Day 9 Lexapro

[tropicalsoul]

Insomnia is my biggest problem right now but I do see a slight improvement in my mood.  I am taking 10mg first thing in the morning and about 30 minutes after taking the tablet I notice my attitude improves significantly but seems to level off in a few hours which is kinda strange.

The reason I am taking Lexapro is two fold.  First:  Anxiety/depression.  I seem to have EVERY symptom out there and I have tried just about every other treatment knownn to man in an effort to combat this.  I've lost every time.  The last thing I wanted was to be on medication but it just seemed that no matter what I tried my problems kept getting worse.

Second: Chronic aches and pains.  And I do mean CHRONIC!  Every damm day I wake up I hurt.  From my head to toes.  I see a pain mgmt doctor, who I really like, but I am tired of takinng pain meds.  My hope is over the next few weeks the lexapro will help calm down this pain.  It worked wonders for my mom.

I'm stilll somewhat foggy in the head but am told this will pass with time.  I am also having a few GI issues but am told these should also pass in time.  I've done weeks worth of research on this stuff and have concluded that they help many more people than not so it is worth the gamble to me.  I hope all of you are doing well.

[matt_s]

I have been on 10mg of Lexapro daily for more or less the last few years.  It has worked wonders for my Generalized Anxiety.  I am much more balanced mentally, I wished I would of gotten help long ago.  Having said that, I have tried to quit a couple times.  It's a very difficult process, it takes several weeks of gradual withdraw and even then I suffered through the weird shocks and vertigo.  The shocks felt like a pinch somewhere on my body and WHAM an electric shock!!  The anxiety returned along with other related problems and I ended up restarting the Lexapro. I will likely be on it the rest of my life.  

[cj29]

I have to agree...ADs can take awhile to 'kick in' and in my experience, the side effects will subside over time.  In my experience, anxiety, depression, and aches and pains can go hand in hand. When we are depressed/anxious it definitely can take a toll on us physically. We are often tense and that can make us feel like absolute ****.

I am a big proponent of meds like Lexapro, but I really believe that is only half the battle; counseling is much more important for long term relief of your anxiety/depression in my opinion. Gaining the long term knowledge about it, gives you the ability to confront it and beat it...keep us posted!

[theotterone]

Unfortunately, it's the reality of pain medication.  It made things worse for me too.  Remember, you are not on your own if you reach out.

[tropicalsoul]

I'm trying to get off the pain meds....they are just making things worse.  A little easier said than done.  THe most difficult part for me is the mental aspect...the cravings are horrible.  Today I've only taken half my normal doseage...gonna try a taper plan.  Thanks for the kind words...it really helps.  I'm going through this on my own....family does not understand.  Tomorrow is another day.

[theotterone]

Hang in there!  Antidepressants take a while to work (can be as long as 6-8 weeks).  The fogginess does get better.  I too didn't want to be on medication and "crashed" many times thinking I didn't need it.  It wasn't until I got pregnant and had insulin dependent gestational diabetes that I was more accepting of medication.  I HAD to take insulin because my body couldn't produce it, so in order to keep myself and my daughters' healthy, I had to take the shots, watch my blood sugar and diet.  I realized my brain can't produce the right levels of chemicals to be "normal", so I need medication to help.  I also do things behaviorally to help, like meditation.  Chronic pain can also impede your ability to cope.  I have a wrist injury that I got in January, and only recently has the pain been getting to a manageable level.  I also found being on painkillers caused my anxiety and depression to increase.  You are going through a lot, have patience with yourself.  You have a lot of support here!