Leafonte24: intro

[Leafonte24]

Hello everyone, 

 

I am glad to be here. Here is a little bit of my back story.

 

I was diagnosed with depression and generalized anxiety disorder at the age of 16 because of typical teenager behavior. I am now 28. I am a recovering alcoholic and cocaine addict and have been sober for 3 years, which I am very proud of.

 

I have been on anti depressants for 12 years. Sertraline 25 mg for 7 years, and Escitalopram (Lexapro) for 5 years. I have tried several times to wean myself off of lexapro, but I've never had enough strength to get completely off of them.

 

It scares me because through treatment, AA, and working on myself I was able to quit alcohol, and cocaine, but I can't get off the SSRIs. I recently went to my doctor to develop a tapering plan, but it was basically the same plan that I developed for myself in the past (currently on 10mg). For example, alternating 7.5 mg and 10mg for 2 weeks, 7.5 mg for 2 weeks, alternating 7.5 and 5 for two weeks, etc. He did indicate that if I wasn't stabilized that I should stick with whatever dose I'm on till I am.

 

I recently quit marijauna so that I could try and taper off lexapro the right way. I have been off marijuana for 2 weeks, but I haven't started to taper yet because I am scared of depression returning as soon as I start tapering, which is what happened last time. I have the support of my girlfriend, but she doesn't quit understand depression, and I don't want to burden her with the tapering process.

 

Any suggestions would help. Also wondering if I should ask for liquid lexapro so I can taper more slowly, because I am very sensitive to the effects?

 

One last question, do you think I should be off the marijuana for longer before I start to taper? Thank you for this great community.

 

Sertraline 25mg - 7 years

Escitalopram 10 mg - 3 years

Escitalopram 20 mg - 1 year

Escitalopram 10 mg - 1 year (weaned myself down)

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by ChessieCat
spacing/removed mod note

[ChessieCat]

Hi Leafonte and welcome to SA,

 

SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

When the drug is taken away too quickly we can get withdrawal symptoms:  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Before you begin tapering what you need to know

 

It would probably be a good idea to wait for a couple of months before commencing your Lexapro taper because you have only recently stopped the marijuana.  That way you will hopefully be in a good stable position to start with.

 

This topic explains how to get the dose you need: Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

Please create your drug signature using the following format.   Keep it simple.  NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you.

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

 

This is your own introductions topic where your can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

[ChessieCat]

Here's some additional information which might help you to understand what is happening:

 

Recovery isn't linear it happens in a Windows and Waves Pattern

 

Withdrawal Normal Description

 

When we take a psychiatric drug, we are adding chemical/s to the brain.  The brain then has to change to adapt to getting the chemical/s.  It might have to change something to do with A and then once that change has been made it affects B so another change has to be made and so on down the line.  It is a chain reaction, a domino effect.

 

The same thing happens when we take the drug away  That's why it's possible to experience such a vast array of withdrawal symptoms, and they can change, and be of different intensity..  These explain it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

On 8/31/2011 at 5:28 AM, Rhiannon said:

When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

 

AND

 

On 12/4/2015 at 2:41 AM, apace41 said:

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were trying to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and trying to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while life is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made.  

 

[ChessieCat]

During any taper, there will be times of discomfort.  We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through tough times.

 

Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear.  This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic.

 

This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious:

 

https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf

 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...

 

Audio FEMALE VOICE:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)

 

Audio MALE VOICE:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

dealing-with-emotional-spirals

 

Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping.  There are videos available on YouTube.

 

Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes

 

CBT Course:  An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

 

Resources:  Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg:  Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying)

 

On 4/28/2017 at 4:03 AM, brassmonkey said:

 

AAF: Acknowledge, Accept, Float.  It's what you have to do when nothing else works, and can be a very powerful tool in coping with anxiety.  The neuroemotional anxiety many of us feel during WD is directly caused by the drugs and their chemical reactions in the brain.  Making it so there is nothing we can do about them.  They won't respond to other drugs, relaxation techniques and the like.  They do, however, react very well to being ignored.  That's the concept behind AAF.  Acknowledge, get to know the feeling involved, explore them.  Accept, These feelings are a part of you and they aren't going anywhere fast. Float, let the feeling float off as you get on with your life as best as you can.  It's a well documented fact that the more you feed in to anxiety the worse it gets.  What starts as generalized neuroemotinal anxiety can be easily blown into a full fledged panic attack just by thinking about it.

 

I often liken it to an unwanted house guest.  At first you talk to them, have conversations, communicate with them.  After a while you figure out that they aren't leaving and there is nothing you can do to get rid of them.  So you go on about your day, working around them until they get bored and leave.

 

It can take some practice, but AAF really does work.  I hope you give it a try.

 

 

[Carmie]

Hi Leofonte, 

 

How are you doing?💚

[Leafonte24]

Hello everyone,

 

So I recently started a Escitalopram taper from 10 mg. I have been on 10 mg for 6 years for depression and anxiety. I was also on sertraline 25mg 6 years prior to Escitalopram. My doctor gave me a taper plan of 15 weeks.

 

Week 1-2 - 10 and 7.5 mg alternating

Week 3-4 - 7.5 mg

week 5-6 - 5 and 7.5 mg alternating

week 7-8 5 mg

week 8-9 5 and 2.5 alternating

week 10-11- 2.5

week 11-12 0 and 2.5 mg alternating

week 12 and on -completely off.

 

By day 4 of my taper I experienced a relapse in depression and have tried to taper several times with no success. I was looking at the Brass monkey method of reducing by 2.5 percent and I am interested in that. The problem is, is that I do not know how to measure doses effectively. If someone could help me to figure out how to measure a 9.75 mg dose 9.5 etc for the weeks to come that would be amazing. Thank you for the support and I hope I am using the site correctly. I am in kind of a fog so bare with me. Nice to meet you all.