Yes to both, though I took the antidepressant for its anti-anxiety properties.
I was prescribed Lexapro and Klonipin in October 2009 to receive treatment after a medical leave of absence from Tulane. My wisdom teeth had become impacted in the middle of the semester, and I was completely out of commission for three weeks after the surgery; I had a bit of a nervous breakdown while trying to catch up on all my midterms and essays and such afterwards. They were a great benefit at the time, certainly, but once I was back in school I was only taking them to avoid the negative repercussions that came from withdrawal. The side effects were certainly annoying at times, though, especially for my sex life.
I had to leave Tulane this past January after both of my parents lost their jobs; it was too late for me to transfer somewhere else so I took my then-girlfriend's advice and used that opportunity to get off those meds. I gradually weaned myself off of Lexapro over a two month period, and the withdrawals were absolutely horrible- constant dizziness, depression, and lethargy, some occasional intense aggression, and horrible insomnia. I was fine once that was all over with, though, but it was really bad while it lasted.
With the Klonipin, I've been slowly reducing the amount I take since June or so. I wanted to quit cold turkey, but after going three days without sleeping I decided that wasn't really a good idea. With the gradual reduction I haven't experienced many side effects, other than some moments where I'll be overwhelmingly nervous about something for no reason. I put my dose reductions on hold last month when this anxiety began to impact my grades, but I'm aiming to be off of it completely by the end of the year.
My advice to everyone is if you ever decide to go on a medicine to treat anxiety or depression, make sure you know what you're doing, because if you decide to quit them the withdrawal will be hell. Just my two cents.
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