Think I may have this figured out...

[cnote]

27 male. Started Lexapro 10mg about 5 weeks ago, and started klonopin taken once a day when needed. I only take the klonopin at night before bed. Usually just .5mg.

I was doing awesome for about a month. Except the Lexapro killed my sex drive. I hate that. Oh well.

Well, for about a week I've been feeling VERY VERY VERY FATIGUED and TIRED ALL DANG DAY! To the point where my anxiety has spiked again from fearing "why am I so fatigue?" My appetite is gone again, and I am not sick or anything.

I though maybe it was the klonopin, b/c I just take a small dose, and I heard you need to take it twice a day to get its full benefit.

Well, went to my therapist today, and he said for me to get off the Lexapro 10mg. He said this is probably too much, and it makes since that around week 5 or 6, it hits its therapeutic effects. He said main complaints of Lexapro are, fatigue and sexual dysfunction.

So I'm weaning down. I've been on 5mg Lexapro for 2 days now.

Do you think this could be the Lexapro?

[cnote]

Yeah, I think it is the Lexapro 10mg that has been making me fatigue. But it's BAD FATIGUE. Where I feel like doing NOTHING... I can't even function at work and get motivated.... and it messes with me b/c it makes me anxious/depressed feeling. I don't like to feel fatigue.. I want ENERGY. =) So I can bring POSITIVENESS. =)

Anyways, I just started taking 5mg instead of 10mg. The pharmasist said for me to take 5mg for a week, then the next 2 weeks take 5mg every other day. Then the 3rd week take 2.5mg every other day or whatever and I should wean okay. =)

I'm still keeping the klonopin, b/c I don't believe this is making me fatigue. I only take it before bed to help calm my racing thoughts before bed. And .5mg of that isnt going to make me fatigue 24/7. It's a longer half life, so it only stays in me for like 5 hours max. So that can't be making me feel SOOOO FATIGUE. Now if I were taking .5mg as soon as I woke up and as soon as I went to bed, then duh, yeah. But I really think its the Lexapro.

Later. Will post soon on my little day by day updates. =) Feeling quite normal and good at the moment. Just took a 5mg Lexapro and a .5mg Klonopin. Going to bed now.

[whitecat78]

If you are withdrawing from SSRIs it could cause anxiety and temporary depression. The SSRIs mess with your natural brain chemistry making it temporarily unbalanced when you are withdrawing. Your brain is going to need time to re-stabilize itself back to normal. Whenever I start withdrawing from SSRI,s I can feel the effects in a couple days. I take prozac now because if I ever want to get off them it will be a lot easier because Prozac has a longer half life and the withdrawal isn't so severe. I think SSRIs definitely cause fatigue, I constantly want to lay in bed all the time, my anxiety is low but its not changing my bad avoiding behaviors either. My boyfriend gave me the Linden Method booklet, it is helping a lot, makes sense too.

[cnote]

I also just started having a crying spell at my moms house, just about 10 minutes ago... I dunno why I started crying... I think it's because I don't wanna feel like this!!! I'm so tired still... eyes look so heavy!!!

Part of me wants to run up to the ER and get a full body check up, for peace of mind. But I know doing that is only letting my anxiety get to me.

Do you think this is the Lexapro doing all this lethargy, fatigue?

I was doing just fine for almost an entire month!!! I had energy! Was staying up late doing projects! I just don't know... I feel depressed... but I'm not one to get depressed, I have anxiety! I'm usually scared and wired... not tired and fatigue out of nowhere.

I am having some anxiety now b/c I'm sick of this tiredness... but I'm so tired so I'm not as pacy as I usually would be with anxiety.

Sheesh... I hope I figure this out soon. My primary Dr. gets back in out of the country in 2 weeks. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM!!!!!

But my main question is, can Lexapro make you feel okay the 1st 4 weeks, then BAM fatigue? My therapist seems to think so... so that's why he's having me wean off of it.

[whitecat78]

It is definitely a possibility, I was given the same combo lexapro and klonopin for a while.  I never took the klonopin. After withdrawing from Lexapro I did seem to have a burst of energy.