I'm on week 4 of lexapro and it might be helping my anxiety & depression a bit. i'm better off than i was 4 weeks ago, but then again usually i am.

however, it's causing me to increase my teeth clenching in my sleep habit and my headaches and face pain are getting far worse. i'm scared to go off the lexapro yet, i think i can help me calmly ease back into society and work in the coming months, but this pain isn't much fun. and i'm tapering off amatryptaline which is probably contributing to headaches.

anyway, all that to say, i came across this article on supplements for anxiety, many of which are already in MarkinIdaho's regimen (mark, any thoughts on those that aren't?), but there's some good background info.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2011/...of-Calm_02.htm

I think that PharmaGABA is the
Best for anxiety. That brand only is
The best absorbed by the body. Gaba works
Like Benzos without the habituating
Possibility. This is OTC.

Another anxiety helper is inositol powder.
This helps some but I find PharmaGaba
Better.

If you take Lexapro tryptophan is off
Limits for you. The clenching jaw is a
Side effect of SSRIs and is due to
the changes in dopamine that increased
Seratonin causes. This movement disorder
May spread to other muscle groups and
Even to your legs with time.

I also experience the jaw clenching and have to make a conscious effort to not do it. I also have started having random muscle twitches and horrible restless/ achy legs- some nights worse than others.

Even more of a reason that I am trying to wean off all these meds and start other OTC products along with my vitamin regimen. Thanks for all this wonderful information.

i found my restless legs got worse--so i couldn't sleep--if i went above 25mg of amatryptaline. mostly i hovered around 12mg, and now i'm down to a tiny spec, maybe 1-2mgs.

lexarpo doesn't seem to make my legs jump too much, but it's hell on the jaw.

good luck! pharmaceuticals are a blessing and a curse

Jaw clenching may get worse... I would go get an over the counter mouth guard...

restless legs.. drink more water and try a tylenol before bed... this should help...

I LOVE Lexapro... it has been a life saver/marriage saver of mine for the last 9 years...

I take Jarrows Inositol powder for anxiety and OC issues.
My daughter does too.
I used to take it regularly once I had tested it out in the beginning, but now I use it as an emergency measure as mrsD alerted me to potential for a certain amount of tolerance.

1/4 teaspoon = 600 mg

quoting info on the one I buy from iHerb

iHerb Health Library - Inositol Info

Now if I need to leave the house and go into the big scary world I take a 1/2 to a full teaspoon. Depending on how I'm feeling. If I start to feel a little off or over speedy during the day, I take it then too.

Neither of us, feel any GI side effects.

I received a sample bottle of PharmaGABA when I ordered last time, but I've not tried that yet.
Vits and Supps are very expensive in Au., so I buy them from the US and they are passed by customs just fine.

[Also a note about SAMe. It raises mood nicely but tends to also raise anxiety after a while for me, so I stay away from that.]

I still haven't bought the L-Theanine, but I want to try that. Just so many $ can be spent.

thanks for the advice! i've got the custom deal from the dentist already. stops the grinding but apparently not the clenching...

Gabapentin (Neurontin) helps me with the jaw clenching at night. I don't take it in the daytime.

thanks mark. i remember you saying that so did a little googling and found something about it interfering with synapses or something i don't really understand...
http://www.wellnessresources.com/fre...rain_synapses/

enough to scare me off. i'm hoping the lexapro is just for the next 5-6 months and i'll just try to cope with the pain