Posted by calmlikeabomb on March 31, 2004, at 0:01:17
In reply to Re: withdrawal effects of lexapro » calmlikeabomb, posted by LynneDa on March 30, 2004, at 10:00:48
thanks for sharing your experience, lynneda. you might find this interesting in regards to seasonal issues.
this past summer was my first venture into anti-depressants during that season. unlike you, i have always been a summer person: dark skin, sensitive eyes (which i believe, though not sure, could mean your more sensitive to the sun's effect on you), increased interest in just about everything.
it's weird though. this past summer i wanted nothing more than it to be bitter cold or cloudy or whatever. anything but having to face the sun and the prospect of overstimulation. complete reversal of, really, my entire life prior.
so, the plan is to see how i react without ssri but keep with mood stablizer (lamictal). should be an interesting experiment.
so far, after what is now seven days of being off lexapro, i have found a number of things:
1.)i again long for warm weather and sun
2.) my dizziness is getting worse, and today, for the first time in the week off the ssri, i hit a depressive bottom i haven't felt since six months ago when i came off paxil and switched to something else. it's amazing how the body chemistry affects what seems to be your very soul. perhaps an overstatement, but it feels true.
3.) nobody understands what the hell you're talking about when you try to explain
if this is, like, a two or three week process of withdrawal, i can ride with that. i wish i knew of some assurance that it will end sooner than later. if that's what it's all about, i think i can handle off and on winter/summer. without the ssri, anxiety will flare up (as it did today) but i've got xanax to fall back on, though i don't like doing that. at least, i hope, i won't shoot into manic episodes that make me threaten my boss that i'm going to kick his ass (didn't get fired, thank god).
one big question i'd like to know is how long does it take your metabolism to speed back up. i'm used to being 6'0" 170, but right now am at about 200 pounds.
and, of course, the duration of withdrawal symptoms. if there is some kind of archive where this has been discussed i'd like any help in accessing it.
again, lynneda, thanks for taking the time to share with me. sorry for the length, but it's so difficult to speak of this publicly and with loved ones who just don't understand.
peace+
poster:calmlikeabomb
thread:330249
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040329/msgs/330629.html