Hello...I'm new here....looking for support...

[Beautiful_Stranger]

Hi hon;

Again, thank you for your 2 cents! I do appreciate your posting.

As I said, it really had ceased working anyway...and I will certainly know if my depression symptoms return (for me it was circumstantial depression for which I myself sought help rather then mental or emotional illness, referring to your concern of "relapse"). Sigh....I'll think about calling him, lol. I SO hated being tethered to meds, especially without the benefit of feeling better, you know?

Barbara

[farfromhome]

Hi Barbara. Welcome to the cellar. I lived in western NY most of my life. That's where my home is and where I consider home. I know Buffalo ( the largest suburb of Amherst, NY) extremely well.
I know that you are correct ( Brianna) in your reasoning. Still I enjoy people like Barbara who question conventional wisdom. If she feels good and can recognize it then let her go. Sadly, consulting a doctor can be a financial decision many of us are increasingly skipping.

[Beautiful_Stranger]

Hi, Farfromhome;

I went to Amherst schools for 2 years - marvelous area, so different (much more $$) then ours in Kenmore!

Funny you mention the financial thing; actually, my doctor has given me samples since the beginning (that nasty singlemom/deadbeatdad/livinghandtomouth thing)...in spite of my appreciation, I really hated calling for more when I ran out. The real financial problems came when he tried to get me on something else; recognizing that the Lexapro was no longer working out, he sold me on another med (can't remember it now) - how it should be perfect for me. Then we found that my insurance wouldn't pay for that Rx; he didn't receive enough samples of it, I certainly couldn't afford it...I felt as if staying on the Lexapro was a sad consolation price....not the right reason to take such a chemical, in my mind.

(Brianna, I just now phoned my doctor to inquire about my safety in going off cold turkey... I'm a good girl!)

Still....I do want to know the answers to my initial Q's, if anyone can....I'm fascinated by these 'brain jolts'!

Have a great day, all! (bzzzzzp!)
Barbara

[Elspode]

It is entirely possible that the brain jolts are artifacts of your neurochemistry trying to make do with the lower amount of serotonin available. I get dizzy and "zaps" when I miss a single day's dose, and if I go for two days, I'm not really very functional.

Most SRI's and other neuromeds require a slow taper to allow the body to adjust to the alteration in function caused by the lower med doses. I'd see my doc, seriously. Brain zaps ain't normal. Also, one of the most frequent things heard by head docs is "I don't need this stuff anymore". People who get to feeling better while on meds tend to think that they are now fine, and stop taking the stuff. This is pretty much counterintuitive and is a false impression. Usually, they're better *because* they're taking the drugs...

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by Beautiful_Stranger

As I said, it really had ceased working anyway...Barbara

FLW--

Famous Last Words.

[capnhowdy]

mmmmm... Ga., eh......

welcome, B.S..... we need all the help we can get.

* wonders why I have hangover even tho I didn't attend the 'Redneck Games'. *

[Pangloss62]

Hey Stranger. Been there, done that. I did the Paxil thing back in 96 when when the withdrawl "brain shocks" or "zaps" were just coming to be understood. I tried to explain to a doctor what I thought was going on and he just flushed out my ears (what an ass!). You gotta come off that stuff slowly. I knew someone who literally poured out his capsules and reduced his dose by a few granules every other day. It's that powerful. I'm on Effexor now, but have lots of trouble with sleep and night sweats. I wake up at 4:30 am and can't sleep until about 6:30. I bought a shortwave radio so I can listen to some decent broadcasts from the BBC and such. If I can't sleep, I'm gonna be a news junkie.

Good luck.

[LabRat]

Lexapro update:

Met with the doc again yesterday. Things are all good. I did have a pretty low dip for 4-5 days before my period, but have been great since. We decided to try 15mg the week prior to my period see if that heads it off this month.

Nothing other to note. It feels great to feel 'normal'.

Elspode, this has significantly helped my anger. I used to get this burning in my gut and overall feeling like I was a cat with claws out about to freak at the slightest provocation. I liked to throw things. A lot. This was what brought me to the new doc. My daughter started asking me "Are you mad at me?" for nothing. I realized how out of control I was getting and it had to stop before I did some real damage to one of my only reasons for being. Throwing stuff at my husband was one thing, but I didn't want to get to the point where I might freak on my little girl.

[Undertoad]

Yes, the brain "jolts" are a known side effect of withdrawing from the medication. Your brain chemistry is changing; your system has developed a dependency on this drug, and is now changing. There's no permanent damage done, as far as they know, from this type of withdrawl, but it is uncomfortable.

I think you should be under a psych-doc's care; you shouldn't have to make that decision to stop the meds alone. You should know what the likely effects are, and if there are any alternatives. If you want to come off the medication, psych-docs will do things like put you on an intermediate alternative med that's easier to withdraw from.

Also it generally takes a longer period of time than 7 days for some of these drugs to really have an effect, and the docs will know what's up with that panic. It may be that you went on them too quickly. Most such drugs need you to wean onto them just like you have to wean off. For the first week you take a quarter dose, second week a half dose, etc. GPs often don't know the details of this, and just write a prescription for a full dose from day one. Oops.

Many times, this is a matter of finding the right thing for you, fine-tuning the meds to fit more precisely what you need. Different brains react differently - different people react differently. Have some patience to find the right levels for you. Of course it's going to take months, take a lot of patience, but at the end of that road is... normal.

[DanaC]

Good luck southern. I hope you get through this soon.

[TheMercenary]

Undertoad nailed it. I have nothing to add to his comments.

[Sundae]

Southern, without knowing anything about the Linden method I am unable to comment. I know Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is more successful than drugs in cases of mild to medium depression and is more likely to prevent recurrences, but I also know that that is backed up by medical studies.

All I will say is that drugs are NOT the answer for everyone. They are over-used. If you can manage to do without them you are much better off. HOWEVER. Drugs have a physical as well as a psychological effect and you should only come off them or switch drugs after careful consideration and conversation with a health care professional.

Take a doctor's advice, and the drugs, while you start work on whatever non-drug programme you feel will work for you. And make regular appointments once you have come off them.

What we call depression/ anxiety isn't only caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. No-one should ever feel they are wrong to have it controlled medically, but at the same time therapy can benefit many more people than it is offered to - people still unhappy or anxious when they are on anti-depressants should look for other types of help.

[morethanpretty]

My doc recently talked me into taking a small dosage of Lexapro, 10mg, in order to help me out of my fatigue slump (and because she secretly believes I'm depressed). I've been on Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft and now I'm back to the Lexapro. I've never noticed any brain "zaps" although I stopped cold turkey the first time I was taking Lexapro and the Zoloft. Now I know how very very bad I was for that, I won't do it again...I promise. The main thing I've noticed both times on the Lexapro is my increased "shivering." Otherwise I believe non-medicated is the best way to go, who knows what other things we mess up when we interfere with our chemicals like that especially for long time periods. I'm trying to get myself back to a healthy place, eating right, exercising, socializing ect ect. A thing that really helps me when I get really down is talking to someone I trust, like alcoholics with their sponsors. I suggest counseling or just an available friend, even my mom works for me. Just saying all that is frustrating and worrying me, getting it out in the open helps relieve the tension.