Lexapro, Xanax and Anxiety attacks

I had a very recent traumatic experience. A friend of our family attempted sexual assault which deeply impacted me. I was put on Lexapro to stabilize my moods because I am having severe anxiety from the assault and the hospital stay afterward. I am having a feeling the Lexapro is causing me to have these all over pressure-type headaches but I am also taking Xanax for breakthrough panic attacks. Anyone else have this problem with either of these drugs?

Also, when experiencing an anxiety attack, within a minute or so of the attack beginning...a migraine follows. Anyone else have this problem either? I am wondering if it is because of blood pressure or some other type of body/blood flow dynamic that happens during the anxiety attack.

I'm sure if there are any good answers...I'll find them here.

Hope everyone else is doing significantly better than myself...

Dear LG:

No advise on the issue you mention, but just wanted to reply and say I am thinking of you.

Baby Girl, I was thinking of you today...I'm so sorry.

I've been using Klonopin for sleep but I know it is also used for anxiety. It is very effective but does make me very drowsy.

Xanax usually aborts a migraine for me - I've never had a headache from it. I've never tried Lexapro.

The headache following a panic attack is from your body tensing up during the attack and then releasing when it's over - just how a lot of people get migraines on weekends following a let down of stress. I am assuming you are in talk therapy in addition to the meds, right? I survived a pretty fucked up sexual assault and was basically disabled for a year due to anxiety. The best thing that helped me become able to function "normally" was cognitive behavioral therapy.

PM me if you ever want to talk.

Oh my....LG...
I am so sorry for such a horrible experience. It must have been terrible. I hope that this awful guy is now paying for what he did.

I often get symptoms that seem panic attacks before a migraine. They last less and are less scary than a real panic attack, but they're annoying anyway.

All drugs that act on you brain can trigger migraine in certain conditions.
Lexapro may take a while before it works and stops to give side-effects (H/A included).
I also have problems with Xanax and any other similar drugs. They immediately trigger me headache that can turn into migraine.

Take care
Hugs
Ivy

Hi LG.

Sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience. It really has been a crap year for you, hasn't it.

Several years ago I experienced panic attacks after a bad experience at work. They always caused a horrible migraine. I was also generally prone to more migraines during that period (it was some years before my migraines became chronic) because of my more anxious state. I put this down to my migraine threshold being lowered due to the anxiety/stress factor.

I haven't had experience of the drugs you mention so can't comment directly but was prescribed Seroxat (Paroxetine) to deal with things back then. I think Lexapro and Seroxat are both SSRIs and although sometimes used to treat migraine etc can, like Ivy says, cause headaches themselves.

I needed a period of counselling to help me get over what happened besides the meds.

I truly hope that things get better for you soon.

John

LG - was just thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were. So sorry this happened to you and all the things you have to deal with now. I can't imagine what it's like...

Lexapro - I was on Celexa which is in the same family and it caused me nothing but grief. It interacted with every migraine medication I tried and in the end was making me miserable on its own. I was on it for at least 6 months and it was pure H E L L. I don't know why I had such a bad reaction because I've been on Lexapro as well (for actual depression) and had no noticeable side-effects.

I do know I tend to get a bit panicky with the bad m. My fioricet seems to knock it out - must be the barbituate in it. I hope you are able to find something that works for you soon.

Hugs sent your way...

Thank you guys...for all your support.

Yes, this year has been really tough for me as an understatement. Sometimes I wonder what I did to cause this..but that's why I am going to therapy, which in all honesty is long overdue. I am happy to see a few people got better with anxiety, I can't wait until I wake up in the mornings and don't feel like this. I am wanting desperately to get better.

In any case, the lexipro must be the cause of the "tightening" headaches I am experiencing. I accidentally missed last nights dose and woke up free of the pain. With all that has gone on, my financial stability wasn't great either so I couldn't afford to get my normal fioricet with codeine. My doctor demands a visit with each script given..but maybe if I call and explain she will make an exception, I know my family will support my therapy copays but not my neurology ones.

I'd like to still hear anyone who has tried lexipro because I know, being on topamax, that many side effects can fade. If I can control the headaches with fioricet I'd like to give this med a chance especially if I have hope that within a few weeks this pesky effect will go away. Besides slight stomach discomfort, it is the only problem I have.

Also, for those on Xanax, what dose do you take and does it always effectively cut your anxiety down? My anxiety grows into a full panic attack, I feel them coming generally as soon as I wake up in the morning. If I take the Xanax, I still feel jumpy and wrong but it usually wards a full attack off. Maybe I can get something better or take a higher dose to eliminate this "jump out of my skin" feeling.

Thanks again all for sharing your experiences.

LG - I can only speak to the anti-depressant issue. When I was on it, my pain levels started at a 5 every day. Now that I'm off it, there are days I wake without pain and during an M...the worst it gets now is maybe a 7 (usually not that high) as opposed to a 9.9.

I understand the need for it but perhaps talk with the prescriber about a different class and see if that helps? There are only a zillion different ones out there and perhaps a different one wouldn't be giving you a HA. That also might help some of the anxiety - you may be wired differently but pain makes me anxious.

Wishing you only the best.

LG,

I was on Lexapro for awhile - a few years. It made no difference one way or another to my migraines. I switched to Citalopram (generic for Celexa), not because Lexapro didn't work but because Citalopram is so much cheaper. I have had experience with 4 SSRIs now: Lexapro, Citalopram, Paxil, and Zoloft. I couldn't tell any difference between them. They all help control my anxiety. None of them made any difference migraine-wise.

My objection to SSRIs is that they severely lower my libido. I don't like that but I put up with it for the reduced anxiety. I feel that anxiety does more harm to me than a reduced libido.

I do hope that by increasing my level of exercise and being even more careful with my diet, I will eventually be able to get off the SSRI.

Chris

I'm sorry for all you're going through, LG.

Cheryl