tryingtomakeit Posted August 24, 2023 Posted August 24, 2023 Hello everyone, I am currently one week off of Lexapro. My last dose was 2.5mg. I am under the impression that I have withdrawal related depression and anxiety but will not know for a few months whether that is correct or not. I believe I developed severe suicidal depression due to the frustration I experienced from choosing to stay in a relationship of 3 years that required me to cross my boundaries numerous times. I even moved across the country (california-chicago) to see if a change of environment would help out relationship and subsequently my mental health symptoms. Finally, I hypothesized that if I removed myself from the abusive situation, I would not have the suicidal depression anymore. That is essentially what I am going through now. In case it wasn't clear, I have broken up with said relationship in May of this year. I am finally feeling various emotions I believe were suppressed during my antidepressant period. Among those are hatred, grief, feelings of being inadequate, overwhelmed, isolated, fragile, ashamed, remorseful, and a tiny tinge of hope. I am led to this forum to try and connect with others who may have similar situations where the motivation to begin taking antidepressants were similar. I believe I am on the journey to recovery, but as it stands I am feeling very poor. I would like to get into more details but I am falling short of the energy required to type it out, as well as to save myself the effort in case this ends up being useless information for anyone besides me. My hopes for the future are to recover from where I am at, to be able to provide some comfort for those in a similar situation. 10mg Lexapro 7/30/2018 - 8/14/2018 50mg Zoloft 8/14/2018 - 9/10/2018 50mg Zoloft 9/15/2022 - 2/8/2023 10mg Lexapro 4/5/2023 - 4/25/2023 20mg Lexapro 4/25/2023 - 7/10/2023 Began taper 15mg Lexapro 7/10/2023 - 7/17/2023 10mg Lexapro 7/17/2023 - 7/24/2023 5mg Lexapro 7/24/2023 - 8/1/2023 0mg Lexapro 8/1/2023 - 8/3/2023 Reinstated 2.5mg Lexapro 8/3/2023 - 8/18/2023 Drug free since 8/18/2023
Moderator Go2zero Posted August 25, 2023 Moderator Posted August 25, 2023 (edited) Hi @tryingtomakeit, welcome on this forum. This site is meant to advise how to taper psychotropic drugs in a safe way. In such a way that people experience as little as possible withdrawal (WD) symptoms. To contact with other members can be of great help. It is great to see how members support each other here. I see that you jumped off Lexapro last week at a dosage of 2,5mg. I really need to warn you here.... Lexapro is an extreme powerful medication. At 10 mg it blocks around 78% of the serotonin receptors. At 2,5 mg is still blocks around 62 % of these receptors! See the chart underneath: % of 1 pill(20 mg) Dosage in mg Escitalopram % blockage serotonin receptor (SERT) 100 10 78 50 5 72 25 2,5 62 12,5 1,25 48 10 1 44 7,5 0.75 37 5 0,5 29 4 0,4 25 3 0,3 20 2 0,2 14,5 1,5 0,15 11 1 0,1 8 0,5 0,05 4 0,25 0,025 2 0,1 0,01 0,9 0,05 0,005 0,5 Please also look here, which also explains a lot why we should taper to tiny dosages before jumping to zero: This video with Mark Horowitz (psychiatrist in UK) gives a lot of good info as well how to taper. There can be a great danger that you will get (severe) withdrawal symptoms between now and 3 months if you stay away from Lexapro as of now.... It is all up to you, but if I were you I would get back on the 2,5 mg ASAP and start to do a slow and controlled taper. https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ Edited August 25, 2023 by Go2zero 1993 Anafranil (Clomipramine) for a few months. Later in 1993 Paxil for a few months 1993- 2006 No medication 2006 Effexor, Cymbalta, some Benzo’s. All for short periods. Later in 2006 Lexapro (escitalopram) 10 mg and shortly after Wellbutrin XR 150mg, against side effects Lexapro Since 2006 until end of 2015: Several times on and off Lexapro and Wellbutrin and several slight dosage changes. Mostly taken dosages: 5mg Lexapro and 150mg Wellbutrin 2016 Dosage change Lexapro from 5mg to 2,5 mg. Wellbutrin stayed om 150mg November 2016 – April 2017 Down from 2,5mg to 0,6mg Lexapro (in steps) without much problems. Wellbutrin down from 150mg to 66mg. Also without much problems. April 2017 – March 2019 Lexapro 0,6 mg April 2017 - August 2018 Wellbutrin in small steps down from 66mg in to 37,5 mg . Quite heavy WD after each step. March 2019 – May 2019 Lexapro down from 0,6 to 0,3mg then Prozac to 0,6 mg switch because severe discontinuation effects (may also have been from Wellbutrin..) Wellbutrin down from 37,5mg to 35,3mg October 2019 Seroquel 12,5 mg for 4 weeks because of extreme sleeping problems, then weaning off in 2 weeks Prozac up dosage to 1,2 mg March 2020 Wellbutrin in 2 steps down from 35,3mg to 33,3mg Extreme withdrawal effects during 8 months. Stopped tapering Wellbutrin until total off Prozac. February 2020 – November 2020 Prozac down in steps from 1,2mg to 0,57mg. Jan 2021 : Prozac down to: 0,55> 0,53>0,51mg, Feb 0,47mg , Mar 0,42mg, Apr 0,37, longer hold because of WD symptoms July 0,36 and hold again, Sept 19 0,35, Sept 26 0,34mg, Oct 3 0,33mg Long hold of 172 days until March 2022 January 20, 2022: Wellbutrin from 33,3 to 32,4mg March 22, 2022 Prozac down from 0,33mg to: 0,30mg, Apr 0,29, May 0,28, 0,27, June 0,26, 0,25, July 0,24, 0,23, 0,22, 0,21, Aug 0,20, 0,19 Sep 0,18, Oct 0,17. 0,16, 0,15, Nov 0,14 Jan 2023 0,13, 0,12, 0,11 Feb 0,10, 0,09 Mar 0,08 , June 0,07 , July 0,06, 0,05, Aug 0,04, 0,03, Sept 0,026, 0,024 Nov 0,022, 0,019, 0,016, 0,013 Dec 0,012, 0,011, 0,010, 0,009 Jan 2024 0,008, 0,007, 0,006, 0,005, 0,004, 0,003, 0,002, 0,001, Feb 0,0007. 0,0005, 0,0003, 0,0001, Feb 23, 2024: 0,00000 Wellbutrin resume tapering: Apr 2024 31,6mg, 30,8, 30,0 , May 29,1, 28,2, July 23,7, Aug 22,6, 21,4, Dec 21,0 Supplements: Fish Oil (3000mg), Magnesium 100 mg, 2 drops of Lavender Oil, only when feeling extreme anxiety. 50mg of L-Theanine only when severe discontinuation effects caused by Wellbutrin Please note this is NOT a medical advice. Discuss all your medical issues with a doctor who understands psychical drugs and really knows how to withdraw from them. I wish that you will find one.
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