 Switched from Zoloft to Lexapro -- Feeling a little unstable (Counteracting Ritalin?)
I was on a combination of 75mg Zoloft and .5 mg of Klonopin (as needed) for about 6 months until my doctor decided to take me off Zoloft and switch to Lexapro. I am being treated for OCD, GAD, and just recently ADHD. I started on 20mg of Ritalin 3x a day about 6 weeks ago. (Sorry a lot of medication to list lol).
Anyway I was taken off the Zoloft because even though I felt it was helping me greatly with Intrusive thoughts, I would get more random anxiety attacks and it caused me to become a huge crier ( I would have meltdowns about dumb stuff a few times a week). About 3 weeks ago I went to 50mg-Zoloft, 5mg lexapro, a few days later-25mg Zoloft, 5mg Lexapro, then no Zoloft, 10mg lexapro, and now about 3 days ago I moved up to 15 mg of Lexapro.
My transition to Lexapro hasn't been easy, The first week I was jittery, and later became very anxious, unmotivated, and had these burning, prickling headaches that seem to have subsided now. Now on my 3rd day of 15mg of Lexapro, I'm feeling really uncertain about my combo of drugs.
When I first started taking Ritalin It helped me immensely with hyperactivity and my mood. All my life my mood has always been all over the place. Whenever I would transition from an environment of stimulation to home (with nothing to do), I would get restless and then depressed. When I first started taking Ritalin (before the change to Lexapro) I felt that it really helped me keep a positive, motivated frame of mind and helped with transitional periods. (except for the crashes.)
As I have gone up on the Lexapro I feel almost as if the Ritalin has lost it's effectiveness (in terms of the amount of time it lasts) I now feel the crash about 2 1/2 hours after one pill instead of 4. I'm not crying all the time (since off the Zoloft) but I now feel periods of joy/relaxation, then then I will get sort of dull, unmotivated, anxious and really cranky. This seems to fluctuate all throughout the day. Also I find that a lot of noise or commotion really bothers me and I seem sensitive to light, especially at night when I'm driving. Since starting the Lexapro, anxiety has gone down a little, but now I don't feel as happy. Is this just part of adjusting or could it be a sign Lexapro isn't right for me? Or could Ritalin just be losing its affect? Is so confusing to tell which medication is causing what and it's really stressing me out... has anybody else been in a similar situation?
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Conditions: OCD, GAD, ADHD
Meds: Stopped Zoloft, 15mg Lexapro (going up), .5mg Klonopin-2 Tabs a night,1-2 Daily, 20mg Ritalin-3x a Day
Last edited by kmac47; 09-03-2012 at 08:49 PM.
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