Pepms: introduction and brief AD and tapering history

[Pepms]

Hi! 
I took lexapro 20mg for around 8 years (2013-2021) for anxiety and obsessive behavior

On October 2021 I decided to get off it as I have been taking it for many years, I went with my doctor and as liquid is not available in my country gave me a plan to alternate doses so I started taking 20-15 for a week then 20-15-15 the next and so on until I was on 15, then 15-10 and so on

It was until march 2022 that I took my last 5mg dose so it was a 5 month taper

withdrawal symptoms went well in that time aside from the mood changes and irritability

about 2 months from my last dose I started with paresthesias in legs, Sting like sensations that eventually turned to burning sensations in arms and legs, some days it’s pins and needles in one foot, and some days the other foot, this has been going on for a month now

had blood tests and nerve conduction studies that all came back normal, currently neurologist started me on Lyrica 25mg twice a day to see if I get relief from the paresthesias

 

[Pepms]

Is 3 months too long to try reinstating ? My last dose was 5mg every 3 days @getofflex sorry for tagging you I just don’t want to waste more time if there is a chance reinstating will help with my paresthesia symptoms 😁

[Pepms]

Is 3 months too long to try reinstating ? My last dose was 5mg every 3 days, I just don’t want to waste more time if there is a chance reinstating will help with my paresthesia symptoms, I feel lost and don’t know what to do 

[Pepms]

Can anyone help me with the reinstating question? Neurologist put me on lyrica 25mg twice a day to see if it helps with the paresthesia, I’m just worried that after 3 months from last lexapro dose I lose my window for reinstating and slow tapering from there

[Pepms]

Hi! Is there a post or does anyone know how can i reinstate low dose lexapro ? There is no 

liquid version in my country and lowest pill is 10mg, can it be dissolved in water ?

[Pepms]

So I reinstated today with a 2.5mg dose of lexapro, 6 hours later so far all ok !

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Pepms

 

You reinstated 2.5mg Lexapro today? How do you feel?

 

We very much do not recommend skipping doses to taper, we've seen it causes terrible withdrawal symptoms.

[Pepms]

Hi @Altostrata! yes i know, i wish i knew about this amazing forum before started my taper, i went with psychiatrist and thats the plan she gave me, it was a 5 month taper based in alternating doses, as my introduction says, 2 months after last dose i started to get paresthesias all over body, mailny in legs, sometimes its like a small area mild burning, sometimes its like numbness, but the most disturbing times is when i get a "sting" somewhere it can be abdomen, chest, legs, soles, its like a bee stinged me but i cant find anything, did you experience something related? do you think it can be related to WD, of course my doctors both psych and pcp said that 2 months was too long for it to be related, but after what ive read here im very sure its possible.

i went to the neurologist not knowing what it was and got blood tests and metabolic, which all came back perfect, then got a Nerve Conduction Study in the legs, came all good so Neuro. discarded a couple of things, and put me on lyrica 25mg twice a day, told me to call him after 4 days, so 4 days later no improvement and i asked him if maybe i should try reinstating Lexapro, he was like ok quit lyrica and try 5mg, again i was scared and only took a 2.5mg this morning, its been around 10 hours since that dose and i havent got any issues, of course i still have my symptoms but i know its too early to see any improvement. There is no liquid form of escitalopram or citalopram in my country so i took a 10mg pill and cut it in 4, maybe if it goes well i could try making my own liquid.

 

Thanks a lot!!!

 

[Pepms]

I forgot to mention that 3 weeks after the paresthesia started and before starting Lyrica, i got a whole weekend that i couldn't get off the couch, extreme fatigue, and loss of apetite, now i dont feel the fatigue but have been around 1.5 weeks that apetite has not returned, do you think it could also be related? i have an appointment with PCP tomorrow to try and rule out other GI issues.

Thanks!

[Altostrata]

You just went off Lyrica as well? It will take at least a week to see the effect of these drug changes. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Pepms]

Lyrica I had only been taking for 4 days, and it was the "starting" dose of 25mg twice a day, so i guess doctor thought it didnt needed any tapering.

I will be updating! thanks a lot!

[Pepms]

so around 12 hours of first 2.5mg dose and feeling agitated, its been so long, i dont remember if this was normal when i first started lexapro

[Altostrata]

Please keep daily notes of times of day you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms throughout the day. Post 24 hours of notes at a time in this topic, in a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom or drug and dosage) on the right. This can show if your symptoms are adverse effects from one of your drugs.

[Pepms]

I’ve been experiencing loss of apetite for two weeks now, did someone also went through that ?

[Altostrata]

Loss of appetite is typical of upset from going on and off psychiatric drugs.

[Pepms]

Thanks Alto!

[Pepms]

Today i updosed lexapro reinstatement to 5mg, let’s see if helps with the loss of hunger, tachycardia and paresthesias that I’ve been having 

[Altostrata]

On 6/14/2022 at 4:57 PM, Pepms said:

so around 12 hours of first 2.5mg dose and feeling agitated

 

Did this feeling of agitation after a dose go away?

[Pepms]

5 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

 

Did this feeling of agitation after a dose go away?

Yes it did, it was only that day and maybe coffee had to do with it , haven’t had it since, thanks !!

[Altostrata]

Please let us know how you're doing.

[Pepms]

Just now, Altostrata said:

Please let us know how you're doing.

I will, updosed today to 5mg so dar nothing to report , all good , I will be updating if I see any changes , thanks !!!

[Pepms]

23 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Please let us know how you're doing.

Got mild increase in the paresthesias with the 5mg updose, should i hold it  (maybe it was because of the change?) or should i better just keep at 2.5mg? 

[Altostrata]

Generally, we urge people to be cautious about updosing. We would not have advised you to do it.

[Pepms]

Just now, Altostrata said:

Generally, we urge people to be cautious about updosing. We would not have advised you to do it.

I know I screwed up, I’m going back to 2.5mg and holding it for a while !

[Dee12h]

How are now? I have central nerve pain from an old spinal cord injury & it’s definitely gotten worse since trying to get off Lex. Looking back, I had very little while on it. Things docs don’t tell you! Hope you’re feeling better. I’d hold at 2.5 for longer like Alto said. Give it a month at least.

[Pepms]

On 7/5/2022 at 10:03 PM, Dee12h said:

How are now? I have central nerve pain from an old spinal cord injury & it’s definitely gotten worse since trying to get off Lex. Looking back, I had very little while on it. Things docs don’t tell you! Hope you’re feeling better. I’d hold at 2.5 for longer like Alto said. Give it a month at least.

Unfortunately i stopped , it was mildly helping the electric sensations or paresthesia but doing nothing against general low mood health anxiety and depression, I went to new med who placed me in a low dose combination drug , it has definitely been better but now the paresthesia returned 

[Pepms]

So, after my new med things got a lot better I could get off bed, apetite started returning and I was no longer spiraling in anxiety that I might have an underlying medical condition , however I got a flu and took cetirizine and acetylcisteine for a couple of days , I don’t know if it was coincidental because I wasn’t keeping track of symptoms but I also had maybe 3 or 4 days of no weird sensations on my body, however 2-3 days ago paresthesia started returning , I don’t know if the Zyrtec was maybe helping, can any mod help me decide if maybe I should resume it to see if it helps with the sensory issues , They are not allergy like sensations, they don’t itch they feel like sudden sting or pin prick randomly through body 

[Altostrata]

Good to hear you're feeling better @Pepms

 

As you're under medical care and have added drugs -- (Adepsique) 5mg amitriptyline/ 1.5mg Diazepam / 1mg Perphenazine and 40mg Propranolol, containing a benzodiazpine, diazepam, and an antidepressant amitriptyline  -- I don't think we can help you at this time. Please talk to your doctor about any other symptoms or adverse effects from your drugs.

 

People often find benzodiazepines to be helpful for withdrawal syndrome, but taking them regularly also brings on the physiological dependency leading to withdrawal symptoms, as does amitriptyline, an antidepressant. Please let us know when you need help tapering Adepsique or other psychiatric drug.

[Pepms]

Thanks, i do hope that this is just a temporary drug, i dont plan to keep in it i just hope it helps in my withdrawal acute symptoms a little and i plan to take it maybe just for a month, if doctor is ok with it and then taper it , I will keep updating !

[Pepms]

Even though this has helped with hunger and lifted my mood, I still feel im in Lexapro withdrawal so i have to still cope with that

[Altostrata]

You have introduced 3 new psychiatric drugs, plus propanolol. We cannot help you with what may be adverse drug effects from your new cocktail.