Posted 1/19/2023 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I have been on Lexapro 5 mg for about 10yrs and honestly free of anxiety and panic I was on 5mg when I was pregnant as well. Since the pandemic and working in healthcare I have slowly started to feel my anxiety come back. I noticed constant worry, more racing thoughts at night and at times nervous energy. 6 months ago I increased my dose to 7.5mg which seemed to help but not 100% (hence cutting the pill not sure if I'm getting the most accurate dose) So I tried to go up more and took another half of a half and have been on 8.5mg for 6 weeks.
Recently,
I noticed some nights I get good sleep and some nights I wake up with heart racing from a bad dream I cannot remember lol. but getting intermittent weird sleep anxiety. I started taking liquid magnesium w/ b6 at night for about 3 weeks.
This month I had a lot of major stress but not to the extent of stress I had in the past years that I handled well. This month about 10 days before my cycle I started having some severe insomnia, muscle twitches and hot flash sensation followed by night sweats, tingling sensation in arms or like something is crawling on my skin which sent me into major panic. I had to take a xanax and I had not taken a xanax in 15 yrs. Even after 0.5mg of xanax I still was shaking I assume i was nervous about the hot flash feeling I woke up to. My cycle did come and I am now on day 5 I am able to get some better sleep but still have the muscle twitches and very mild night sweats. I had never had these extreme symptoms before in the night. I love my sleep and its so important to me so I'm so confused why.
The only new supplement I added to my routine was lions mane and have been taking for 5-6 weeks.
I went to the doctor they did bloodwork all was ok, my B12 was high but I take a b12 vitamin. TSH was 0.51 more on the low side however when we compared all my old blood work TSH I have ran under 1.0 for years.
The doctor seems to think it is my hormones. I'm in constant fear it will happen again and is this really my hormones or is my anxiety back full swing. It can be a combo of hormones and then when I get those feeling I go into fight or flight.
Like i said my anxiety has been under control but I still feel waves of it as life is crazy but nothing like I just experienced the past 14 days, I'm reaching out to see if anyone has been on Lexapro long time and has these feeling. Is the muscle twitches from Lexapro or hormones. The twitching just started 14 days ago or I just noticed it now in my life.
Any insight I would love to hear I'm not crazy. I appreciate all your help! Bless you
Candace -xoxoxo