GeorgyStone: Lexapro problems

[GeorgyStone]

Hello,

 

I hope I am doing this right. 

 

I am on 40mg Lexapro, which I've been on for about 10 years now. My doctor suggested that I should bring it down a bit because she say that the dose I'm at isn't really much more effective than 20mg, so no point being on it. She suggested that I take 30mg on alternate days and then 40mg on the other days, averaging to 35mg per day. Within three weeks of doing this I'm a mess. Brain zaps to the point that I can barely turn head, lack of coordination, terrible feelings of doom, fear and sadness, nightmares and exhaustion. I've gone back to taking the 40 for a few days but it hasn't settled yet, however the brain zaps have lessened. Please - I need some advice. 

 

Georgy

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by ChessieCat
Replaced name at bottom of post

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @GeorgyStone

 

Yes, irregular dosing is not a good way to taper down. As you can see, it causes bad withdrawal effects. I hope you communicated this clearly to your GP.

 

If I were you, I'd immediately go back to 40mg, stabilize for a good while, more than a month. When all withdrawal symptoms have cleared, you might want to taper more slowly. See Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

[ChessieCat]

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Stability

 

WDnormal

 

And Brassmonkey talks more about it here:

 

tao-of-the-brassmonkey

 

I think understanding what is happening can be helpful:

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

 

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 12/27/2015 at 6:37 AM, Altostrata said:

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are [...] 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 [...] to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and [...] 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 [...] 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.