zeilia: New mom trying to taper Lexapro

[zeilia]

Hello, 

 

I'm so glad I found this forum! In Sept I was put on 10mg of Lexapro for post-partum depression and anxiety, with some OCD tendencies. This was quickly raised to 20mg, even though 10mg seemed to be working fine. I gained 30 pounds very quickly, so 150mg Wellbutrin was added to the mix, and I was told to drop to 10mg Lexapro by just cutting the 20mg pills in half. Suspecting this was too fast, I decided to taper by 5mg instead. But within 3 days I had terrible stomach pain. I searched the internet and found out this could be a symptom of Lexapro withdrawal. So, I reinstated the 20mg and cut by 10% instead. After 3 days (today) I again feel some stomach pain and headache, but it's bearable, so I will continue to cut slowly, at least down to 10mg and then reassess.

 

I was wondering if anyone has found anything to help with stomach issues (cramping/burning feeling) while tapering? Supplements? Foods? A special diet? Also, with a new baby who has trouble sleeping through the night, I am working on very little sleep, any ideas how to mitigate this during withdrawal? Thanks so much for taking the time to read this intro.

 

[Gridley]

Hello, zeilia and welcome to SA.

 

I am sorry you are suffering due to the bad advice you received.  You were wise to research on your own.  At Surviving Antidepressants, it is recommended that a person taper by no more than 10% of their current dose with at least a four week hold in-between decreases.  The 10% taper recommendation is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs.  Some people may have to taper at a more conservative rate as they are sensitive to even the smallest drops.
  
To get you started, and familiarized with the protocols followed by SA, I am linking a few topics so that you have a better understanding of what is recommended here. 

 

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?
Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

If you tapered 20mg by 10%, that would leave you at 18mg.   You should hold at 18mg and not taper any more for at least 8 weeks (you've already done your 10% this month and then you need four more weeks for your body to get accustomed to the lower dose.)  Then, if you feel stable,  you can taper by 10% of 18mg, etc.  You have undergone several dose changes in a short time and your nervous system craves stability.  

The rule of 3KIS: Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable.

 

This link explains the need for a slow taper:

Brain Remodelling

 

I too am tapering Lexapro and have had success measuring doses with a Gemini-20 scale, available on Amazon.  Making a liquid is also an option, as is using a compounding pharmacy.

Using a digital scale to measure doses

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly?

• 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. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• Link to Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

You will see from this link that stomach pains and cramps are a common withdrawal system.  It's good that the symptoms have improved somewhat.
PDF Monthly List of Dr Glenmullen's Symptoms to Print & PDF Monthly List BLANK to Print

 

Regarding relief from the stomach pain, time will be the best cure.  As your nervous system settles into homeostasis, the pain will diminish more and more.

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems. 

 

Some members, including me, have gotten some relief from insomnia with melatonin.  Start with a low dosage, no more than 1mg, as higher doses can turn paradoxical.

Melatonin for sleep

 

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. 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 I am glad that you found us.