# Lexapro + Stimulants



## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Any one ever notice any increased interaction's by combineing lexapro with coffee, ritlin or dexdrine?


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

I find that lexapro combines well with ritalin and amphetamine.


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## Jericho187 (Jan 18, 2011)

Lexapro can be combined safely with caffeine, methylphenidate or any amphetamine (assuming they are prescribed for you). 

If you are asking if they work better in combination, it all depends on the individual.


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Maybe it just me then i've been only sleeping like 3-4 hour's a night from having 1 cup of coffee and 10mg of lexapro..... and my bp been higher with the combo, But that can also be cause by being sleep deprived.


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## Jericho187 (Jan 18, 2011)

When do you take the Lexapro? If at night, it may be disturbing your sleep. Try taking it in the morning instead. Same thing with the coffee.

Is the insomnia a new thing for you? Can you think of any other activites that are preventing you from sleeping well? (eg. temperature in the room, exercising before bed, TV in the room, heavy meals before bed etc.)


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

I've have been taking it in the morning, and been going for long walk's daily there is a tv in the room but its usually off, the insomina started about 5 day's ago when i added coffee into my diet,
Im just hoping i get a decent amount of sleep tonight and my bp goes down it's at like 150/105 ;/ and my head hurt's lol, Also been paranoid....


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

I went for 2 walk's that day one about 7 miles and the other one 5 miles that finish about around 10pm....


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## baranok (Nov 17, 2011)

u gotta tell this to doc

but some ibuprofen could calm u down a bit, try drinking green tea instead of coffee

btw how long are u taking lexapro??


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

After a couple rough night's my sleeping has returned too normal and my blood pressure back down too 120/80 i drop my antidepressant dose down too 5mg for now.. cause it can cause insomnia but i notice when i was getting way less sleep the lexapro was working way better i wonder if that one of the mechanism that it work's in making your sleep deprived and delusional.

it coulda been a interaction between ramipril or lexapro or they both might not agree with caffeine, been on it for about a month after quitting effexor.. gonna resume 10mg lexapro after a couple of day's of good sleep too see if that was the cause,


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

alright here is my finding's with the combo's and previous experience's

ritlin and lexpro i find they potentiate one another effect greatly reducing the amount of lexapro needing too be effective i was taking 20mg lexapro 20mg ritlin sr at the time i think there was some kinda interaction and i was getting serotonin syndrome extremely high blood pressure it made me real talkative confusion severe dehydration tho, i found 2.5mg-5mg lexapro too be much safer and making the lexapro acting like a higher dose i was also smoking cigarettes on the higher dose every smoke made my blood feel like it was turning into sand, higher blood pressure when combine but really cognition enhancing i think it stop the breakdown of the lex and causes more insomina

with adderall and dexedrine.... it just completely nullified the antidepressant effect the depression just overwhelmed the antidepressant increased insomina and malnurition had too discontinue 

coffee increased effectiveness more dehydration and some insomnia similar too ritilin

just curious if you guy's had similar results?


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## imrj (Jan 20, 2009)

_SSRI and Stimulants: Frying the Brain

Dr. Cheney recently came across some information regarding the dangers of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIÌs), such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil, and stimulants like Ritalin and Provigil.
When talking with patients, Cheney usually opens the book to a picture of a monkey's brain before and after it received a very potent SSRI. The "before" photo shows a dark background filled with fine white lines and white blobs, healthy neurons. The "after" photo is very dark, only a few white lines and blobs remain. Most of the brain cells had been "fried".
SSRIs and stimulants work by increasing the firing of neurons. While this often has great benefits in the short term, doctors are now realizing that long term use "fries" brain cells. The body views any neuron that fires excessively over time as damaged, and destroys it. SSRIs and stimulants, taken over a period of 10 years or so, can lead to a loss of brain
cells, causing neurodegenerative disorders. Many doctors have recently seen a sudden increase in patients with neurological symptoms, and most have been on Prozac, or a similar drug, for about 10 years. Cheney is seeing this in his own practice.
During office visits, Cheney also shows patients a copy of the May 22, 2000 issue of Newsweek with Michael J. Fox on the cover. It has an excellent article on Parkinson's
Disease, a condition that involves a loss of neurons in the area associated with motor control. Parkinson's drugs stimulate the remaining neurons to "perform heroically", firing excessively. However, the article notes that while benefits are seen initially, neurological symptoms get much worse at the three to five-year point. Patients experience wild involuntary movements, etc. These drugs, though helpful in the short term, actually speed up the degenerative process.
What mechanisms are at work causing neurons to be "fried"? SSRIs are often prescribed for depression, which involves a lack of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger. One neuron releases a burst of it into the intersynaptic cleft, (the gap between neurons). The serotonin is then taken up by special receptors in the adjacent neuron. Thus a message is sent from one neuron to another, with serotonin carrying the message across the gap. Excess serotonin is cleared away before a new message is sent.
_


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Yeah i find from being over activating not getting enough sleep it feel's like my limb's and arm's are burning sometimes it goes away after sleeping tho, but the burning pain kinda make it more difficult too sleep smoking make this worst, even after work from working hard being stressed make it harder too sleep, could it be nerve damage from over firing... or lactic acid i dunno i've been trying too get 7-8.5 hours of sleep aday this is real important and i find this the most important and feeling great if i maintain this


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## Glass Prison (Nov 21, 2011)

GotAnxiety said:


> Any one ever notice any increased interaction's by combineing lexapro with coffee, ritlin or dexdrine?


Combining SSRIs like Lexapro with meds like methylphenidate (Ritalin) can result in higher levels of that SSRI in your system. This can be a good thing if your well-trained-doctor-who-knows-exactly-what-he's-doing is using it to augment the Lexapro for a specific therapeutic reason.

Obviously it's not so good if the the only thing achieved is worsening SSRI side effects like dizziness, headache, insomnia, sleepiness, Serotonin Syndrome, etc.

fwiw


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## Kon (Oct 21, 2010)

Coffee does nothing for me. I can have 3 cups of coffee and fall asleep easily except I wake up to piss. Lexapro with or without coffee makes no difference but 120 mg pseudoepedrine does make me wake up earlier (and not to urinate) but I still have no trouble falling asleep. I have no clue why?


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

imrj said:


> _SSRI and Stimulants: Frying the Brain
> 
> Dr. Cheney recently came across some information regarding the dangers of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIÌs), such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil, and stimulants like Ritalin and Provigil.
> When talking with patients, Cheney usually opens the book to a picture of a monkey's brain before and after it received a very potent SSRI. The "before" photo shows a dark background filled with fine white lines and white blobs, healthy neurons. The "after" photo is very dark, only a few white lines and blobs remain. Most of the brain cells had been "fried".
> ...


lolol


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Do you guy's take your Ritalin with your Lexapro first thing in the morning or take lexapro at a different time?


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## offbyone (May 5, 2010)

crayzyMed said:


> lolol


Laughing because it's bs? Seems a tad sensational.


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## imrj (Jan 20, 2009)

offbyone said:


> Laughing because it's bs? Seems a tad sensational.


cant be disproven either....so is it worth to wait and see? LOL


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

GotAnxiety said:


> alright here is my finding's with the combo's and previous experience's
> 
> ritlin and lexpro i find they potentiate one another effect greatly reducing the amount of lexapro needing too be effective i was taking 20mg lexapro 20mg ritlin sr at the time i think there was some kinda interaction and i was getting serotonin syndrome extremely high blood pressure it made me real talkative confusion severe dehydration tho, i found 2.5mg-5mg lexapro too be much safer and making the lexapro acting like a higher dose i was also smoking cigarettes on the higher dose every smoke made my blood feel like it was turning into sand, higher blood pressure when combine but really cognition enhancing i think it stop the breakdown of the lex and causes more insomina
> 
> ...


I'm very sleepy/asleep for most of the day on 120 mg MPH and 40 mg Lexapro, so I have no idea what to make of it.

Adding the Lexapro also made my BP and heart rate drop.

So at the moment (but it's still early day) they certainly don't seem to potentiate each other for me, rather the opposite. Or maybe the MPH IS potentiating the well known sleepiness caused by SSRI's and this is the result? I don't know 

Either way: I still remember the moment an psychiatrist who was still in education and functioning as an assistant tell me (when I told her about lying in bed even more on a high dose of a certain SSRI): "SSRI's are activating". I thought to myself: "****ing LOL, she clearly has never taken one herself".

This is not to bash SSRI's, not at all, but we all know they are NOT activating and will certainly make you more tired tje higher the dosage.


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Wow one of my first posts. Im thinking it might of been the addition of the smoking / smoking withdrawal causing neuropathic burning pain. Recently i quit smoking again and experienced some burning. 

I must be different cause on higher doses of lexs i was only able to sleep 4 hours a night and id wake in a pool of sweat. It made me feel like a zombie cause my body never recovered. It was also harsh on the skin. im only taking 2.5mg atm it seems to help lower my blood pressure as well. No sleeping problems on this low dose.

I may retry concerta in 3 months. I recently went to the doc and got lexapro wellbutrin and dexedrine prescribed.


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

Aren't Lexapro and Dexedrine contra-indicated when taken together? 

I'm asking because the Ritalin I'm talking is expensive as ****, Concerta is even double as expensive as Ritalin and there no generic MPH versions.

Dexedrine is not on the market here (nor any other dextroamphetamine version) but you can get it specially "brewed" for you by your local pharmacy, so I assume it would be A LOT cheaper than the Ritalin.


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Ya it can be kinda counter productive. Im giving it another trial run cause it safer on the heart then adderall. Adderall causes less depression for me then d-amps. But adderall causes more oxidative stress. Both meds i crush up and drink from a water bottle thur out the day. That the smoothest release for amphetamines. I use amps once or twice a week or less .


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

GotAnxiety said:


> Ya it can be kinda counter productive. Im giving it another trial run cause it safer on the heart then adderall. Adderall causes less depression for me then d-amps. But adderall causes more oxidative stress. Both meds i crush up and drink from a water bottle thur out the day. That the smoothest release for amphetamines. I use amps once or twice a week or less .


Given your concern for your own heart health, I wonder what your opinion on my current medication combination is: Lexapro 40 mg/day + Ritalin LA 40 mg 3x/day?

Your honest opinion please, don't hold back (but don't deliberately overdo it either)


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Wellbutrin and Ritalin maybe ultimately a better choose because they don't lower hormone production and tend to increase it. That what im worried about with adderall and dexedrine causing downregulation and increased prolactin lower t's dhea and growth hormones levels. Hormone enchancing antidepressants and stimulants would be the best route in overall health and well being.

For heart health everyone different i guess if you can handle that much and it seriously make you tired that pretty astounding. I wouldn't be able to sleep if i took that much. Just shows were all different. One maybe death causing to one life saving to another. I think if i took that much it would kill me.

How you doing side effect wise?


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

GotAnxiety said:


> Wellbutrin and Ritalin maybe ultimately a better choose because they don't lower hormone production and tend to increase it. That what im worried about with adderall and dexedrine causing downregulation and increased prolactin lower t's dhea and growth hormones levels. Hormone enchancing antidepressants and stimulants would be the best route in overall health and well being.
> 
> For heart health everyone different i guess if you can handle that much and it seriously make you tired that pretty astounding. I wouldn't be able to sleep if i took that much. Just shows were all different. One maybe death causing to one life saving to another. I think if i took that much it would kill me.
> 
> How you doing side effect wise?


You're definitely correct on the last part, about (seriously differing) reactions to meds.

Example: I had been having constant nausea, headache, stomach issues and frequent vomiting for some months already. Even though all of these are side effects of Escitalopram, on the day I started taking the Escitalopram... they basically vanished as if I hadn't suffered from them constantly for months on end.

This made me realize once again what a devastating disease major depression is. I think it literally damages every part of your body, brain (no-brainer), organs, etc.

Another one of those examples: since I've been on 120 mg MPH per day and 40 Escitalopram per day, my BP and resting heart rate... dropped. And again, they dropped significantly.

It may very well be better for my heart health in the long run, to aggressively treat my depression with heart damaging meds, how weird as that might sound.

I've been reading a lot about "Major Depressive Disorder" and even thoug it's supposed to be episodic, I somehow managed to acquire a deluxe version of it since birth and for all of my life up until now. At an intensity that made everything I've read about MDD appear like MDD Light rofl

So it is basically synonymous with having some kind of full body cancer. If not treated reaching a minimum amount of success, it will shorten your "life" by years, assuming you haven't already offed yourself by that point. (I've long given up on ever reaching what they call "full remission", I may have to become a Christian and start praying for a medical miracle breakthrough!)


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

GotAnxiety said:


> Wellbutrin and Ritalin maybe ultimately a better choose because they don't lower hormone production and tend to increase it. That what im worried about with adderall and dexedrine causing downregulation and increased prolactin lower t's dhea and growth hormones levels. Hormone enchancing antidepressants and stimulants would be the best route in overall health and well being.
> 
> How you doing side effect wise?


I initially read it wrong and thought you were talking about combining Wellbutrin and Ritalin (would be counterproductive). But indeed, long term either of the 2 would be the "healthier" option. MPH/Ritalin is apparently even neuroprotective (thanks for that tid bit jim!). For me personally, Ritalin (at least now, a while back some idiot doctor prescribed me Tramadol and they were clearly NOT meant to be taken together) feels the least unhealthy out of the 2. Wellbutrin was harsher physically (again, for me).

My side effects now are sexual dysfunction (as usual) and the tiredness. But that's about it. They do seem to go well together and I know the Ritalin also counteracts the sexual dysfunction somewhat.

Lexapro: no libido/desire, genital anesthesia and anorgasmia. Ritalin: impotence, improved libido and some premature ejaculation. So with Cialis/Viagra/ ...? I can see this combination reaching relatively acceptable sexual dysfunction as well.


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