SilentSophia: Trying to stop Lexapro (again)

[SilentSophia]

I have being using Lexapro 10 mg since 2009. Have stop it four times for 2-5 months and then restarted since the anxiety starts. I went from 10 mg to 5 mg for two weeks and then I took my last pill on 27th Jul. I know I did it way too fast. I don't have problems with immediate withdraw symptons, they are very mild for me. The challenges will start 1-3 months later when the anxiety starts. I just wish that this time I would have enough motivation and willpower to live with it, especially not to feed it by reading about scary news and about illnesses, that I would exercise, take my natural supplements, meditate and so on. This time I'm prepared better than ever. And I'm here for peer support. At the moment I'm feeling great. Let's see what happens in few weeks or months.

[mammaP]

Hi Sophia, welcome to SA.  You have already tried to quit lexapro and had to go back on it, this time will sadkly be the same. You know about the horrendous withdrawal symptoms that you can avoid by tapering slowly. We see many, many people here who believe they can get through it but end up in a terrible state.

 

 It is common for withdrawal to start later, it is called PAWS, Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome.  No one, EVER wants to go back on a drug when they are feeling great but it really is the best course of action after so long on lexapro. You could reinstate 5mg and see how you get on with it. Take that for a few weeks then start to taper slowly. We recommend tapering no more than 10% of the CURRENT dose with at least weeks between cuts, and holding a dose if there are any withdrawal symptoms. Sadly doctors do not know anything about withdrawal and recommend tapers that are far too fast, then tell patients that they will need the drugs for life, which is not true. They can be tapered successfully and safely when taken slowly. 

 

 

I am not trying to scare you but this is the reality, all the scary stuff you read online is probably people who have come off drugs cold turkey or tapered too fast and not realised that reinstatement and a slow taper can make things much better and lead to getting off them completely without the trauma of withdrawal. Reinstating the original drug is the only way to stop withdrawal, but if left too long can fail and leave people suffering for a long time. I am sure this is not what you want to hear and of course this is your decision but we see this so many times and would hate to see you suffering when it can be avoided. 

 

Here is a link on reinstatement. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/

 

What is withdrawal syndrome 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/603-what-is-withdrawal-syndrome/

 

For years your brain has been functioning and working along with the drug, when that drug is taken away the brain struggles to work efficiently and tries to regain homeostasis. The drug CREATED a chemical imbalance that now has to be corrected. This can take a long, long time. Tapering slowly allows the brain to adjust in between cuts, sneaking it away so it isn't noticed. 

 

Tapering lexapro. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/406-tapering-off-lexapro-escitalopram/

 

We ask all our members to fill in their signature with their drug and tapering history. Just the basic info as you have in your post will be fine, along with any other drugs or supplements, this makes it easier for us when it appears at the bottom of each post, you can find instructions here.. 

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/12364-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by mammaP

[SilentSophia]

Hi mammaP,

 

thank you for your reply and all this valuable information. The reason why I stop Lexapro so fast is that my original plan was actually to switch to Wellbutrin. I don't know if it helps me but I would like to try. I have a meeting with my shrink in two weeks and I wanted to have couple weeks break between the medicines.

 

But then I started to think why wouldn't I try (again) if this time I could live without any medication. I will ask my shrink to give me Wellbutrin description and I will start it if PAWS go too hard for too long. I guess I should give Wellbutrin at least two months change to see if it helps. If not, then I just go back to Lexapro, stabilize the mood and then try this super slow tampering when I feel strong enough.

 

The reason why I would like to stop Lexapro is that I don't like the idea of eating it the rest of my life especially because it makes it impossible to lose weight and makes my libido quite low. Otherwise it has been very good and helpful for me.

 

I already edited my profile info. I guess it was not the correct place...I will keep investigating. ?

[mammaP]

It is not a good idea to change drugs, wellbutrin has it's own catalogue of side effects. You will not have to take any drug for life if you taper properly from lexapro. People can find that the side effects lessen as the dose lowers.  The 'chemical imbalance' that has led to millions of people being told they need anti depressants for life has now been exposed to be a myth that was started by the drug companies to sell their drugs. When someone stops the drug, aither cold turkey or tapering too fast, it is withdrawal that makes them have to reinstate, not the 'mental illness' that has relapsed.  What makes you want to switch to wellbutrin specifically? 

[Madeleine]

Sophia: make sure to read through this forum especially the tapering section and why it's important to taper by no more than 10 per cent

[SilentSophia]

Hello! It's been nearly two months meds free and I'm still doing pretty fine. Mild physical symptons faded away in 2-4 weeks after taking the last pill. However during last couple of weeks I have started to notice stupid obsessive behavior and thoughts. I have been able to stop following news media which is good for me. However I have being googling some scary staff even if I know I should not.

 

Everything is still pretty much under control today but I can feel that I'm in a very sensitive mode and any time I might face some incident that triggers a huge anxiety. This has always happened to me 2-4 months after stopping the meds. I have found out that there is a support group in my home town for people trying to get rid of SSRIs. I haven't had a chance to go there but at least I know it's there if need it.

 

I'm a little bit scared how becoming months will be but trying to take it day by day and enjoying every day that I can do without meds and still not having too much anxiety.

 

Postive thing is that I get full much faster and don't feel like eating so much or often. I don't think I have lost any weight yet but I don't want to use energy for loosing weight because I need energy trying not to get too crazy.

 

Hugs and good luck!

[bubble]

I'm still worried about you and sadly as the time goes by the symptoms get worse, reinstatement takes longer to work or it might not work at all.

 

Unfirtunately this is not a matter of willpower or a healthy life style. It's just that our brain grew around this substance like a trellis of a plant. We need to carefully remove it to allow our brain the chance to slowly regrow itself.

 

I was in the same mindset like you know and I know well nothing we say will make you change your mind. You have to find it out and learn your way and at your speed.

[ChessieCat]

I agree with bubble and suggest you re-read mammaP's first post to you.

[SilentSophia]

Oh boy. For my disapointment you are so right. Things are just getting worse. I could still try to handle but I also need to be able to work and take care of my kids. So I will reinstate to 5 mg tomorrow. Or should it be my original does 10 mg? Anyway I will start reinstalling with 5 mg. And then in a month or two if I feel better I start tapering as adviced, 10% in every 4-6 weeks. I'm quite confident reinstating is as succesful as before (Anyway this is the fifth time restarting them!!).

[bubble]

How long have you been off the drug?

 

Since it's been a few months I wouldn't advise more than 1 mg. 

On 19/09/2017 at 10:18 AM, ChessieCat said:

I suggest you re-read mammaP's first post to you.

 

[SilentSophia]

2 months. I already took 5 mg. I think it's ok.

[ChessieCat]

2 hours ago, SilentSophia said:

I already took 5 mg

 

These drugs are strong and 5mg is most probably too much for you.  You have been off the drug 3 months and your brain will have already made some adjustments since you stopped taking 5mg.

 

I strongly suggest that from your next dose you take only 1mg.  It is okay to do this at the very early stage but it is important that you do this straight away.  It takes about 4 days for the dose change to get to a steady state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  The lower the dose you can stabilise on the less you will have to taper.

[SilentSophia]

Hello,

 

it's been 1,5 months since I went to my "emergency dose" 15 mg. I felt I needed it and it has helped me as before. I'm feeling good now and went back to my original dose 10 mg. I know it's bigger jump than recommended but I have done it before many times without problems.

 

I'm planning to stay on 10 mg many months now and I have started a cognitive therapy with a new therapist to learn to handle my fears and anxiety. I hope she can help me better than my previous therapist. I haven't have any therapy for few years...just eating Lexapro.

 

I have been thinking about tapering. Based on my experience my body doesn't react much to dose reductions but 6-8 weeks later comes the anxiety and fears. That's why I have been thinking that I would always wait 8-12 weeks to see how I'm doing mentally before I do the next drop. It will probably take at least 2-3 years but it's ok. At least I will be trying to get off or to cope with lower doses instead of just eating these the rest of my life.

[Gridley]

SilentSophia,

 

That sounds like a good plan.  Remember that the lower you go, the smaller the drop should be.  Don't worry about the 2-3 years it will take.  It's taken me a year to go from 20mg to 10 Lexapro.  Better to go slow than to drop too fast, destabilize, have to updose, etc. -- all ending up delaying you more than a slow taper would've done.