Current Events > Went to a clinic thinking I had the flu, and now I take Lexapro.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I went because for the last four or five days I've had extreme fatigue. To the point where just bending down to grab something was making me see stars and would get my heart rate up. The flu, strep, and COVID are going around at work so I figured I'd caught something. Came back negative for all that, my blood work looked good, couldn't find a problem when they did an EKG.

I mentioned to the nurse that my brother and sister are both on anxiety medicine and she probably noticed the cutting scars up and down my arm when she did the blood work . She came back and asked me a bunch of questions used to diagnose anxiety and depression, looks to be both. She said being so high strung from anxiety can cause a high heart rate. I have been wanting to take care of this for a very long time now, but was always too afraid to really talk about it with a doctor. I know anxiety and depression meds are very trial and error but I'm just glad the journey is starting.

/blogfaqs

Its good that youve started on trying to find help with it.

I wish you all the best still avoiding drinking right?

Alteres posted...

Its good that youve started on trying to find help with it.

I wish you all the best still avoiding drinking right?

Absolutely, haven't been drinking regularly since March 2022 and haven't touched alcohol period since June 2022.

I did lexapro for a while and it can be life changing. You can finally discern between having a gloomy personality or just flat out having depression. All of a sudden I was feeling more confident than ever and the "voices" of doubt were mostly silent. Did have some minor side effects like some slight ED, but its worth it

JuanCarlos1 posted...

I did lexapro for a while and it can be life changing. You can finally discern between having a gloomy personality or just flat out having depression. All of a sudden I was feeling more confident than ever and the "voices" of doubt were mostly silent. Did have some minor side effects like some slight ED, but its worth it

I'll take slight ED over the depression and anxiety tbh.
I'm just too scared to take that first step myself tho.

Unknown5uspect posted...

I'll take slight ED over the depression and anxiety tbh.
I'm just too scared to take that first step myself tho.

Ahh that was me. I studied psychology and read books about the side effects of these pills so Ive always been wary of them. Finally took the plunge and gotta say that putting things on a balance, theyre worth it. You live with less fear, feel more confident and want to be the very best version of yourself.

My sideffects were lower libido and decreased hardness. You can compensate by doing lots of cardio which also helps your mental health.

I did have some mental fog every now and then, but nothing serious. At first AND when stopping them, you have a high, slight dizzy feeling.

And yeah I stopped it cold turkey. Granted I was only on 5 mg, anything more and you have to wean yourself off lil by lil. Body did feel weird for a while, but months later youll be back to normal (for better and worse)

Congratulations TC, thats a big step. Its weird how many gross physiological symptoms you get from being constantly anxious. I realistically need to go back on my meds, but it doesnt work well with long hours and early mornings.

WrestlinFan posted...

Absolutely, haven't been drinking regularly since March 2022 and haven't touched alcohol period since June 2022.

and this is just freaking awesome. Well done!

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Thank you

JuanCarlos1 posted...

I did lexapro for a while and it can be life changing. You can finally discern between having a gloomy personality or just flat out having depression. All of a sudden I was feeling more confident than ever and the "voices" of doubt were mostly silent. Did have some minor side effects like some slight ED, but its worth it

What made you stop taking it? I'd love if it helped with my self-esteem.

The ED side effects can also seem kinda random because some people will drink on drugs that call for no alcohol and then blame ED on the drugs, when the alcohol is the more likely cause.

Rotterdammerung posted...

Congratulations TC, thats a big step. Its weird how many gross physiological symptoms you get from being constantly anxious. I realistically need to go back on my meds, but it doesnt work well with long hours and early mornings.

and this is just freaking awesome. Well done!

Thank you, it's probably my proudest achievement in life thus far. I was drinking 15~ish beers a day plus whatever little liquor shots I could for well over a year when I was hitting rock bottom. I would be hitting up a gas station on Christmas Day to grab a case to drink alone.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I absolutely agree with this. Everyones brain juice is different, and some meds work better for some people than others. Its important to shop around if you need to.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Right, she told me that we will start with Lexapro because it's good for anxiety and depression, and if I experience any troubling side effects or if it isn't working out for me in a few weeks or so time, then we could try something else.

WrestlinFan posted...

Absolutely, haven't been drinking regularly since March 2022 and haven't touched alcohol period since June 2022.

Big, if true.

I'm just kidding. That's fucking awesome and I'm proud of you

JuanCarlos1 posted...

Ahh that was me. I studied psychology and read books about the side effects of these pills so Ive always been wary of them. Finally took the plunge and gotta say that putting things on a balance, theyre worth it. You live with less fear, feel more confident and want to be the very best version of yourself.

My sideffects were lower libido and decreased hardness. You can compensate by doing lots of cardio which also helps your mental health.

I did have some mental fog every now and then, but nothing serious. At first AND when stopping them, you have a high, slight dizzy feeling.

And yeah I stopped it cold turkey. Granted I was only on 5 mg, anything more and you have to wean yourself off lil by lil. Body did feel weird for a while, but months later youll be back to normal (for better and worse)

Interesting...what are you thoughts about lexapro vs citalopram or bupropion? I've taken the latter and I've had issues with terrible pimples that won't seem to go away.

Cemith posted...

Big, if true.

I'm just kidding. That's fucking awesome and I'm proud of you

Thank you, its been great. The last time I was at this clinic, I was still heavily drinking and was 242 lbs when they weighted me, today I was 168.

WrestlinFan posted...

Thank you, its been great. The last time I was at this clinic, I was still heavily drinking and was 242 lbs when they weighted me, today I was 168.

yeah it's nuts

when I stopped binge drinking booze and soda every night I dropped from like 230 to 170

I'm still out of shape but I literally noticed myself getting fatter since I started drinking more again so that's one of the reasons I decided to stop

WrestlinFan posted...

Thank you

What made you stop taking it? I'd love if it helped with my self-esteem.

Well I was feeling good and was stable from from the mental breakdown I had, and I didnt want to be on them forever. Also missed my libido, but thats really a non issue all things considered.

But... spoiler alert ...you feel good cause youre taking the pill. Once you stop, it feels like your brain is lil by lil rearranging its neural pathways and going back to your previous serotonin levels. So there can be some sudden mood swings and feelings of irritability every now and then when stopping them. I went from not crying the whole time I was on lexapro to being more sensitive emotionally. But nothing serious. Overall its worth it. It greatly shuts down the anxiety voices of doom and self sabotaging.

Sounds like some of my symptoms tbqh
but I hadnt have it seen cause the healthcare around here is somewhat questionable
I do have hypertension tho but I really didnt think anxiety and stress can have a impact on health

I also have eczema and suspect I have severe OCD (I even worry myself into thoughts that revolve around what all can go wrong and I hate it)
having brain fog daily and I mean daily and constantly:..(

"Doc I think have the flu"

"You have anxiety take this shit dawg".

Lexapro is fine. Now I don't feel nervous at the goddamn grocery store thinking people are looking at me or that I'm in the way. It took me till after covid lockdown and going to an AEW show that, unmedicated, I'm very nervous around large groups of people for no good reason. It actually worked enough at 5mg I almost want to ask if we can bump it up only once to 10mg.

Yeah, well, the next trick they're play is to prescribe you some HRT to feminize you. Then referrals for thigh high socks and crop tops. Once you buy your first choker it's all over. Welcome to Joe Biden's Femboy Army. Hope you like turning tricks for sexy Ukranian soliders.

Poor bastard.

JuanCarlos1 posted...

Well I was feeling good and was stable from from the mental breakdown I had, and I didnt want to be on them forever. Also missed my libido, but thats really a non issue all things considered.

But... spoiler alert ...you feel good cause youre taking the pill. Once you stop, it feels like your brain is lil by lil rearranging its neural pathways and going back to your previous serotonin levels. So there can be some sudden mood swings and feelings of irritability every now and then when stopping them. I went from not crying the whole time I was on lexapro to being more sensitive emotionally. But nothing serious. Overall its worth it. It greatly shuts down the anxiety voices of doom and self sabotaging.

Also, for maximum benefits do regular exercise, eat healthy and visit your therapist. I recommend you this book from a psychiatrist, calld "this is your brain on food". Talks at lenghts about the mind gut connection and what foods should you eat and what shouldnt to aid you with specific mental health problems.

I will check that out, thanks for the write up.

OriginalPlain2 posted...

Sounds like some of my symptoms tbqh
but I hadnt have it seen cause the healthcare around here is somewhat questionable
I do have hypertension tho but I really didnt think anxiety and stress can have a impact on health

I also have eczema and suspect I have severe OCD (I even worry myself into thoughts that revolve around what all can go wrong and I hate it)
having brain fog daily and I mean daily and constantly:..(

It's worth a shot to talk to someone, the healthcare can't be worse than my state.

Good luck mate, I got on Lexapro this year myself after having a few panic type episodes. Basically out of nowhere or usually soon after some kind of stressful event, I would feel really off, blood pressure elevated for a bit, heart rate same. They would come back down in time.

I'd say my first week or two on it was kind of rocky and I picked up a few books about anxiety and panic disorder. I'm currently about five months in and it's helped greatly. The brain fog and fatigue aren't perfect but I feel significantly improved.

tl;dr stick with it, as long as you don't have any of the rare adverse effects, it may well be a life changer.

Good luck. I've been on all sorts of anti depressants and I think out of all of them, Lexapro started working the fastest. Stick with it and don't get discouraged if you end up having to try something else or add something on top of the Lexapro. Gotta find what's right for you.