They have just added this to the other meds I am taking and I have been on it for just about 2 weeks now . I had side effects from lyrica. I was curious to see what others felt about it. It is so nice to have some where to ask these questions. Thank you
Hi,
I was on Lexapro and decided to give Cymbalta a try to see if it helped with my pain. I am going to an appt with my doc next week to go back onto the Lexapro. I have personally battled depression for 10 years or so. The Lexapro really seemed to stabilize my mood, which in turn reduced my stress, and thus reduced my pain better than the Cymbalta. Wen I first went on the Lexapro, I had daily headaches for about 2 weeks, but then they just went away once I had a steady stream going in my body. Aside from the initial headaches, I didn't find there were any other significant side effects other than the usual ones that come with the SSRIs. I think it also helped my sleep at night. I would take it before I went to bed.
Good luck with it. It worked wonders for my mental outlook once I found the right dosage (for me, it was 40mg).
I been on Lexapro on and off for about 7 years. The off times were me feeling so well that I thought I didn't need it...and I was wrong. I've tried many other SSRI's and this one works the best for me with the least amount of side effects. The SSRI's doctor say work well for fms didn't work for me i.e. cymbalta, elavel, etc. Good luck. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me
Welcome to the fibro boards. This is a wonderful place.
I have taken lexapro for about 4 years, and I took a break from it to have my 2nd son, and I went back on it two days after I gave birth. I was so excited to go back on it when I was pregnant. I do battle depression, anxiety, and a little bit of ocd (thinking too much, not letting stuff go, and worrying about things, like being alone, and money, too much). The lexapro, I have been on 10 mg the whole time, and it works for me. We have tried to increase the lexapro but it made me to tired the next day.
I have been on 2 antidepressants in my life that worked really well for me and that is effexor and lexapro. I was on effexor for 2 years after my mom died, and then went off that to have my first child. Effexor was so hard to come off of, and lexapro was rough too, but lexapro was easier and the withdrawals were not as bad as effexor.
I hope you have great luck with lexapro, and we are all here for you.
I was on lexapro about 5 years ago when I was first diagnosed with my depression (my fibro has been recently diagnosed). I had the weirdest side effect to it and my doctor at the time never believed me. Before starting the lexapro, I was only a casual drinker, a couple of drinks a month if that. Once I started the lexapro, I suddenly became a 12-pack a night habit drinker. Needless to say I gained 30+ pounds as a result. I explained to my doc that my drinking habit was not there before going on lexapro, but he thought it was "all in my head". I made him change me to something else and as soon as I went on Wellbutrin my drinking habit ceased...just like that.
The Wellbutrin made me extremely ill, and my doc didn't believe that either, so after I dropped him, I started seeing my current PCP and she is a godsend. I travel an extra 20 miles to see her, but she is worth it. She put me on zoloft and I have never felt better. Since I have been diagnosed with fibro, the rheumatologist recommended that they switch the zoloft to cymbalta, but my PCP and I made the decision not to do this because of the odd side effects I have had with anti-depressants before and the fact that the zoloft works so well for me.
Hopefully the lexapro works for you MizSpentyouth2. Good Luck!
i love Lexapro. I have been taking it on and off for about 8 years. as someone mentioned earlier, the off times were me feeling so well i thought i didn't need the medication anymore 9 i was wrong everytime i tried that). i've been on a lot of other antidperessants that supposedly work better for fibro and had bad side effects with them. Lexapro is a lifesaver for me personally. I currently take 20mg and it works really well.
Hi all, i have been on lexapro about a year or so i find it helps some what but feel i need a higher dosage.CHRISTINE i noticed you said 40mg,did you mean 40mg of lexapro?only asking because my dr said it only goes up to 20mg and would not let me raise my dosage,but i definately need something,i find lexapro for me helped without certain side effectsfor example when i took paxil i swear it made me happy alright but i spent money i didnt have,ate like crazy it just made me completely out of control and yet my girl friend takes it and it is perfect for her,honestly if i were rich id still be on the paxil because i was just so darn happy,they really do affect eveyone so differently,i just thank God they have something for people in cronic pain,because despite what some people think i know i need something besides vitamins.hope you all have a great day.thanx for listening . marywoo
When you're switching antidepressants, how do you do it? Do you reduce one slowly while gradually adding the new one? (I just re-read this to check my typing, and that reminded of that commercial for the candy "Smarties"...."Do you melt them very slowly or do eat them really fast?.... lol) I'm losing it!
My doc and I are considering a change from what I take. I take Elavil at night for sleep (knocks me out) and Paxil for anxiety and depression in a.m. Have been having blue-er episodes, plus FM is really bad, so looking for something new. I've been on this "trip" for over 20 years, so I'd imagine things have changed a little. Need to try new things.
Have heard negative things about Cymbalta. Is the pain relief from Elavil from the chemicals in it, or is it because it helps us (some of us ) sleep, therefore reducing pain? And one of you said Effexor worked well for you; is that an SSRI?
Lots of questions!
Paddy
Yes, Effexor is an SSRI. The best thing to do when switching anti-depressants is to get completely off the old one before starting the new one. Taking 2 of the same class at one time can be hazardous to your mental health.
The important thing is not what class the anti-depressant is in, but that it works for YOU. Most people do get the biggest benefit from SSRI's, so it's a good idea to try those first. If they don't work, by all means try something else until you find your magic pill.
Zoloft is not on the short list for FM helpers, but if it's working there's no reason to change to something else. Every person has different body chemistry and that helps to determine how you will react to different kinds of drugs. I take Remeron, and tried Effexor for a week. The first week was GREAT. I felt better than I'd ever felt. But on day 8 I bottomed out and could barely get out of bed for the next 2 days. Needless to say I'm not on it anymore.
effexor is not a ssri--it is a snri (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor). it is usually only prescribed when an ssri does not work. mainly because effexor has many more side effects. it is more of a stimulate and can induce manic states, increase in b/p and has a higher incidence of suicide. it also has withdrawl symptoms and has to be tapered slowly.
I love lexapro too. I have been taking it now for over 4 years or so. I took a break off it to have my second son, and went on it the day I came home from the hospital. Lexapro has helped me get through life, without major depression, horrrible anxiety,problems sleeping because of sleeping and anxiety. I was on 10 mg for 3 1/2 years, and then I felt like I was slipping into depression, so we increased to 20mg. At first the 20 mg made me very tired especially the next day, then that went away so at least I could function without feeling like I needed naps.
I feel lucky that I have not had any side effects from the lexapro. It has helped me with pmdd the most. I do not have the ups and downs of having pms.,like i used to have. It was horrible, I would only have 3-5 good days a month, and I could feel the pms cloud coming over me. It had begun to take over my life, and lexapro was a gift.
I tried one time to go off it, and wean myself down (this was when I was going through one of those phases where I did not want to take any meds, and the cost was expensive and my husband does not believe in meds), and I had weaned myself down from 10 to 5, then 2.5 and then every other day. When I stopped taking them, I was so down, I was unreasonable, and all I wanted to do was cry. I was going through major depression, I called the dr, and they said, "you cannot go off them, you need the medication." That was it, I am on it for as long as I can be.
It works for me, at one time my husband was going through an extremely hard time and they suggested he try lexapro, and then cymbalta. He hated the idea, but it was dead of winter, and he thought he had cancer or a heart attack everyday, which would lead to panic attacks and ER visits, lots of ER visits. The meds made him race, like his heart and body would be racing, and he could not take them. He went off cymbalta. weaned off, had some hard side effects, like brain fog, and dizziness.
I do think lexapro is great, and it works for me. I think anybody who is thinking about taking meds, and is battling depression and anxiety, should think about lexapro. I, would like to take cymbalta for the pain, but I would have to go off Lexapro completely and take some time off, then try cymbalta. The lexapro for me works too well for chance it.
Kellibear,hi you are so right about effexor,they put my brother on that and i swear hes completely crazy now,he wont listen to me and since hes an adult theres nothing i can do for him,he,s gone through thousands of dollers his behavior is completely irradical,i cant beleave none of his drs have noticed this,he,s such a good hearted person i cant stand watching him hes simply out of control he also has most of the same health issues as i do,but i will say he ,hes got way more energy its like hes taken diet pills,like every other med iam sure it effects everybody differently,and he does need energy to make it to work,hes a dealer in the casino but you would have to see this to beleave it,does anyone have any suggestions on how i could get him some help.manic is the perfect description for him,iam scared for him.i dont want to scare anyone from effexor on the other hand i have a female friend who takes it and it gives her energy(she has a special needs child who is deaf,but shes not crazy on it.i wish i could get him to listen to me sorry for rant i just dont want anything to happen to him.thanx mary
hi marywoo, if your brother does stop the effexor, it is very important the he slowly tapers off! stopping cold turkey can cause a serious psychotic episode. effexor either works very well for some--or makes them wayyyy worse! that's why most dr.s won't prescribe it until the ssri's have failed. if a person is bi-polar or has manic episodes--effexor can make this much worse. it does work for some, but it has a ton of side effects!
Marywoo,
You asked a question about Lexapro dosage. I am currently on 40 mg a day also. I actually asked my doctor about that because I had read that the normal therapeutic daily dosage is 20mg. He is a pain management doctor and has found that pain patients with anxiety / depression issues respond better to the higher 40 mg per day. I have been on that dose for about a month and am feeling MUCH better than I was prior to getting on the Lexapro.
LOU, thank you so much for responding iam currently on 20 mg, but know i need more,last christmas i upped my dosage and it helped me when i called the dr.he said there was no such dosage and to go back to 20 mg.i will have to plead my case with him it really helped me get through that holiday.i knew i read some where that people were on higher than 20mg.thanx marywoo.
KELLIBEAR, thank you for your imput,ive already tried to convince him,he thinks hes acting normal,i had a similar reaction to paxil man i loved it but it made me crazy,subconsiously i knew i was not acting normal,i through them in the trash and went through H--- for a month.then went back to dr.and requested lexapro,he wanted to put me on wellbutrin but my girlfriends said they tried that and it would make me hyper.people are better judges of meds than drs. which i sad in my opinion.they dont really follow up on their patients. Thank you so much it helps to talk this stuff out.with the privacy act and all i cant think of anything else to do.his neighbors agree with me iam in contact with them so you can imagine the crazy behavior. hope you all have a painfree day. marywoo
Grapedy - thanks for that info. So, you say you must be completely off one SSRI before starting a new one. How long do you have to be "off"? For example, do you taper down, then stop, then wait one week, two? Or start up the new one right after tapering off?
Thanks for the help
Paddy
Every person is different. That's something you really need to talk over with your doctor. Him and you are the two people who know best how you react to things.
Mary, even with all the HIPAA crap you can still call your brother's doctor and tell him what you're seeing. There's a very good chance your brother has never mentioned any of what's happening to him, which means the doctor has no idea what's going on. Most men never tell the doctor everything that's going on. His doctor can't tell you anything without your brother's permission, but you can tell the doctor what's going on and what you're seeing. I would recommend trying to leave a message with his nurse. I know in my dad's office we were always willing to take calls from family members of patients.
We had one elderly male patient who lied through his teeth every single time he came in. To get the truth of what was really going on we stayed in touch with his housekeeper and his daughter on a regular basis.
Grapedy,iam so sorry if i affended you or anyone,i could never be a dr eiyher and i should not judge them,please forgive me its just so frustrating.iam sure if i had to walk in their shoes i would be singing a different tune.and really part of the problem with my brother is hes enjoying the mania and since the dr only sees him for that short period of time he is pulling the wool over his eyes.iam honestly afraid to make any moves in my brithers case because at least hes happy,iam scared any action to my brother will cause a reaction.do you understand?i actually love my gp he didnt catch my problems years ago but he tried his best with the information i gave him,he kept telling me to go to the gym and i did and neither one of us suspected my neck,in fect when he said he was going to do an mri last july i looked at him and said my neck doesnt hurt,and sure enough there was a disc pressing on my spinal cord.i dont mean anything bad i say its the pain talking,and i know they have one of the hardest jobs there are.even my pm dr i know hes trying to help me but when you get stuck in the spine several times and it hurts worse its hard not to want to strangle him.i see him wed and i will tell him that i wanted to strangle him,but basically hes a very nice guy too,he reminds me of tony danza,anyway iam really sorry i was lashing out at everything because the pain was excruciating,i did not mean to offend you or anyone.hope you all have pain free day marywoo
) sleep, therefore reducing pain? And one of you said Effexor worked well for you; is that an SSRI?
