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sadandconfused: Can't feel love on lexapro withdrawal


sadandconfused

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Hi everyone, I'm not sure if people still get on this site but I really hope so cause my story is similar to many I've read on here. I started nursing school last fall and was very stressed and I was put on lexapro 10mg.

 

About a month later I met an amazing guy. I absolutely adored him and we were head over heels for each other. About 7 months later we were making wedding plans and even talked about having kids not too far after.

 

I decided to stop taking lexapro because I was so beyond happy and didn't think I needed them anymore. I quit cold turkey. Which I knew was bad but I thought I could handle it.

 

I was okay for a while and then about a month later I can't explain what happened. It was like something in my brain literally snapped And I woke up one morning thinking I didn't love him anymore and questioning how I really felt about him. To say it was awful would be an understatement. I spent the next two days in bed crying and vomiting from panic. It was so bad.

 

I finally one day broke down and told my mom the feelings I had been having, and she didn't understand and was trying to figure out what was going on. My whole family knew I was crazy in love with him and this just didn't make any sense.

 

It's been 3 months since then and my feelings will come and go. Some days it's almost back to the old feelings where I know I wanna grow old with him but the next day I'll wake up crying and not wanna get out of bed. I seriously do not know what's going on in my body right now. I just want to be completely in love with him again. This is the most gut wretch in and heartbreaking thing I think I have ever gone through. This is not me. I just hope it's my head trying to get balanced out and once it does everything will go back to normal.

 

Any advice or words would be great. I would not wish this on anyone but it does give me some hope reading other people who have had the same issues with this drug. Thanks so much in advance!

Edited by scallywag
highlight medications, add white space + tags

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

sadandconfused -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)
 
Thank you for starting an introduction topic for yourself. This is YOUR introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.

A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-18 months particularly?

  • Please provide dates if you can remember them. If you don't have the exact dates, approximate time frames are good enough, e.g. "mid-June" or "early August."
  • Any drugs prior to 18 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
  • You don't need to include symptoms or diagnoses other than the initial condition that led to prescribing the first drug.
  • We ask for this information in your signature so that we can see it at a glance. A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs.
  • You can find instructions in this topic: Please put your withdrawal history in signature
  • If you are using a mobile device you can find instructions for that in Post #8; Post #9

Loss of emotions is an acknowledged withdrawal symptom. There are more details about withdrawal in this topic:

What is withdrawal syndrome

 

There are links to details about symptoms in this topic:
Important topics about symptoms

 

The current only known effective way to deal with withdrawal symptoms after a discontinuation is to reinstate a very small dose of the medication. Once we know your medication history, we can suggest a dose for you to consider. Please do not reinstate your previous dose because your brain and the rest of your CNS (central nervous system) have undone some of the changes made while you were taking Lexapro; taking 10 mg is likely to be too much and risks further destabilizing your CNS.

 

Please read this topic to understand the risks and benefits of reinstating:
About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Also relevant:
Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

I hope you'll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation. I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but am glad that you found us.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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Thank you for replying! I think I figured out how to change my signature so that should be updated.

I will check out all the links you have posted. Thank you so much!!!! And I'm just praying this gets better

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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Also can anyone tell me if they've had the feelings come back? And how long did it take? I know everyone's different and I've heard all the way from a few months to years. I was on them for 9 months so I'm hoping it all gets better but some days I just don't know :/

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

You're asking probably the most frequently asked question about symptoms:  How long will it last?

 

Sadly, people will only be able to share their experience and what they've seen others go through.  There are no hard and fast answers except that there is an excellent probability -- very close to 100% -- that the symptom will diminish over time and eventually disappear.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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  • Moderator

Hi S&C--  These drugs work by making it so you can't feel anything about anything, and that includes the good stuff too.  Many years ago, when I was on my full dose I thought I had lost all feelings for my wife of then 32 years.  I knew the feelings were there I just couldn't access them. Once I was well into my taper I noticed them coming back, a bit at a time.  Now that I'm almost off of the drugs the feelings are back stronger that before and we are looking forward to a beautiful retirement together. Your feelings are still there, I can tell from your posts.  It's just going to be some trying times and a taper before they show up full force.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Scalleywag,

Thank you for your reply! I know everyone is different and healing times won't be the same as others. I guess I'm just getting a little impatient but I'm trying really hard not to cause I know withdrawl can be up to a year sometimes. I have a lot of hope knowing it's gonna get better, I know it is a slow process, but I will make it! Thank you!

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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Brassmonkey,

I'm so sorry you went through that. I could not imagine being in love with someone so long and then feeling this way. From things I've read I believe part of my problem was quitting cold turkey instead of tapering very slow like suggested. I took them everyday for 9 months and felt fine and when I quit them cold turkey all I could feel was depression and sadness. It does seem to get better day by day. The old feelings come and go, but I'm very hopeful that I will completely feel them again. I KNOW the way I felt about him during the time I was crazy in love with him and that's what I'm holding on to. Thank you so much for your reply! I'm glad you're back to yourself!

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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I'm sorry to hear this.  One of the reasons I'm getting off of medicines is so I can feel passionate about things again.  I suspect the Lexapro makes it exceedingly difficult to feel things deeply.

 

There are people here who can advise better than I can.  Just want to let you know you are not alone.

On and off various medicines since 1989

2009:  Prescribed Lexapro 5mg and Abilify 5mg
2015:  discovered MTHFR snp, went on Walsh protocol, felt better

2016:  down to 2.5mg each of Lexapro and Abilify

2017:  down to .7mg of Abilify, obtained liquid form.

Currently at .4mg of Abilify

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Thank you so much for your reply! I'm very hopeful that once this passes my old feelings will come rushing back again. It's just crazy cause I've never had depression and I got on the pills strictly for anxiety. I felt fine the whole 8 or 9 months I was taking them and then boom as soon as I quit cold turkey my entire world seemed like it fell apart. I've been told multiple times that it's because I put my body basically into shock so my brain just has to learn how to function without the medication. It's just crazy that this little pill has controlled me and made me numb to everything the past 3 months.

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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  • Moderator

Hi S&C-- I'm really sorry that you're having such problems, given time they will resolve. This is one of the reasons we caution against CT. It gives you a great honeymoon period and then kicks you in the head.  The only way we know of to decrease the symptoms is to reinstate a small amount of the original drug, and that may or may not work.  It's been four months since your CT which makes things trickier. I would suggest starting to take 1mg daily and see how it effects you.  It will take at least four days for the drug to become steady state in your blood.  After which it can take several weeks to several months for the symptoms to start to resolve themselves.  Here's a link to the thread on RI:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Each persons experience is individual.  I've been tapering just over five years now.  I noticed that loving feeling coming back at about the two and a half year mark.  But mind you I was taking 40mg of paxil for 18 years when I started to taper.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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  • 2 months later...

Hello everyone, I know many of you have probably read my story about my cold turkey experience with Lexapro but to make a long story short, I starting taking Lexapro for anxiety and after a month on 10 mg I met the love of my life. I took Lexapro for 10 months with absolutely NO issues. I felt great on them. I didn't think I needed them anymore and quit cold turkey. About a month and a half after my last dosage, I woke up and didn't love my boyfriend anymore. I literally went from being so so in love and couldn't wait for him to propose, to feeling nothing overnight. It's been very tough. I suffered through about 5 months after cold turkey and couldn't take it anymore. I would be at work fighting the tears, I lost interest in everything, I couldn't eat, I felt so negative. I went back to my doctor and reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro. It's been a month back on the pills and I don't hate life anymore but I'm so numb. Sad songs, movies, nothing makes me cry anymore. It's nice to not feel pain but the numbness scares me. I really hope I made the right decision and didn't make my healing time any longer. Does anyone else have experience with this? Did reinstating help or hurt you? Thanks in advance

Edited by scallywag
merged topics

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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And has anyone heard of anyone who fell in love while on ssris and felt like they lost feelings during withdrawal or quitting cold turkey? I loved him more than anything for 9 months with no doubt whatsoever and now I cannot feel anything. It's hell. I'm desperate to find someone in the same situation as me. Everyone I've talked to has fallen out of love ON the pills and I lost my feelings during withdrawal :( any kind of advice would be so helpful

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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Hello, I'm restating too and the numb feeling is the WD. Your still in WD .You have to wait it out. Just takes awhile.

Been on Trazdone 100mg Sept/2015 to July'16

On and off in Sept'16 100mg TZ

50mg in Nov'16 for weeks TZ

75mg for two weeks on TZ

100mg in Dec'16

Trying to reinstate.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm still dealing with the exact same thing as a lot of you on here. I completely lost all feelings for my boyfriend after quitting lexapro cold turkey. It's been 8 painful months and I reinstated a couple months ago and I'm about to start tapering. I'm nervous about the whole tapering process cause I'm on 5 mg and I heard you need to just lower your dose by 10% each month? I have no idea how to do that cause every scale I've looked at doesn't measure mg. :( and my doctor was not very helpful about switching my prescription to liquid. I have no idea why.. If anyone has any tips for tapering safely I would love to hear them! I don't wanna get off too fast cause I know how much hell it causes. Thank you in advance.

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi,

 

I've move the topic you created to your Intro topic because it is about your own situation and will keep your history together.

 

It is important to understand that SA's recommended tapering method is 10% of the previous dose, not the starting dose.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Please see this topic:  Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

This is in the first post:

 

Do-it-yourself liquid
People report that they can make their own liquid from Lexapro tablets and water.

It is soluble in water, see http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB01175 -- stability (shelf-life of dilution) is unknown.

See How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

Also see:  Using a digital scale to measure doses

 

You might also find it helpful to read these topics.

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

 

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

 

It may also be helpful to:

 

Keep Notes on Paper

Rate Symptoms Daily to Check Patterns and Progress

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Omg thank you so much! You seriously just saved me

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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Hello everyone! If this isn't in the right category i apologize, it can be moved of course if needed. This is my third day of cutting back .5 of lexapro. I'm already feeling it and this seems almost impossible?! Can you feel any withdrawal symptoms only cutting back 10%? I was at mess at work yesterday and bawled when I got home. And today I woke up and just didn't feel right. I'm on the verge of tears and feeling really off and down. I hate these drugs so much.

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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  • Mentor

yes I think it is possible to feel the effects of even a small cut, but I'd wait to hear from a mod on that, that's just my uneducated guess

 

If you are feeling poorly you may want to consider doing an even smaller cut, if you're worried your symptoms might get worse.

 

Or you can ride it out and see what happens in the next 4 days to a week.

 

if you are still young enough to menstruate, and its' that time of the month, the small taper might combine with any normal hormonal symptoms you may have to make you feel worse than you usually would.

Taking a break from mentoring, please do not message or tag me, thank you! 
Got some personal stuff to deal with and am not able to give you my full attention. 

I will remove this reminder when I am back. Keep on swimming, my friends. 

😊

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • PRESENT DAYS:  Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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  • Moderator

Yes, it's quite common to feel symptoms from a 10% drop and they usually show up by the second or third day.

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Thank you guys so much for replying! I reinstated 5 mg lexapro and felt content for three months and decided I should really try and start to taper off so I don't get anymore dependant on these drugs. The past two days have been really bad. I just feel very down and no motivation.

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi,

 

It takes about 4 days for the change of dose to get to full state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  Rating your symptoms daily may help you to see improvements that you may not feel.

 

Also, could you please update your signature to include the reinstatement date and dose and your taper date and dose and update it whenever you make a change.  This way it is easy for us to see your history without having to check through your topic.  Thank you!

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Yes I will, thank you!

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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Okay guys, I apologize for writing on here more often than I should, but everyone on this site ate the only ones who are even close to understanding what I'm feeling. It's a little over 8 months into my cold turkey withdrawal nightmare. During the first two months of withdrawal I lost all feelings for my boyfriend of 9 months after being so ridiculously in love. My feelings have not returned still, I feel like there are windows where I'll feel something but NOTHING even close to how strong it was before. I have now started noticing a guy at work and I'm definitely not proud of it. I would never ever cheat on my boyfriend but it doesn't stop me from wanting attention and talking to the other guy as sick as this makes me feel. :( I've heard this can happen during withdrawal though. Since you can't FEEL love, you start feeling attraction towards other people? I really need some reassurance that this will get better. I'm living only off the memories of loving my boyfriend and old pictures of how happy I was with him. </3

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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Me and my boyfriend were so so happy together. We moved in together about 3 months before I lost feelings. My mom has been practically begging me to move out and get my own place for my sake. She said it's not fair to be miserable trying to fake it. She's not trying to break us up at all, just wants me to be happy. But after everything I've read I almost feel like I should just keep faking it and pray the feelings return. Ugh :( I seriously just feel so lost. I have no idea what to feel or think and this is so unfair to make my boyfriend deal with this

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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  • 1 month later...
  • Moderator Emeritus

I'm quoting this here from another topic so it helps to keep your history complete.

 

Please Update Your Signature to include the date/s and dose/s your reinstated.

 

ChessieCat,
I'm sorry I know you wrote a reply towards my message a few days ago and now I can't find :/ I must have been deleted on accident or something. But thank you for your reply! The depression and pain got so bad around the 5th or 6th month. Literally so bad, I couldn't even function right and I take it that was from the withdrawal. I was crying multiple times a day, it was so bad. So I went back to my dr and reinstated 5 mg of lexapro and took that for 3 months and now I'm tapering down 10% each month. I really hope I'm doing this right cause I don't wanna mess things up even more. Today has been a little rough. I'm feeling emotional and lost. My intrusive thoughts are getting the best of me and sometimes I just feel like the feelings aren't coming back, but I know I can't give up. The only thing I want is to love him again as much as I once did. How did you deal with it when you lost feelings? Again thank you to everyone on here. You're the only ones who make me feel hope and keep me from losing it.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well. I need a little bit of help or advice from people who have been through this. I quit Lexapro 10mg completely cold turkey about 11 months ago and then reinstated about 5 months later cause I couldn't take the withdrawal symptoms anymore. Well I reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro and took it for 3 months and then started tapering by 10% each month. I'm now on 3.5 mg and I'm feeling terrible. I'm dizzy, my vision feels very off and fuzzy, I'm extremely forgetful, pale like I'm sick, I'm having heart flutters and chest pains, shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and severe, I mean severe anxiety. I'm seriously so scared, I don't know what to do! Could all this be caused by the Lexapro? I feel like I'm dying! I'm only 23, I cant believe a tiny pill can cause so much horror! Thank you so much in advance

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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I was on lexapro for 7 years and my doctor told me to take 5mg for 3 months then 5mg 2 times a week and stop, then I started getting anxiety so he put me back on and I continued to get worse every time I complained I was being posined he put the dose up over Xmas I was on 20mg and was bed ridden for 3 months on it, then feb I decided it was definitely poisoning me and went to 5mg for 2 weeks then stopped. I started eating again had not ate in months, my yellow diarrhea that I had for the past 5 months of reinstatement had gone back to normal. Things like that have improved but Ita been 5 weeks off now and since 2 weeks off I've been having zaps dizziness depersonalisation no immune system. I'm jut wondering when the anxiety withdrawals start, from what I'm reading is it's at 3 months? I'm really scared. But I really don't want to go back on cause I felt so poisoned in my reinstatement, I had brain burning all the way from my brain down my neck, vomiting, panic, bed ridden. 5 months and lost 15kg I'm now 40kg and I couldn't even change my sons bum during reinstatement, I stayed on for 5 months because my doctor said it was anxiety not poisining, I disagree ????

 

Sorry I was on 5mg for the 3 months then started going day on off ect.. then he reinstated me at 5mg everyday, then I got sick then he said 10mg for 2 weeks, got worse, then 15mg he said my anxiety was really bad go up to 20mg, that's where I sat, posined and bed ridden for 5 months. Until I realised it was causing more harm, I knew I was poisoned, no hospital or doctor believed me.

8 years lexapro.

July-September 5mg

Sep-October alternate days (kindled) anxiety returned

November-march reinstatement (adverse reaction) bed ridden for 5 months.

Stopped April, felt I had no choice, felt poisoned.

27 years old, mummy of 3.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hey Sad - 

 

I merged topics with your post in Symptoms and Self Care, called "Lexapro Withdrawal, please help"

This thread http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/13324-sadandconfused-cant-feel-love-on-lexapro-withdrawl-need-help/ is your intro thread and where moderators will check for questions.

 

Bookmark this thread, and ask your questions here.

 

I or someone will be with you soon.

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hey Sad - we have a whole topic about relationships suffering from SSRI and withdrawal.

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6714-marriages-destroyed-by-ssri-snri-topix/

 

There are lectures on YouTube about it.  Here's Helen Fisher:

 

If you are having symptoms, then it is a good idea to hold.  10% per month might be too fast for you.

 

Please put your current doses in your signature so that we can figure out your taper dates and how fast you've been going, so that we can suggest a safer rate for you.

 

The reason we do slow tapers, is to control symptoms.  If the taper is giving you symptoms, it is too fast.

 

I'm sorry you are struggling.

"Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna

 

Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again.

 

My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices.

 

A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia.   CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013.   Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine).     Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 -  Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years  on Lithium).  Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made.


The tedious thread (my intro):  JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium

The happy thread (my success story):  JanCarol - Undiagnosed  Off all bipolar drugs

My own blog:  https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/

 

 

I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016!

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How are you Jamie?

May 2015-October 2015-Lexapro 20 mg fast taper due to pregnancy-no issues

Feb 2017-Zoloft 25 mg, too anxious/digestive issues (on for 3 weeks), switched to Lexapro 10mg, Mild serotonin syndrome from mixing lex with trazodone 2 weeks into Lexapro, body could no longer handle 10mg. Reduced to 5mg, then to 2.5, then stopped all together after 2 weeks on lex as I couldn't handle the agitation. 

March 2017-Seroquel-1 dose for sleep-panic and heart racing-discontinued

March 2017-Put back on 2.5 mg of Lex to titrate up slowly. 2.5 for 10 days, up to 5 for 5 days, dark thoughts, agitation, insomnia, reduced back down to 2.5mg and dr added remeron 7.5mg for sleep. Could not tolerate the two together (felt like ants in my head), so stopped Lexapro. Was good for 10 days then wd set in....nausea, shakiness, anxiety, complete insomnia.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing good. I know many of you have probably read my stories on here but aside from that I was just looking for some advice. I have severe anxiety(diagnosed) and I have a lot of signs of panic disorder even though it's never been diagnosed. I was wondering if you guys could give me some tips on how to deal with anxiety and depression that doesn't involve mind altering drugs :) thanks in advance! 

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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3 minutes ago, sadandconfused said:

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing good. I know many of you have probably read my stories on here but aside from that I was just looking for some advice. I have severe anxiety(diagnosed) and I have a lot of signs of panic disorder even though it's never been diagnosed. I was wondering if you guys could give me some tips on how to deal with anxiety and depression that doesn't involve mind altering drugs :) the reason I got on these drugs in the first place was to be more successful and assertive in nursing school and to be able to enjoy social situations instead of trying to avoid them.  Thanks in advance! 

 

End of August 2015 was put on 10mg Lexapro for anxiety.

Quit cold turkey in June 2016.

Reinstated 5 mg of Lexapro November 2016. I took 5 mg for 3 months and I tapered 10% every month with a few holds in between. I made the drop to 0 September 2018 and I've been completely off meds for a month. 

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Hello, sadandconfused.
I've had many panic attacks and much anxiety through my life. I recently had one panic attack so I thought maybe I could help, since I know so much about it, preventing it and similar.
___________________________________________ 

 

You can find some helpful things to read here:
 

On SA (Surviving Antidepressants):

 

Books I've found helpful for anxiety and depression

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, depression, and withdrawal symptoms

Free online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy lessons

TIP for Emergency Anxiety Attack

 

Other sites, outside of SA:

 

Anxiety: Moodjuice self-help guide (printable)

Self-care for anxiety

Another detailed anxiety self-help guide

Detailed panic attacks self-help guide

 

_____________________________________________


During a panic attack, what I'm doing:
- having a water besides me
- going somewhere where I feel safe and where I'm alone
- breathing, trying to calm myself down by repeating myself that I'm safe and that's everything's going to be okay
- repeating that it's "just" a panic attack and that it'll go away after a few minutes
- sometimes, if I'm home, lying on my bed with some relaxing music with closed eyes

What I'm doing after the panic attack:
- drinking enough water
- rest, rest, rest

- writing about it and tell that to my doctor (if you have a doctor)
- talking to someone about it
- generally taking care of myself

What I'm doing to prevent the next panic attack:
- recognizing the triggers and early symptoms of it
- after you recognized the early symptoms, trying to calm yourself down for prevention
- drinking water and staying hydrated if you notice the symptoms
- going somewhere safe until you feel good enough to go to the outside world
- remembering one thing:
    ----> if you panic about the physical sensations and symptoms (usually they're the first one to appear), it's more likely that you'll get the panic attack. It's important to just recognize the sensations and trying to do something for your body to calm down after you calm down the mind. But the most important thing I've learned through my journey is learning to calm down your mind, because that's the real prevention. The only dangerous thing that can happen to you during the panic attack is being anxious, which can be scary to you and that's why I said (subjectively) dangerous. But prevention is really important; If I didn't know how to prevent the panic attacks, I would be on much more medications right now.

_____________________________________________
 

Hope those will be useful. Good luck and hope you'll be better. 

My withdrawal journey (click)

 

"If you're going through hell - keep going".

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Hi S&C -

 

I am so sorry that you are dealing with panic and anxiety. It is unfortunately a common theme for people recovering from antidepressant use. So the first thing you can put in your toolbox is the truth that you are not alone.

 

Okay - that being said, let's build you a toolbox to use to help with your anxiety.

 

My #1 tool is mindful breathing:

Step 1- make sure your lungs are empty. Place your hand on the top of your chest and exhale with a sigh.

Step 2 - move your hand to your belly. Breath in slowly and deeply through your nose, making sure that your hand is rising so that you are filling your belly with air. No gasping - just slow and steady.

Step 3 - exhale slowly through your mouth, making sure that your hand is now flattening out with your belly. No whooshing out your breath.

 

Take at least 3 deep breaths this way.

 

Here is a nice mp3 that walks you through the breathing, and it also has a bit about how to wrangle in your anxious thoughts: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk//music/FirstAidPanicF.mp3

 

That's the first tool in your kit. I don;t want to overload you, so I'll be back later with another tool for you to use. But start with mindful breathing.

 

SJ

Main thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/14472-shakeyjerr-say-hello/

History: Prozac & Lithium from 1999 to 2003. Ended up back on after 4 months because taking a beta-blocker caused immediate depression (just 2 doses - turned out I didn't even need it; I had no other withdrawal symptoms - I might have ended up med and withdrawal-free otherwise :(). - Switched to Effexor (75mg 3/day) and Seroquel (50mg 3/day) in 2010. - Did a self-taper during 2016. - Developed Discontinuation Syndrome 02/17.

Supplements: Magnesium-Glycinate 400mg split into 4 100mg doses throughout the day. Vitamin C 500mg - once per day. Fish Oil 1360 mg (950 mg Active Omega-3) - twice per day.

I'm not a doctor. I use the internet, experience, and trial & error. Seek medical advice if necessary.

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Hi S&C -

 

How are you doing? Have you been practicing your mindful breathing?

 

Check in here and let us know what is up with you. 

 

SJ

Main thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/14472-shakeyjerr-say-hello/

History: Prozac & Lithium from 1999 to 2003. Ended up back on after 4 months because taking a beta-blocker caused immediate depression (just 2 doses - turned out I didn't even need it; I had no other withdrawal symptoms - I might have ended up med and withdrawal-free otherwise :(). - Switched to Effexor (75mg 3/day) and Seroquel (50mg 3/day) in 2010. - Did a self-taper during 2016. - Developed Discontinuation Syndrome 02/17.

Supplements: Magnesium-Glycinate 400mg split into 4 100mg doses throughout the day. Vitamin C 500mg - once per day. Fish Oil 1360 mg (950 mg Active Omega-3) - twice per day.

I'm not a doctor. I use the internet, experience, and trial & error. Seek medical advice if necessary.

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