Friday, February 1, 2008

To Readers of this Blog:

Many hugs. You will get through it.

I cringe when I look at my statcounter results and see the google searches that led you here:

can lexapro cause brain buzzing
coughing and memory loss
neck stiffness
lexapro hypothyroidism (several people searched this)
lexapro withdrawal and forgetfulness
stop lexapro when do hypothyroid symptoms go away
lexapro and rem sleep
lexapro withdrawal and migraines
lexapro memory
lexapro apathy
how long does stiff neck last stop lexapro
lexapro fever
lexapro brain zaps (several)
lexapro withdrawal eye movement
lexapro withdrawal thyroid (several)
symptom freezing cold headache
withdrawal and omega 3

18 comments:

rita said...

Hey there! I'm glad it's better. I'm decreasing my dose of Effexor with my doctor's help. So far so good.

He's suggested that I probably need another antidepressant, Lexapro. Do I kill him now or later?

Cynthia Brundage. said...

Ok, I'm crying. Crying like I have been for the past ten days. That is when I had my last 10 mg of Lexapro. Your blog is giving me hope. I know it will end at some point but OH MY GOD!! This really really sucks!

Thanks

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for your comments, I know that I have to tread throught the w/d symptoms to reach the positive end. I want to laugh and cry and feel emotion, goood or bad. Thanks again for your comments, and have a great Holday weekend. David

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you check your blog anymore-- I hope you don't because you have completely forgotten about this lex nightmare! did you find that the omega 3 supplements or any other vitamins helped with the brain zaps?

Leetie said...

While I don't come here anymore, I do get email notifications when comments are left. I firmly believe that Omega-3 is the best thing for your overall brain and nerve health. It can't hurt. Just get the good stuff that's low in chemicals. I get the Nordic Naturals brand. Can't say for certain that it, in particular, helped, but eventually, the nightmare did go away. I think that Motrin might have taken the edge off a little. And xanax. Best to you!

Anonymous said...

Hello!!! lexaprowithdrawl.blogspot.com is one of the best resourceful websites of its kind. I enjoy reading it every day. lexaprowithdrawl.blogspot.com rocks!

Anonymous said...

Leetie, going through withdrawal now. Can you write a post or soemthing let me and others who stumble upon this website know if you are completely symptom free now and how long it took? looks like your last post was in 2/2008

my email address is jwjiv2@verizon.net

Anonymous said...

To those out there searching:
It does get better. Then it gets a little worse. Then better. I am 5 weeks free of 20mgs of lex. I was (am?) a chemical soup after 20 years of a/d usage. I read more blogs than I can count (could that be where the shoulder ache comes from?)and here is what I've come away with:
Some of us are going to get real sick real fast coming off this stuff.
Some of us would get sick no matter how we quit.
All of us need to take it easy (really!)and be kind to ourselves during this wd time. Please try not to dwell on the bad stuff. You are doing something to make yourself healthy.
Omega-3 and benedryl are good friends for brain health and sleep, respectively.
However you quit, ct or titration over months/years, your body will heal.
I still have zaps, but not too bad now. I still get dizzy/nauseaus, but infrequently. I have yet to get to the 4 month spiral that I read about, but my husband and friends know what I'm going through and are supportive so I hope that I'll get through that, too.
Please hang in there. You really are worth it!

bb said...

this blog is saving lives, and i'm not being melodramatic. your first sentence of this post made me feel like crying (in a good way). thank you, it's so validating. seriously. bless you.

M inM said...

Holy S---!!
I have experienced withdrawals from a wide range of substances and "medicines" but never anything like this! Im throwing my hat in the ring just because I may have something to add that i havent seen yet, which is that I am experiencing almost all ( with the exception of "brain zaps (yet) after only 2 months on this crap (10mg p day). I have been somewhat nauseous since i started taking lex(the main reason for quitting) My doctor said no, continue to use it the nausea will go away. F that! I quit CT and thought good riddance, about a week later the nausea inceased and the vertigo and dizziness (really strong and debilatating) started to get strongr. I honestly couldnt figure out whatwas wrong until i started to read these blogs and found a perfect match for my symptoms (btw:I really can spell and type but its difficult with one eye closed and wanting to barf!)Man this stuff is awful. oh yeah, I burst into tears with very little or no provocation.No way out but forward. going back on to ween is not an option. I will not take another one of thoe bastards ever! btw; thanks for blog, it reallly is helpful to commiserate for some reason! M in M

Fely said...

i have had an under active thyroid for twenty two years now and both my daughters have it. Add bovine thyroid in your diets, it really helps, you will notice the difference immediately.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad this site is here for me to read. I truly am sick, because I am trying to withdraw from Lexapro, been on it for over 3 years and it's been about 5 weeks that I reduced from 20mg to 10mg. I am still feeling unwell, sinus type headaches, so tired all the time, no emotion, then thoughts of suicide, anxious for no reason.
Yet trying to get on with life, knowing this is scaring the hell out of me. What if I never get back to feeling well? When do I dare reduce the next amount? Memory!, what memory? Sometimes I can't remember what I did last week. It's just blank and not funny! Thank you for letting me see I am not alone or imagining this horror.

Nicky Billy said...

I’m 47 years old female and is fighting staying below 165 lb. mark. I couldn’t lose any weight no matter what i do.. But, when I started taking natural thyroid health supplements and slowly i have been making progress and lost about 35 lbs. Every time I travel and forget my pills I jump up a lb or three a day. But after a get back on my capsules and bit by bit I lose some weight again.

Anonymous said...

Thank you all for posting to this blog. I have a boyfriend who is going through all of this right now... It has been extremely helpful to read what you all are saying. I had him read some of this too to help him understand what he is going through.. Luckily, he has not been on Lex for very long... thanks,

Anonymous said...

i am currently 3 weeks into cutting my Lexapro 20's in half. I have suicidal thoughts. I want to sleep. I am cranky mostly and do not want to be touched. Lexapro has made me YAWN and SWEAT and I am getting those side effects back as I withdraw. I will be very happy when I stop taking this medication, but after stopping cold turkey off of Paxil, there is NO WAY i would stop this cold turkey as well. I don't wish to cry for 23 hours a day! LOL Anyway, there is hope. Always hope. It figures now that I want to stop paying so much money for this medication that last week they came out with a cheaper generic. Might as well keep weaning myself now that I am on a 3 week mark. My Lexapro does not cut inhalf very well, but I will continue to cut and take til my 90 day supply is gone. wish me luck. i wish you luck too.

Ruth said...

I came off lexapro after several years using it ... several months in I'm still woozy/dizzy. It's just awful, had I been warned of this I might never have used the stuff. I use fish oil and a multivitamin, recently the symptoms worsened (maybe because I got sick) ... so hard, I'm trying to build my post-child raising life and this is scaring me as well as slowing me down.

Anonymous said...

I began decreasing my dosage the same month it went generic as well! IRONIC.

Anonymous said...

I too have weaned my self off Lexapro. I am into my fourth week and still have the brain shivers and am off balance if I forget to concentrate when I move quickly. The wierd dreams have lessened some. My tendencies to speak the truth as I see it... Have returned full force and I have managed to allienate half my family.. Rather than take a pill to keep my mouth shut I plan to exercise self control and possibly take an anger management class or two.