in July I took a few days off and visited the ranch where I spend time in the fall of the year. Upon returning home from the 300+ mile trip I discovered that I had left my medication at the camp house there. Well I decided to make the best of a bad situation and stop taking any med until my system was clear of the Paxil and then I would ask my Doc about one of the new "Wonder Drugs". I have heard people speak of the dreaded burn-out effect that can happen after prolonged use of anti-depressants and I felt like I might be riding a good horse to death so why not try something else? And what better time than this situation to switch? I am very grateful for having found the relief that I did in Paxil for my bouts of anxiety and depression. I was feeling pretty brave along about this time and having not had to deal with anx./dep. for several years I felt like this would be the time to stand up on my two legs and look this monster in the eye and see what I had been seeking relief from. The cold turkey withdrawal method from Paxil is not one that I would recommend to any of you. I have been on a physical exercise routine at the health club for about four months prior to this and had lost about 25 lbs in the process. I was in high hopes that I could eliminate the need for medications altogether with a vigorous work out program and did for about 6 weeks or so. Sure enough those clouds began to form over me and it just got darker and darker. After that I didn't really want to do the exercise thing any more. I could feel hope start slipping away a little more each day. So I got my rear end over to see my P-Doc and was told about the latest phenom to hit the drug market, Lexapro. And here I am. I might add that I am a recovering alcoholic and entered A/A in May, 1993. I have not had a drink since. I suppose that I was a classic self medicator for 25 years. I drank every day for that period of time and alcohol seemed worked for many years. In 1989 my family doctor told me after reading my blood test results that I would have to "learn to live without alcohol or my liver" And he added, "it's your choice". I knew more old drunks than I did old doctors so I kept on drinking until 93 when alcohol could no longer stop the pain. I guess you could say I was driven into recovery. It felt good to see the world with a clear mind after so many years. I still experienced occasional bouts with depression and anxiety and went untreated for a long time. I knew about A/D medications and decided it was time to seek some relief. The rest is history and that is what brought me to this point. Some meds worked and some didn't but Paxil was one that did and really helped me to move forward. I am very hopeful that Lex will be one to help me to continue this journey forward. I have read many good things about it here from your posts and can't wait for it to kick in on a regular basis. I know it may take 4 to 6 weeks to help but I came a long way and don't intend to stop now. Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences as it means so much to have the support that is offered here. I will give progress reports in the future. Keep that chin up.
Posted by Kacy on September 15, 2003, at 12:24:54
In reply to 21 days and sputtering, posted by johnny b good on September 15, 2003, at 1:04:19
You make decisions, and those decisions are good ones. And, you have gone into each phase with a positive attitude. I have a lot of faith that you are going to find some relief again.
Posted by theo on September 16, 2003, at 19:32:21
In reply to 21 days and sputtering, posted by johnny b good on September 15, 2003, at 1:04:19
If Paxil worked so good before why did you decide to take Lexapro instead of starting the Paxil again??
Posted by johnny b good on September 19, 2003, at 12:15:16
In reply to Re: 21 days and sputtering » johnny b good, posted by theo on September 16, 2003, at 19:32:21
Hi folks. I see some have actually seen my post and are offering support in my quest for climbing to a higher level. It is day 26 and I am still struggling a bit but moving in the right direction. It is a great comfort to know that I am in good company. Someone asked why I switched to Lex when Paxil was working and that is a good question. I suppose that the weight gain was one reason and the problems with sexual intimacy was another but I suppose that the greatest reason was the things that I read and heard from my P-doc about this new drug. I was also fearful of the much talked about "burnout effect" that we hear about when using one drug on a prolonged basis. I didn't want to ride that horse until death and in my mind I would hope that I could always return to it should all else fail. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to hone in on those stressors in my life that bring on the overload condition that produces the A/D. I have been working in that direction already and eliminating some of those things that I can, no matter how large or mall. Some stressors can't be eliminated so we must find a way to make them more manageable by us when possble. I hope this is making sense as I truly believe that we weave the web that we become entangled in. Once again thanks to all of you out there who share your thoughts and courage. It means so much to know that we are not alone. So once again I say keep that chin up and chest out and lets move forward.
This is the end of the thread.
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