I can't really speak to Prozac, since Lexapro is a newer generation and generally carries fewer side effects.
ironbadger5, just hang in there—you'll hit a plateau eventually, and once you reach that peak, things mostly level out. As for the emotional numbness—it's hard to say if that's a feature or a bug. Most people I know are actually surprised by how calm and unshakeable I've become. It’s like my worldview shifted toward being brutally realistic. (Which isn't exactly a superpower when you're the one delivering bad news). 🤷
ironbadger5 said:Could you walk me through how your progress went on Lexapro? Like, how long did it take before you hit that sweet spot where it actually started working? And what’s your doctor saying about how long you should stay on it?
The first month was a total nightmare. I lost my appetite completely, my sleep schedule went out the window, and I was getting these random panic attacks. Plus, I felt freezing all the time—like, I'd be shivering at night and couldn't get warm during the day no matter what. After those first two weeks, the side effects finally started to taper off, and by the end of the month, they were gone. The improvement was gradual; I just felt a little better every single day. Around the three-month mark, I started feeling great—sometimes even *too* great. I had a few bouts of uncontrollable laughter where I'd just start cracking up for no reason (thankfully, I was home alone when that happened). By about eight months in, I finally felt truly okay, just totally calm. Honestly, there are times I think I've never felt this good in my life. If I had to pick one downside—which is actually a double-edged sword—it's that antidepressants kind of dull the emotional edges of the world. It's like the intensity of love and hate gets dialed down a notch. I don't know if anyone else has noticed that.
shadowtrucker18, hang in there for a month or two. When I first started Lexapro, I dealt with these horrible bouts of panic—well, maybe not even full-on panic, just this constant, irrational dread that came out of nowhere. But eventually, the fog cleared. I’ve been on it for almost two years now and honestly? I feel great. 👍
Yeah, those antihistamines can definitely cause itching too. There’s this decent cream out there with a propolis base—I think it’s called Hema-something. You might want to try rubbing that on in the meantime. Honestly, your best bet is to grab some soap from Walgreens that has essential oil for intimate hygiene.
Honestly, try slathering some diaper rash cream on there after you shower. You can grab some at any Walgreens. Might just be a case of being a little too dry.
Ronald Edwards3 said:This is spot on. Medication quality has absolutely plummeted, and honestly, the culprit is the fact that they’re sourcing ingredients from Asia now—heaven help us. As for the Rapid, I don't get why people are ditching it; there just isn't a better analgesic out there. It’s even been proven to be one of the best for bringing down a fever. Sure, the Forte works okay too, but🙄
Uh, yeah, right. How exactly do you know the quality has dropped? You got an HPLC sitting on your kitchen counter checking every pill? If you want to actually learn how drugs are manufactured and brought to market, let me give you a hint: there are EXTREMELY RIGOROUS standards for what can even be sold as medicine. Most big pharma companies manufacture their active ingredients in India or China, but that doesn't mean the quality is sketchy. In this day and age, with competition being this cutthroat, no company can afford the bad press that comes with a low-quality product. They’d lose millions of dollars overnight.
Either ditch the coffee for tea. You know, that black stuff loaded with caffeine. I dealt with some nasty headaches when I cut back on coffee, but it was just a temporary thing until my body finally adjusted.
Look, those numbers are just reference points based on some statistical averages. For one person, a platelet count of 100 is totally fine, while for someone else, it’s a medical emergency. It’s like body temperature—my baseline is usually around 96. My "normal" is different from yours.
Take my dad, for example. He’s battling CML, so his platelets hover between 8 and 30, and his white cell count sits somewhere between 80 and 170 (when the standard range is around 4.6). When his iron levels finally hit 100, we throw a party...
Sandra Wood45 said:Hey! I actually just read your post while I was out in Maui 👋, so sorry you're going through this.
So, about that honey syrup—does it actually touch that brutal, choking cough? You know the one, where your throat starts twitching and you feel like you won't breathe unless you hack your lungs out? My local CVS gave me some Iceland Moss syrup, and honestly, it does absolutely NOTHING. I was up all night tossing and turning because of the coughing, finally passed out right before dawn. I felt a tiny bit better this morning, but for the last half hour, the choking sensation is back. A sip of water or a spoonful of honey helps for a second, but as soon as it hits my throat, it's back to square one.
👋
I wouldn't know if that syrup works or not. I've been taking it for two days now and I'm still coughing quite a bit. I started using throat lozenges too. Though, maybe I am coughing slightly less than before. With the warmer weather finally hitting, I'm hoping this clears up. This specific cough is always a nightmare; once it grabs hold of you, it can linger for a month straight.
Yep, looks like I caught that bug too... Between the random rain showers and everyone cranking the AC, my cough is officially here to stay. For me, nothing beats some good old honey syrup—you know, the kind with propolis, marshmallow root, and thyme. You can grab it at any local pharmacy. 👍
I’m still sticking to effervescent calcium with Vitamin C. Specifically the Pfizer one. That’s pretty much it for me. I'll pass on the Advil and all that other nonsense.
As far as I know—nope. Zoloft targets serotonin, which isn't something you can just spot on a standard lab panel. If you’re functioning normally, your blood work will look totally fine too. To put it simply: 😁 Don't sweat it; a routine blood test isn't going to flag that you're on Zoloft.
Honestly, you’ve been watching way too much CSI. Just think about the scale—there are tens of thousands of different drugs on the market. Where on earth would they even find the time or resources to test blood against every single one of them? 😕
If you actually bother to look, there’s an entire massive thread dedicated just to contact lenses where everything is laid out in exhaustive detail... 😘