pearl33: 20 years Lexapro. Wondering if serotonin reserves have been depleted.

[pearl33]

Hello! Newbie here. I hope this is the right forum to be posting this! There don't seem to be many places to discuss long term use and its effects, which I would imagine are only now starting to emerge. I took Lexapro for about 20 years. After trying several others, it was the only one which really helped me. And it did help me for years, although with the sexual side affects that are well-known. 

 

In 2017 I decided I would like to try living without them, especially as studies were coming out about long term antidepressants making you more susceptible to cognitive decline (dementia, Alzheimer's) as you get older. Plus I have never wanted to reply on big pharma, especially for the rest of my life (which is what I told I might have to do).

At the time I was taking 10 mg Lexapro. I was able to wean myself gradually, and also used Ayahuasca and psilocybin successfully to help combat depression which I still deal with. However in the past year, neither psilocybin nor Ayahuasca have any effect on me. I can take huge doses with very little effect (for example, 8 grams mushrooms) Occasionally I have used MDMA and it also rarely affects me.

 

 I am going through huge transitions and challenging times right now, and for added support (also doing talk therapy) I decided to start taking 5 mg Lexapro about a month ago. I wake up almost every day with a sense of dread and panic, feeling it strongly in my body, like a nervous current running through my arms and legs. It almost feels like the Lexapro is making the anxiety worse. Not sure what to do anymore?

 

My gut feeling is that such long term use of Lexapro may have permanently altered my brain chemistry, or even depleted my stores of serotonin. Since my brain no longer seems to react to plan medicines which affect serotonin, I really worry that my brain no longer has the ability to feel joy or pleasure. It is scary and, well, depressing. I am writing this in the hopes of getting feedback from other long time users of Lexapro to see if they have experienced anything similar. Does anyone have suggestions for other substances which would help me regain healthy serotonin levels, such as 5-HTP, GABA, l-tyrosine and l-theanine, etc? Has anyone else had issues not being able to use plant medicines such as mushrooms anymore? 

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[Frogie]

@pearl33

 

Welcome to SA. We are a volunteer ran site helping members taper off pschychotic medications, or have tapered off and are healing.

 

This is your introduction page where you will receive information, ask questions and meet other members. We ask that each member only have one introduction page so we can keep all your information in one place.

 

First, can you please create a signature.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

 

I was on Lexapro for over 20 years. I also started off taking 20 mg, and found this site when the dr cut my dose in 1/2. It took my five years to taper off 10 mg doing what is suggested on here. We don't suggest more than 10% a month.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)

 

 

The only supplements which SA recommends are magnesium and omega 3 fish oil:

 

Magnesium

Omega-3 Fish Oil

 

Please also see:

 

Non-drug techniques

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Stability

 

WDnormal

 

Here is some information on mushrooms.

 

 

 

You could try a reinstatement of 0.5 mg and hold for 7-10 days and see if that would help with the symptoms. You could always increase a small amount after that time and see how you do.

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Please reach out with any questions you may have after reading these links. Yes it can be done. I am proof😊