All my terrible and weird problems are caused by Lexapro

Well lets hope it's as simple as that @WantToShare. I didn't know you had Parkinson's. My mom had it so if you ever need to talk, I'm all ears. Did you see my post to you about the wind up alarm clock?

Hi! Yes, I did see your post about the wind up alarm clock. Thank you! I have located a good one locally!!!

I met with my pdoc today on Zoom. The med thingy is not as simple as I thought. Seems I have made some unilateral decisions to stop certain meds. Things have been really mixed up. She pointed out that I have had some good periods of calmness/serenity, so she recommended using Gabapentin, Lexapro, and a low dose of Lamictal. I'm convinced.

Very soon I will have a 2/x a month nurse who will manage all my meds for me. They are very complicated, as you can imagine.

Love,

WTS

Awwwww That's wonderful (((WTS))). I hope taking those three medications together help you. So glad you got to chat with your p-doc. It can't hurt to have a 2nd pair of eyes monitoring your medications so the nurse 2x/month is a good idea. I'm up to 10 medications myself and it's a handful to get them all in every day. I frequently forget to take my Thyroid pill every morning and then wonder why I'm so exhausted so we're in the same boat. Hey!!!! I see you found an alarm clock. One less thing to worry about. Let's hope this one works for more than a few days.

Love you, Ruftin!

Parkinsonism and Parkinson's are two different things. Parkinsonism can go away if you stop the medication that caused it as an adverse effect. Parkinson's cannot go away. You were talking about Parkinsonism as a side effect of Lexapro. It is listed as a rare side effect of Lexapro.

I had Parkinsonism as a side effect of Risperdal, which is far more likely than Lexapro to cause it, and that side effect, fortunately, went away completely. I hope you have the same positive result as you taper off Lexapro.

I wouldn't say irritability is a rare side effect of Lexapro. I just posted on your other thread: if you are bipolar and you are taking a naked SSRI, meaning an SSRI on its own, without the protection of a mood-stabilizing or antipsychotic medication, then an escalation into irritability is a likely effect.

I do not know what to do about scalp and eye itching, but I am familiar with skin itching because I experience occasional eczema flare-ups; the first episode was a side effect of Tegretol, after a very short trial that was halted because of the skin rash, but I have continued having flare-ups, occasionally, ever since Jan 2017). For itching, wash your skin with tepid water and a mild cleanser such as CeraVe cream-to-foam cleanser, gently pat dry with a clean towel (patting, not rubbing), and immediately apply moisturizer, such as CeraVe cream (cream, not lotion). These products will last for a long time, as you need very little for each application. Hot showers or baths are not a good idea, as hot water irritates the skin. Products with fragrances and essential oils are also not a good idea.

I see that itching is also listed as a rare side effect. So it seems that you are having two rare side effects and one common side effect to Lexapro. The thing is, if a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic is added back, the irritability from Lexapro is likely to subside or go away, but the itching and Parkinsonism will not. For Parkinsonism, there are medications that can be taken alongside the "offending" medication to ameliorate that side effect. Gabapentin and Cogentin come to mind. I prefer Gabapentin.

I missed that post when replying. So you are already on Gabapentin to ameliorate Parkinsonism and on Lamictal for mood stability. This is wonderful and I hope the mix is successful. Lamictal is titrated very slowly because of a rare but very dangerous rash, so you will need to be patient while waiting for it to start working.

I always appreciate your responses. They are so informative and easily understood. My mother had Parkinson's. I have never even heard of Parkinsonism in my life or if I did I filed it away into the far recesses of my mind. (((Tart)))

Aw, thank you! I realize it must have been hard for your mom to live with Parkinson's and for you to witness her decline. I carry a Parkinson's gene mutation and participate in several research studies that track people like me. One of the studies is called Slow Speed and it investigates whether physical exercise can prevent or delay the onset of Parkinson's in people at heightened genetic risk. One of my tasks in the study is to answer questionnaire every six weeks. I do not have the disease now and I answer no to most questions but just reading these questions drives home or me how much suffering is involved for patients afflicted with Parkinson's. Suffering, disability, and embarrassment, too. Some of the symptoms must be terribly embarrassing in social settings. And to gradually lose one's faculties while being aware of the loss must be so painful.

I have also heard recently that is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in America.

Oh wow, I didn't know Parkinson's was so prevalent. It's frightening, along with Alzheimer's disease. It's manageable as long as you have loved ones by your side who care. We really shielded my mom to the keep her life as close to normal as possible. When she was on palliative hospice we only let the nurse in once week to evaluate her. None of the spiritual advisers, aides, or music therapy staff. I believe keeping her life as close to the one she had worked well. We allowed her friends and family to visit. Physical therapist if necessary. Told her we loved her often and tried to include her in her decisions of care as much as possible. Didn't force her to do anything she did feel like doing as it's a terminal illness and what's the point in pushing her to get better when in the end, there is no getting better. She declined slowly and we didn't point it out. Just met her where she was in each stage of her decline until she reached the end stage and crisis care started, She no longer wanted to eat or drink which is normal because the body doesn't need it when one is passing. She had a very peaceful passing at home in her own bed with my sister and I by her side.

You are describing what any mother would wish for her in her final days. Being surrounded by her loving children, in the comfort of her own bed, not being forced to do anything, being met where she was in each stage of her decline.

I knew that it is normal not to eat or drink at the end of life from listening to this book a couple of years ago, Nothing to Fear Audiobook by Julie McFadden RN, written by a hospice nurse.

I think one of the most important things to have as we age is advanced directives in place so that your wishes are clearly known. My sister and I have ours done even though we’re fairly young. We’re now taking care of my dad now. He’s bed bound and has NO advanced directives in place at 89 years old. He’s quite a handful and I have often wondered what the heck I’m going to do if I walk into his room one day and he’s clearly been gone for hours and I’m expected to start CPR on a body that is already stiff as I wait for emergency services to arrive.

They don’t really know the long term effects of psych meds.

What you get is. “It is thought that” statements and no certainty.

Lexapro made me very agitated after first dose. It hit me in the grocery store and had to get out of there.

I love escitalopram. I've been on several SSRIs/SNRIs and Lexapro is the only one which gave me zero side effects. As with any medication, your mileage may vary. Some people have the weirdest side effects from a placebo.

Paxil worked 6 years for me and stopped.
MAOi's didn't do anything. Took nardil twice.
Vraylar and trintellix made me feel horrible.
Celexa made me agitated.