Posted by jrbecker on February 7, 2003, at 23:15:57
In reply to I'VE HAD IT! STOPPING THE MED'S!! , posted by MaryZee on February 7, 2003, at 14:39:59
There's no way to judge how you'll do off the meds. It's anybody's guess.
I myself have been on meds for over the past 10 years as well. And over the years I've gone off the meds numerous times. I always justified stopping the meds by saying to myself that the side effects just don't outweigh the benefits...so I'd rather be a little depressed and still be myself. This rationale always proved to be wrong though. In the end, I got more than just a "little depressed" once off the meds. It wouldn't happen right away, but eventually, the stress of everyday life slowly crept up on me. And the scariest part was the fact that, by that point, I didn't even register that I was depressed (it sounds ridiculous, I know, but this has happened to me a number of times). I'd be so low that I wouldn't even know I that I was feeling so sh*tty again because the last time I had felt 'happy' was so long ago. Re-initiating treatment usually happened because family or friends intervened and told me I needed to get help.
Sorry to give you my own parable, but I wanted to tell you I've been there.
So back to your situation. I'm assuming you're on 10mg of Lexapro, right? Why not halve the dosage and see how you do? I myself survive on 2.5 mg of Lexapro (that's just me though since I'm pretty sensitive). Maybe start considering some augmentors instead of the 10 mg dose alone, or even some supplements. I've found that the most effective treatment plan for me has been multiple things in low doses.
I'd hesistate to give you anymore advice until I know more of your symptoms, but I can definitely recommend the fish oil route for starters, if you haven't tried it yet. I don't feel an effect until I take 1.5 - 2 g of EPA daily, but it's definitely been my best second line of therapy behind the Lex.
Good luck with whatever you do, but definitely stay in touch with your doc to make sure he/she can act as an objective monitor of your situation and see how you're getting on.
JB
poster:jrbecker
thread:139997
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030204/msgs/140083.html