Mascasa: Oral Lexapro taper

[Altostrata]

When you feel you're stabilized, you might try another very small decrease.

[Mascasa]

@AltostrataThat's  what I am thinking. Just lost on what is a small % anymore.  From your research and what I shared what do you think is a small decrease? % wise. Thanks. 

[Altostrata]

If 5% was too much, try 2.5%. Your system just might need a little vacation from tapering.

[Mascasa]

@AltostrataThank you. Agree it needs a break.

[Carmie]

Hi Mascasa, 

 

How have you been doing?💛

[Mascasa]

@CarmieThanks for asking. Doing ok. A bit low the last few days. Some irritability..etc.  Just chalking it up to the med. Plan on staying at 4.85 a bit. Then starting again.  How did you do your signature above?

[Carmie]

6 minutes ago, Mascasa said:

@CarmieThanks for asking. Doing ok. A bit low the last few days. Some irritability..etc.  Just chalking it up to the med. Plan on staying at 4.85 a bit. Then starting again.  How did you do your signature above?

I’m glad you’re doing okay Mascasa, yes, irritability is certainly a symptom of these meds, I get a lot of that, my nerves are always on edge. Good on you for holding. 
 

I’m not quite sure what you’re asking about my signature as I can see you already know how to do a signature. I just used different symbols like the tick so I could separate my drops as I wanted to be able to see them clearer, instead of them all running into one another. The tick is on the keyboard on my Ipad. Is that what you meant?

 

 Take care💛

[Mascasa]

@CarmieYes, my signature is not great. I want to keep better track of things like you have done. I will play around with it.

On a side note, I know I have a mindset on certain things and can think myself into things. So I am going to tell my husband what % I need to be within for the next drop. Let him do it. I don't know if I want to know. He will write it down. Then I will see if not knowing helps me move past a certain spot in tapering. I talked with someone who did the same thing with their husband. She had been off for 2 weeks before her husband told her she had hit that point. I place a lot of thinking on the tapering and where I am. I want to ease that burden a bit.

[Carmie]

7 hours ago, Mascasa said:

@CarmieYes, my signature is not great. I want to keep better track of things like you have done. I will play around with it.

On a side note, I know I have a mindset on certain things and can think myself into things. So I am going to tell my husband what % I need to be within for the next drop. Let him do it. I don't know if I want to know. He will write it down. Then I will see if not knowing helps me move past a certain spot in tapering. I talked with someone who did the same thing with their husband. She had been off for 2 weeks before her husband told her she had hit that point. I place a lot of thinking on the tapering and where I am. I want to ease that burden a bit.

Yes, tapering can be quite overwhelming Mascasa, I’m only tapering by 1.5% and I’ve been holding for about 7 weeks the last few times. Maybe I can shorten it to 6 weeks. I try and listen to my body, but we can’t get away without withdrawals because every time we take a bit of the meds away our brain has to work hard to get back to some kind of homeostasis.

 

Our brain is used to the last dose we’ve been on and it takes time for our brains to reach homeostasis again. It has a lot of work to do to adjust to the drop. 

 

The amount of time we hold is just as important as the amount we taper by. 
 

If your husband wants to help you with your tapering that’s great, but just know you can’t go any quicker just because someone else is doing the calculations. You still need to stick to the percentage of the drop that you can tolerate. I won’t be off these meds until I’m down to 0.0something or even 0.00something.
 

Wishing you all the best with your tapering once you start again💛

[Mascasa]

@Altostrata@Carmie

hi well these lows are a bit overwhelming. I get them about 2 hours after I take my Lexapro. Still at 4.85. It’s was so much today it was all I could do from not bursting into tears in stores. I just can’t feel like this all the time. Seems the whole experience has been lows while on it and now lows coming off. But these are deeper. The only time I felt this may have worked was prior to tapering and on real Lexapro. I am just so tired of this.

I’m trying to hold here but it makes me miserable. I haven’t been able to budge much since October. Thoughts?

[j1290]

1 hour ago, Mascasa said:

I am just so tired of this.

I’m trying to hold here but it makes me miserable. I haven’t been able to budge much since October. Thoughts?

I hear that.  My conclusion after months of holding was that what I thought was WD was actually just WD Normal and I began tapering.  I decided if I have to feel uncomfortable, I'd rather do it on a lower dose so I continued to taper.   That was 6 months ago and I'm down 60% from my beginning dose of Bupropion.   I still feel uncomfortable, but less so and I'm getting closer to zero every month.   YMMV, all our stories are very different.   My first 12 month taper failed and I had to reinstate.  I think we all have a winding path down this mountain and lots of rocks along the way.   

[Mascasa]

@j1290thank you! Feel the same way. What have your wd symptoms been?

[j1290]

15 minutes ago, Mascasa said:

@j1290thank you! Feel the same way. What have your wd symptoms been?

I'm tapering generic Wellbutrin, and the symptoms have been headaches, irritability and aggression, hung over feeling, heavy head, dizziness, burning sensation on the scalp, head pressure, all the greatest hits in varying degrees and intensities.  Certain days of a taper, usually early on, I actually feel better than during a hold.  

 

How about yourself?  Wellbutrin is one of the easier ones to taper, but I've been on it 20+ years so that doesn't make it easier.  I heard Lexapro is not so easy to get off of.  

[Mascasa]

@j1290I have incredible lows. It’s been that way on it and now tapering. I can’t catch a break. I was only on it for about a year and half. Then started the taper in 2019. So been almost 2 years. I am like you I can feel ok after a drop, for a bit, then low. I just want off. 

[j1290]

I'm sorry to hear that.  Yeah, it's like being stuck on a rollercoaster for years at a time.  There are some highs and lows but I just want off this darn ride.   To hear you were on it only a few years sounds exceptionally unfair.  It's all such a confusing process.  The only positive I can say about it is that I've never regretted my decision to see what life is like off of the meds.  I just have to muddle my way through this all as best I can manage.  

[Altostrata]

On 2/18/2023 at 8:15 PM, Mascasa said:

I get them about 2 hours after I take my Lexapro.

 

If these symptoms regularly appear AFTER you take a dose of Lexapro, they are not withdrawal symptoms. It sounds like you are experiencing adverse effects of Lexapro, and should continue carefully tapering.

 

18 hours ago, Mascasa said:

I am like you I can feel ok after a drop, for a bit, then low. I just want off. 

 

That makes sense, because initially your system feels some relief from less Lexapro, then acclimates and you get the usual adverse reaction.

[Mascasa]

@Altostrata It is becoming very hard. I am dealing with back issues again. If these are adverse effects, I have been offered a Prozac bridge a long time ago. But it wasn’t near like this. So could that be an option at a very low dose of Prozac?To get off this and then off Prozac? I just spoke with someone who had issues like me and bridged. Immediately felt better. I cry a lot or feel very low.

More under 5 like I mentioned before.  I was also wondering if going back to 5 real Lexapro and just taking a break? I as given real Lexapro prior to tapering. Seemed to feel bit better.

I am a pretty strong person. Been through so much with my husband health wise. But this is really starting to crush me.

[Altostrata]

I don't understand your response. How are back issues connected to your Lexapro taper? Why would a bridge to Prozac be indicated for this?

 

Do you have unusual symptoms after taking your Lexapro dose? What are those symptoms?

[Mascasa]

@Altostrata well I had a procedure 3 weeks ago to give me some relief in my back. So I was holding out hope that I would get some relief. I have dealt with this current pain for 3 years. So the tie in it just compounds with the tapering and all that goes with that. And now the back issue is appearing again. So to exercise which could help with the lows is or can be a challenge.
As far as the Prozac bridge I brought that up to see about getting me off Lexapro. Then stopping that.

My symptoms after taking it: middle of taper a week or so after the drop I would get low. 
Currently, the lows are unbearable. Like scary unbearable Lately almost daily. Yesterday had a break. Occasionally some nausea and dizzy. But haven’t had that daily.

[Altostrata]

Did you have anesthesia for this back procedure?

 

If I were you, I would concentrate on recovering from the procedure and stop worrying about bridging to Prozac. I would not make a change in your antidepressant now.

 

Or do you want to switch to Prozac to treat post-op depression? If so, we cannot offer peer support for your plan. You'd have to work with your doctor on that.

[Mascasa]

@AltostrataNo general anesthesia.

so no post op depression from that. 
So no don’t want to switch due to post op. Don’t believe that is applicable here.

Okay I won’t look at the Bridge.

Thoughts on a small up-dose to 4.9? Or staying at 5mg on the tablet for a good long time?

[Altostrata]

19 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Do you have unusual symptoms after taking your Lexapro dose? What are those symptoms?

 

What are the symptoms that cause you to want to increase your Lexapro dose?

[Mascasa]

@Altostratai just am spent emotionally. I had 2 hours of sobbing last night. Uncontrollably crying. 

[Altostrata]

Do you have unusual symptoms after taking your Lexapro dose? What are those symptoms? 

 

Do you feel weepy every day a couple of hours after taking Lexapro? Or is there a reason you've been crying?

[Carmie]

On 2/22/2023 at 9:50 AM, Mascasa said:

@Altostratai just am spent emotionally. I had 2 hours of sobbing last night. Uncontrollably crying. 

I’m sad to hear this Mascasa, 

 

I’ve shed many tears too. Sending you big hugs🤗

[Mascasa]

@Heath I had surgery on May 18th for my SI joint. It has been a challenging recovery for sure.

[Heath]

I pray for healing and peace for you!

[Mascasa]

@Altostrataor @brassmonkey Haven't been on in awhile. I have a clarification question after reading the files for Tapering and making own liquid. I am using 2.5 syrup and 2.5 water with the 5 mg. pill. But just read not to shake up the bottle.

The precipitation of the material can be worked around by stirring the liquid just before measuring the dose and trying to mix the liquid while the dose is being removed.  It is not a good idea to shake the liquid because this will introduce many small bubbles that can throw off the accuracy of the dose. Many people have good success using this method, but it can lead to inaccurate dosing.

So would I be better to stir the two together in  a small medicine cup and then draw out the 4.4 I need? Thanks.

[Altostrata]

On 7/6/2023 at 8:17 PM, Mascasa said:

So would I be better to stir the two together in  a small medicine cup and then draw out the 4.4 I need?

 

Yes, or gently shake the bottle.