Dear Nurse Brandi,
I believe the overdose you referred to was Anna Nicole Smith's son, Daniel. She was aware he was on medication, but didn't know the details of what he was taking and when. Lexapro was one of the medications he was taking, which was fine. He actually died from a bad interaction/overdose of Methadone. It was the Methadone that got him, not the Lexapro. Methadone is a narcotic used to reduce pain, and as a transition drug for people coming off heroin or crack cocaine. I really recommend you going back to taking your Lexapro, per your doctor's prescription. Cymbalta is also a good medication. I take it myself. You are always going to get into trouble when you stop taking you meds, especially if you do it "cold turkey". You should never alter you medication schedule without consulting your doctor first.
You are very lucky that you have a helpful and concerned husband. When I started having my major meltdown, he was partly the cause for it. He was autistic (Aspberger's Syndrome), which I didn't know about at the time. He was no use at all, and I ended up kicking him to the curb. Now I'm divorced and on SS DISABILITY for several problems, including chronic depression, and panic and anxiety disorder. I now have to deal with my hyper parents who live about a mile away. They both have to take medication (Paxil and Lorazapam) to deal with all my health problems. I take Klonopin for my anxiety.
I have a very high tolerance to medication, especially pain medication. Some work and some don't, and my doctor has labeled me a "drug-seeker" because I go to several different doctors, some of which prescribed me pain medication because of a specific condition. I got cut off cold turkey, and was referred to a detox clinic. I was supposed to have enough medication left until I got my appointment, but after two and a half months, they head physician stopped returnign my phone calls. I guess by the time he got my medical records, I was no longer in need of his services. Our town now has a centralized medical database, so anyone that checks my records see's her recommendation that I not receive any narcotic medication. I get into a panic attack when I feel a migraine coming on, because if I go to the ER, I never know whether I'm going to get treated effectively. Not fun.
Hope things go better for you, let us know how you are doing.
Leigh Ann 