Hello, I'm Miki. I'm a 23 year old female who experienced panic attacks for the first time at 21 (2 and a half years ago). My first panic attack was due to a bad "trip" from experimenting with drugs but my panic disorder started about 6 months after that(after I quit drugs, alcohol, and smoking). I've became agoraphobic about 2 years ago and my then-doctor prescribed me to Lexapro. The medication helped me and I was able to carry on normal daily activities (school and work) with some panic here and there... but not too frequent.
After 2 years on the medication, I decided to ween off it, since I didn't want to be on it forever. I was not informed by my doctor about withdrawals and when I got the horrible symptoms, I was afraid of what the symptoms may be from. I got myself checked and everything was fine. Curious about the withdrawal symptoms, I looked it up on the web and found drugs.com, where Lexapro users discuss their symptoms and help each other out. This is where I realized my symptoms were withdrawals. (The doctors have no idea!)
I'm going into my 4th week since my last dose and I've had constant symptoms that don't seem to fade away(vertigo, pressure in head, and discomfort in throat and stomach area). These constant uncomfortable feelings and sensations are getting me worried and anxious that I've had a few panic attacks this week. This is why I am here. I have made an appointment with a therapist next week and am working on to find a better doctor. I get nausea most of the time I eat and it is hard for me to leave the house again. My husband is in the military and has been gone for 6 months now, so I am back living with my family in their home. I don't work or go to school. All these activities have made me sad and I hope I can be happy again soon (without the help of meds).
