hopeful123: Lexapro withdrawal

[hopeful123]

Hi, I just joined this site. I was on Lexapro for about 2 years. Tapered over 3 months from 20mg, down 5mg every month. The last 2 weeks, I was advised to alternate doses of 5mg every other day (and now I'm reading about how that's not recommended - I really wish I had come across this forum before.) Last week I dropped from alternating 5mg to zero & since then I've been having severe brain zaps, headaches, lack of appetite & dizziness/vertigo. I did not have any of these symptoms during the rest of the taper.

 

Do you think I should go back on 5mg and taper more slowly or should I just try to ride out the withdrawal? How long are these symptoms supposed to last? I would appreciate any advice at all. Thank you so much.

[Shep]

Hi, @hopeful123.

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.

 

Yes, reinstating is a great idea. Please see:

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

On 10/26/2022 at 2:02 PM, hopeful123 said:

Do you think I should go back on 5mg and taper more slowly or should I just try to ride out the withdrawal?

 

Did you already reinstate? If not, since it's now a couple of weeks out, you may want to try a much smaller amount, perhaps just 2 mg and see how you do. 

 

As noted in the "About reinstating and stabilizing" thread I linked above, you'll want to go back on a smaller dose than you came off due to now having a hyper-sensitive nervous system. 

 

Are you taking any other psychiatric drugs? Please set up a signature.  Include drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. 

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago) 
• Spell out months, e.g. "October" or "Oct."; 9/1/2016 can be interpreted as Jan. 9, 2016 or Sept. 1, 2016. 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

For more on setting up a signature, please see:

 

How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature

 

Please continue to use this thread to document your recovery and to ask questions.