I know this is an old post, but I have been debating taking an antidepressant while doing TMS work. I took Lexapro for a couple months about 7 years ago and after tapering off, I developed PGAD and along with weird UTI like symptoms. I was in pain/discomfort and totally freaked out about the PGAD for a few months and had little help from Doctors. I only linked stopping Lexapro with PGAD after researching online. It eventually went away, but I continued to have pelvic pain/tension symptoms. I found physical therapy helpful for these and although I was starting to feel better I was still pretty anxious about these symptoms, working a high stress job, and helping take care of my mom who was in the early stages of Dementia and unable to drive, pay bills, etc. My father passed away when I was a kid so was her main caretaker/decision maker. At only 26 I really was kind of lost in how to manage all this. As soon as I was starting to feel for like myself with pelvic pain/PGAD, I developed a new symptoms- constant tingling on the bottom of my feet. I researched health stuff like crazy- I know- awful to do. I was worried about MS, and was referred to a neurologist. After an MRI and other neurological testing they said it was not MS, but couldn’t give me an explanation. Over the next few months I had random nerve like stabbing pains in my body that would come and go. For a month, I had sharp ear pain that would go and go throughout the day. Shortly after this I developed aching pain in my four front bottom teeth that was sharp when talking. This has been the most stubborn and troubling symptom. I saw a facial pain specialist who seemed to think it was central sensitization from all the pain things/stress I had experienced. I tried amitriptyline for a few months- it took the edge off the pain, but certainly didn’t eliminate it. The pain specialist moved, and the hospital didn’t replace her so I eventually weaned off the amitriptyline. This pain has continued for the last 6 years. Some days it drives me crazy and I just want it all to go away. I hadn’t had any new long lasting symptoms since that one over the last 6 years other than weird nerve sensations that would come and go after a few days, until January this year. I was in physical therapy pelvic floor dysfunction( not bad, but flares up every now and then) when I had a burning sensation around my mouth. It quickly spread to the rest of my face. I jumped up and looked the mirror and my face, chest, and back were bright red and burning. I took Benadryl and went to the ER where they gave me IV steroids and assumed it was an allergic reaction. I had terrible anxiety for a few weeks from all this and the steroids. I had another flushing episode when taking a hot bath. The flushing seems to be triggered by heat as the first time I had a really hot heating pad on my stomach. This was about 2 months ago and I haven’t had any severe flushing episodes since then, but I have been having this sensation of a sunburn on my back, neck and chest- it’s almost like my clothes are more irritating. The weirdest part is how my skin has been in the sun. I have always tanned easily and loved being out in the sun. All the sudden, after these flushing episodes, my skin feels sensitive (like being in the sun with a sunburn) and will get red and blotchy within minutes of direct sunlight. At the beginning of this I went to an allergist who diagnosed it as hives, but I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it being hives. Especially with the heat intolerance. I have to admit, I feel like I’ve been in survival mode the last seven years with a stressful job, my moms declining health, my weird undiagnosable nerve symptoms, and daily stresses everyone experiences. I am wondering if this could all be stress related and am seeing a therapist. I am scared of taking an antidepressant again after Lexapro side effects (I was only taking amitriptyline at a really lose dose a few years ago so I wasn’t as worried about that- I would have continued if it didn’t make my heart beat faster).
@miffybunny and
@Dorado do you feel like you could have healed without antidepressants? I can understand all the other symptoms being TMS, but I’m having a hard time with flushing and skin sensitivity to heat and the sun- it just seems so extreme. I would really appreciate any thoughts you have. Thank you so much in advance. I have read some of your posts and am so happy y’all have found healing.
