Mind feels like it is shutting down

Hey everyone,

Been taking Lexapro 10 mg for past 17 days now and apart from brief moments of light, I have not felt any different, in fact I seem to be feeling worse in my head right now. I feel like my mind is shutting down and I am having trouble just getting out of bed to do the simple things.

I know the tablets can take a while to kick in but I am scared that this is more than depression now, is it normal to feel so dis-connected from my thoughts and feel like I am in a dreamlike state almost?

I have had problems with my back in past couple of days so have been taking quite a lot of co-codamol that was prescribed from the doctors and I cant help but feel they make me feel worse although at first they make me feel better because they give me a nice calming warm feeling inside but after my head feels heavy and I feel low so maybe I need to stop them.

It is hard to think I am ever going to be the same person I once was and I can honestly see why people get so desperate when they are suffering. To make matters worse I had my sister today tell me to snap out of it which really wound me up as she does not have a clue. If I could just snap out of it then I would have done that a long time ago.

I hope all of you are feeling good today.

Sean

Hi Trina,

Thank you for reply.

The pain is not that bad really, it is just uncomfortable sometimes, if I am honest I think I take these codeine tablets sometimes just so I can feel a bit relaxed but I never exceed the max dose per day. I have not had any since last night so I am going to wait for my head to clear and see what happens then.

There is nothing out there that can cause your brain to just shut down is there? I mean depression and anxiety can make you feel that way cant it?

I have had a cat scan and all was clear, I am not having headaches or anything, I think the depression is causing me to feel this way but hopefully the tablets will kick in soon and I will be able to function again.

How are you Trina?

Hi Trina,

Yep I do think you are right with the whole dependency thing as I do take it without need sometimes although I am careful not to take more than I should but that still does not make it right. I am going to cut down on it slowly now over the next few days, I started to feel uplifted last Saturday morning so I thought the tablets was kicking in but today I have felt like I was on another planet and I am questioning every little thought I have and thing I do.

I will see how the next couple of days go with taking less codeine and see how it goes from there. The anti-depressants are still to kick in so I know the brain can shut down a bit when people are depressed and also anxiety can make you feel that way too.

Hope you are well Trina.

Hi Sean,

Can't help with the codeine issue but Trina has good advice, maybe the meds are working against each other.

As mentioned before, I totally understand the feeling of your brain shutting down, it always happens to me when I'm either on the wrong AD or it's too low a dosage.

Cut back on the codeine and see if that helps, then I'd call the Dr, always keep in touch.

Sorry your sister said to snap out of it, you're so right, if we could we would! thing is if someone has never been through this they do think why don't you just pull yourself together.

Hang in there, what have you been up to today?

i hope you feel better soon sean.

Hi Sean,

Yes, I did feel the same way, I couldn't think properly, doing one little thing was a huge thing, brain felt like mud, like it wasn't computing properly. I felt completely different, like I was brain damaged in some way.

I did come out of that though when I got on the right AD/dosage, if it was too little I'd begin to get that way again so I can always tell. I akin it to be being in a "fog" too.

I'm sure your Dr is certain the codeine and AD dosages are okay together but that's not to say you could be having a reaction to them.

Honestly, if you continue to feel the way you do I'd call the Dr or go in to let him/her know, won't hurt anything and if they say just give it more time and they've heard of this before, it may just be that you need more time but I know how awful it is!

I know too when I'm filled with anxiety I cannot think straight, for me it's the nerves as I can tell when that happens in certain situations, i get disorientated too.

I am okay, thank you, went for a nice walk with my dog this AM before it got too hot :)

Does music help in any way? I just recently found some Native American Indian music CD's, was at a local street festival over the weekend and a band was playing there, they use guitars, drums and flutes, so relaxing!

Hope you are okay.

Focus on your breathing Sean, relax all your muscles from head to toe. Keep doing that. It will clear your mind and slow your heart rate down. It will quiet the anxiety.

You did say that you took some codeine when you didn't really need it. I would consider working on that issue. It is addictive. And pain (narcotic) meds can cause you more depression just like alcohol does. Just something to think about.

But do work on your breathing. It keeps your mind from thinking of other things, or dwelling. Your brain needs a break...

Hope you feel better soon.

Hugs, Karen...

I am pretty good. Still able to get out in the woods and look for mushrooms, but am getting tired. It is such good exercise though. When mushrooming is over I will be walking my dog more. Walking really helps me. Do you have anywhere you can walk? Especially in nature? It takes our minds off things and helps us be mindful.

I hope you feel better soon.

Hugs, Karen...

PS You may want to slow down on looking for things online. It can mess you up. We are all unique to the experiences. That is why it is hard to give you any answers. We just don't know, but we can share our experiences with you.

Weird thing is last few hours I have felt a bit more positive and with it. Could this be a sign of good things to come hmmmm

Thanks happy turtle....

I just got out and did some work on my car which is more then I have done in three days but now I am sleepy as I havent slept all night so may try get a couple of hours kip.

How are you?

Sean

Hi Sean,

YAY!!! That's really good news that you felt a bit more positive and was able to work on your car!! a little ray of sunshine coming through and hopefully keeps on coming!

Definitely make sure you get enough rest, I notice I always feel worse when I've not slept, like you say, even if you have a little nap that's good.

It does sound very positive but it can still take time to fully feel the effect for the long run so don't be surprised if you don't feel positive all the time, might go up and down a little bit but I am so happy you feel better!!!

Let us know how it goes ok? :) Take care.

Hey Sean, what's been going on? Are you still on the lexapro?

Its so up and down with this depression, day 19 on new tablets and I felt good yesterday morning but now I feel spaced out yet again and down :( ....It is so hard to make sense of it all.