Posted by Sabina on August 22, 2003, at 14:23:49
In reply to first day on lexapro/hell, posted by lost on August 22, 2003, at 11:06:37
this may or may not help you, but it's worth mentioning because it made such a difference to me.
i was in a similar situation, having tried every ssri on the market since they first came out. i had variable, negative side effects with all of them and came extremely close to taking my life. most recently i was on a low dose of lexapro, which i stuck with for over six weeks, as i was instructed. both my gp and therapist said they'd *never* seen anyone have any se's from lex, which nearly sent me over the edge because i knew what was happening to me was real *and* very bad.
that's when i found this board and at least got some validation and support. it was also at that point that i began to take a hard look at myself. i just thought i was nervous and moody. turns out, there were a lot of behaviors with which i was coping, hiding, and diminishing the importance.
to my own surprise, i began to feel that i might be a misdiagnosed bipolar II. i did some research, saw my first ever pdoc, then my therapist, who both agreed that might be the problem.
today i am finally properly diagnosed, off ssri's, and taking a low dose of an atypical antipsychotic (that sounded pretty extreme to me at first, but it was fine). i'm finally getting a hint of what it's like to feel calm. my coping skills have improved, as have my sleep patterns.
please note - i'm not *at all* saying that you were improperly diagnosed. i'm only relating what happened to me; even though i personally suspect it may be a more common scenario than many people realize. bipolar II can be particulary tricky and easily missed, especially by a gp who may not be able to evaluate you properly.
btw, i'm still with my gp and i don't blame her for missing it; especially considering how i hid things so well from everyone, even myself!
by all means, continue to give the lexapro a chance. i just wanted to offer up a thought to consider if it doesn't work out for you. good luck!
poster:Sabina
thread:253086
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/253155.html