Experiences - SSRI reminds me of acid

[foggyguy]

Seven months ago, I took Lexapro for anxiety. Five hours later, my body felt like it was on fire. I wasn't sure if it's just me worrying too much about the effects of Lexapro but I wondered, "why is my sex drive already bad?" An hour later, I noticed that my emotions got muted yet I felt stimulated and restless. I didn't expect side effects to begin that soon. I was under the impression it'll take two weeks for them to show up. I ended up going to ER twice - one for burning (wasn't sure what it was.. never expereinced it) and one for chest pain (turns out it's GERD). Also, I totally lost appetite (I have a lot of appetite).

Lately, I was thinking that maybe the expereince was just a placebo but was afraid to try Lexapro again.

Well, a few days ago, I woke up feeling strange. I knew something wasn't right. And then my body started to burn up. My emotions felt kinda flat. Normally, when I wake up, I wake up slowly but this time, I woke up totally wide awake so fast. I couldn't figure out what it was going on with me. And I noticed my perception was similiar to Lexapro expereince. When I looked at the Lexapro free sample package, the pill was missing and obviously I took it while I was on Ambien and I didn't remember it at all. Interesting to note that it happened just five hours after I took it, just like the first time I took Lexapro. Called my doctor and he said not to worry.

Now, I am SO glad that I know it's not the placebo effect - it's REAL. My mind got restless and the hot flush wasn't a result of my anxiety or anything. I woke up with NO idea that I already took Lexapro. I was restless and hyper all day and then got chemically depressed. The next day, I started to feel soooo much better, actually better than I ever was.

You know what Lexapro reminds me of? A VERY low dose of acid minus the hallucinations. Maybe my experience with acid made me more sensitive to future serotonin altering drugs?

Does anyone notice the effects of SSRI (notably Lexapro) within a day?

[boostd GVR4]

Interesting.. I take lexapro every day and never felt like that. Sometimes I feel like a zombie though. I dunno. But it took a few weeks for the effects to work for me.

[Gozaggss]

well. odds are, there was something in your system that reacted poorly to the lexapro. if i remember correctly, any MAOIs and SSRIs should never be mixed. sometimes this happens accidentally. *shrugs*


on a separate note, MAOIs and anything should never be mixed... stupid MAOIs....

[splish6]

Originally Posted by foggyguy

Does anyone notice the effects of SSRI (notably Lexapro) within a day?

YES! But with Prozac. Here's mah story:

SWIM was put on Prozac a year ago, then went off of it after about 6 months. Back then SWIM wasn't really focused on getting mentally healthy and didn't pay much attention to how the Prozac was making him feel.

Anyway, SWIM started taking it again a week ago (just 10mg) and he rememebers actually feeling it the first night! He was antidepressed , and was even looking at objects differently! It was almost psychedelic!

Now SWIM hasn't really done any heavy hallucinogens (he's only eaten marijuana twice) so he doesn't think it's some kind of HPPD. He thinks it's just how he's become more sensitive to his reaction to meds and just drugs in general these past 6 months. Why? Because he's been reading more about the effects of drugs and just is paying more attention to his mental...what's the word...condition? Somethin like that.

I can't relate to the "burning" crap you were talking about , but it was interesting to learn how SSRI's can have an effect like this on the first day, and on such a low dose too! I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't any kind of placebo effect.

It makes me wonder why these drugs aren't used recreationally more often. Or maybe they are. I dunno.

[LexaproHo]

Swim has found that Lexapro has been the best tolerated SSRI swim has ever been on and swim felt the beneficial effects of Lexapro within 3 days of beginning it but did experience a slight intoxication on the first day. Perhaps Lexapro isn't for swiy if swiy is having these burning up effects when taking it...sounds bad.

[lulz]

Some kind of connection between LSD and SSRIs would make sense, depending on your brain chemistry. SSRIs increase serotonin throughout the brain by interfering with the way serotonin is normally removed. LSD also increases serotonin transmission, but in a different way by interfering with a specific serotonin receptor.

[eltimmy]

Most people feel an acute effect from SSRIs, and it is negative. Warnings abound about worsened depression in those first two weeks. Subjective clinical effect kicks in later.

Acid? SWIM's experience with SSRIs ... felt opposite in a lot of ways to acid, which was an emotional and mental "opener". SWIM felt peppy but muted.

Useful for a lot of folks tho.