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question:My dad was taking lexapro 5 mg for about 3 weeks then started on 10 mg for about a weak and and was too tired, went back to 5mg and started 10 mg at night again for about 4 days. That was again too much so tapered off to 5mg for 4 days and stopped. Now he is having symptoms of weakness in his legs where he is having trouble walking. He uses a rollator because of a chronic back pain for 49 years. He is 88 years old and the weakness in his legs after stopping lexapro 5 days ago has worsened to the point where he has trouble even using the walker. Will this symptom go away?
answer:Hi,Thanks for writing in.Lexapro (escitalopram) can cause lack of energy and fatigue in many people. This can also cause arthralgia, neck/shoulder pain, muscle cramp, and myalgia in some people. Jaw stiffness, muscle stiffness, arthritis, muscle weakness, arthropathy, back discomfort, joint stiffness, and jaw pain have been reported infrequently in patients on Lexapro.These side effects happen at the start of treatment and then this can slowly improves with continuation of treatment which can take about 15 days or more. This side effect is seen more in the first month and usually is under control after 6 months of taking the medication. Please discuss with your doctors.
question:My mom died of a catastrophic cva. It happened on Friday am. Was unconscious. Was intubated. Removed after a few hours per her wishes in proxy. Remained unconscious but breathing on her own until Monday am when she died. Dr said she didn t feel anything but her legs were moving had slight gag reflex when extubated. Was she in any pain & why did she not fie immediately but died 3 days later? Could she have felt any pain during this?
answer:Hi,Thanks for writing in to us.Sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. The brain is an important organ and a stroke can cause deficient blood supply or leakage of blood in to the brain as the case might be. The end result is decreased functioning of brain and this continues till the brain cannot sustain itself. Coming to pain being felt, the brain by itself cannot feel pain but if there was some leakage of blood in to the brain coverings then irritation of nerve endings might happen. This does not happen in every patient and when it happens, there is restlessness in the patient. If your mom did not show any signs of restlessness then there was no pain that she possibly had. The brain was supporting itself and in 3 days there was deterioration of the other organ functions leading to her demise. May her soul rest in peace.
question:Last week I had a strong electrical tingling sensation in my mid chest. Lasted only a few seconds, but was sharp. Later that evening I had several small, similar sensations also in mid chest, above sternum. Today, about a week later, I had similar electrical tingling in my left arm. It has continued for a couple of hours, but mild so far. Not as intense as the initial chest sensation.
answer:Hi,Thanks for writing in.The nerves to the arms and chest originate from the spinal cord in the cervical and thoracic spine. The cervical spine is made up of 7 small bones aligned on top of each other and the thoracic spine has 12 bones lined up together. There are spongy discs between these small bones which give it a cushioning effect and help in forward backward and turning movements. There is a possibility that your discs at particular levels have been degenerating for some time. Since it has happened over the past week, it is important to rule out any nerve irritation or a condition that has developed recently. The tingling sensation is more frequent when there is pinching of the nerves in the region. Doing a MRI scan of the cervical and thoracic spine might be required. This will be decided after once a your neurological clinical examination is complete. Treatment depends on clinical and imaging findings.
question:I recently rolled my right ankle. Had it in a DJO Global air boot for a week. After healing up, I have noticed pain shooting up the back side of my calf, my knees and my hip all on on my right side. I have also had weakness and numbness in my leg. When I rub or scratch the top of my right foot there is a Painful numbing tingly sensation on the whole right side of my foot, predominately the pinky and other last 2 toes.
answer:Hi,Thanks for writing in.You might have hurt the delicate ligaments and tendons of your foot. There might also be a mild nerve entrapment. Ligament and tendon injuries usually take 4 to 6 weeks to heal and since your injury has happened last week, it might still be sore and therefore the pain and discomfort. Please allow yourself rest from heavy physical activities using your affected leg and foot. You can apply ointments containing muscle relaxants and pain relievers to feel comfortable and also use a heat pad on your foot. Avoid wearing tight shoes for a few days as you are having pain in the toes.
question:I have a bad posture: my spinal cord is bent forward. I have tried all I could to straighten it, but in vain. When i m conscious, I try to rectify it; the real problem is that during sleep hours when we are unconscious, the spine returns to its inertial state, thus giving me the same awkward posture. What can I do?
answer:Hi, I had gone through your question and understand your concerns. You can use during sleep thoracic-lumbar brace/ support (Taylor e.g.) appropriate for your height and wheight for 2to 3 months.Hope this answers your question. If you have additional questions or follow up questions then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your questions.
question:At L4-5 it says the disc space demonstrates normal height. There is a right foraminal disc protusion there is an annular tear of the disk protusion there is mild formaminal stenosis and amutment of the transvering right L4 nerve root there is no central canal stenosis there are mild facet degenerative changes, what does this mean and will I heal or always have problems
answer:Hi, I had gone through your question and understand your concerns. There is herniated disc disease of your lumbar column in initial stages.80% of people with mild herniated disc disease get well after conservative treatment ( rest, NSAID drugs, physical therapy, loosing weight), 20% progress in advanced stages with moderate to severe symptoms and may need decompressive surgery.Hope this answers your question. If you have additional questions or follow up questions then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your questions.