Posted by ed_uk on February 14, 2005, at 8:52:52
In reply to Re: CAT scan and neurologist, posted by Spriggy on February 13, 2005, at 22:43:36
Hi Spriggy,
>Here's the weird thing; after taking Wellbutrin twice, the day after I stopped it, I went 3 days without any sleep or eating. I could not stop my thoughts from racing.
Did you have these symptoms while you were still taking the Wellbutrin or only after you stopped? These symptoms do sound like mania to me but I can't be sure.
Did you feel excited, elated, energetic or euphoric? Were you very talkative?
Did you go without sleep because you didn't actually feel the need to sleep or was it more a case of desperately wanting to sleep but not being able to?
Please can you describe what you mean when you say your thoughts were racing? The reason that I ask is because different people mean different things when they use the term 'racing thoughts'.
Here is a link to a definition of the type of racing thoughts that can occur when someone is manic..........
http://bipolar.about.com/cs/faqs/f/faq_racethought.htmDoes this sound at all familiar?
Perhaps the neurologist will be able to explain the cause of your symptoms. An abnormal EEG might suggest epilepsy, which would explain your black-outs. I don't know whether your black-outs were related to Lexapro, did you have any black-outs while you were taking Lex or only after you stopped?
Like Scott (SLS) said, people with a family history of bipolar disorder are at increased risk of experiencing mania in response to antidepressants. If you stay away from antidepressants, it is possible that you may never experience a similar episode again.
>doctor sent me to a pdoc thinking I was bipolar, and pdoc said, " No bp just having a bad reaction to SSRI's
People who experience mania-like reactions to ADs are at increased risk of having spontaneous manic episodes in the future, it's not inevitable though by any means and so many pdocs feel that bipolar disorder shouldn't be diagnosed unless a person has experienced at least one spontaneous manic or mixed episode. (spontaneous = not in response to medication).
>I would go from feeling euphoric to feeling so bizarre (unreal) and then completely and utterly depressed/suicidal. This happened several times through the day until eventually it turned into just the bizarre, head fog/restless feeling and depression.
This sounds like a mixed episode to me. Please can you describe in a bit more detail how you felt when you were euphoric?
>She had me wean off and I've been off of Lexapro totally for 13 days now.
Do you still have the same symptoms that you had while you were taking the Lexapro or have your symptoms changed since stopping the Lex?
>I'm in a brain fog or coma.
What do you mean by that? Do you mean that you can't think clearly?
>SO... if this is from the Lexapro, why isn't it going away??? I've been off of it almost 2 weeks now.
Lexapro often causes withdrawal symptoms. People who experience manic or mixed states while taking ADs often have similar reactions after stopping an AD. Two weeks isn't very long (although I'm sure it felt like a very long time), your symptoms should improve over the next few weeks. I really hope you feel better soon.
>My concern is that I will go back to doc and be put on yet another medicine that will wig me out even more.
I wouldn't recommend taking any antidepressants in the near future. Your symptoms will almost certainly improve over the next few weeks. If they don't, your doctor might suggest taking an anti-manic drug for a few weeks or months. Since your symptoms were drug-induced, I doubt that your doctor would want you to take an anti-manic drug on a long term basis. Depakote, Tegretol and Trileptal are examples of drugs that your pdoc might suggest. These drugs are also used to treat epilepsy.
Have you ever taken any other psychiatric drugs other than Wellbutrin and Lexapro. I think you mentioned taking Ativan and not liking it.
Have you ever taken Prozac, Paxil, Effexor or Zoloft? If you have, how did they affect you? Were they prescribed for anxiety or depression? Did you have any symptoms similar those that you had while taking Lexapro?
Best Regards,
Ed.PS. Are you feeling any better today? Have you been to the neurologist? Sorry for asking soo many questions, I'm just trying to help :-)
poster:ed_uk
thread:457001
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050212/msgs/457523.html