Lexapro ... muscle pain, flu-like feeling?

[kellyd]

currently taking Lexapro 10mg.  This is the 3rd med since starting about 3m ago.  Before pregancy tolerated medication fairly well, now, can't seem to find anything to work.  Was taking Lexapro 5mg with depakote(for muscle pain, bladder pain,& insomnia)  Started having horrible side effects from depakote.  Stopped it and upped lexapro to 10mg.  My muscles are KILLING me in my calves and feet.  Also tons of twitching in those areas.  Besides that, I felt like I was finally getting over the side effects of nausea and was feeling much better about life (leaving the house, driving, and working out again).  Now about a week AFTER increasing lexapro to 10mg, I feel like I have the flu.  I'm dizzy, headache, tons of nausea.  And my legs are still hurting constantly!  Is this the lexapro or do I really have the flu?
I had been taking calcium/magnesium at night to help me relax and help with the muscle pain.  I was also taking quercetin to help with my interstitial cystitis.  Could one of those suppliments be causeing my discomfort?
Not sure what to do.  I don't want the doctor saying my muscle pain is just fibromyalgia.  I really think it could be related to the meds.  I just don't know why these flu like feelings just popped up out of nowhere.  Can lexapro do that?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

The problem is that lexapro can do anything...all sides of side effects, but probably not.  The way to tell is to decrease your dose back to five when you didn't have these symptoms.  Try that.

[leigh47]

Hello!

I'm so sorry that you are not feeling well. When I was on Zoloft I had extreme muscle cramps in my legs and was up several times a night. In addition, I had pins and needles in my feet and the lower part of my legs...all day long! My feet and legs always felt like they were falling asleep. I also had twitching! My doctor said she didn't think it was from the Zoloft. Well, I stopped taking it and two weeks later it was gone. (I'm an avid exerciser...have been for years, so I knew it didn't have anything to do with lack of circulation.)I'm not a doctor, but your symptoms are probably a side effect of the Lexapro. I managed to get off all my medications (7 years of antidepressants and sleeping medication) by joining a health club and working out four days a week. Perhaps exercise might help you, too. Please check with your doctor. I hope that you feel better soon.

[kellyd]

Thanks for the advise!  I started my membership back up, but haven't felt like I can even drive because of the side effects (dizziness etc.)  I would love to stop taking all these meds (well I'm just on Lexapro).  I have post partum depression (baby 14 wks old).  If I stopped and something happened, it would be more of a nightmare than I'm already in ( I had to be hospitalized twice because of bad reactions to other meds).  Today is a little better.  Although, I still can't see straight.  My leg pain is a little more tolerable thank God.  I'm going to call the doctor tommorrow and hopefully, it's just going to be a matter of finding the right med for me.  But, this is getting really old.  I was wondering why my legs were aching sooooo badly.  I'm glad I wasn't the only one!

[leigh47]

Good luck at the doctor's tomorrow! I know what you mean about the side effects. I get dizzy if I take more than one Tylenol!
I was on Wellbutrin for 5 years. It really helped me get through my depression with minimal side effects. Perhaps you could check with your doctor about that medication (unless you have tried it already?). I have chronic insomnia and the Wellbutrin didn't help with that, but everyone is different. Try not to get discouraged.

[kellyd]

Hi "Leigh47". :-)
I missed the call from the doctor.  I was in my first appointment with a counselor.  I'm looking forward to more healing.  I'm very thankful that we found a christian counselor to help me.  I get so disscouraged when I'm in pain with my interstitial cystitis and it really gets me down.  Not to mention the PPD.  There is so much pressure to being a new mom.  I didn't know what I was signing up for!
Anyways...
I took wellbutrin for a couple of weeks in the beginning of my pregnancy.  I felt like it was making my puking worse. Although it was probably in my head (everything made me sick in the beginning).  I haven't been given it this time because it does not have a component to help with anxiety.  My sister takes it and LOVES it.  I'll see what the doctor says tommorrow if I can actually get ahold of him.  Thanks for your help!

[Torreja]

I have the same after two weeks on Paxil, horrible headache and a feverish feel.  I hope it goes away!

[saabnut]

Vitamin B6 and 5HTTP are needed in ample supply along with weight bearing excercise for the body to produce seratonin. Once you have that underway, you can start getting off SSRIs. Acupuncture is effective in speeding the process of getting off SSRIs, but you will need to be manufacturing your own seratonin to stay off of them. You may want to try GABA also especially if you feel anxiety. It really works wonders.