Valkyrie: Escitalopram withdrawal symptoms?

[Valkyrie]

I took Escitalopram for a week (6 days 5mg and the last 10mg) and then decided that it wasn't for me (in consultation with two GPs and two psychiatrists). For the first two days after stopping, everything remained relatively normal and initially improved (instead of lying around for 24 hours, my participation in life increased again).

On the third day, a strong inner restlessness, associated insomnia and sexual dysfunction set in.

This condition has now been happily changing from better to worse for 7 days. I also have the feeling that I'm not quite myself emotionally, but this could also be due to the fact that I'm worried about my current condition.

So I wanted to know if you have had similar experiences and what the time frame was for you?

Edited April 16 by Emonda
Name to title

[Erimus]

Hello, and welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. We are a peer support forum to assist in tapering off psychiatric drugs safely, or recovering from psychiatric drug withdrawal.

 

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2 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

I took Escitalopram for a week (6 days 5mg and the last 10mg) and then decided that it wasn't for me (in consultation with two GPs and two psychiatrists). For the first two days after stopping, everything remained relatively normal and initially improved (instead of lying around for 24 hours, my participation in life increased again).

On the third day, a strong inner restlessness, associated insomnia and sexual dysfunction set in.

This condition has now been happily changing from better to worse for 7 days. I also have the feeling that I'm not quite myself emotionally, but this could also be due to the fact that I'm worried about my current condition.

So I wanted to know if you have had similar experiences and what the time frame was for you?

Recovery is often frustrating, and follows The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization . Given your minimal use I would hope that it is relatively short-lived. Please continue to monitor how you feel over the coming days and weeks.

 

You can read about other members' experiences in the introductions section of the site. If you search around you will find other members who have had gone through something similar. Most people in such a scenario often quickly move on when they feel better, so you may need to go back quite a few pages to find them.

 

Regards

Erimus

[Valkyrie]

Hey thank you for your reply! I hope I have done it like you want it! I just get really nervous when it start again to become more worse then before, but I recognize myself in these "Windows and waves". I just had the big fear that I got hard withdrawal symptoms because I quit so fast. I got some hard side effects and my doctor said I should stop immediately and it can not be that bad, because I just took it for one week and just one day in a therapeutical dose. 

 

Thank you again and in advance! 

[UnderstandingtheBrain]

5 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

This condition has now been happily changing from better to worse for 7 days.

You mean the opposite?

 

5 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

I also have the feeling that I'm not quite myself emotionally, but this could also be due to the fact that I'm worried about my current condition.

It's very confusing, and people around usually tell you it's probably anxiety. After I experimented last time with Escitalopram (shouldn't had done that), I made everything a lot worse, and I realize it wasn't anxiety.

 

Waiting to see if your symptoms improve I think is a good idea. You might make things worse by taking the med again. If you really can't continue in your present-self, taking it again starting at a very low dose, might help (or make things worse), but don't do it yourself, do it with the help of a knowledgeable psychiatrist. Precision, time and gradual tapering are very important.

[Valkyrie]

Hello everyone,

I am near my one month mark after I quit Lexapro after one week (5mg; last day 10mg). I would say my condition is not comparable to the first two weeks in withdrawal but back to normal is different. I just want to give you an update for my first month. It was a hard up and down the first two weeks but it seems that it stagnates after that. And since 5 days my IBS-D became worse again and even more worse than before Lexapro (and IBS was the reason for Lexapro)...What a success!

Warning for TMI! My Lbido is still there but it seems that there is a wall between me and my Libido. Maybe someone of you have some TNT or a hammer so I can get it back. So I'm still attracted to the opposite sex and I still like to “look after them” (I hope that doesn't sound too criminal :-)) but it's like a part is missing, if you know what I mean. As well no spontaneos erections.  My erections can be a 10/10 but not spontaneous and it will need some work for some minutes and sometimes porn too.For this reason I started with 80mg Pycnogenol with 1800mg L-Arginin, maybe you can give it a shot too. I read some studies with a good success. The same with orgasms. With 5 attempts a day, 2 is maybe 90%. The others are so-so. 

Yesterday I had tears in my eyes when I watched Star Wars again, so maybe it is a good sign that my emotions are not completely gone but they struggle a bit over the day. But it seems that I am a bit emotional numb, but maybe it is just because I am worried about my conidition. 

My sleep is exactly like before, maybe I wake up a bit more often than before but than I usually fall asleep again straight away. I normally sleep between 7 and 9 hours.

I have to say that I had signs of burnout months before taking it. Before taking it, however, the symptoms were only mild and became better everyday. It's like the pills set me back three months in my recovery, and sexual dysfunction I seem to have gotten for free too. 

 

Okay now to the supplements. As I said I take Pycnogenol+L-Arginin and Omega-3. 

 

Today I will quit vaping and look how it will help with my conditions.

 

Any Opinions about it?

After a KI-calculation I will be back to normal in end of may but I doubt it.

And as the nerd that I am, I would like to conclude by saying. If Anakin Skywalker could have his redemption, so can we. May the Force be with you!

 

[Tweed9674]

You had some improvements, that's really good. Sadly, your doctor was wrong about withdrawal symptoms not being a thing after just a week.

You are able to sleep. That alone is absolutely fantastic.

 

It seems you are seeing some wave and some windows in terms of symptoms. It's a very normal thing. You'll have to give it some time to stabilize.

 

Take care and keep us updated!

[Valkyrie]

 

53 minutes ago, Tweed9674 said:

You had some improvements, that's really good. Sadly, your doctor was wrong about withdrawal symptoms not being a thing after just a week.

You are able to sleep. That alone is absolutely fantastic.

 

It seems you are seeing some wave and some windows in terms of symptoms. It's a very normal thing. You'll have to give it some time to stabilize.

 

Take care and keep us updated!

@Tweed9674Thank you very much for your reply!
Yes he said „it is not possible after just one week intake.“

Sorry but I am a biochemist and my knowledge in brain chemistry is so far that I knew that I throw a bomb in my neurotransmitter system and with ~3ng/ml plasma concentration were ~45% of SERT blocked. 

Hopefully it will get better in the next month-I will do an update. 
Any recommendations for supplementations or just leave it how it is now?
Thank you again and a good start in the week! 

[Catwoman73]

@Valkyrie- Hi!  It seems like you're doing pretty well.  I have no advice, just lots of encouragement.

 

And I have to say, your 'nerdy' Star Wars references make me feel happy... at least as happy as I ever feel lol, with my long standing anhedonia! 

 

I love that you're a biochemist!  I have been nerding out on learning about how these drugs actually work and I find it so fascinating, and it's a great distraction for me.  I'm really starting to understand why my entire adult life has looked the way it has now.  It's quite empowering, and it's really helping me maintain a deep sense of calm through the chaos.

 

Anyway, best wishes to you on your continued recovery!

[Valkyrie]

@Catwoman73Thank you very much for your kind words and your encouragement! 
My Star Wars emotions were the first which came back, so in this regard…Long live the empire or the republic…depends on you. 😉

I always felt this way two learn new things and even when this experience was not the best in my life this gave me a passion to research about antidepressants and possible long term effects in the future. I am happy that you feel in a similar way. 
Thank you again and wish you the best!