peeej Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 We just upped my dose of Cipralex (Lexapro [Escitalopram]) to 20mg this past week (i've been on the higher dose for 3 days) and i can barely move, all i want to do is sleep. i'm also on zyprexa 2.5mg (down from 5mg). wah? since i started this medication, i've gotten worse, not better, in the depression arena. i'm supposed to be on zyprexa for another couple of weeks (when i see GP again) and probably from there taper to every other day and then every third day. Doc did say possibility that Cipralex will make me more sedated, and we'll try a different one if that's the case. i just can't keep moving through molasses like this. has anyone had this happen, and stuck it out and it went away? anyone else experience just more sedation on this drug? thoughts appreciated. pj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 What time are you taking your meds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeej Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 What time are you taking your meds? 8PM, both of them. i'm hitting the pillow by 9:30 most nights and i'm not getting up until around 10. i had a nap today too and i'm edging toward the pillow again, and it's a bit after 8 here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Century Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 i only took celexa, not the new one... but on celexa i wasn't sedated... but my mood was REALLY FLAT. just flat. maybe take it at night? maybe this isn't your med? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeej Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 i do take it at night, what ended up happening is my doc told me to lower the zyprexa. so i have. he says to watch for hyperness, and if none then continue tapering off the zyprexa. so far, i've gone back to caffeine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Well. It takes at least a month for each dose increase to kick in and about the same for statup side effects to wane I'd guessd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loon-A-TiK Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 i was more laid-back than i typically am, (which was later counter-acted by WB), but not falling asleep all the time. maybe your doc could add wellbutrin to stimulate you a little? like VE said, it does take some time for the drug to get into your system, and the side effects often go away once that happens. for example, when i first started taking topamax it made me so tired i almost fell asleep driving. after a couple of months, it made me so hyper i couldn't sleep. talk about a change! maybe lex is or isn't for you. i'd give it a fair chance to see. it is a good drug, or at least it was for me. it is milder than paxil but still does the job (paxil hits me like a baseball bat- right away i feel it and i'm a junkie from that point forward). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenyflower Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 Hey pj, I was on Celexa and Lexapro a few years ago. The worst of the tiredness lasted about three weeks and went away nearly completely in about six weeks. Also, it took about 3 1/2 weeks for me to feel any benefit from it. But after that, it was really helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 hi peej ((hugs)) i didn't last on cipralex for the same reason. still depressed, moving like a slug, wanting to sleep all the damned time. i gave it six months at a steady dose (that i don't remember now argh), and it never went away for me. remeron was the same. i think some of us are just more sensitive to the sedating ad's. i hope it goes away for you! is it cold in your part of the country yet? it's only october and it's cold on my end! time to break out the knitted hats again. -lysergia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeej Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 hi peej ((hugs)) i didn't last on cipralex for the same reason. still depressed, moving like a slug, wanting to sleep all the damned time. i gave it six months at a steady dose (that i don't remember now argh), and it never went away for me. remeron was the same. i think some of us are just more sensitive to the sedating ad's. i hope it goes away for you! is it cold in your part of the country yet? it's only october and it's cold on my end! time to break out the knitted hats again. -lysergia *biglysergiahugs* thanks for all the input yes it's getting cooler but it's not cold. i want to crochet another blanket. it's getting there. i'm trying coffee to help myself be awake and focused. i think it intereferes somewhat with knowing how i'm reacting to the meds. but i really need to get things done. motivation is a bit better, so i guess that's good.. pj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywoodfreaks Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 This sounds weird, but in my personal experience I had WORSE hypersomnia and tiredness when I tried taking Lexapro at night. You could try it in the morning and see if it helps. I've been on it for almost a year and a half and I always take it shortly after getting up. I've also found that adding Wellbutrin (as little as 150mg) helps with the lack of energy and oversleeping issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeej Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 This sounds weird, but in my personal experience I had WORSE hypersomnia and tiredness when I tried taking Lexapro at night. You could try it in the morning and see if it helps. I've been on it for almost a year and a half and I always take it shortly after getting up. I've also found that adding Wellbutrin (as little as 150mg) helps with the lack of energy and oversleeping issues. hollywood, weird isn't so surprising, when it comes to psych meds. i will consider this switch if i can stabilize myself on 1.25mg of zyprexa with the night dose, because as it is, i'm NOT sleeping at night until i take the meds (but i take the zyprexa and lex together). like last night, albeit i was out late engaging in stimulating behaviour, i got to sleep at 2am. it's hard to separate out the effects of the lex with the lower dose of the still sedating zyprexa. maybe i'll try taking zyprexa first, and then lex. or maybe lex first and then z. i don't know. i'm trying without coffee today; the 5mg of caffeine in decaf was giving me short bursts of focus and then back to being really damn tired. gah pj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chUCKIT Posted October 8, 2006 Share Posted October 8, 2006 here's hoping you hit that sweet spot of meds soon P'Joy! how about some school humor? Gah I know alot of it is sick humor probably written by a NT student just thinking about doing any of these... I DON't know WHY this is funny to me But I now have a case of the giggles and want to share with you PJ! Fifty Fun Things To Do During A Final That You Know You Are Going To Fail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Bring a pillow. Fall asleep (or pretend to) until the last 15 minutes. Wake up, say "oh geez, better get cracking" and do some gibberish work. Turn it in a few minutes early. *Get a copy of the exam, run out screaming "Andre, Andre, I've got the secret documents!!" *If it is a math/science exam, answer in essay form. If it is long answer/essay form, answer with numbers and symbols. Be creative. Use the integral symbol. *Make paper airplanes out of the exam. Aim them at the instructor's left nostril. *Talk the entire way through the exam. Read questions aloud, debate your answers with yourself out loud. *If asked to stop, yell out, "I'm SOOO sure you can hear me thinking." Then start talking about what a jerk the instructor is. *Bring cheerleaders. *Walk in, get the exam, sit down. About five minutes into it, loudly say to the instructor, "I don't understand ANY of this. I've been to every lecture all semester long! What's the deal? And who the hell are you? Where's the regular guy?" *Bring a Game Boy (or Game Gear, etc...). Play with the volume at max level. *On the answer sheet (book, whatever) find a new, interesting way to refuse to answer every question. For example: I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that it conflicts with my religious beliefs. Be creative. *Bring pets. *Run into the exam room looking about frantically. Breathe a sigh of relief. Go to the instructor, say "They've found me, I have to leave the country" and run off. *Fifteen minutes into the exam, stand up, rip up all the papers into very small pieces, throw them into the air and yell out "Merry Christmas." If you're really daring, ask for another copy of the exam. Say you lost the first one. Repeat this process every fifteen minutes. *Do the exam with crayons, paint, or fluorescent markers. *Come into the exam wearing slippers, a bathrobe, a towel on your head, and nothing else. *Do the entire exam in another language. If you don't know one, make one up! For math/science exams, try using Roman numerals. *Bring things to throw at the instructor when s/he's not looking. Blame it on the person nearest to you. *As soon as the instructor hands you the exam, eat it. *Walk into the exam with an entourage. Claim you are going to be taping your next video during the exam. Try to get the instructor to let them stay, be persuasive. Tell the instructor to expect a percentage of the profits if they are allowed to stay. *Every five minutes, stand up, collect all your things, move to another seat, continue with the exam. *Turn in the exam approximately 30 minutes into it. As you walk out, start commenting on how easy it was. *Do the entire exam as if it was multiple choice and true/false. If it is a multiple choice exam, spell out interesting things (DCCAB. BABE. etc..). *Bring a black marker. Return the exam with all questions and answers completely blacked out. *Get the exam. Twenty minutes into it, throw your papers down violently, scream out "Fuck this!" and walk out triumphantly. *Arrange a protest before the exam starts (i.e. Threaten the instructor that whether or not everyone's done, they are all leaving after one hour to go drink) *Show up completely drunk. (Completely drunk means at some point during the exam, you should start crying for mommy). *Every now and then, clap twice rapidly. If the instructor asks why, tell him/her in a very derogatory tone, "the light bulb that goes on above my head when I get an idea is hooked up to a clapper. DUH!" *Comment on how sexy the instructor is looking that day. *Come to the exam wearing a black cloak. After about 30 minutes, put on a white mask and start yelling "I'm here, the phantom of the opera" until they drag you away. *Go to an exam for a class you have no clue about, where you know the class is very small, and the instructor would recognize you if you belonged. Claim that you have been to every lecture. Fight for your right to take the exam. *Upon receiving the exam, look it over, while laughing loudly, say "you don't really expect me to waste my time on this drivel? Days of our Lives is on!!!" *Bring a water pistol with you. Nuff said. *From the moment the exam begins, hum the theme to Jeopardy. Ignore the instructor's requests for you to stop. When they finally get you to leave one way or another, begin whistling the theme to the Bridge on the River Kwai. *Start a brawl in the middle of the exam. *If the exam is math/science related, make up the longest proofs you could possibly think of. Get pi and imaginary numbers into most equations. If it is a written exam, relate everything to your own life story. *Come in wearing a full knight's outfit, complete with sword and shield. *Bring a friend to give you a back massage the entire way through the exam. Insist this person is needed, because you have bad circulation. *Bring cheat sheets FOR ANOTHER CLASS (make sure this is obvious... like history notes for a calculus exam... otherwise you're not just failing, you're getting kicked out too) and staple them to the exam, with the comment "Please use the attached notes for references as you see fit." *When you walk in, complain about the heat. Strip. *After you get the exam, call the instructor over, point to any question, ask for the answer. Try to work it out of him/her. *One word: Wrestlemania. *Bring balloons, blow them up, start throwing them around like they do before concerts start. *Try to get people in the room to do the wave. *Play frisbee with a friend at the other side of the room. *Bring some large, cumbersome, ugly idol. Put it right next to you. Pray to it often. Consider a small sacrifice. *Get deliveries of candy, flowers, balloons, telegrams, etc... sent to you every few minutes throughout the exam. *During the exam, take apart everything around you. Desks, chairs, anything you can reach. *Complete the exam with everything you write being backwards at a 90 degree angle. *Bring a musical instrument with you, play various tunes. If you are asked to stop, say "it helps me think." *Bring a copy of the Student Handbook with you, challenging the instructor to find the section on musical instruments during finals. Don't forget to use the phrase "Told you so". *Answer the exam with the "Top Ten Reasons Why Professor xxxx Sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywoodfreaks Posted October 9, 2006 Share Posted October 9, 2006 Just wanted to check in and say I am going through the same thing since I bumped up the dose to 20mg two months ago. I couldn't resist hitting the pillow last night @ 7:30 pm (!--I am a serious night owl). The sedation will probably go away but it may not be for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeej Posted October 9, 2006 Author Share Posted October 9, 2006 Just wanted to check in and say I am going through the same thing since I bumped up the dose to 20mg two months ago. I couldn't resist hitting the pillow last night @ 7:30 pm (!--I am a serious night owl). The sedation will probably go away but it may not be for a while. yikes. and i've reduced the zyprexa dose, with the effect that i'm finding it harder to get to sleep, i end up taking a clonazepam, and yeah. sleep for 12 hours. it got worse when i was up til 2am one night, but i've been slowly working myself backwards, and sleeping in a little less late (still almost 12 hours though). sigh. i'm hesitating to get rid of zyprexa though. i don't know why. maybe i'm scared i won't sleep at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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