I took 1 lexapro and it has ruined my life..

[KLG79]

I was suffering from alot of stress and then I started to get depressed so, I went to the doctor 9 years ago and he prescribed lexapro and vioxx due to a knot that had come up on my neck ' thinking back on that I believe it was caused from all the tension headaches I was having" anyway that night as usual I put my daughter to bed took the meds. then I went to bed. I woke up about 2 hours later, I jumped strait out of my bed with my mind feeling as if it was a million miles away and racing thoughts and very I was confused, but yet I could feel a cold sensation like ice being run through my viens, I ran into the living room screaming and crying to where my husband was. I remember not being able to stand still I had to be moving constanly in a fast pace my heart was racing I put my hands on my chest it felt like my heart was actually coming out of my chest I felt like I was holding it in with pressure from my hands. Then next I started burning intead of being cold I looked for holes in my body because  It hurt so bad. My husband called my mom and she came and seen me and said it was probably an allergic reaction. I was begging to go to the hospital, but instead she called the doctor at the office she worked at. He told her to give me benadryl. My husband left to go get some during that time I started shaking uncontrolable I was going from being ice cold to burning feelings going through my body like waves.I started getting bad cramps so I ran to the bathroom and had direahha and throwing up at the same time.I just knew I was dying I remember my husband giving me benadryl thinking it would stop everything, but it did hardly nothing! It use to knock me out, but nothing would stop this crazy feelings and the pain I was having. My mom called the doctor back and he said it should wear off by morning...Well it didn't I was took to the hopital 24 hours later still with all these symptoms and was told it was serotion syndrom and sent  home..I lost all kinds of weight I went for almost 2 weeks without eating and barely drinking and walking constantly day and night I was wired up. I was scared to be left alone I didn't shower for 3 days I was told. I didn't realize that at the time that's how messed up I was.I finally went back to the er they ask if I was on crack and I have never had any kind of drugs in my life! They said it was aniexty and sent me home and told me to act normal it was the only way I would get over it. I started to clear up enough to find a new doctor he gave me xanax it is the only thing that helps with the symptoms. I was taking 6 a day and still needed more just so I could sit down. There is so much more I could go on and on, but I just want to know if anyone knows what could be going on I do get better sometimes,but this has never went completly away and I am going on 9 years of this:( I pray everyday for an answer for the right help to come along I just want to be a normal mother and wife again I hate to suffer ,but mostly it kills me to know what my daughter has seen and been through.

[wdtony]

Sorry I have been away for a while,  I have started to make videos about my experience and will be posting them on youtube. I recently suffered another stroke in April. That is my 3rd stroke since the Lexapro.

Check out my very boring and ill-prepared video, there will be 7 nmore sections...at least.

http://www.youtube.com/user/wdtony

if that link doesn't work just search youtube: SSRI brain damage #1

I will be posting more later this week.

There are a lot more horror stories online about these drugs than there were 5 years ago. I understand that there are many people who have written about the positivel effects of anti-depressants and I am not going to argue that some people have good experiences. The point I would like to make is that these "rare" adverse reactions are probably not as rare as we might believe.

These are very powerful drugs and even if they do help some people, no one (not even the people who make these drugs or study the brain) know how they work or what damage might be caused. We have been involuntarily injected into a socio-pharmaceutical experiment without having been given information about risks, consequences or warnings about what we are entering into.

Just ask ANY doctor what the appropriate level of serotonin would be in an average human's brain and you will realize very quickly that they do not know. Then keep asking questions, what are the fucntions of serotonin in the body?...can sensitive populations be damaged by too much of any neurotransmitter or inability to reuptake said neurotransmitter into the emitting neuron? .....what side effects would ensue if a person were to have damaged neurons due to a medically induced chemical imbalance in the brain?

I think I have made my point....Experimental and dangerous, and you will only be answered with "I don't know" or some explanation which will only be a guess or an outright lie.

send me an email or contact me on youtube, people that haven't committed suicide or been placed in psyche-wards due to these drugs are coming together to show the world that this is a very large problem.

***@****

And P.S. I think many drugs that help people are wonderful and I am so happy that we have chemicals that can relieve pain and help our lives, so I don't hate all drugs, my points are all based on the fact that we are not educated and even lied to by Big Pharma at the cost of our health. I actually have to take benzo's now (thank God for them) because of what the Lexapro did to me. And some people freak out on benzo's.... so I am very aware of the good and bad sides of drugs.

[nursegirl6572]

Of course we want to hear everyone's experiences, but you have to understand that these kind of rare events don't come even close in number to the countless people who have had a postive experience, and when people are coming to this forum looking for help with medications and are afraid, the last they need is to read strong statements about medications being "evil" and people warning them never to touch a medication.  

Delivering such a strong message must be done responsibly and compassionately, b/c you just never know how many people you might scare away from THEIR answer to anxiety.

EVERY single person starting a new medication should allow themselves to have their own experiences and not be swayed by stories, good or bad.  A lot of people become too afraid to even try a medication after reading a thread like this.  Anxiety is bad enough without adding fuel to it.

I have total compassion for what you went through, and while I'm not convinced of a Serotonin Syndrome in each case, I'm well aware that a very small percentage of people can have horrible reactions to these medications.  I wouldn't wish what you went through on my worst enemy.  I also am living proof of the overwhelming success these kinds of meds can offer people.  We must be careful in how we deliver our message.  There are plenty of people on this forum who had bad experiences with medications, and they are great at sharing what alternative methods DID work for them and are careful not to be overly frightening in their descriptions.

I wish you the best of luck and hope you can find a medication soon that will work for you!

[KLG79]

I have recently found out that I cannot take any anti-depressents at all..The reason I have had so much trouble is because I can't take any SSRI at all they give me serotonin sydrome or do more harm than good to me..  In two years there will be new meds on the market to help people like me:) and to everyone who don't believe or "thinks they know it all just b/c this hasn't happen to them" Don't complain next time somehting goes wrong or happens to you!! It may not be fair to someone else if you share your own experience!! We are only suppose to be postive nothing negitive happens..LOL.. I am happy it has worked for some people I just didn't want anyone to feel alone if it has happen to them. There is good and bad in all.God bless everyone who has been through this.

[kb1983]

I've been taking Lexapro for 3 years now. Before that, I went through about 3-4 other types of anti-depressent medications. Lexapro has, by far, worked the best for me without any real side affects. To those saying they're scared to take it, well, everyone is different. I feel sorry for those it has badly affected. On the other hand, I have a few friends who take the same medication and have the same good experiance as me. Talk to your doctor about it and start out slow.

[MyLittle1]

I'm on Lexapro and I'm fine. I didn't start by taking 10ml though, I started taking it slowly by taking a quarter then a half then a full.. I don't understand why your Dr. would of had you take it like that to start with. I think maybe the 10ml all at once could of been too much for you and maybe you're more sensitive to meds like you said. Everyone and everybody is different. I'm sorry that you all had this affect to this medication. But, it has worked for some of us and this is not an addictive medication unlike others out there. I wish you the best and hope you feel better soon.

[Wannabebetter]

I am so sorry that all of you have gone through this hell and still are. It makes my bought of anxiety and depression nothing compared to what all of you have been through. I too have a sensitive system to medications. I usually have some type of reaction to all meds. I took Lexapro for a couple of days and I felt awful. My doctor put me back on Wellbutrin. That's pretty much the only antidepressant my body can handle. I will keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers.