Posts by Linda Taylor11

Terry Mendoza80 said:Ah, my bad, I didn't catch that right away... look, I've been on this stuff for about 8 months now, and honestly, it’s been a lifesaver for my main issues—but lately, maybe over the last month or two, these sleep problems have been hitting me way harder. It’s especially brutal right now because I’m stuck studying all day long, and when you can't sleep, you just can't focus... which makes everything ten times more frustrating. Not that it's constant, mind you—I still manage to get some work done here and there—but I am thinking about tapering off soon. I definitely need to sit down and have a real talk with my psychiatrist first.

🙂 Yeah, it's you, me, and a whole bunch of other students all over the States, too! 😍

Yeah, honestly, your best bet is just to check in with him and see what he thinks. As for the studying part, I find it helps to map out the whole week ahead of time—that's how I handle it—and just try my hardest not to mess up the schedule. 😁

Terry Mendoza80 said:So, are you still taking it? And how long has it been?

I mean, it’s right there above, I've been taking it since last June. Actually, it’s not Cipralex, I’m on Citalopram—just the generic version. It's basically the exact same thing. It works perfectly for me, but hey, that doesn't mean it'll work for you.🤷

Terry Mendoza80 said:Speaking of that constant fatigue... is anyone else here on Lexapro struggling with feeling like they're walking through molasses all day?

It's way less than it used to be for me. Before, I was seriously out for the count, just sleeping through the entire damn day. Now, I get my eight hours in and I'm good to go—I can even actually focus on studying or whatever. 😁

So, back the year before last, and for a huge chunk of last year too, I was spiraling—just super depressed and anxious, not even getting into the mood swings (🙄 ). Because of all that, I started popping Lorazepam pretty frequently. But here’s the kicker: you get hooked on this stuff so incredibly fast, and before you know it, you’re needing more and more just to feel normal.
After taking it for about six months straight—which, by the way, isn't what you're supposed to do; even the packaging says you shouldn't take it daily for more than a month—I couldn't even feel a 2.5 mg dose.
Around June of last year, I started back on Citalopram. It finally kicked in around August. Since August, I haven't touched any Lorazepam. But then, a few days ago, I felt so freaking nervous that I ended up taking a 2.5 mg dose of Lorazepam. It was my first time since August.

Needless to say, I don't really remember anything for about a day and a half, though other people told me I was acting totally wild. 😁 Thank God I didn't have classes that day. 🤣 Seriously though, everyone, please be careful with anxiolytics. There's nothing wrong with taking them when you need to, but watch how much you're using and stay mindful of your dosage.

Linda Sullivan80 said:Alright, thanks for the input. It’s pretty wild—even after five weeks on 5mg of Lexapro, bumping up to 10mg has me feeling that spike of anxiety, the sweats, and the insomnia all over again. It’s like my body is throwing a bit of a tantrum trying to adjust to the higher dose. Fingers crossed this is just part of the process and it'll all pay off in the end.

Look, depending on how bad things are, doctors usually suggest 10 or 20 mg of Lexapro. I’m actually on 20 mg myself right now. Even at a dose that high, it takes forever to actually start working, so honestly, it doesn't surprise me one bit that you aren't feeling much from the meds yet.

lonegardener said:Gentle and optimistic? Yeah, right. ☕ 🤣

Well, I guess it all just depends on how you take it. Personally? It kind of chills me out. 😁

lonegardener said:What is it about that song above that makes it feel so heavy and anxious?

See, that’s the thing—it’s all subjective, I guess. For me, it doesn't even feel sad or anxious; honestly, it feels pretty mellow and kind of optimistic.
If you actually listen to what the lyrics are saying, you'll see it isn't about giving up. It's not like, "Let's all just end it all," it's more like, "Things are rough right now, but I'm gonna keep pushing through."

😍😍😍

Larry Thomas6 said:Look, Brenda Cooper3 didn't mean any harm. It’s just that, unfortunately, that isn't how reality works.
One piece of "advice" I keep hearing is that we should always consider those who have it harder—and there will always be people in that position—so by that logic, our own lives should somehow feel easier. I don't know. To me, that just makes it worse. I see the suffering and the misery that I am powerless to change... and it feels as though that is the true nature of this world, while everything else is just a fog.

Yeah, I'm the exact same way. It drives me absolutely insane when people use those self-soothing mechanisms, because to me, it just feels like they're enjoying feeling superior to everyone else. It doesn't have to be that way, but it definitely feels that way to me.
It’s just total nonsense (and incredibly selfish, by the way): putting other people on a pedestal just because they're struggling more. It's like some weird religious nonsense, if you really think about it. 😁

Anyway, I totally get where you're coming from, but I've kind of just accepted my anxious and depressed moods. Which means, yeah, I'm not gonna be in a good mood 100% of the time, but I try to play around with my moods a bit. Like, every other day I just flip a switch to "good mood mode" and things flow naturally. I think the worst thing you can do is overthink it and start judging yourself for being depressed. It's not like something you can just fix with a single click or whatever. 🙂

Lawrence Barnes3 said:Been on Lexapro for quite a while now. Depression is gone.
The anxiety from all the stress—too—has vanished (I’ve got a hyperactive kid with behavioral issues, and I’m just a 110-pound wreck stuck in bed...)
Don't need the anti-anxiety meds anymore.

But my libido? Gone. 🙂 No big O... 🙄

Just putting on an Oscar-winning performance at this point.

So, what now?

Just hang in there, maybe it'll come back. 😉 😁 I take Celexa (Lexapro) myself, and after the first couple of months, I was freaking out thinking I’d become totally frigid, but then I just chilled out and waited another two months. 😁
Ask my boyfriend if I seem uninterested. 😍

Carl Nguyen2 said:Honestly, I think Sababus is just trying to bait as many idiots as possible out of their holes—all in some desperate hope that they might finally stumble into something useful. 😬

RoyalJelly I can't even begin to explain why this keeps happening... I mean, seriously? It’s like nobody actually listens to anything anymore. I was just looking at what Linda Taylor11 said, and honestly, it’s kind of wild how much people miss the point. I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it, but it feels like we're all just spinning our wheels. It’s frustrating, you know? Like, you try to make a decent point, you lay it all out there, and then... nothing. Just total silence or people arguing about things that don't even matter. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. People just want to be right rather than actually being smart about things. Anyway, just my two cents. Probably doesn't even matter.
Honestly, I'd much rather just stay home, get high on coke, and spend my time tearing people apart on this forum. 😂😂😂

I don't even know where to start with this one. Honestly, I’m just sitting here staring at my screen, trying to process how things actually work in this country. It feels like everything is just... off lately? I guess that's just my take, maybe I'm just being cynical, but it's hard not to feel that way when you look at the state of things. Everything feels so disorganized. Like, you'd think after all this time we'd have figured out some semblance of a system that actually makes sense, but no. It's just constant chaos and people tripping over their own feet. I mean, I'm probably overthinking it, but it's pretty obvious if you just stop and look for a second. It's frustrating, honestly. Just total madness. I guess I should probably mention what Linda Taylor11 was saying...
So... you wanna share a bed? I mean, maybe? I guess we could, if that’s really what we're doing here. I don't know. 😉😍

Man, I am absolutely obsessed with this PDF. Seriously. 🤣😍
Finally feels like I'm actually home. 🙂 😍

slyraven9 said:Man, I’ve been wrestling with this one thing for what feels like forever, and honestly, I just don't know how to fix it. Looking at my own orientation, I’m either gay or bisexual—it kind of fluctuates—and it's starting to really get under my skin. Every single day, walking down the street, I hear people shouting things like, "What's wrong with those queers?" or "Someone should teach them a lesson," or "How can they even show their faces in public?" Look, I try to brush it off, I really do. I tell myself, "Hey, they're just being hateful, but hey, those people are still humans, even if they are the way they are." At first, I was fine with it. Just thought, *whatever, it is what it is, right?* I figured I just had to toughen up and deal with the noise. But after a while, it started eating at me. It created this constant, restless anxiety inside my chest. I see couples everywhere—just happy, totally in love—and I start spiraling. Like, why? Why did this happen to me? Why can't I feel what everyone else feels, you know? That spark with a woman? God, I just want to have a girlfriend. Not a boyfriend. I want to start a normal life, not... whatever this is. Did I even get a choice in the matter? Heck no! Eventually, I just hit a breaking point and told myself, "I don't want this." I don't want to be who I am. I just want a regular life with a girl who loves me, someone I can protect and look after. I want to love her, I want her body to drive me crazy, I want to be a man who loves women. But no matter how hard I try, it feels like I’m tethered to the ground. Like it's some impossible dream I'll never reach. Honestly, I’d rather not exist than keep living like this. I’ve been fighting this battle for so long now. I’ve tried watching lesbian porn—strictly girls—trying to ignore men entirely, doing my own thing to nothing but women, trying to figure out what makes their bodies exciting to me. After months of pure misery and struggling through it, I thought I finally made progress. I started feeling something for women, but it’s mostly just affection; their bodies only turn me on a little bit. Now everything is just a massive, confusing mess. Sometimes it's guys, sometimes it's girls. I'm totally lost and I don't know where to go from here. I know it sounds silly or unrealistic, but that’s truly how I feel. Right now, I just feel like the most pathetic creature on earth. I’m desperate.

So, I guess what I'm asking is... is it actually possible to change your sexual orientation?

Has anyone else ever gone through something similar? What does it even take to make a change like that?
How much time does it actually take? Has anyone ever truly succeeded? Please, seriously, any info would help me out. I honestly don't care if I end up being a firm bisexual or straight, as long as I'm not gay.

Look, just try to realize it isn't your fault. It’s just those primitive jerks who have all these unresolved issues—doesn't even have to be sexual stuff—so they just use anyone different as an excuse to dump their emotional trash on you. 🙂
It might not help much, but man, I really hate seeing people hate themselves just because they don't fit someone else's mold. I guess, honestly, you'd probably benefit most from talking to a therapist right now, just to learn how to accept yourself and maybe figure out how to tolerate other people.
There is nothing shameful about who you are, despite everything those hicks have been shouting at you. You have every right to fall in love and be loved. It's just... well, we live where we live, and things still aren't as accepted as they should be here.

Roger Rodriguez said:I’m not sure if this has been asked before, but I’ve been wondering about the actual effects of mixing antidepressants with alcohol.
I take Paxil 20mg for panic disorder, and while the official instructions say to avoid alcohol entirely, I constantly hear people telling me that a single glass of wine with lunch won't hurt anything. But when you haven't touched a drop in three years, does one glass of wine not feel more like a whole liter?
Specifically, I want to know: can this actually be fatal? I know there's a risk of depressive episodes, but has anyone ever received a clear answer on whether things like heart failure are even possible? To be clear, I'm talking about larger amounts—for me, that would mean something like three glasses of wine...😂

So, I'm on Lexapro myself, and I rarely drink at all—maybe like one small beer every couple of months—and from what I know, you aren't going to die from one little beer or a single glass of wine. Like, seriously, you won't drop dead. 😁
The thing is, I just started back on Lexapro again, been taking it for almost two months now, and I had a beer the other day and man, my head was absolutely killing me all night long. 😢

crimsonheron80 said:Fine. I'll try it. If it works, it works. If not... well, we'll see. 🤷 thanks 😉

No worries. 🙂
If there's some local CVS or Walgreens in your neighborhood where they actually know your face, maybe try asking them nicely. But honestly, if they won't budge without a prescription, I doubt they'll give in. People are way more paranoid about this stuff nowadays. 🤷

Nicole Barrett76 said:God, I hate Big Pharma. What are you supposed to do if you don't have health insurance but urgently need an antidepressant, a hypnotic, or a sedative? You end up dropping over a hundred dollars just like that. (Usually, benzodiazepine sedatives are relatively inexpensive.)

Yeah, true. But right now, I need it just as much as, I don't know, water. I can barely function without my antidepressants.

crimsonheron80 said:I lost my pills and my primary care doctor is out for the next three days, so I can't get a refill. How am I supposed to get my meds?

I don't know what you're on, but the same thing happened to me with Lexapro. I basically just paid full price upfront to the pharmacy. Like, without insurance, it was maybe $150, but with my co-pay, it’s usually like $40. So I just paid the whole $150 at once, and then after I finally got my prescription sent over, the pharmacist gave me back the difference.
Now, I have no clue what you're taking or if that works for your specific stuff. I mean, I doubt you could pull that move with something like Xanax or whatever. 🤷 But hey, might be worth asking.

driftingtiger2 said:Look, analogdriver52, you clearly missed the point of what I wrote. If you’re just here to judge me, then there's really no reason for us to be talking on this thread.

Hey, listen, I gotta say, it might feel like you're hitting a wall right now, but you're wrong if you think you won't pull through. Maybe I should suggest finding some "me time," you know? Just stuff that actually makes you happy. If I were in your shoes, I’d probably start by having a real talk with my husband or boyfriend to try and sort out whatever relationship drama is going on. I mean, at the end of the day, he's the one you're living with, and that's likely what's draining your battery so much.
I don't know if you've seen a doctor yet, but to me, this whole thing sounds like anxiety or depression. And yeah, it's not some rare, exotic thing—tons of Americans deal with this stuff every single day.
Also, just a thought, but maybe stop thinking you're some kind of "magnet" for bad luck. It's totally normal to need time to process everything that's been thrown at you. But, hey, if things get to the point where you don't see a reason to keep going, you seriously need to go see a psychiatrist.

Good luck with everything! 🙂

analogdriver52 said:Look, you just need to realize there are plenty of people going through stuff like this, and there always will be. Basically, we all get what's coming to us because we don't stick up for others when things are going great for us, and then by the time it hits us, it's too late.

Just look at the kids in Africa and see how they live and still find ways to fight. Think about how many of them die every single day and in such horrible ways... meanwhile, you're upset about a dog passing and having a dry spell in the bedroom. People around us die from cancer every day and that's pretty much considered normal... if anyone gets laid off, I'd suggest they go to Africa to help people instead of just sitting around complaining...link

Maybe learn some basic grammar before you start lecturing people on how to help kids in Africa. 😁

I mean, look, I have feelings too, but treating someone like that after they lost a loved one AND a pet? Man, I think I'd just want to crawl into a hole and die.

fadedbear92 said:Either find another therapist who isn't totally out of it right now—because waiting this long is just ridiculous.http://imagesforum.doctissimo.fr/ima.../delphewen.gif

Jelena? I mean, that’s basically what I was getting at. Especially since we haven't even hung out since mid-June (since she's been away on 🙄 vacation).
Thanks, I think I'll take that advice—I actually already have a psychiatrist in mind. 🙂

granitefalcon26 said:Nausea is a side effect for both Cipralex and Citalon. So, if you haven't taken these meds in a while, you really should start with tiny doses. Try starting with just a quarter of a pill, then slowly work your way up to the full dose.

Thanks!
Is it okay if I ask you one more thing?
So, right now I'm dealing with some pretty intense mood swings and I really need something that can help me out on a short-term basis. Everyone knows these SSRIs take like a month—sometimes even longer—to actually kick in.
And my psychiatrist isn't even back in the office until August 6th. Until then, I'm basically just left hanging. 😳

granitefalcon26 said:Is anyone here taking Lexapro? If you are, I wanted to point out something important. There’s a drug called Citadel that some doctors prescribe as a substitute for Lexapro. With Citadel, you don't have to pay an extra copay, whereas Lexapro can run you about $17 extra per box. But here's the catch: they aren't actually the same thing. Citadel uses the generic name (citalopram), while Lexapro is escitalopram. So, there really is a distinct difference between the two.
As for how well they work—honestly, I was being a bit cheap and switched over to Citadel. Big mistake. My anxiety and panic attacks actually got worse. I've since moved back to Lexapro, and I'm feeling much better now.👍

Hey Zeus, I've been taking Citadel myself (I can't really afford much since I'm just a student still living off my parents), but I used to take Lexapro and it worked perfectly for me. I only stopped taking it because I was being stubborn—back when things were a little more comfortable financially, I guess. I started the Citadel three days ago and I've felt sick from the very first dose. It completely kills my appetite and I can barely keep anything down in my stomach.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had these kinds of issues with Citadel?

Dana Morales64 said:I honestly feel like just giving up—I can't face life knowing the truth about who my parents actually are. Either I’m going to disappear somewhere far away where nobody knows my name or anything about my past, or maybe I'll just reinvent myself entirely. Because living like this? It’s just not sustainable anymore.

Look, if you're under fifteen and just being dramatic, fine. But if you're older than that? You've got some serious issues to work through. 🙂
I get it, people have a hard time forgiving their parents when there was actual physical or verbal abuse involved, but I think you're kind of overdoing it with the whole "holier-than-thou" attitude here.