Layla: hi

[layla]

i just 2 moth off med
new here
hope for good
thanx

Edited November 17, 2017 by baroquep

[Gridley]

Hi, Layla,

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.  I too am tapering Lexapro and I congratulate you on your taper.

 

This is your main thread, where you can ask questions and give updates.  Can I ask you to add to your signature the dosage you were on before you went to 0mg,  how long you had been on that dosage, and how much time you allowed between dosage decreases during your taper?  Here are the instructions for making a signature:

Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

 

SA recommends tapering by 10% of your current dose with a hold of at least 4 weeks before your next decrease. the 10% taper method is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?  

 

A one-year taper off 20mg Lexapro is faster than our recommendation.  How are you feeling?  Please read these links to better understand withdrawal from an antidepressant.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

Brain Remodelling

 

If you are having withdrawal symptoms and they are not tolerable, after two months reinstatement of a small dose is an option to relieve symptoms, followed by a slow taper.   According to medical knowledge, reinstatement is the only way to alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of withdrawal symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work. The length of this window of opportunity varies according to the individual. Sometimes people can reinstate successfully months after quitting. Others cannot. Often a partial dose will relieve withdrawal symptoms.

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms  Let us know if this is something you are interested in and we can suggest a starting dose.  Please do not reinstate before we advise you.

 

 

 

[layla]

hi thanx

[ChessieCat]

Hi layla and welcome to SA from me too,

 

Q:  What are your current symptoms?

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Thank you for creating a drug signature.  It will be helpful if you could add the dates and doses for your taper.  This will help us to make suggestions about your individual situation.

 

A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature - ALL drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly?

• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 

• Any drugs prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years.
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016.
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.