Effexor XR to Lexapro - Again

[Baby123]

Sorry to keep pestering you about the same thing but I finally got through to my Dr. and he told me to go back to the 37.5 Effexor and 5 mg Lexapro since I felt good on that amount the first week that I changed over from 75 mg. effexor.  This is my 5th day back on the original changed dose and I feel better than I did last week but still don't feel as good as I did the first week I changed.  I don't understand that. It has been a total of 19 days since the change.  I don't understand why I felt so good the first week and now feel the jittery and not sleeping side effect (which is really the only side effects I am having).  The first week I slept better than I had slept in years and was so excited that I had finally found something to help me (btw, I also exercise reguarly and practice breathing/relaxation techniques). Then after 3 days of increasing the dose to 7.5 I started feel the anxiety again.  Can you explain to me what is going on please.  Also, what are the chances my body will adjust and side effects go away and how long should I give it.  I have read on some boards that if you can just make it through the initial side effects of the SSRIs for several weeks things get a lot better.   Can it possibly take more than 2 weeks for the anti-anxiety effects to kick in?  I just want to understand how this med stuff works and all.  If I sign up to take your Mastering Stress, can it help GAD?  My Dr. said that is usually a lifelong illness and I do remember having problems with worry and anxiety since my teenage years.  I'm hoping you can ease my mind by answering my questions, maybe that is some of my problems with this change, anxiety about whether it will work or not and what's next.  The reason I changed from the Effexor is my Dr. wanted to slightly increase the dose but I am scared of the withdrawals.  I just want to feel better, understand all that is going on and eventually get off meds and handle it myself. But I know at this point I can't do that because physical symptoms and worry are too bad.  Thank you so much for any advice and help you can offer me.

[platinum]

I have 3 children and 1 grandson so I understand the lack of sleep thing.  My two year old still wakes for a bottle so when my anxiety is high I usually wake up every hour on the hour but usually drift back to sleep.  I have to wake up at 5:30-6:00 to go to work which is when I usually really want to go back to sleep.  Sometimes I take some tylenol and put a cool compress on my forehead to help me relax when I am really bad.  Mind you I am trying to do everything med free so I just keep trying til something works.  Have you considered asking your doctor for something to help you sleep?  Something mild should help.  By reading these posts, I have found that most people using SSRIs are also using something to help them sleep.  You probably don't want to take another med so maybe something over the counter would help (Tylenol PM or something similar)?  Before I was using the techniques I described in my previuos post, I was always concerned and worried about the next attack and feeling anxious about it til I actually had a paic attack.  Yesterday I was feeling extremely anxious all day and every 2-3 hours had to tell the attack to just come on and get it over with but I didn't have an attack so maybe you can keep telling yourself over and over every 1/2 hour to an hour and then work up to the every 2-3 then 4-5 and so on for as long as need to.  I hope that this is helpful to you.  If you like your can email me at ***@**** and put baby123 in the re line so that I know to open it.  Take care and I hope this helps if only a little bit.  I feel that every bit counts when you're trying to get better.

[Baby123]

My diagnosis is Generalized Anxiety Disorder and usually when I feel anxious, it is a continual feeling, day in and day out.  Will that technique work for that also.  Can you tell give me any ideas on how to get a handle on insomnia.  Alot of my anxiety in the day stems from not sleeping at night.  When you only get a few hours and have to go to work and take care of kids, it can get very bad.  Internal jitters, nervousness, anxiety but when I am getting enough sleep, I do better during the day.  But I know I am my worst enemy.  It all feeds off each other.  I worry about not getting better or in this case became frustrated because I thought I had finally found something to help me, then I was hit in the face with the anxiety side effect that the Dr. said should go away.  I'm trying to convince myself it will go away but at the same time I question it.  I know that is why I am not sleeping and I tell myself every night I am going to get a good nights sleep and I wake up about 2:30 or 3:00 and can't get back to sleep.  I appreciate your comment and I will try it, but if you can give me some insight about the sleeping part too, I would appreciate that.

[platinum]

I have had anxiety/panick attacks and about 2 years ago I took Zoloft without being aware of any side effects.  It worked and I did not have any side effects.  I went off of it cold turkey again without side effects.  I may have had some but I was not looking for them so I didn't worry about them.  Now the attacks are back after worrying about my mother having being diagnosed as bi polar and worrying myself crazy about having it too because it can be hereditary.  I was given Lexapro but I have not taken it.  I know of all of the possible side effects and know that if I choose to take it, I would be sitting there waiting for them to happen.  Right now I am on what I call "high alert".  I feel the anxiety in my stomach and am waiting for the attack to happen.  I am highly aware of every little tingle and that is what basicly leads to an attack.  However, I am also telling myself that yeah the conditions are ripe for the attack but I am not afraid.  I am aware of the possbility and I have told myself to go ahead and let it happen and have even welcomed it to come on so it will get over with.  This is supposedly a theory that they use in therapy and I just happen to first tell myself on my own and then after reading about it have used it more and more.  It actually works when I get real mad and say "just come on and get it over with so I get on with things" and the attack never comes and all of the anxiety goes away.  I guess if you're not afraid of it, it looses its power over you.  I'm sure if I went to therapy they would tell me why this works but Im just happy that it does and am not really concerned why-just so that it continues to.  I think right now you are on what I call "high alert".  You are thinking the worst about the meds.  Let them work.  Let your mind feel that they are working.  I think that you have to wait a few weeks to feel the full effect of the med but once they kick in they will work wonders if you let them.  When I took the Zoloft I remember feeling great towards the end of the summer when I started at the beginning of July.  I stopped taking them in February because I felt good enough to stop.  Then earlier this year the situation with my mother started and well the rest is history as they say.  I know it is very hard and for a while, I was my worst enemy but then I just got fed up with feeling on edge all of the time and just did what I described and have been ever since.  I sometimes feel like taking the Lexapro but by the time night comes I forget all about it.  I am writing this to let you know that you are not alone and to let you know what works for me and maybe it can work for you.  Best wishes and good luck with your plight.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Once you become hyper-conscious and worried about the effects and side effects, you lose all perspective, and nothing works, or nothing works well enough. You have to get your feet back on the ground, so stick with what your doctor recommended, since it is working well, and in about another week the side effects will go away, so try to stop watching so closely.

The reason you don't have the great effect you had is because you have lost confidence in the medications, and lost the added placebo effect. Working on the underlying problems in your life is what you need to do, and the masteringstress.com program will help you get into that focus.