Trakker: need help to reinstate Lexapro

[Trakker]

Original topic title before shortening:

 

Need help in reinstating a low maintenance dose of Lexapro after a “honeymoon period” or an unsuccessful taper

 

Hello,

 

Between 2000 and 2005, I took three different ADs in succession - Zoloft, fluoxetine, and then Paxil.  I also took Xanax for a few months and then stopped almost abruptly when I started feeling better on AD.  I did not quite feel Xanax withdrawal probably because the AD effect kicked in during this time.

 

From 2006, I was switched to Lexapro 20 mg.  It worked well for a several years but around 2015, I felt quite detached from the world and did not feel like myself.  So I started looking for natural alternatives to ADs.  I started fast taper with the help of St. John’s Wort, Niacin, and Vitamin D.  It went quite well till 2.5 mg, but after that, I started feeling withdrawal symptoms which were quite intense.  I increased the dose a little and tried to taper again but could not go beyond 2.5 mg.  I do not remember my tapering schedule but it was relatively fast as compared to the recommendation of SA experts.  I did not know about SA guidelines of 10% reduction at that time - I wish I knew earlier. 

 

Then I started seeing homeopaths who helped me with the remaining 2.5 mg taper.  The remedies that helped were Acid Phos, Aurum Met, Kali Phos, and Avena Sativa.  I started feeling really good and slowly got rid of the remaining 2.5 mg of Lexapro.  I started feeling myself again and though that Lexapro was behind me.  

 

After about two months, I faced an unpleasant event which brought my anxiety and depression back with full force.  It could be a delayed withdrawal after a “honeymoon period” as some people have described here.  Now I have been trying to reinstate Lexapro but it is not going very well.  I have gone back and forth between 2.5 mg and 1.25 mg but I have not been able to make myself stable again.  During this acute phase, homeopathic remedies only helped a little like Kali Phos but I guess these remedies don’t work well in a stormy situation.  I am occasionally also taking Xanax 0.25 mg once or twice a day in an effort to get Lexapro settle back into my system.  But I am feeling very bad.  I have sleep anxiety.  I wake up tired and restless.  I sometimes wake up half an hour after falling asleep.  I can’t sleep in the dark.  I feel lethargic and devoid of energy.  I now feel anxious about future like never before.  Past events sometimes comes into my mind very vividly which increases my anxiety and heart beat.  In such moments, I have to get out of the house and go for a drive or walk.  

 

Now, every time I take Lexapro whether 2.5 mg or 1.25 mg, I feel uncomfortable pressure or constriction on my chest usually after about one hour which usually goes away in a few hours.  This happens even at this relatively low dose.  I read somewhere that Lexapro messes with the electrical signals of the heart.  So taking Lexapro makes me sick but not taking it makes me even sicker.  I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

My current life situation is not such that I feel that I can completely get off of Lexapro at the moment, but I want to settle on a low maintenance dose so that I can feel a bit more stable.  My homeopath has now prescribed Ignatia Amara for palliative purpose but it is not quite helping at the moment.  I know that if I go to a psychiatrist at this point, he/she would switch me to a different AD along with a cocktail of other drugs, which of course I do not want.  I would appreciate any help in trying to achieve a low maintenance dose of Lexapro using the help of natural remedies.  

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by ChessieCat
unbolded text / added longer topic title

[Trakker]

I am not quite sure if my post that was edited by an admin was published or not.  Can you please verify that it is published?  Thanks.

 

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  What is the reason you are trying to reinstate Lexapro?  Is it to cure your anxiety and depression, or is it to lessen withdrawal symptoms?   Let me give you some basic info, then address your situation at the end.  

 

Can you please give us specific information in your signature about how often you take these 1.25 mg and 2.5 mg doses?  Do you take a dose each day, or just as needed?  Taking Lexapro like this is very hard on your brain.  This drug is meant to be taken at the same dose each and every day. These drugs and not like an Advil, where you can just take one as needed, and it will work.  Read ahead to see why.  

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

This link talks about how it's a bad idea to skip and vary doses: 

 

Never Skip Doses

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

It sounds to me as if you have developed an adverse reaction to the Lexapro.  This is very common when we go on and off and on drugs, and vary and skip doses.  We call this kindling.

 

Hypersensitivity and Kindling

 

I will need to see details about how you have been taking Lexapro over the past several (4) weeks to be able to best advise you, as described above, before I can further advise you. 

[Trakker]

Thanks getofflex for your reply.  I have updated my signature.  Until last week, I had been taking 1.25 mg once a day after breakfast.  The reason I want to reinstate is to reduce withdrawal symptoms and then to restart tapering at a very slow rate.  Lexapro is no longer treating my anxiety and depression.  Actually it is making them much worse.  I was way better before I ever took it and felt much better after I got rid of it albeit only for a few months. 

 

I think you are right that I have developed an adverse reaction to Lexapro.  I came to this conclusion just recently after I took 2.5 mg for a few days which significantly worsened my symptoms.  But it is challenging to distinguish between adverse reaction and withdrawal symptoms.  So what I did was I took 0.5 mg for a few days and it felt a lot better.  I know it is too early to call 0.5 mg a "sweet spot" but what I know is that both 1.25 mg and 2.5 mg are not quite working.  I'll keep taking 0.5 mg for a while and see what happens.

 

I am now thinking about creating a liquid suspension.  I can buy liquid Lexapro in a bottle that contains 10 mg per ml.  Is it better to create suspension with liquid Lexapro or with tablets?

 

Thanks again for your help.

[ChessieCat]

4 hours ago, Trakker said:

I can buy liquid Lexapro in a bottle that contains 10 mg per ml.

 

The prescription liquid of some drugs can work out very expensive depending on how things work in your country.  There will be a discard after x amount of time after opening.  For Lexapro:

 

From https://www.nps.org.au/medicine-finder/lexapro-oral-solution

 

Discard LEXAPRO oral solution 20 mg/mL 8 weeks after first opening.

 

So you need to take that into consideration.

 

If the prescription liquid contains water as an ingredient you can dilute it with water.

 

From the same link above:

 

LEXAPRO oral solution 20 mg/mL:

 

Each mL (20 drops) contains 20 mg escitalopram (as oxalate). One drop contains 1 mg escitalopram (as oxalate).

 

Other ingredients:

• propyl gallate
• citric acid
• ethanol/alcohol
• sodium hydroxide
• purified water

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by ChessieCat

[ChessieCat]

Post #1 of this topic has information about how to get non standard doses:

 

Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)

[Trakker]

Alright, thanks.

[getofflex]

16 hours ago, Trakker said:

I'll keep taking 0.5 mg for a while and see what happens.

This sounds like a solid plan.  I suggest you stick with this for at least several weeks before trying to taper.  It would be even better to stay on this dose for a few months, just to really get your nervous system stabilized.   It is especially important to taper extremely slowly and carefully at these very low doses, because at the low doses of SSRI's, they affect a disproportionately larger number of receptors.  See this link, and pay attention to the chart.  

 

SERT Occupancy Studies

 

Stability is very important, which means we don't want to play around with changing the dose frequently, or skip doses, or take it at different times of the day. 

[Trakker]

Thanks for the link to SERT Occupancy Studies.  It is very interesting and shows why jumping even at 0.25 mg is not recommended. 

[Trakker]

I am finding it hard to distinguish between adverse reaction and withdrawal symptoms.  Can someone help me tell the difference? 

 

Whenever I take a dose, my anxiety usually increases after about half an hour.  The anxiety usually settles down in about one to two hours depending on the dose - the higher the dose the longer the duration and higher the anxiety.  Is this adverse reaction?  Does it mean that I need to lower my dose?  I think if symptoms do not settle within one to two hours, then I would call them withdrawal?  Is this a correct assumption? 

 

Are there any other pointers for identifying the difference between adverse reaction and withdrawal symptoms?

[getofflex]

9 hours ago, Trakker said:

I am finding it hard to distinguish between adverse reaction and withdrawal symptoms.  Can someone help me tell the difference? 

We suspect it is an adverse reaction if you have these symptoms in the several hours after your take your dose.  Otherwise, they are pretty much the same.  It sounds as though your adverse reaction is pretty mild, and settles down pretty quickly, compared to others I've seen on here.  

 

My suggestion would be to wait until you've been on the 0.5 mg for about a month, and then do a 10% reduction, which would be 0.45 mg.  The formula is current dose X 0.9 = new dose.  0.5 x .9 = 0.45.  

 

I jumped off Lexapro at an extremely low dose, and I'm very glad I did that.  

[Trakker]

Unfortunately 0.5 mg is not working either.  I think I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms because they are lasting for much longer than 2 hours.  I am sleeping only for short durations with difficulty and waking up with high anxiety.  I become very uncomfortable lying down for sleep.  It feels like I am sleeping in a dark jungle all alone.  I am having cold sweats, dizziness, restless legs.  The anxiety is through the roof.  Do you think I should increase the dose slightly?  If yes, by how much should I increase it by?  Should I try 0.75 mg?  Should I split the dose and take it twice a day 8 hours apart?

 

I read somewhere that there is a lag time between the time I take the medicine and the time it registers in the brain.  Conversely, there is a lag time when I reduce dose.  How much is this lag time?  I think when I started reducing from 1.25 mg to 0.5 mg, the brain slowly lowered the drug (slower than the rest of the body) and during this time somewhere in the middle I started feeling better.  So it looks like the starting dose for me should be somewhere between 0.5 mg and 1.25 mg.  Is this a correct observation?

 

Is it possible that I have developed a tolerance to Lexapro and that it is no longer working?  The reason for this thinking is that neither high dose nor low dose are working.  It could be that I have not able to find a sweet spot yet.  Should I try switching to citalopram or will it create a whole bunch of other problems?  I am going through a very distressing phase.

[getofflex]

I need to see more detail in your drug history in your signature.  I can't help you until you give me the information I need.  I don't know when you started the 0.5 mg of Lexapro.  As requested previously, please indicate each and every time you changed your dose of Lexapro, with the specific dates.  

 

In your signature, you say "Currently trying to reinstate Lexapro between 0.5 mg and 1.25 mg (once a day after breakfast) but I am not able to achieve a stability" 

 

You will hardly achieve any kind of stability if you are still varying your doses of Lexapro.  Please go back and read or reread the links I gave you about stability.  You must stay on the same precise dose each and every day to achieve any sort of stability.  

 

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix for your nervous system being destabilized, which it sounds like it is.  There is not going to be any "sweet spot" dose that is going to make all the symptoms go away.  Please try not to be too concerned about figuring out what is adverse reaction, and what is withdrawal.  

 

The key to getting out of the situation you are in, is to do what it takes to try to stabilize your nervous system, which will take lots of time, and patience.  Please carefully read this link: 

 

Considerations About Stability - Stop Jumping Around

 

What I would suggest to you again, is to stick with the 0.5 mg Lexapro, and take it at the same time each and every day, and don't vary your dose.  No need to split your dose, as Lexapro has a long half life.  Do this for at least a week.  It takes at least this long for it to get in your system and register with your brain.  It can take a month or two for a reinstatement to take full effect in your system.  Doing a reinstatement won't magically cure all the symptoms, but it should make them more bearable.  

 

Please work on non drug ways to cope with and deal with anxiety.  I do understand that what you are going through is very scary, and stressful, and very uncomfortable.  I've been there myself.  You need a little toughness to endure these very uncomfortable symptoms while your brain is recovering and stabilizing.  With endurance, and patience, and time, you can eventually come out on the other side of this, and become drug free, and live a normal and decent life.  

 

These are some links to some coping techniques to help you with the anxiety.  They won't take it away, but then can reduce it, and help you to cope with it.  

 

15 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Female voice - getselfhelp.co.uk

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes) Male voice - getselfhelp.co.uk

 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes

 

Acknowledge Accept Float

 

Music to Calm Anxiety

 

Breathing Technique for Anxiety

 

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

 

Meditation

 

Emotional Spirals

 

13 hours ago, Trakker said:

Should I try switching to citalopram or will it create a whole bunch of other problems? 

I would not suggest this.  From what I've seen in people on here, in my experience, it just causes more problems.  

 

Please be assured that as scary and tough as this is not, eventually, you will recover, and be able to live a sane, calm, and decent life.  The catch is, that it takes a lot of time and patience for your brain to heal, and to sort itself out.  Please check out some of the success stories on our forum they will be very inspiring and encouraging.  

 

Success Stories

Edited October 31, 2022 by getofflex

[Happy2Heal]

13 hours ago, Trakker said:

Unfortunately 0.5 mg is not working either.  I think I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms because they are lasting for much longer than 2 hours.  I am sleeping only for short durations with difficulty and waking up with high anxiety.  I become very uncomfortable lying down for sleep.  It feels like I am sleeping in a dark jungle all alone.  I am having cold sweats, dizziness, restless legs.  The anxiety is through the roof.  Do you think I should increase the dose slightly?  If yes, by how much should I increase it by?  Should I try 0.75 mg?  Should I split the dose and take it twice a day 8 hours apart?

 

I read somewhere that there is a lag time between the time I take the medicine and the time it registers in the brain.  Conversely, there is a lag time when I reduce dose.  How much is this lag time?  I think when I started reducing from 1.25 mg to 0.5 mg, the brain slowly lowered the drug (slower than the rest of the body) and during this time somewhere in the middle I started feeling better.  So it looks like the starting dose for me should be somewhere between 0.5 mg and 1.25 mg.  Is this a correct observation?

 

Is it possible that I have developed a tolerance to Lexapro and that it is no longer working?  The reason for this thinking is that neither high dose nor low dose are working.  It could be that I have not able to find a sweet spot yet.  Should I try switching to citalopram or will it create a whole bunch of other problems?  I am going through a very distressing phase.

hi @Trakker

 

I am very sorry for the distress you are in.

I was looking over your signature and I noticed something

 

2006 to 2015: Lexapro 20 mg

2015 to 2017: Tapered Lexapro to 2.5 mg with the help of St. John’s Wort, Niacin, and Vitamin D; could not go below 2.5 mg

Jan-2022 to Apr-2022: Tapered from 2.5 mg to 0 with the help of homeopathic remedies Acid Phos, Aurum Met, Kali Phos, and Avena Sativa; felt very good and relaxed

Jul-2022: Faced an unpleasant event which brought my anxiety and depression back with full force;

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I haven't read thru your thread yet but I want to comment on the highlighted part of your signature.

 

I have a long history of trying to get of lexapro, sadly it is a very strong drug and getting off it takes a lot of patience.

You have discovered what all of us trying to get off lexapro found out- when you get to 2.5 mgs it gets MUCH HARDER to reduce your dose. This drug is very strong even in the tiniest of doses.

 

It appears that you stayed at 2.5mgs for 5 yrs and then decided to taper off quite quickly in just 3 mos time to zero.

 

You felt ok.

you probably thought you were done and it was over.

 

I am sorry to say that lexapro is well known for having this 3 mos delay.

Your unpleasant event is almost surely a coincidence and did NOT trigger that intense surge in symptoms. This is the typical pattern for lexapro . It is so powerful that it takes 3 mos for your body to notice that it's gone out of your system and then WHAM you are hit with withdrawal symptoms in full force. I am very sorry to have to tell you this BUT the good news is, now you know what you are dealing with.

 

I did virtually the same thing as you did. I got down to 2.5mg I  felt ok. I was able to sleep, I had some other symptoms like sweating and stuff but brushed them off.

The plan was to let that dose settle and then taper off, but I thought that a 2.5mg dose was "nothing" or as my dr told me "Not even a therapeutic level"  Drs do NOT understand! don't listen to them.

So I stopped the lexapro completely. 

 

I thought I was doing ok but I woke up one day 3 mos later and I had really horrible and strange symptoms.

You are now at that same point. You at least tapered over a period of 3 mos, but that was as you now know WAY too FAST. Only slightly better than stopping the 2.5 cold turkey really. Tiny fractions of a mg is a strong dose. I know it's incredible! but it's true

 

Now here is where my story and yours is different: I had tried many  many times to get off lexapro, usually without tapering at all. I was always forced to go back on because I didn't know about withdrawal (and drs told me it didn't exist!) I thought I "needed" the drug.

 

you didn't make as many attempts as I did, so your journey from here on out may not be as hard as mine was. It's difficult to say, but in general, the more times you go up and down in your dose, the more sensitized your nervous system becomes.

 

You have likely kindled, and in that case, the hard thing to hear is that there is likely NO dose that is going to totally take away your distressing symptoms. You  may be able to moderate them a little bit but you should prepare yourself for a bumpy ride.

 

You've been given some great links on ways to cope with these symptoms.

 

I just wanted to try to let you know that this is what Lexapro does

I've been on this forum for many years now and have read this same or very similar story over and over again.

You need to go VERY slowly when you get down to 2.5mg

 

and whatever dose you reinstate at, PLEASE just stay there for a long time, several months at least.

Be prepared that no dose is likely to feel good now, you may get some minor relief of symptoms but your system is probably pretty destabilized and you want to stay STEADY and go VERY SLOW

 

I am not going to give advice on what dose you should be at because frankly, at this point, there may be no dose that is going to settle your system down as much as you would like

 

TIME and keeping things as steady as you can will be your friend, time and patience.

 

It is a hard journey as was mentioned but YOU CAN DO IT!

 

try to stay as calm as you can and realize that hundreds of folks have gone thru exactly what you are going thru now and they made it to the other side and are off lexapro and doing fine

 

I am one of those ppl. I am 5 yrs off and have a great life

I won't lie, the final taper when I had kindled, that whole year was really awful. It may not be this long for you, since you didn't try to get off the drug as many times as I did in the past. It may take as long but your symptoms may not be as bad. Hard to know.
HOWEVER  it gets better gradually each day, it really does

It may not seem like it at first because you do feel so very awful but in a month's time, IF You keep your dose VERY steady, you will see improvements

You should see them quite often but you need to LOOK FOR THEM

I know it's hard, as bad as you  feel now but TRY very hard TO NOT FOCUS on how awful it is and instead LOOK for the each little thing that gets better

It will help get you thru the hard times

 

 

You are strong, stronger than you know

You can do this!!

 

 

and as was already suggested, please DO NOT try another drug

 

you will almost surely make things worse

 

I would suggest that whatever dose of lexapro you are on now, stay there and don't make ANY changes for at LEAST 3 mos.

You will not feel good, but going up and down in your dose WILL NOT HELP in ANY significant way

The sweet spot you are looking for is more than likely impossible to find at this point.

There will be no 'quick fix' . 

 

I hope this makes sense.

 

hang in there, we are all here to help you get thru this ok?

Edited October 31, 2022 by Happy2Heal

[Heath]

@Trakker Welcome to SA! 
Most of us here are very familiar with what you are going through. I’m sorry for what you are going through, we all hate it. 
I want to reiterate strongly what getofflex and happy2heal have said. They are speaking only the truth. The moderators here are more knowledgeable about these drugs  than 99.9% of drs that prescribed them. 

I have came off to fast and reinstated a few times before finding SA . 
this stuff is definitely not like Tylenol. There is no sweet spot in finding a dosage that I know of. It takes months to know what is what after a change with these drugs. The only way for healing is to hold at same dosage . Same time everyday for several months. The nervous system does not like switching dosages or brands  around. 
The moderators here will guide you through. Keep daily notes so they can better advise you. 
You will come through this , just hold steady and distract yourself where you can!

Hang on 💪

[Trakker]

4 hours ago, getofflex said:

I need to see more detail in your drug history in your signature.  I can't help you until you give me the information I need.  I don't know when you started the 0.5 mg of Lexapro.  As requested previously, please indicate each and every time you changed your dose of Lexapro, with the specific dates.  

 

I have been trying to reinstate since Jul-2022 but unfortunately I do not remember the dates of dose changes.  I think the maximum I tried was 2.5 mg which was very bad and it constricted my chest every time I took.  So I started going down from there.

 

I will now stick to a fixed dose.  Thanks for the advise and helpful links.  I will surely check them out.

 

3 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

The plan was to let that dose settle and then taper off, but I thought that a 2.5mg dose was "nothing" or as my dr told me "Not even a therapeutic level"  Drs do NOT understand! don't listen to them.

 

I know doctors are totally clueless.  One doctor told me that any symptoms beyond 10 days can't be withdrawal.  And we know that Lexapro has the potential to trigger withdrawal even three months after stopping.

 

2 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

hang in there, we are all here to help you get thru this ok?

Thanks for your inspiring and encouraging words.

 

 

[Trakker]

18 minutes ago, Heath said:

I want to reiterate strongly what getofflex and happy2heal have said. They are speaking only the truth. The moderators here are more knowledgeable about these drugs  than 99.9% of drs that prescribed them. 

Yes, I can certainly vouch for that statement.

[Trakker]

If I create liquid suspension using Lexapro tablet, do I need to refrigerate it or can I just put it in a drawer away from sunlight?  What will be a rough expiry time in either case?

[ChessieCat]

  From Post #1 of the Tips for Tapering Lexapro topic (there is more information in that post, so click on the arrow top right of the quote):

 

On 5/27/2011 at 12:16 PM, Altostrata said:

Your best bet would be to use a homemade isotonic(normal saline) saline solution (9% salt in water) which is made by dissolving 9 grams(1.8 tsp) of table salt in 1000mL of water.  Preparing a Saline Solution  The NS(normal saline) should be good for up to a month to draw from.

Draw out or extract the amount of NS(normal saline) for your desired dilution, add to a separate, mixing vessel, preferably amber colored, and with a lid, then add in your escitalopram tablet or powdered tablet until it's dissolved.  Keep protected from light in the refrigerator, and best to remix a batch of your Lexapro(dissolved) at least every week.

 

 

 

 

[conkaia]

20 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

You have discovered what all of us trying to get off lexapro found out- when you get to 2.5 mgs it gets MUCH HARDER to reduce your dose. This drug is very strong even in the tiniest of doses.

I am sorry to say that lexapro is well known for having this 3 mos delay.

This is the typical pattern for lexapro . It is so powerful that it takes 3 mos for your body to notice that it's gone out of your system and then WHAM you are hit with withdrawal symptoms in full force. I am very sorry to have to tell you this BUT the good news is, now you know what you are dealing with.

 

I thought I was doing ok but I woke up one day 3 mos later and I had really horrible and strange symptoms.

You are now at that same point. You at least tapered over a period of 3 mos, but that was as you now know WAY too FAST. Only slightly better than stopping the 2.5 cold turkey really. Tiny fractions of a mg is a strong dose. I know it's incredible! but it's true

 

Now here is where my story and yours is different: I had tried many  many times to get off lexapro, usually without tapering at all. I was always forced to go back on because I didn't know about withdrawal (and drs told me it didn't exist!) I thought I "needed" the drug.

 

I just wanted to try to let you know that this is what Lexapro does

I've been on this forum for many years now and have read this same or very similar story over and over again.

You need to go VERY slowly when you get down to 2.5mg

Wow, I can totally identify with this.  I inadvertently put myself into withdrawal from 2mg Cipralex after taking expired drops (see my signature).  I've been feeling horrific for the past five months.  I did NOT realise how strong this poison actually is and the three month delay is definitely news to me.  It does explain why my symptoms were so severe and I now also need to accept its going to take me some time to get off the drug.  Thank you. 

@TrakkerI hope you start to feel better soon.  

[Trakker]

My Lexapro tablets are coated with some kind of a smooth material.  When I crush it, the power has some larger flakes apparently from the coating.  The powder also seems to be sticky and tends to get stuck to the sides of the container.  Even if I shake the container well before drawing liquid, I am not quite sure if I can get accurate doses from such a suspension.  Any thoughts?

 

The Lexapro liquid contains 10 mg per ml.  According to the formula, 20 drops equal 1 ml.  But when I used the dropper that is built into the Lexapro's bottle, I had to have 30 drops to get 1 ml.  I have cross-checked with another vessel to make sure that the dropped liquid is indeed 1ml.  I am a bit confused.  Are the drops generated by the dropper smaller than a standard drop or is there something off? 

[getofflex]

Don’t measure by drops.  Drops can be different sizes.  Get a 1 ml syringe and measure that way.  Measure 0.05 ml for your .5 dose.  

Edited November 1, 2022 by getofflex

[Trakker]

@conkaiabut like getofflex said, drops can be different sizes, e.g. in my case, 30 drops equal 1 ml.  I also think that I should ignore the drops and measure 1 ml using an accurate syringe.  On the bottle, it says 10 mg per ml. It does not say anything about measuring in drops. 

[conkaia]

2 minutes ago, Trakker said:

@conkaiabut like getofflex said, drops can be different sizes, e.g. in my case, 30 drops equal 1 ml.  I also think that I should ignore the drops and measure 1 ml using an accurate syringe.  On the bottle, it says 10 mg per ml. It does not say anything about measuring in drops. 

I’d go with the moderators advice. I’m in the U.K. where it states on the bottle to take two drops for a 2mg dose. It’s obviously different where you live, sorry. 

[Trakker]

On 10/29/2022 at 3:11 AM, getofflex said:

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

What type of magnesium is good?  Glycinate, citrate, or oxide?  How many mgs do you recommend?

Is 1000 mg fish oil enough?

[ChessieCat]

See Post #1 of the magnesium topic.

[Trakker]

Wednesday was one of my longest windows and it felt like my normal self but I totally crashed on Thursday.  I am not able to sleep even with the help of Xanax.  It is one of the worst waves I have experienced and it looks like I did CT even though I had been maintaining the same dose for several days.  I am extremely drowsy but unable to sleep due to extreme anxiety.  I am tired of walking and not able to sit or lie down for long.  I am in a very desperate state.  Do you think that I need to slightly increase the dose?  Can I do anything to alleviate these symptoms?

 

One thing that is hindering achieving stability is my life situation.  I was divorced long time ago and did not remarry.  I live alone with my mom who is getting old.  This is a consistent cause of anxiety and I do not know what I can do about it.  When I am in a stable mental state, then this life situation does not bother me much.  But when I am in WD or in a wave, then this makes it harder for me to achieve stability as my mind tries to make me realize that I am lonely when I am at home.  I do have a good circle of friends that I hang out with though. 

[getofflex]

9 hours ago, Trakker said:

Do you think that I need to slightly increase the dose?

First of all, how long have you been on the 0.5 mg of Lexapro?  Have you been taking it consistently at the same time each and every day?  Are you precise in your dosing?  Are you taking the liquid?

 

Have you had any alcohol, or other mind altering substance?  Have there been sudden changes in the weather?  Have you done intense exercise?  Anything else unusual?  

 

I'm glad to hear you have a good group of friends.  That helps.  

Edited November 4, 2022 by getofflex

[Trakker]

I have been taking this dose since one week and take it at the same time.  I have crushed the tablets into powder and using jewelry scale to measure my dose.

 

I do not drink alcohol and there is no sudden change in weather.  I did not do any intense exercise either.  I took 400 mg of magnesium glycinate and a homeopathic remedy call sepia.  I took sepia on the same day when I experienced one of the longest windows.  I took magnesium glycinate during my window before going to bed approximately 8 hours after I took sepia.  I had a very good sleep that night.  But the next day I could not sleep much and badly crashed.  Whenever I am not able to sleep well, my symptoms return or become much worse.  My life situation was also coming into my mind constantly which I was trying to acknowledge and accept but couldn't.  Loneliness during sleep was also bothering me and I was thinking that there was no end to it.  I felt like a caged animal unable to escape captivity. 

[Happy2Heal]

12 hours ago, Trakker said:

but I totally crashed on Thursday.  I am not able to sleep even with the help of Xanax. 

when was the last time you took Xanax?

what is the dose please?

 

I do not see Xanax listed in your signature.

how often and how much do you take? 

[Trakker]

Just now, Happy2Heal said:

when was the last time you took Xanax?

what is the dose please?

 

I do not see Xanax listed in your signature.

how often and how much do you take? 

I do not take Xanax regularly.  I only take it when I feel extremely anxious and depressed.  I took 0.25 mg to help me sleep but I woke after after one hour.  

[Happy2Heal]

10 minutes ago, Trakker said:

I do not take Xanax regularly.  I only take it when I feel extremely anxious and depressed.  I took 0.25 mg to help me sleep but I woke after after one hour.  

 

 

it would probably be a good idea to have that info in your signature. 

Every time you take the Xanax, you should mention it and also make a note of it in your daily notes of symptoms, I think

I am going to let someone with more knowledge address the use of a benzo during WD 

I *think* that once your nervous system is sensitized, you can have a paradoxical effect from these drugs and others that are supposed to do the same thing.

instead of helping you sleep or calming you, they can do the reverse

 

so you may wish to  keep a good record of what drugs and supplements you are taking and when, along with an hour by hour record of what your symptoms are. That can help reveal patterns you may not notice othewise

if that makes sense....?

 

 

[Trakker]

Another thing to note is that whenever I take my Lexapro dose, my anxiety increases a lot for a few hours (even at supposedly such a tiny dose) and then it starts to wane off.

 

Given my life situation, does it make sense to taper or should I try to become stable and then just stay there?

[Happy2Heal]

2 hours ago, Trakker said:

Another thing to note is that whenever I take my Lexapro dose, my anxiety increases a lot for a few hours (even at supposedly such a tiny dose) and then it starts to wane off.

 

Given my life situation, does it make sense to taper or should I try to become stable and then just stay there?

 

you should not be tapering now.

 

 

what dose of lexapro did you decide to stay at for now?

 

Lexapro is a VERY VERY strong dose. Even a drop of it, a single drop of the liquid on your tongue is strong enough to have a reaction to.  

Even more so when your nervous system is sensitized as yours is

 

 

things will get better.

it takes time.

try to find things that help to distract you

 

rest when you can

 

check out the non drug techniques to calm yourself and help you to get thru this

 

 

[Trakker]

2 hours ago, Happy2Heal said:

what dose of lexapro did you decide to stay at for now?

 

I am taking 0.5 mg of Lexapro.

 

Is it normal to have high anxiety and restlessness after taking Lexapro only to subside after a few hours?  I also sometimes feel constriction in my chest.  I have to go through this nasty experience every day.  Does it signal that my dose is too high for a sensitized brain or maybe too low?  Do other people experience this reaction when taking Lexapro?

 

I usually feel normal after a few hours of initial dose discomfort but start feeling anxious again in the later part of the day.  Could it mean that at this "low" dose, Lexapro is getting out of my system earlier than 24 hours and I might be experiencing WD during the later part of the day?  The exponential curve part at low doses could in theory cause WD with just a little change in blood plasma level. 

[Happy2Heal]

1 hour ago, Trakker said:

am taking 0.5 mg of Lexapro.

 

Is it normal to have high anxiety and restlessness after taking Lexapro only to subside after a few hours?  I also sometimes feel constriction in my chest.  I have to go through this nasty experience every day.  Does it signal that my dose is too high for a sensitized brain or maybe too low?  Do other people experience this reaction when taking Lexapro?

 

Hi Trakker,

thank you so much for adding that info to your signature!

 

what time of day do you take the lexapro?

how many days in a row have you taken that dose of 0.5mgs?

 

1 hour ago, Trakker said:

I usually feel normal after a few hours of initial dose discomfort but start feeling anxious again in the later part of the day.

this is great to hear, so you are having some relief during the day? 

 

1 hour ago, Trakker said:

Could it mean that at this "low" dose, Lexapro is getting out of my system earlier than 24 hours and I might be experiencing WD during the later part of the day?  The exponential curve part at low doses could in theory cause WD with just a little change in blood plasma level. 

I don't think so but I honestly don't know.  I don't think it has anything to do with leaving your system. 

Once you started tapering, you were technically in withdrawal, and will stay in withdrawal until you are done tapering and maybe for some time afterward.

You were withdrawing by reducing the dose of lexapro that you were taking. You started out nice and slow, that was great.

Unfortunately, like many of us, you were led to believe that a small dose of 2.5mgs was so tiny it did not make any difference. 

Like so many of us, you learned that is not true.

2.5mg is a LOT.

 

You lowered your dose from 2.5mg to zero VERY quickly. 

You've since re instated a small dose. But for all of this time, you were in withdrawal, even when you were not feeling any effects of it, the changes were being made inside your brain.

Those changes will continue to be made very slowly for a long time. Even when you are no longer taking ANY lexapro, esp if you tapered too fast, or you went off cold turkey, you will continue to be in withdrawal and recovery. Your brain is doing a lot of hard work that we can't see, but we do experiences the effects of that work as withdrawal symptoms.

Brains are incredibly complex. It takes a long time for things to change in our brains.

The drugs didn't just change one thing, everything in our brains had to adapt to having this drug in our systems. 

 

Undoing those changes, that happened over all the years you were taking the drug, that takes a long time. We call that period withdrawal or more accurately withdrawal and RECOVERY. 

 

 

what should happen now, as you stay on that dose of 0.5mgs, and stay stable- take that same amt every day at the same time, for at the very least a month. 3 might be better. You should stabilize but that may not mean that you will be symptom free. You should get to a place where the symptoms are more bearable.

That is the goal at this point, ok?

 

Because you've been experiencing insomnia as so many of us do, it could be that as night time approaches, you start to feel anxious not knowing what kind of night you will have, if you will be able to sleep, and if you will wake up feeling worse than you did when you went to bed.  

 

It is very common to end the day feeling better than you did earlier in the day.  

It kind of goes along with our body's own natural rhythm.  Everyone has more cortisol produced earlier in the day to help fuel our activities of getting out of bed and busy in the day, as many need to be.

 

but if you've been having difficult nights, it's also very common for your body to react, knowing that after so many nights that you had trouble, you are probably facing another difficult night. 

Even when you approach the nighttime trying to think hopeful positive thoughts, your body may be tensing up because you just don't know at this point if it's going to be a good night or a bad one

 

that is what I think may be causing the evening issues.

 

I hope this makes sense to you.

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by Happy2Heal