Need some support please.

[js1803]

Hi, so this past month and a half has been pretty difficult for me. I started to try medication again after 2 years of debilitating anxiety. What really got me is the inability to move forward, the muscle pain, chronic shortness of breath, feeling my stomach all the time, and sleep problems. Basically, my body feels like it's in a constant state of panic, and my biggest problem is sleep and waking up in pain every day. It feels like I work out in my sleep and wake up in that horrendous anxiety... like I can feel the stress in my body/skin.

So, the first med I tried was Viibryd. The only good thing about that is that it relaxed my muscles, however, I had ALOT of bad side effects...I think i got a skin rash too that I noticed, but my body felt so heavy and relaxed and I liked that part of it, but after a week and increase of dosage, I couldn't take it the side effects.

So, I swapped to Zoloft (went from 50 to 100mg over 3 weeks), and I actually sometimes felt a little tiny bit like my normal self. It definetly elevated my mood, however, the muscle pain especially in the morning came back and it felt worse and worse and I just didn't want to do anything physical at all and was depressing me. IT just didn't feel to get better at all, so I called doc and he swapped me to another med.

So now, I'm on Escitalopram 10mg for the past week and while it may have seemed like it may have eased the muscle pain as I'm not stressing about it as much, I do feel like I have gotten worse. I'm still waking up in anxiety and in muscle pain (muscle spasms in the morning.) Monday was a very bad day, Tuesday as not as bad, but today again I wake up in the muscle pain and anxiety and I just hate life because of how I feel in the morning and I have things to do, phsyical things, but I'm chained down with this anxiety and its just hard to move forward.

With that said, I was hopping to find out if this is normal when you swap meds? I want the lexapro to work because I've now tried 5 meds with no luck. Do I need to give it 6 more weeks for this one to work? I wish I could try Trintellix (my first med I tried a year ago) again because I remember it helping a little but its too expensive and I'm worried I might lose my insurance next month, and definetly will be losing it this year.

[clarisse]

Hi,Just to say yes to your question..# It is normal for a lot of people to feel worse for a while. Also if you come off one med you may be experiencing some side effects from that too. Give it more time 4-6 weeks. Epsom Salts are great for muscles, soak in the bath for 20 mins it should help. Hope you feel better soon.

[panic_down_under]

So, the first med I tried was Viibryd. The only good thing about that is that it relaxed my muscles, however, I had ALOT of bad side effects

...I wish I could try Trintellix (my first med I tried a year ago) again because I remember it helping a little

Both of these drugs basically combine the actions of a SSRI with those of buspirone (Buspar) a GAD specific drug which doesn't actually work for most, but which can boost the effectiveness of SSRIs and SNRIs, so it might be worth adding a small dose of buspirone to the escitalopram if it alleviates anxiety, but not the muscle pain. I can't say for sure it will work, but if Viibryd and Trintellix did then there is a chance a SSRI plus Buspar will too.


I want the lexapro to work because I've now tried 5 meds with no luck.

If Lexapro ends up not being the answer for you, with, or without Buspar, I suggest you consider either the SNRI duloxetine (Cymbalta), or one of the older tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). *SNRIs and TCAs are usually more effective for muscle and nerve pain than the SSRIs.

* I would avoid venlafaxine (Effexor) and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), however, because they are really only SSRIs and have other issues

[js1803]

Thank you for the advice.

I've tried Pristiq, but that med just made me more anxious.

So, I'm going to give lexapro a fair trial. I hope it works because I need a break from the anxiety.

[panic_down_under]

I've tried Pristiq, but that med just made me more anxious.

Pretty much all antidepressants can worsen anxiety in the beginning. It is their biggest drawback as anxiety meds. It can be a bigger issue with SNRIs because their slow-release formulations make it more difficult to start on small doses. It's one of the reasons I usually recommend the TCAs ahead of SNRIs.

[js1803]

I'm really struggling. I'm feeling worse since I transitioned over to the Zoloft. I feel as if my mood is slightly worse and no improvement in my anxiety and most of all the muscle pain in the morning is just becoming intolerable from sleeping....!

I mean, I did some phsyical things yesterday, I had to move my bed (Im constantly changing up my bed with foam tops to make it either harder or softer trying to get that perfect softness.. i mean, if its too hard, i wake up in worse pain, if its too soft then I still wake up in little less pain, but then my back is all messed up for it being too soft. But it drives me crazy and makes me sad that I cant do much physically... before all this, i had a phsyically intensive job and I love it. Now, washing my body because I'm so weak from tenseness is a hard... hell im afraid to wash my car cause itll be too much on me.

this is torture.

[panic_down_under]

I'm really struggling. I'm feeling worse since I transitioned over to the Zoloft.

I thought you were now taking escitalopram (Lexapro). Have you just switched back to Zoloft again?


I feel as if my mood is slightly worse and no improvement in my anxiety and most of all the muscle pain in the morning is just becoming intolerable from sleeping....!

What are you now taking, at what dose and how long have you been taking it. Also what were you on before and at what dose?

[js1803]

Sorry I'm on escitalopram 10mg over a week now. Was on 100mg of Zoloft for 3.5 weeks.

---------- Post added at 11:52 ---------- Previous post was at 09:25 ----------

I'm having an urge to quit this med.

Im going back and forth about it.. I want to swap over to trintillex, but its going to be 30 bucks instead of 1$ for it with insurance. However, I dunno whats going to happen after this month... BUT i saw that they have a support program for this medication and it would only cost 10$..

I just remember trying trintillex and it did relax me muscles, however, it was a year ago and i was petrified of medication so i didnt give it long enough.

[panic_down_under]

Im going back and forth about it.. I want to swap over to trintillex, but its going to be 30 bucks instead of 1$ for it with insurance. However, I dunno whats going to happen after this month... BUT i saw that they have a support program for this medication and it would only cost 10$..

Vortioxetine (Trintellix) is a new antidepressant so there is little data to go on, but it wasn't that successful for the 3-4 people that tried in the support forum I used to participate in. Adding buspirone to escitalopram will produce similar chemistry.

[js1803]

Hey, so I ended up taking the Trintellix. I'm not going to accept lexapro because of my past bad experience with it.

After taking the trintellix, I definetely felt some muscle relaxation a little while after I took it..

The feeling did trigger my health anxiety a bit.. I checked my heart beat.

But I did feel a slight relief. The relaxation wasn't as good as the viibryd, but I don't have any other side effects except for some nausea cause I took it on a semi empty stomach.

I have health anxiety with medication, so I'm fearful of meds, so taking 2 meds like you suggested makes me nervous, but if this doesn't work, I might consider trying burspar perhaps with the zoloft or just burspar alone.

[Donny]

It's a shame you didn't keep going on the lexapro/escitalopram.

All ssri's and snri's are cumulative drugs which take 7 to 10 days to reach a steady state of dosage in your system. During this period the side effects can be intense.

Your doctor should have given you a prescription of diazepam for 2 to 3 weeks alongside the escitalopram.

Which ever one you try give it some time, at least 6 to 8 weeks before moving on. I have cycled on and of escitalopram 3 times over the last 11 years and the side effects have been horrendous but in the end they have always helped.

[js1803]

So, 11 days in and I feel like I'm getting worse. I'm having these chocking sensations all through out the day while sitting down. Breathing is horrible.

Hate life right now. So miserable. Hard to cope.

Can't quit cause all it does it get worse.

Very sad

[panic_down_under]

So, 11 days in and I feel like I'm getting worse. I'm having these chocking sensations all through out the day while sitting down. Breathing is horrible.

Are you having difficulty breathing? If so, contact a doctor asap.

[js1803]

IF I get up and do something like right now im cleaning my house cause im so anxious at 2 am, the choking feeling goes away.

I feel it right now, my neck muscles feel tense. I have an oximeter that I crazily look at to try and figure out what i keep taking deep breathes /cant breathe and it reads normal. 99%


This is the worst of the worst.

I'm in hell. The most basic function there is is breathing and its tortured me for 2 years.

[panic_down_under]

The most basic function there is is breathing and its tortured me for 2 years.

So the issue is not a physical impediment to breathing, but an ongoing one of anxiety affecting how you breathe? Hopefully, this will clear once the med begings working. Unfortunately, most antidepressants will initially make anxiety worse and with it also any anxiety related symptoms and issues.


Ask your doctor to prescribe a small dose of one of the benzodiazepines (BZDs) to ease the initial anxiety spike, or if s/he doesn't prescribe BZDs then hydroxyzine (Vistaril), a prescription antihistamine with fairly strong anti anxiety properties, would be a good alternative. Note: hydroxyzine may be contraindicated if you have asthma or bronchitis.