I Took Your Advice

Update—I Am OK. I took the advice of those who left comments for me on yesterday’s post and went to the emergency room last night. I was there for almost 7 hours. They ran tests and could not confirm a stroke.

The ER doctors do want me to set up an appointment with my MD. The neurologist in the ER said that the symptoms I described—dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, inability to concentrate, headache, etc.—could be side affects of Lexapro, the antidepressant/anti-anxiety medication my doctor prescribed. I have been taking it for almost a month: the first two weeks at reduced strength; the last ten days or so at full strength.
This morning I looked up the side affects of Lexapro:

· More common side effects may include:
Constipation, decreased appetite, decreased sex drive, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, ejaculation disorder, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, impotence, indigestion, insomnia, nausea, runny nose, sinusitis, sleepiness, sweating

· Less common side effects may include:
Abdominal pain, abnormal dreaming, allergic reactions, blurred vision, bronchitis, chest pain, coughing, earache, fever, gas, heartburn, high blood pressure, hot flushes, increased appetite, irritability, joint pain, lack of concentration, lack of energy, lack of orgasm, light-headedness, menstrual cramps, migraine, muscle pain, nasal congestion, neck and shoulder pain, pain in arms or legs, palpitations, rash, ringing in the ears, sinus congestion, sinus headache, stomachache, tingling, toothache, tremors, urinary problems, vertigo, vomiting, weight changes, yawning.

I don’t want to stop taking Lexapro without consulting my MD, so I called his office this morning. His office is closed today, so I will have to call back on Monday.

Thanks for your concern. I realize that if my experience can help anyone else who is taking Lexapro, my describing it in this blog can be most beneficial.