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keaz - How's it going?

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Posted 8/5/2014 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
Just wondering how it's going for you since the last thread was locked.

I'm starting to have some insomnia at night. But only if I don't exercise. The night before last was pretty terrible (I had exercised but in the AM)... and yesterday, I worked a 12 hour day so I took the night off of exercising. The headaches aren't as bad anymore. But still there a bit. I'm still woobly in the afternoon and kinda zoned out.

I only have a 10 hour day today (UGH), so hopefully I will get a run in. And I ordered a new heart rate monitor that should be here Wednesday (mine broke last week), so that's exciting for me! I'm a total gear head.
Posted 8/5/2014 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
Keaz started a new thread, that is why the old one is locked, I cant' think of the title off hand but it is a continuation of the other one. "Depression and Anxiety Struggles" That is the new thread...

I hope you are having a good day AudreyBear!!!

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 8/5/2014 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for asking,

I decided to get off ambien, as it wasn't really helping me sleep anymore, and when i increased it the last two nights i woke up depressed and anxious, so i think there may be a link between the ambien. I don't think i react to it well.

When i first started the ambien and lexapro i took them within a day of one another, and then i had that big panic attack that seemed to start all this anxiety, but really i don't know which one it was that casued it.

I know i feel better today after taking ativan to sleep. I felt a little weird/off when i first took it, but I sletp from 9:30-6:30 and only woke up once that i can remember and went right back to sleep.

I've been swimming like a fish, sometimes multiple times in a day. It really seems to help me think clearly for the time that i am swimming.

I have not been able to run yet, I'm still losing weight and have diarrhea and not much of an appetite. Hopefully that will change soon.

Did you have insomnia from lexapro before? I think i mostly can't sleep because of the heightened anxiety. When i was on lexapro before i had no sleeping issues. i even took naps sometimes.
Posted 8/5/2014 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
getting by - you can close this thread, if you like. I didn't see that keaz had created a new one. Sorry!
Posted 8/5/2014 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
It is totally okay. You can post on here or there.

Have a good day...

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 8/6/2014 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
Love the term "gear head," AubreyBear.

Hope you two get the meds straightened out SOON--and get some much needed sleep. AB, I'm not sure how you don't keel over from so many hours on the go!

Both of you, please take care--

Jan
Posted 8/6/2014 4:53 AM (GMT 0)
Jan - I've been dreading back to school time because my hours worked everyday would go up. I tutor 4-5 nights a week. But the kids make it worth it. However, going home after my real job everyday in the summer had its perks. I am just hoping the Lexapro helps me manage the stress. I got really sick of the schedule last year.

How have you been, Jan? Have you been getting out with the dogs lately? My pup has some pretty bad allergies right now. She takes after me wink.
Posted 8/7/2014 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
Sheesh, you have a BUSY schedule, AubreyBear. The name "SuperGirl" comes to mind... :) With your aggravating ailments, I can definitely see how it would get to you after a bit.

Not much walking these days, which drives me nuts. Too hot for myself and Gingersnap. If only I'd get out of bed super early, we could beat the heat. Very selfish of me--but I'm giving some serious thought to forcing myself UP so we can get back in the swing.

We play frisbee for a couple of hours--in the shade with plenty of water, but that's not enough. The two of us are chilly/cold weather girls! The warmest Ginger can stand (with her Boston terrier nose) is the very low 60s.

Funny how we rub off on each other--our pooches and us. Yours has adopted your allergies! Oh no--not allergy shots for the little one! :) :)
Have you started yours?

Fatigue has hammered me quite a bit, among an assortment of other maladies--and you've sure had your share of crapola.

Sounds like married life suits you very well. I'm so happy for you both!!!!!

All the best--and fingers crossed about the Lexapro--
Jan
Posted 8/7/2014 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sure you've already noticed, but most topics seem to be open on this forum--so if you want to ask or mention any other situation that you had difficulty getting responses to in the past, chances are someone here has had experience with it or can empathize. OR, if you want to talk about the weather, your pooch, tell a story, whatever!

And, of course, the forum's main topic of depression offers fantastic support.

The daily threads are great, but I seem to have a tough time keeping up with everyone's comments. By the time I want to reply, the related post is waaaay back there! ;) but I sure enjoy reading the thoughts/stories.

It truly is like a family. I think the fibro forum is very welcoming, too, as well as UA's forum and others that I haven't looked at! :)

(Hope all of this was okay to say!)

Jan
Posted 8/7/2014 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
No allergy shots yet - waiting for the serum to be made and insurance to approve it. Should hear something next week.

My dog loves to eat the very grass that makes her paws so itchy. She's been chewing them like crazy. And her legs, too. She's going to be 6 this year and her age is starting to show - she's filling out and becoming lazier and lazier every day. It's wayyyy too hot here to enjoy any outside time with the dog, too. We usually have picnics by the lake but it is just too hot right now. We are moving in a few months, so she will finally have a backyard for her adventures. Now if only I could convince the spouse to let us get her a brother...
Posted 8/8/2014 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
I had a dog that chewed her paws and other places. Come to find out she had a corn and wheat allergy. Sometimes they chew if they hurt. Do you know for sure she is allergic to the grass? Have you talked to the vet about it? Just curious.

I ended up having to make her dog food with chicken and brown rice, and I got her some enzymes off of n'zymes.com. She slowed down on the chewing a lot. Just thought I would mention this.

Have a good night AudreyBear.

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 8/8/2014 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
getting by - Yes, she has already been tested for food allergies. She is also allergic to wheat and corn. She eats grain free/corn free now. Her new diet has done wonders for her skin and coat - it's so shiny! Everyone asks me how I get it so shiny.

It's only during these months when the bermuda grass is at its peak that she chews her paws so badly. Also, the pavement is VERY hot, so her paws might be aggravated by the heat. I check them nightly to make sure they aren't burnt, but sometimes I see her picking them up off the ground because it's too hot. I try to avoid benedryl if at all possible but if it gets really bad, I will give her some. The fact that she also chews her leg makes me think that it's allergies. But, she has also always been a bit of an OCD dog - she nibbles sheets, her babies, hair, pillows whenever she can - so it could just be an oral fixation.
Posted 8/8/2014 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
Does she stop chewing after the grass is gone? Or does it ever get gone? I felt so bad for my dog. She use to get yeast infections in her ears. I got zymox for that. It helps. It is good for ear mites too.

I hope that your fur baby feels better soon.

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 8/8/2014 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
AubreyBear,
How are you doing on the Lexapro so far? Are your side effects still minimal? Are you on 10 or 20Mg?

I thought of you yesterday as I had my first run since I've gotten on Lexapro. It wasn't very long, but helped.
Posted 8/8/2014 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
The grass is always there, unfortunately. She only chews the long grass though, which is another type of grass. I don't know what it's called. My dog ate Castor and Pollux Organix food and she had so many ear infections! Maybe our dogs are long lost twins, getting by? She is a happy dog though :)

keaz - I'm still doing pretty well. I still have some headaches sometimes, and I cannot lift weights without getting lightheaded. I ran a 5k in 33:00 last night... I'm a slow runner but that was a great time for me! I'm signing up for a 5k in October with a friend and then a 10k in Sedona in January to help me battle the Lexapro weight gain that I'm scared of. I have some leg arthritis pain right now, but that could be from my period. I'm on 10mg. Still taking .25 Xanax with it. I'm on day 12 or so. I've actually lost about a pound, but that might not be from the Lexapro. keaz - do you think I can drink alcohol with it? I'm talking conservative, maybe 1-2 beers/glasses of wine with it. No hard liquor.
Posted 8/9/2014 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
I drank wine here and there on Lexapro, but you're not supposed to on Xanax.

I'm glad you are doing well and congrats on your 5K, that's awesome.

I pace myself when I run too.
Posted 8/9/2014 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
Congrats to both of you for your runs! I'm not a runner (knee replacement), but love long, long walks/hikes.

AubreyBear, does your pooch get hot spots? My "first born," (black lab rescue) would get awful hot spots during the summer, and she wanted to chew on them. An ugly cycle--poor baby. Her name was A.B. (A Blessing). Kinda like AB for AubreyBear! :)

Jan
Posted 8/10/2014 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
Keaz- thanks for the info - I will keep that in mind about the Xanax.

Jan - my dog does get hotspots! She is a lab/border collie mix. Before I changed her food, she had one in her left front leg where all the hair was gone (she's very fluffy and hairy) and it looked like she had a flesh eating disease. I medicated it and wrapped it everyday but she always got the bandage off. It went away within a month when we changed her food. Since then, she does get some on her paws and definitely on her hind legs, but not anywhere as bad. Must be a lab thing?

How are you guys feeling, keaz and Jan? I had a long run yesterday. But then what felt like a relapse in the evening. I've been having horrible left arm and left leg arthritis pain (still on the hunt for a rheumy, Jan) and I got completely exhausted for no reason around 8:30pm last night. I've been having a lot of ear issues - pain, tinnitus, hearing loss since last Christmas... It's really stressing me out. I'm so scared of becoming deaf. I really just want to go to the ENT and beg her to help me. But she has no answers for me. Haven't heard about the allergy shots yet. I'm going to call tomorrow to check on them.
Posted 8/10/2014 9:30 PM (GMT 0)
AubreyBear, we have so much in common. I too have a border collie/lab mix :)

I am feeling ok. Looking back at the three weeks, I realize that at first I had some normal days, and some really awful day, and then last week I seem to coast on average 5 or 6 if I had to rate. SO no more really good days, but no more bad days either. I think that means the my brain is getting used to Lexapro, and now hopefully it will go up from here.

I'm still struggling with appetite and something I just learned about depersonalization, which I used to just call strange feelings :)..They scare me. I had them for an hour or so yesterday. I don't like that part.

My main worry is that Lexapro is not going to work this time. But looking back, I know I feel better today than three weeks ago, but then I think well maybe I only feel better because the side effects are subsiding. I am my own worse enemy with mind games.

Tomorrow it will be 3 weeks. My doctor said initialy I'd feel better by 1-3 weeks.

How are you doing on Lexapro. Your side effects seem pretty mild, so that's good. when you say you had a relapse, do you mean with joint pain or depression?
Posted 8/11/2014 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
keaz- Both. I was feeling terrible physically and emotionally. The only thing I can point to is that I did not take Xanax that day. I was thinking about things that happened years and years ago and feeling terrible about them. And feeling terrible about my weight loss journey... I still have another 10 pounds to go and I've been at it for 14 months (lost 30 so far). I was just feeling terrible all around.

As for depersonalization, I know what you mean. I especially have a hard time when returning from traveling - like this summer when I came home from vacation. I felt like I was not even me. It was strange. I had a hard time returning to reality. But eventually, I did.
Posted 8/11/2014 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
I hope you feel better.

My days continue to be between 5/6 out of 10. So no more really bad days, but no more really good days either. Not sure what's worse. Sometimes I still feel so hopeless and mostly I'm just worried that Lexapro won't work this time. But my husband swears he thinks im doing better.
Posted 8/11/2014 7:35 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think I've mentioned it here before, but I have some major sleep issues too. I have what's called "Hypnagogia" and the doc thought the Lexapro might help with it. It has gone away COMPLETELY since I started the Lexapro. And my stomach issues have gotten better too. I do still have anxiety based diarrhea, but it's nowhere near as bad and seems to only happen with very stressful situations. So those two things combined have made it worth it for now.

I am starting my allergy shots next week skull
Posted 8/13/2014 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
How's everyone doing? I stopped the Xanax after last Friday. Just on 10mg of Lexapro now. Everything seemed fine, but then I started having a muscle spasms in my neck on Monday. I doubt that it's related to the Xanax (maybe I slept weird, or it's from exercising) but has anyone ever had muscle issues as a symptom of withdrawal from Xanax?

keaz- how's it going? Jan? Karen? How are all the pups? My dog hates the rain and we had a huge storm last night... she's none too happy about having to sniff through the rain drops.
Posted 8/13/2014 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
I'm all over the place. Lots of ups and downs. Are you on generic or brand? The doctor switched me to brand today in case all the side effects were from generic. But I'm starting to lose hope.
Posted 8/13/2014 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
Aubrey, You might be a little more tense off of the Xanax. I have tried to go off, but got very anxious. Though I am gradually tapering off now. I have been on 1/2 of a milligram a day for awhile. I use to take four...

Keaz, I hope that the brand name helps you. I hear it is better for some.

I hope you both have a good day...

Hugs, Karen...
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