Lexapro and Flare up?

[DanaF]

I have been taking Lexapro for anxiety and depression for 5 months. After about 3 months I got a flare up in my IC (a lot of frequency and some burning) and it hasn't gone away for 2 months. Does anyone think it could be the Lexapro which is an SSRI - or would I have flared earlier? I'm not sure how soon after you take something would you notice a flare since I haven't had one in quite some time (probably 7 years- I always go to the bathroom a lot but I haven't had a flare up like this where I feel the mild urge to go all the time) HELP - anyone? Doctors all say it's not the SSRI (Lexapro).
If it is from the Lexapro, does anyone have any advice on what I can do as an alternative since I recently have become extremely anxious and depressed? Thanks for any help you can give.

[patricia1]

I never flared when taking Lexapro. Then again all of us are so different. What flares me up might not even bother you and then the other way around. Personally I would think something else triggered it. When I take a med I should not I normally know within a matter of time if it will bother me. For me stress causes HUGE flare ups. And I noticed you said you had been anxious and depressed so who knows. I hope you figure out soon and I hope you started feeling better soon....We are all here for you

[DanaF]

Thank you so much for getting back to me soon. It means so much to me. So are you saying that when you take a med that you shouldn't you know within days, not months? I hope that's true, then maybe I won't have to go off of it. I need it badly right now - hopefully not forever. Thanks in advance for your reply.
I'm here for you too!

[DanaF]

Oh, also, what dose of Lexapro were you on?

[patricia1]

I cant remember what dose, but it was what they start you out on. For me when I take a medicine I shouldn't I know pretty fast. Awhile back I took an excedrin migraine. I took it and about 30 minutes later I was miserable. I hope you start feeling better soon.

[dminton]

Sometimes I know right away when I take something new, sometimes it backfires on me down the road. I used to take Bextra FOR bladder pain, now it CAUSES it. Go figure. I myself cannot take any SSRIs at all, even tiny doses; they all cause terrible bladder pain. Others find it helps them!

Diana.

[DanaF]

What did your doctors say when you told them the SSRIs caused pain- all of my doctors say there shouldn't be a correlation. How soon after taking the SSRIs did you get pain? I don't know what to do because I need the SSRIs for my anxiety....you can't win.

[dminton]

Dana, believe me, I feel your pain! Anyway, it is actually a known fact around the more IC-aware healthcare professionals that SSRIs can worsen IC pain. It's hard to get this information, I had to dig around on the internet to find this out. This is one of the big mysteries of IC; why do some things hurt certain people and help others, if we all have the "same" disease? I think there are more people helped by them than not, but I'm not an expert, I'm just going by what I've read here. Then again, you may not be having this problem, if the flare started so long after you started Lexapro. The only way to find out is to stop, and see what happens (but definitely tell your doc you are doing this; there are some meds you have to go off slowly). Some folks seem to just keep trying different antidepressants to see if they find one that doesn't bother them. There are SNRIs, (maybe Effexor? or Wellbutrin?) which are somewhat different, so you may tolerate them if you find that Lexapro is the problem. Some folks find that herbal remedies are great for anxiety, and may not bother your bladder. If you can control the anxiety, the depression would probably improve, or vice versa. Anyway, I'm just going by personal experience and what I've read here. Best of luck!

Diana.

P.S. Trust your body; if your bladder is telling you it doesn't like something, then it doesn't matter what all the "professionals" say.

[kadi]

One of the ICA's information pamphlets that they send out several times a year had an article on SSRI's and their positive &/or negative effects on IC bladders. I wish I remembered the year, but you could probably search their website & find it.

[DanaF]

You took the words right out of my mouth! I will probably need to talk to my doc about stopping the antidepressant, and just find other ways to deal with the anxiety or try something new. Do you know how to find doctors in a certain area that know more about IC? I went to one that was recommended by ICA but he didn't seem to know anything regarding the correlation between SSRIs and the disease. Thanks so much for your help.

[vm]

I have been on Lexapro for over 2 years now and it was actually unexpectedly the final piece in making my IC symptoms go away. It would seem like if you have been on it for months that it's probably not the medication causing the flare, but it is possible. Has your diet changed at all? Stress level?

[DanaF]

Yes, my stress level definitely went up. Although I have been stressed plenty in the last several years and did not get a flare up. I also was able to eat whatever I wanted. The only thing is that I increased the dose of Lexapro from 10 to 20 after 2 months of taking it. A couple weeks later is when my symptoms started (burning and frequency). I'm thinking that maybe I would be OK at 10 but not at 20? How much do you take? What do you think?

[DanaF]

Also, how soon after taking a med do you flare? I am also reading that some people think antidepressants may cause IC. That's ridiculous right? Do you think it can make your condition worse in the long run? You're so lucky it helped you :0). I don't know what to do because I need to take it - at least now with all the stress in my life. What do you think?

[DanaF]

Oh, one more thing - if something like food or medicine does irritate your bladder - how long does it last if you go off of them- because I had been eating a lot of Indian food that I was making with a lot of spices and was thinking there could be a connection - but would my flare last this long?

[vm]

I was on 10mg for 2 years and just in the last couple of months bumped it up to 20. If you noticed a flare up when you changed to 20 then maybe you could try going back down to 10 to see if it helps.

Antidepressants don't cause IC - you are right. We don't really know what causes it. Most think there is an underlying predisposition to IC and that something else can set it off. Antidepressants might aggravate underlying IC, but it doesn't cause it in people without that predisposition.

I think most people with IC can tell if a med aggravates it within the first week or two. There are people who have noticed problems with meds after a longer period of time - but it is much less common.

Indian food could definitely cause a flare - but how long has it been since you ate it?

If your flare started around the time you increased your Lexapro dose then that really could be the culprit.

It's all confusing, isn't it? :kissing: I hope you can figure something out.

[DanaF]

Thanks Kim. That really helped! What are your symptoms of IC when you have a flare? Do you still have to go to the bathroom a lot when you don't? Did you always have to go to the bathroom as a child or did your IC come on suddenly? I'm just curious as I have not really spoken to people who had IC until I just came on this site. This is great. Thanks again.

[vm]

My IC came on VERY suddenly. One day I didn't have symptoms - the next I did. It was a month after my second c-section, so I think that surgery may have aggravated underlying IC. I was sure it was just another UTI, but I was wrong.

My flares have always involved a feeling of fullness all the time that isn't relieved by going to the bathroom, urethral burning, and a constant awareness of my bladder. No pain to speak of, but very annoying and VERY uncomfortable. I would always feel like I needed to pee.

I haven't flared in quite some time - a mild one here or there, but super mild. I still average bathroom trips at about every 3 hours - but a lot of times I go longer. I think I'll probably always have high frequency - or higher than "normal". With all the meds I am on I feel normal probably 95% of the time ---- which is so much better than it was.

Hang in there! :kissing:

[DanaF]

OOps ignore my last message. What meds are you on??

[vm]

Foods don't seem to bother my bladder now - but I was VERY diet sensitive in the beginning. I faithfully followed the diet for over a year and didn't try to add back any trigger foods until I was basically symptom free for some time. The big things I cut out were chocolate, coffee, TOMATO, citrus fruit - pretty much every fruit, and carbonated beverages. Actually, I pretty much only drank milk and water.

If I flare now it is mild - might last a few days. Before I felt better I pretty much felt in a flare all the time - but it would get worse for days at a time, sometimes weeks.

Stress is one thing that can STILL set me off. I can be pretty tense and that will set off a flare like nothing else for me.

[DanaF]

WHAT MEDS ARE YOU ON? I'm on nothing for IC- do you recommend anything?

[vm]

I saw your last message and answered. ;)

I am on Elmiron, Elavil, Detrol LA and Vistaril. I have been on those for 4 years now. I added in Lexapro 2 years ago, I think it was, for anxiety and depression - but then found that it took away that last bit of discomfort I still had in the urethral area.

[vm]

I can't make any specific treatment recommendations, but definitely recommend researching the ones that are out there. There are instillations where they put medication directly into your bladder through a catheter. I've not had to try that yet. There are the oral meds, of course - the big 3 being Elmiron, hydroxyzine (Vistaril/Atarax) and Elavil.

The problem is that no one treatment works for everyone so what works for one person really might not work for another. It can be pretty trial and error, but definitely talk to your doc about trying something. I am sooooo much happier and more comfortable than I was 4 years ago. I have had 2 years of feeling pretty much normal 95% of the time and I know it is due to the meds - Elmiron in particular.

[DanaF]

Thanks - I am going to the doc today. I will ask him about those meds. Only problem is that I would like to get pregnant within the next year so I don't know if it is worth trying all these meds if I will have to go off of them. We'll see what he says. Sounds like you really have a handle on all this and are very knowledgeable. Thanks for your help.

[DanaF]

Aren't you constipated from all those drugs? What do you do for it cause nothing is working for me re: lexapro combined with other drugs I take?

[DanaF]

I WISH I only had to go every 3 hours - I feel like I have to go 15 minutes after I go, but I can hold it in sometimes up to 5 hours? Is that what you're saying?

[vm]

No, I don't feel like I have to go in between. I suppose back when I was symptomatic I "could" have held it - but I would have been completely miserable. No, now I go when it feels like I need to - which is 3 hours on average.

No constipation at all here. Not really any fatigue either. Each time I added one the meds with that side effect I did have it (fatigue) for several days, but then it went away.

You might do a search of the message board re: constipation. I know it's been brought up here many times before.

[DanaF]

This is driving me nuts. I was good for 4 days and then now I'm back to having to pee ALL THE TIME - I think the catheterization helped me when I went to the doctor- do you think I should get urethral dilation? Or just DMSO? for the frequency - let me know what you think !