Stopping Lexapro and Starting Over

[miche31263]

Well, Dr. said today at my 3 week check up that I should not be having nightmares or restless legs to the extreme that I'm having, so she is stopping the Lexapro.  I'm not even a little improved either which she said I should be a tiny bit better, instead of worse.  So I am now to take Buspar alone for 2 weeks until my nightmares and restless legs stop and then she wants me to try Effexor with the Buspar, unless the Buspar works good by itself, or just Effexor if the Buspar doesn't work.  Sigh.... I'm a guinea pig, and I still have anxiety!!!!  :(

[cj29]

I felt the exact same way when I initially went through this as well. Another thing that makes this so hard to deal with is that it can rob you of your self identity and take away the "normalcy" of life.  I learned many things while going through this and an important lesson I began to comprehend is that we are much more resilient than we think we are. I too had the feelings of utter despair and hopelessness in the beginning.  But looking back on it now, I am actually thankful for it. I know it sounds crazy right now, but it has taught me to enjoy the little things in life, be patient, be a better husband ands father, etc.
I know this is probably one of the last pieces of advice you want to hear right now, but I would stress patience when dealing with this.  There is no quick fix, however, I believe as you learn to confront this , you are going to be a better person for it. You are going to get through this and as with any challenge in life, it can be confusing and scary in the beginning. It is stressful and tough, but when you get to the other side and look back on this (and you will succeed), you will have become that much stronger for doing so. Keep us posted!  

[miche31263]

I start counseling next Wednesday.  I am just frustrated, as I went through three weeks of severe anxiety waiting for the effects to lessen, and I even asked her if we should continue for another week, or up the dosage, but she felt like the side effects were more severe than they should be and I was likely not going to be benefiting from the drug.  So she is trying to avoid another week of misery for me, but gosh, I hate starting over again.  And I'm worried about stopping the Lexapro and withdrawal, even if it was only three weeks, it kind of scares me.  I can't take much more anxiety.  I have so many phobias, that it is going to be hard to confront them all.  Some I probably can can over, but some are fear of the unknown, or dying, how do I confront that?  I feel like I'm losing my mind sometimes and need to be committed to the mental institute!

[cj29]

People definitely react differently to medications in my opinion. What is good for some people may not go well with others. Are you in counseling right now as well?  For me, the most important step I took was to learn about my anxiety and to confront it. Keep your head up. You are going to get through this.