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Mental Health SSRIs and violence - HELP!

Pagey

Pagey

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Apr 11, 2012
Messages
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The Valley of Ashes
Hi,

So I've been on Lexapro/Seroplex (escitalopram) for the past 2 and a half years, with doses varying between 10 and 15mg depending on what was happening in my life. Lately it's been 10mg because everything's been great: got a new flat with my fiancé, finished my degree with great grades, got my dream job. There's just one thing. In the past couple of months I've had these absolute explosions of anger and aggression that I can't attribute to...well...anything. I just get incredibly violent, not only towards myself (I've never self-harmed so much, attempted suicide two days ago) but punch walls, throw things, and have wanted to punch my fiancé more than once (of course I haven't).
I'm scared because each time this happens I feel like I've got less and less control over it. It doesn't feel like me - I have no conscious thought while it's happening. It just happens.

I've been researching the link between SSRIs and aggressive behaviour and there's SO many stories about it I don't know what else it could be. I want to get off them NOW and never touch that shit again. Has anyone experienced anything similar? :\
 
No but that sounds really scary Pagey. Is there something specific that triggers these episodes or is it more like a tension building explosion? To me it sounds like you have A LOT going on, and sometimes stress can manifest itself in ways we have never experienced before. When l was in my late 20's l had a full blown panic attack at work when l had no previous anxiety of any type. I was extremely busy at this point in my life and l was sort of stuffing some of my emotional needs to the side because l didn't have time or energy to deal with them. Our bodies/minds have ways of telling us to slow down a little. Take a deep breath and know you will get better and talk to your Dr asap about your medication concerns.
 
No, but I do feel batshit crazy for about a month after quitting an SSRI. Lexapro was the most difficult one to quit for me. Tapering gradually with a doctor's supervision is the safest way. Make sure it's the Lexapro that's causing your outbursts before quitting. Are you taking any other drugs or supplements? Under extra stress? Talk to your doctor about these violent outbursts ASAP.

Whatever you do, do NOT harm yourself or others. Seek emergency medical attention if you feel like it's a possibility. One split-second outburst could ruin or end your life forever. That would be a senseless shame.
 
Lexapro had a weird side effect on me..it caused me to scream out while sleeping. I would wake up right after and know i just screamed but could not recall why or what i said (but I imagine i scared the hell out everyone). the only other side effects I got on lexapro was really bad nausea if i had a couple of drinks and brain zaps if I tried to discontinue.

If you've been on lexapro for this long and this symptom just appeared it might be something else. Do you have a GP? if so it couldn't hurt to get a full workup.
 
Thanks so so much for all the opinions. Although it does scare me that I seem to be the only one with such horrid side effects, hah :\

AlwaysSleepy I know, I've thought of that..but then what the hell is wrong with me? I'm not strong enough to consider that theory. I just need to keep telling myself it's the build-up of SSRIs in my system...I'm sure you understand :(

Lady Codone, I take stims once in a while but as far as I can remember none of these outburts have happened while on them or coming down from them. They really are as random as possible. I called my GP surgery today and my GP isn't available for almost a month, so I'm seeing a random one next monday, which I'm not thrilled about because I feel I need someone who really knows my past mental history...ack. I'm scared :(

Again, thank you so much for all the answers.
 
My husband has to be on prednisone to control life-threatening inflammation that no one can diagnose as of this point in time. It has turned him into a very aggressive and angry person at times (not violent but the intensity is frightening to both of us). I can certainly relate to how scary and out of control you must feel. Glad you have an appointment to talk to someone. I would really recommend counseling if you can afford it. While this may indeed be simply a reaction to the buildup of the drugs, getting help to deal with all that you are experiencing emotionally can't hurt. <3
 
I have never taken a SSRI but i have taken the SNRI effexor and the Serotonin Norepinephrine enhancer Mirtazapine. The Effexor (generic name Venlafaxine) triggered bad mania and sometimes it caused be to go off the handle and behave violently in situations where i normally wouldn't be phased. In fact one time i damn near took my bosses head off and had to be restrained from decking him because he pissed me off so much. I went from cool and calm to psychotically violent in a few seconds. If my 2 coworkers and friends had not of restrained me i would have been fired and charged with assault. However this was before i was diagnosed as having Bipolar and Venlafaxine is one of the worst drugs for causing the "bad" type of mania there is. I certainly would never take a SSRI or SNRI now although for some reason Tricyclics that act as SNRI's such as Amitriptyline and Trimipramine don't trigger mania in me and help me a good bit.

Mirtazapine on the otherhand caused me to become suicidal when i added it to the Risperidone i was already taking for Bipolar. But that could very well be due to the fact that i was not stabilized on a proper mood stabilizer like Lamotrigine and Risperidone does nothing to help the depressive side of Bipolar.
 
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I was thinking the bipolar thing also... Pretty well known that being on an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer is a big no-no for people with bipolar. Not saying the op is, but it's worth looking into.
 
nuttynutskin said:
I was thinking the bipolar thing also... Pretty well known that being on an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer is a big no-no for people with bipolar. Not saying the op is, but it's worth looking into.
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It would be worth looking into for sure but the thing is certain anti-depressants can trigger Mania even in people who do not suffer from any type of Bipolar disorder. Some anti-depressants such as the SNRI's Venlafaxine and Duloxetine (brand name Cymbalta), the SSRI's Paroxetine and Sertraline seem to be the worst offenders for causing Hypomania, Mixed states and Mania in people who have Unipolar depression without any Manic features from what i have seen anyway. The Stimulation people sometimes get from the more activating anti-depressants such as the Norepinephrine Dopamine reuptake inhibitor Bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban) isn't Mania it's just due to the stimulant effect of the drug so i won't count that. Although Bupropion can still trigger Mania and out of all of the common anti-depressants is the most stimulating it's less likely to trigger Mania in people with Bipolar disorder which is likely due to the fact that it doesn't effect Serotonin to any appreciable level.

If you do have Bipolar disorder taking any anti-depressant can be iffy. Though Bupropion is the least likely anti-depressant to trigger a Manic switch most doctors won't even entertain the thought of trying someone who has Bipolar on any anti-depressant until they have found a mood stabilizer or Anti-Manic or Anti-psychotic drug to balance off their moods. Some shrinks now don't even use mood stabilizers like Lithium and Lamotrigine or Anti-Manic drugs (so called so because they only help the Manic phase and do nothing for the depressive phase) like Carbamazepine, Divalproex or any of the other Valproate's and instead try their patients on a Atypical anti-psychotics such as Quetiapine, Olanzapine and a few others combined with a anti-depressant such as wellbutrin. I have found some anti-psychotics particularly Quetiapine and Olanzapine to work against both the Mania and Depression of Bipolar which is a huge plus as far as i am concerned plus they work much faster then Mood stabilizers (the only 2 true mood stabilizers being Lithium and Lamotrigine) and the Anti-Manic drugs such as Divalproex or Carbamazepine. I guess certain anti-psychotics would technically be mood stabilizers as they help both the Manic and Depressive states of the illness which is something anti-manic drugs don't do. I found Seroquel to work atleast as well in treating the Major depression part of Bipolar as i did against the Manic part. As for Zyprexa it's probably the best anti-psychotic in treating Mania atleast in my opinion but it does help the depressive phase almost as much.

I hope you feel better soon Pagey, Hang in there and if you ever wanna talk you know how to reach me
 
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Thanks so much for the new answers. The bipolar thing has been considered but I've seen a psychologist, a GP and a psychiatrist and they all were very sure I'm not...which is why I just don't know what to make of this :(
Anyway like I said I've got an appointment with a GP on monday so I'll mention all this but I'm just so, so fucking scared of having another 'episode' and actually injuring someone this time. And I'm scared that if I mention it to a doctor they'll put me into a psych ward forcefully. Fuck, I'm so scared.
 
Pagey said:
Fuck now I'm convinced I have bipolar. I'm terrified. god god god I don't know what to do
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Pagey sorry i missed your message but i was out. Try and calm, down ok this hardly means you have Bipolar and even if you do it's not the end of the world. Hit me up again ok i should be in next time
 
nuttynutskin said:
Don't freak yourself out over what people are saying on the internet, none of us are your psychiatrist.
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^ This. Even if we where Psychiatrists you can't diagnose someone long distance. So please see a real shrink and see what they say. Even if it is Bipolar it's hardly the end of the world as there are many drugs out there now that can treat it that are generally less unpleasant then SSRI's. The only side effect i have ever gotten off Lamotrigine is sun sensitivity but other then that and the fact that i get far less mood swings while on it i wouldn't know i was even taking the stuff.
 
paranoid android said:
^ This. Even if we where Psychiatrists you can't diagnose someone long distance. So please see a real shrink and see what they say. Even if it is Bipolar it's hardly the end of the world as there are many drugs out there now that can treat it that are generally less unpleasant then SSRI's. The only side effect i have ever gotten off Lamotrigine is sun sensitivity but other then that and the fact that i get far less mood swings while on it i wouldn't know i was even taking the stuff.
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Same. My current med regime just makes me feel like a normal person. It took me a little while to find the right balance, but now I just go to work and do my uni homework and eat tasty food like anyone else. No crazy feels, no side effects.
 
Also, Edronax made me into an angry, angry person. I yelled at a woman's children in the super market and nearly punched someone who walked past me in a shop. Lasted one week and decided to come off it because I didn't want to end up in gaol.

I just changed meds and it never happened again. Talk to your doctor - aggression is a documented side effect of some meds and changing to another one isn't necessarily a big deal.
 
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