Increased reflux from starting escitalopram + lamotrigine

[poqi]

I have mild reflux, something like GERD or LERD, for the past six months or so. Mostly no pain, just really bad smells at the back of my throat and occasional vomit burp. It recently (past couple months) started giving me vague gut pain and bloating after meals, so I saw a dr, got scoped, and was diagnosed with reflux. No erosion/ulceration was seen though, just stomach juices bubbling up my esophagus a little.

So, I got some prescription strength probiotics and started putting chia seeds in my drinks. (The goo really soothes all that mess.) My reflux was more or less under control with just that, until I finally decided to go to a psychiatrist for my (years long untreated) depression.

 

Now, after a week at 5 mg escitalopram and 25ish mg (I'm trying to quarter 100 mg pills, it's not so accurate) lamotrigine in the AM, my stomach is MAD. Putting anything in my stomach makes it bloated and painful. And the past couple days it's even worse. Last night, probably two hours after eating I had a wicked vomit burp. Like the food in my stomach wasn't moving down AT ALL. This morning I even woke up bloated. I have a long history of gut unhappiness, but it's usually my bowels/large intestine and this stomach pain shit is really making it hard for me to do anything. Like, I'm so bloated I'm scared if I get up and move around I'm going to vomit. (But I don't have nausea, weirdly enough.) And I think all this clenching my stomach against the bloating and pain is making my asthma worse.

 

Is this a start up side effect that will go away? Anyone know of anything besides PPIs that can help it? I think the problem is that my digestive tract just isn't moving, not that I have too much acid, and besides PPIs give me wicked diarrhea. When I had a big cup of coffee with breakfast yesterday morning, my big hearty breakfast didn't cause me any problems at all. Coffee usually makes my digestive track tweak the fuck out and puts me on the toilet, I think in this case it brought my gut back to normal speed. But I can't do that with dinner.

My doctor actually wants me on 10 mg escitalopram already and I'm scared to go up because I don't want this to get worse. Also I have medication phobia and want to stay at the lowest doses possible for everything.

But I really want to give the meds a chance to work.....