My Plan Now......

[JerryK]

I've been on a low dose of Lexapro for a few years now. Every once in a while I've attempted to go off of it, but always aborted the attempt because I kept having these weird episodes of brain fog and lethargy. Well this brain fog and lethargy are EXACTLY the same symptoms I get when I eat gluten, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make the connection. I'm now of the opinion that I will be much more successful getting off of Lexapro, since I now realize where that brain fog and lethargy were coming from (my morning Apple Fritter).

This makes me wonder how many people out there who are on anti-depressants (and you can be sure there a lot of them, since it is a multi-BILLION dollar industry) have some type of food intolerance...

I will post my progress and/or anything eventful here. J ;

[Lisa]

Jerry GO SLOWLY!!!

When I got of lexipro I did it was to fast, like a week and a half. I started to get this strange electrical pulses all over my body, and other very strange things.

You should do it over a course of a month. Or at the recommendation of a doctor.

[JerryK]

Jerry GO SLOWLY!!!

When I got of lexipro I did it was to fast, like a week and a half. I started to get this strange electrical pulses all over my body, and other very strange things.

You should do it over a course of a month. Or at the recommendation of a doctor.

Good advice. I'm currently taking 1/4 of a 10mg pill. Not much of a dose. It's hard to carve

that 1/4 pill down any lower with any accuracy. Did you experience anything else notable after

stopping? Jerry

[KAG]

Yes, please be careful. During my period of jumping from doctor to doctor, they all decided to put me on antidepressants and each doctor thought they knew better, so I was on quite a few different drugs. It really does matter how long you have been on them in order to get off of them. I would not recommend doing this on your own. Your doctor should be aware of this to help you. I sat down in my doctor's office and said that I had enough and that I was going off of them. He helped me lower my dosage every week over a month. (And yes, by the time I realized it was gluten that was causing all the problems, all of my anxiety and depression lessoned as I was healing)

[Phyllis28]

A pill spliter maybe able to cut the pills into smaller pieces. A pharmacy will have them.

[JerryK]

Well I've had quite a bit of experience with doctors and withdrawing from ADs. I can tell you from experience that most of them don't know jack about ADs or their effects on the patient. They read the PDR and believe it verbatim. They prescribe this stuff like it's candy...everytime someone comes in saying they don't feel well.

Yes I will be careful....

[jerseyangel]

Jerry,

I have to add my "be careful" to everyone elses Maybe contact your doctor, just to be safe.

Good luck with this--be sure to let us know how you did--it would be great if you could go off of it for good

Edit--oops! just saw what you wrote about your experience with this sort of thing. Sounds like you know what you're doing

[sickofit]

I've been on a low dose of Lexapro for a few years now. Every once in a while I've attempted to go off of it, but always aborted the attempt because I kept having these weird episodes of brain fog and lethargy. Well this brain fog and lethargy are EXACTLY the same symptoms I get when I eat gluten, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to make the connection. I'm now of the opinion that I will be much more successful getting off of Lexapro, since I now realize where that brain fog and lethargy were coming from (my morning Apple Fritter).

This makes me wonder how many people out there who are on anti-depressants (and you can be sure there a lot of them, since it is a multi-BILLION dollar industry) have some type of food intolerance...

I will post my progress and/or anything eventful here. J ;

[Lisa]

Good advice. I'm currently taking 1/4 of a 10mg pill. Not much of a dose. It's hard to carve

that 1/4 pill down any lower with any accuracy. Did you experience anything else notable after

stopping? Jerry

This was several months after I was diagnosed and switched doctors. He ran a celiac panel on me when I was two months gluten free, so therefore negative. I know now that he was very skeptical of my diagnosis (confirmed by biopy) and pushed the Lexipro. I was on 10mg for a little over a year and stopped after my daughters wedding ( I know it was helpful with that!). I never thought that I needed it though.

I am convinced that he thought I was anxious and stressed. Fooled him and found another doctor. Now, if I get glutened my first sign IS a feeling being uptight and tense followed by the obvious.

Just another doctor with no answers other than "it's in her head".

[Nantzie]

Oh, I absolutely agree. My dad I'm sure was undiagnosed celiac and he had depression/anxiety/etc. for years.

One of the interesting things was that one med he was on they were trying to get it to show up in his bloodwork and it wasn't showing up at the level it should have been.

They decided it was because he had a fast metabolism.

Because he was so thin.

Even though he was constantly eating.

Malabsorption anyone? <shudder>

So yea. I think so many of the people who are on antidepressants could be helped by looking into food intolerances. It's not the whole reason people become depressed. But even if it could just take the edge off it would be worth it.

There's a entrepreneureal (sp?) idea for you. Working with psychologists as gluten-free diet consultants/life coaches.

As far as going off Lexipro, you might even want to tell your doctor (not ask) that you're planning on a trial off of it and he should be able to give you a plan to do that. Maybe there's a 5mg pill they can cut into quarters? I'm guessing not, or they would have given you half of a 5 rather than a quarter of a 10. If not, I'd do two days on, one day off for two cycles, then every other day for a couple cycles, then two days off one day on, three days off one day on, then stop. That should give your body time to slowly get used to not getting it. It's when you stop suddening that you tend to have problems.

Nancy

[sickofit]

You were getting 2 bad things from the apple fritter. Sugar also causes brain fog and lethargy after the initial feel good rush. Dr. Frank Lawlis (he consults for Dr. Phil's show) wrote a book called The IQ Answer that explains how we can actually help our children do better in school and increase their IQ by changing their diet and eliminating sugar.

[JerryK]

My prescription to get thru this is as follows:

-Cut down slowly

-No Gluten, since it exacerbates the symptoms in me.

-Lots of aerobic exercise...which I always do.

-Sunshine...

j

[NoGluGirl]

Dear JerryK,

I agree that doctors hand these stupid antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds out like candy. These things are not safe! SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are very dangerous drugs. Not only are the side effects very unpleasant, but they are highly addictive. These medications also have high suicide rates among teenagers. Guess what about 90 percent of the teens that went crazy on killing sprees at school shootings had in common? Only about two weeks prior to the event, they had been placed on an SSRI. There is no way that is a coincidence. Doctors automatically assume you are crazy if they do not know what is wrong. They had me on practically every drug known to man. Even worse, I am still stuck on Celexa and probably do not need it. I have been on it for nearly six years now. Such drugs are worse than crack, and at least for illegal drugs they have rehab. They do not have it for these legally evil pills. You cannot suddenly stop them, because it has made people flip out and commit suicide. Withdrawal even is present when you are weaned off of them half of the time. I was weaned off of Paxil years ago, but still had withdrawal.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[jerseyangel]

My prescription to get thru this is as follows:

-Cut down slowly

-No Gluten, since it exacerbates the symptoms in me.

-Lots of aerobic exercise...which I always do.

-Sunshine...

j

Sounds like a good plan!

[JerryK]

Dear JerryK,

I agree that doctors hand these stupid antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds out like candy. These things are not safe! SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are very dangerous drugs. Not only are the side effects very unpleasant, but they are highly addictive. These medications also have high suicide rates among teenagers. Guess what about 90 percent of the teens that went crazy on killing sprees at school shootings had in common? Only about two weeks prior to the event, they had been placed on an SSRI. There is no way that is a coincidence. Doctors automatically assume you are crazy if they do not know what is wrong.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

I left most of what you typed in there, because it is just soooo true. When I first started feeling depressed, they put me on PaxHell...which caused me to seriously wig out. They counteracted this by placing me on a anti-anxiety med (Klonopin) which made my mild depression very serious...they then raised my Paxil dosage because I still didn't feel good (show me the logic in there). In addition to the side effects of Paxil, (which in my case effectively neutered me) the final insult is you have withdrawal symptoms from this drug that's giving you unpleasant side effects...ironic eh? In retrospect, simply doing nothing would've been the most optimum choice for me. NEVER again will I EVER take a drug that makes me feel worse. j

[KAG]

I left most of what you typed in there, because it is just soooo true. When I first started feeling depressed, they put me on PaxHell...which caused me to seriously wig out. They counteracted this by placing me on a anti-anxiety med (Klonopin) which made my mild depression very serious...they then raised my Paxil dosage because I still didn't feel good (show me the logic in there). In addition to the side effects of Paxil, (which in my case effectively neutered me) the final insult is you have withdrawal symptoms from this drug that's giving you unpleasant side effects...ironic eh? In retrospect, simply doing nothing would've been the most optimum choice for me. NEVER again will I EVER take a drug that makes me feel worse. j

[KAG]

OMG! I tend to forget some of the hell I went through with doctors, but this made me realize something. The first antidepressant I was on, I can't remember the name, completely took away my feelings for hunger. I would go all day without eating and finally I would have to eat something because I would pass out. I went back to the doctor and told him and when he asked about my GI symptoms and I said that they weren't as bad, he just used this as evidence that it was all in my head. The idiot didn't even see the fact that my GI problems were better because I WASN'T EATING anything.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear JerryK,

PaxHell is a dangerous drug. It seriously wigged a lot of people out. I was incredibly tired and out of it. It was awful! You know one of my buddies on here freaked her friends out so badly that they flushed her pills! These things are so deadly, SSRIs. Doctors are so stupid. They have no idea, nor do they care to. I had a whole team working on me up at IU Med, and the idiots missed gallbladder disease and this! The guy that was head of the group was head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology! The gallbladder is part of the hepatobialary system. He should not have missed that!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[SunnyDyRain]

Congrats on going drug free as well as gluten free!

I should be on lexapro, I know I have depression... I have a filled perscription, it's somewhere in my bedroom.

Other than the first sadness orginally going gluten free, the past month and a half has been pretty good depression wise. Yes, there are moments of grieving and anger, but I thought it was going to take this much harder than I did.

Quite honestly, my overall mood is good - well except my pms... but nothing will solve it.

Could gluten free be the cure for depression also?

I'd just settle for making life a little bit bearable.

[JerryK]

Congrats on going drug free as well as gluten free!

I should be on lexapro, I know I have depression... I have a filled perscription, it's somewhere in my bedroom.

I'd just settle for making life a little bit bearable.

My advice to you based upon quite a bit of bad experiences, is..if you can function without the

drugs, don't go there. To be fair, ADs, do help some people, but they harm a lot of people and

that sort of gets swept under the carpet. After all, these were mentally ill people right? That guy was

going to jump in front of the subway anyway...right...wasn't he?

The human psyche has a very delicate balance, one that shouldn't be mucked with unless absolutely necessary. These days drug company profits are far more important than a few serious side effects....

Opinions expressed are specifically my own...your results may vary

[confused]

I have always been anti-drugs. That is why my hubby tells me I am lucky to have an disease that does not need drugs to get better, or i would never get better. I dont even take tyenol. my grandpa died from being on too many meds that ate his liver, so i dont take any chances at all.

I dont think 99 percent of the people who are on AD's really need them. I do beleive a small percentage of people do tho, that 1 percent. I think gluten does cause lots of the signs of deprssion that drs rather give an pill to then help fix the problem.

The dr had wanted to put my stepson on an AD, until we found out that he is celiac. He is a changed kid off of gluten. He is no longer depressed.

This of course is all my opinion, and from my education.

paula

[SunnyDyRain]

My advice to you based upon quite a bit of bad experiences, is..if you can function without the

drugs, don't go there.

The human psyche has a very delicate balance, one that shouldn't be mucked with unless absolutely necessary. These days drug company profits are far more important than a few serious side effects....

Opinions expressed are specifically my own...your results may vary

I agree, that is why I don't like taking them. I was first put on them in 2000, (looking back... that's right about when my hair started falling out... and daily D). I took them relgiously for 3-4 monthes... then I started forgetting. Then I noticed the days I was off..wern't that bad.. and damn they were expensive.

So I started to take them when needed. Finals week, Christmas, Death in Family, anytime I was emotionally fragile. I stopped taking them about 2003 when i was done with college. I carried on for 2 years drug free, and then my doc gave me lexapro due to some anxiety and being lethargic. I basically popped them when needed again.

I thought Celiac was going to push me into a deep depression, but it hasn't! I feel better than I normally feel. I actually was thinking the other night "I'm happy! Life isn't perfect... but i'm still happy!"

[NoGluGirl]

I have always been anti-drugs. That is why my hubby tells me I am lucky to have an disease that does not need drugs to get better, or i would never get better. I dont even take tyenol. my grandpa died from being on too many meds that ate his liver, so i dont take any chances at all.

I dont think 99 percent of the people who are on AD's really need them. I do beleive a small percentage of people do tho, that 1 percent. I think gluten does cause lots of the signs of deprssion that drs rather give an pill to then help fix the problem.

The dr had wanted to put my stepson on an AD, until we found out that he is celiac. He is a changed kid off of gluten. He is no longer depressed.

This of course is all my opinion, and from my education.

paula

Dear Paula,

Many pills can be more dangerous. What happened to your grandpa is not uncommon. The same thing happened to her grandfather. His diabetes medication gave him Cirrhosis. I am anti-pill as well for the most part. Doctors write prescriptions for poison every single day.

People can be so easily addicted to the painkillers, SSRIs, and other meds that it is frightening. Even worse, the pharmaceutical companies new how dangerous they were upon releasing them. They knew people would die. However, they also knew, by the time it was realized, they would have made hundreds of billions of dollars on them. Vioxx was a drug that nearly caused my mother to have a heart attack. Thank God she went off of it before it did.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[JerryK]

Good morning campers. Hope everyone is doing reasonably well.

I thought I'd give a progress report. I cut back my Lexapro by about 30% 4 days ago. I notice not much difference in the way I feel. Heck I think I might actually feel better....

This only further supports my theory that gluten was gorking me out and making me think I must need that anti-depressant.

[NoGluGirl]

Good morning campers. Hope everyone is doing reasonably well.

I thought I'd give a progress report. I cut back my Lexapro by about 30% 4 days ago. I notice not much difference in the way I feel. Heck I think I might actually feel better....

This only further supports my theory that gluten was gorking me out and making me think I must need that anti-depressant.

Dear Jerry,

It would not be a surprise. Depression is definitely linked to gluten. A lot of people said they were extremely depressed before giving up the stuff. I think these pills just add to it. You finally get out of the medicated fog and realize you are sick, not crazy!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl