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Avatar universal

Very scared to start Lexapro and Valium?

Currently I am in Zoloft withdrawal after having been forced to stop taking it. I took the zoloft on and off for years. Like all SSRIs it's a very nasty drug that I regret ever starting in the first place. I have had some "unexplained" rashes, swelling, rectal bleeding (zoloft induced) and have to stop taking it again. That would be all fine and dandy except because of all the swelling I had to get an awful steroid shot which has put me in an awful tailspin.

There is no way I can get completely through the zoloft withdrawal on top of the mental havoc the steroid has caused. To give you an idea, I now have failed two different cortisol tests and am having to go to an endo to see if I in fact have steroid induced Cushings. (If you ever get bored look up literature on steroid induced psychosis and Cushings. Never again will I allow anyone to give me steroids.)

Anyway, because of the high cortisol and withdrawal increasing my stress to new unimaginable heights, the doctor made me see a psychiatrist because it is imperative I keep my stress down so my cortisol, bp, and heart rate don't keep climbing. However, I was drugged and now have PTSD and panic disorder so I have a huge problem taking any new medications. And I know from experience every time I start a new SSRI I will have the worst panic attacks of my life that include physical flashbacks of when I was drugged with LSD. (Most physical pain I have ever experienced to date.)

The psychiatrist wants me to take 10 mg of Lexapro. He claimed it was the smallest dose. Obviously not true since it comes in 5 mg tabs. (Sad if I don't do my own research I won't get the truth.) 10 mg of Lexapro is the equivalent to 75 mg of zoloft which is WAY too high for me or anyone else. I never made the mistake of going on high doses of zoloft like they wanted before and certainly won't be tricked into it with another drug. Therefore, the absolute max dose of lexapro I would even consider is 5 mg and that would be pushing it. (I know some people think the "therapeutic dose" for panic is 50 mg of zoloft. This isn't true. According to the drug manufacturer themselves 25 mg is the starting dose for panic disorder which is why they make the 25 mg pills.) Anything over 50 mg for anything other than untreatable depression is overkill. SSRIs essentially deaden and destroy your receptors so the more you take the more likely you will have relapses in your depression.

With all that being said, the only thing I can do now is try and start the Lexapro and then after about 6 months taper again and never put these medicines back in my body. I am just sooo scared to try it. Does it feel different from other SSRIs? It has a slightly different structure chemically. The doctor also switched my tiny emergency xanax rx for valium. I am also scared to take this because I had a bad reaction with klonopin. (Severe muscle pain and dysphoria. It actually gave me anxiety.) So now I don't know which one to take first. I don't want to take the Lexapro and have a bad attack and then take a valium and it make me feel worse. I do have a few xanax left, but not enough to waste because I am saving them for dental appointments.

Can anyone tell me the differences in how xanax and valium feel? I take a very small dose of xanax so I don't really feel it. Just knocks the edge off and doesn't make you drowsy. I've heard valium on the other hand is more likely to make you drowsy. That makes me nervous too, mixing it with Lexapro which also apparently makes people drowsy. I have asthma so I cannot over sedate myself. I tried to tell the psych this, but he didn't really seem interested in anything I had to say just kept saying I was one of the worst anxiety cases he's seen in a long time.

Sorry you can probably tell from reading this that my anxiety is out of control. To make matters worse I tried to check myself into inpatient for zoloft withdrawal, but bc I have this unexplained swelling and possible cushings that I cannot go into inpatient until my other health problems are taking care of because they think that alone can cause severe stress. (I feel it is a strong possibility the swelling is from the zoloft but they won't admit it. Pharmacist even told me it causes it especially in face and hands. And the swelling gets worse whenever I change the dose.)

Please help the zoloft withdrawal is so bad. My body is burning and keep feeling like I'm choking. I can't sleep without being jolted awake. Last time I came off zoloft it lasted two months and I had to go to the er 3 times. I've got to replace it with something fast.
4 Responses
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1756321 tn?1547095325
10 Best Supplements For Antidepressant Withdrawal:

http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/03/19/10-best-supplements-for-antidepressant-withdrawal/
Helpful - 1
1756321 tn?1547095325
Omega 3 is highly recommended to help with antidepressant withdrawal symptoms...especially brain zaps.  
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
Well, the valium definitely didn't work out either. For some reason that drug and klonopin gives me severe anxiety attacks along with other problems.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
They need to do generic testing. Seriously. Tell the doc that you would like pharmacogenetics testing to determine why were having so many symptoms and hopefully try to pick out the most appropriate drug that  won't cause side effects like these.  Stevens Johnson syndrome sounds like a possibility here.  Why don't they just try TCA or SNRI? You failed 2 drugs in the same class already.

I would suggest Ativan first, as it processes through a different pathway then literally all the other drugs you've tried. CYP3A4 is one to avoid right now.
Effexor might prove more helpful but they should not have taken you off the way that they did.
Avatar universal
Well, the valium definitely didn't work out either. For some reason that drug and klonopin gives me severe anxiety attacks along with other problems.
Helpful - 0
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