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Anti-depressant withdrawal making me flare

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Posted 10/17/2013 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
I'm totally buzzed and not sleeping from a withdrawal of Lexapro. Has anyone dealt with this? It's causing bathroom symptoms. Grateful there is no anxiety, just a tight brain and buzzing and no sleeping. Got some heavy duty sleeping pills. I did a slow withdrawal, but now that I'm off of it I'm having problems.
Posted 10/17/2013 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Journey2health,

Sorry to hear about your withdrawal. Is there a reason you stopped lexapro? I'm not familiar with that particular drug so I really can't comment much - I do know withdrawal from any of these drugs is hell on earth so I feel your pain.

My idiot doctor (now fired) was about to put me on anti-depressants when I complained about sleep issues. I was incredibly close to going on ativan. There were two issues that I investigated immediately, which she was just unaware of because she lacked the proper training in nutrition. I was able to successfully resolve my sleep and depression issues with the following:

1) Magnesium RBC levels. Most Americans are generally deficient in magnesium and always need to resupply. 200% of the RDA is generally recommended, but the problem is absorption. Even people without leaky gut have issues with absorbing most oral forms of magnesium. For that reason I suggest transdermal magnesium - rub 30-50 sprays before going to sleep. I use the swanson brand and apply after taking a shower. People with fibromyalgia use it 2x a day and then usually wean off when they get better.

2) Cholesterol levels. My cholesterol levels were ridiculously low and put me at risk for many health problems. Studies show that suicide risk go up as cholesterol in the body goes down. Because cholesterol is not well understood in the medical community, they try to suppress it with statin drugs, which in turn causes more harm to the body because it's a natural hormone.

Cholesterol is a precursor to coQ10 (cell function), serotonin (sleep, mood, etc), vitamin D and many other important functions in the body, it's absolutely vital that we resupply it. I loaded up on the most cholesterol rich foods like butter, eggs, grass-fed beef, lard, ghee, etc. My sleep and depression issues that I suffered with for years immediately went away. I started getting much more vivid dreams to boot.

3) People will tell you to get your vitamin D levels tested, but I suggested lipids because cholesterol is needed to synthesize vitamin D - the sooner you get these levels up, you'll have an easier time assimilating vitamin D from sunlight and supplements.

I hope this helps.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 10/16/2013 7:58:26 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/17/2013 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hey, I am sorry you're stressed. Try to think positive, not all symptoms lead to a flare up. I think you will be okay, give it some time to level out.
Posted 10/17/2013 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
@stealthguardian, I eat a lot of goat's milk yogurt and goat's milk whey, lots of fruits and vegetables, and lean protein.I am gluten free. I'm having magnesium thorugh my calcium. Didn't know that about cholesterol.

@notsosicklygirl. Are you still on pristique? She wants to put me on that as a substitute for Lexapro. Meanwhile, I lost another pound? 7 pounds in 10 days. Is it going off Lexapro? It's such a battle on that drug to keep from gaining weight. You have no idea how little I was eating.

Meanwhile, I hope these brain symptoms go away. One good thing is the anxiety that was so pervasive during my UC crisis years are gone. Maybe it's the enemaessent. :-)
Posted 10/17/2013 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Journey2Health,

1) It really depends on the form of magnesium you are taking - most commercial forms like oxide are not absorbed.

2) For cholesterol, I'm afraid it's not possible to tell until you get your levels tested. Mood and sleep disorders correlate well with cholesterol deficiency since serotonin is a major player.
Posted 10/17/2013 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Journey: Do you happen to eat bananas.

Interesting Lexapro is a SSRI selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
Results as of this paper are somewhat confused as to whether a problem or
not,some get better while on,others develop colitis.

Mark: If you read this a bit of confusion,seems like multiple things going on with UC

and SERT,some may have too much serotonin some perhaps not enough.
OM
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1599716/

Post Edited (Old Mike) : 10/17/2013 1:42:05 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/18/2013 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
OM - yes, this it seems may come back to the crazy receptor flow chart I have made and the Dopamine side. As I fill things in further, and aside from what Stein says about one depleting the other etc and receptor competition type thing (receptor theory), what it seems to show (the receptor flowchart) is that SERT and Serotonin side is hormonal response and Dopamine and DAT side seem to be Innate Immune response. But the two play together at times or are dependent on each other. So lowering SERT protein expression causes an effect on DAT protein expression and visa versa - which of course effects Seratonin and Dopamine levels and therefore different effects in the body.

In any case it is all quite confusing, and that's a severe understatement - but I swear there's something to this whole thing..

As for this persons issue I have nothing to offer (as it would be purely speculative) other than suggest maybe going back on Lexapro and seeing what happens - perhaps it's worth a chat with your GI on this as well. Or as stealth asked is there a specific reason you stopped? Like some side effects or something?

@Journeytohealth: I HATE reading about anyone doing great and them ending in a flare. I'm so very sorry to hear this....
Posted 10/18/2013 12:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Canada Mark. I don't want to go back on Lexapro unless the anxiety returns because, for sure, that's a real trigger for flare.

This sucks, I have an 8 hour drive ahead of me, couldn't sleep last night, and am experiencing, a buzz, a disorientation, instability, then slight nausea. Then it happens over again!
Posted 10/18/2013 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
I have heard that about lexapro, that's why i would NEVER consider taking it. I am still struggling to get back to my ideal weight since hitting 30. You're tiny anyway... I stopped pristiq a long time ago, years ago. I don't think I had weight gain from it though, i also don't know whether it helped my depression too much, definitely a little but I still saw the glass as half empty all the time. I guess you can't change someone's outlook...
Posted 1/20/2014 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
Im on (lexapro)Escitalopram 5mg for 2 weeks so far it is HELL!!!!! I can't take the side effect symtoms I'm at the end of a IBS flare up than the DR put me on this medicine I'm done i stopped taking it last night i lost 20lbs in the last 2 months no appetite , nausea, and have more anxiety now than i did before i started med. Really sucks they say stay on it till side effects wear off i don't see it i don't think that med is for me.
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