Texans57: Lexapro Tapering Journey from 30mg

[Texans57]

Hi all,

 

Just joined this forum I am 35, I am also active on some Facebook groups that promote the same 10% tapering method as well. I am focused on getting off Lexapro and dealing with my anxiety the natural way since I've learned so much about how to use CBT and mindfulness to cope with anxiety symptoms. The panic attacks and general anxiety are lower than when I was a teen and I really want to try to live a natural life. I am a father and I am married and I am concerned being on Lexapro forever will shorten or reduce my quality of life in the long-run. I've already been on Lexapro for quite some time, since April 2008 (about 15.5 years) and most of that time I've been at 30mg for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and some healthy anxiety. 

Lexapro has helped me mentally through all of my adult life however I want to get off because I am concerned that if I continue on this medication forever it will lead to poor outcomes for my health. Recently I've been getting very vivid dreaming which eventually lead to a bout with insomnia (likely unrelated to each other). What was odd was I was sleeping like a madman for many months (very odd hours). I noticed I started getting very vivid dreaming and then a few weeks later had a bout with insomnia. Not sure how all of this is related, I know my job has been getting much more busy but it's not like I was kept up late because I am thinking about my job. I got scared and thought I had fatal insomnia and went to the ER where they gave me a lorazepam which knocked me out, then they gave me mirtazapine the next few days while at the mental health facility to help me sleep.  However, I am concerned that in the long run the Lexapro reduce my REM sleep and possibly lead to REM sleep disorder which can lead to dementia (not sure how true this is, no literature exists that says Lexapro leads to dementia). I have taken some Mirtazapine recently (15mg) to help me get through the insomnia, however i have weaned myself off that and plan to stay off of it while tapering.

My wife and I decided it is time for me to try tapering off the Lexapro once I weaned myself off the Mirtazapine (from 15mg) that was 3 weeks after visiting the mental health facility. Like an idiot I thought I was tough and I tried to do a Cold Turkey taper (go really fast) that did NOT go as planned. Here's how it went: (went from 30mg>20mg>10mg additionally took 17 in early morning because of anxiety>17mg took additionally took 10mg +15mg mirtazapine middle of night to help me sleep (total of 37mg on Lexapro)>30mg. The following day I took 37Mg +15mg of mirtazapine was a terrible experience I felt like I was zoning out, possibly getting Serotonin syndrome, I was not feeling right at all, I was staring off into space and just didn't want to respond to anyone or anything, it was very weird. After that shaky experience, I decided to drop per the guidelines and went to 27Mg and took 15mg of mirtazapine to help me sleep the first night. Next night I did 27mg with 7.5mg of mirtazapine, and then last night I did 27mg with no mirtazapine. Now my plan is to stay at 27mg of Lex for about 25-30days then start my next drop. For my next drop I want to drop 2.3% every week on Friday night which maths out to be 10% tapering method per month. This results in smaller drops at higher frequency which should make it easier to stabilize on the new drop. I understand as I get into the smaller doses I no longer can do this and will likely have to drop by a constant .2 ml for a minimum of 2 weeks because the minimum amount I can drop is .2ML at a time. 

 

I am trying to get sunlight after work and doing some jogging or walking at a minimum everyday to keep myself active. I also eat spring mix leafy greens every day and I have always taken Omega 3 fish oil every night with my Lexapro (been doing that for years). I don't drink caffeine, alcohol, or do any other recreational drugs. I do have a busy job (I work remotely) sometimes do work late, and I have a lot of children, am the breadwinner, and I coach some of my son's sport's teams. Work has been very busy over the last few months which may have also attributed to the bout of insomnia. Still the vivid dreams are extremely weird and I don't know why all the sudden they are so apparent every night, night after night.

 

Any words of advice or encouragement are welcomed. I really want to live my normal life, even if anxiety is as high as I remember back in my teenage years I know I have the tools to handle it unlike before when I was completely ignorant to anxiety and how it manifests. My entire family supports me on both sides, my wife is in full support, even my kids despite being so young are pushing for daddy to not be sick. 

My TARGET milestones that I am hoping I hit, these may push up or push out but it's something to hope for. I know the FAQs say to take time and go at your own pace but it is nice to get an idea of where I might be and when assuming all things go as planned *knocks on wood* :

at 20 mg 1/25 - Big psychological win if I can get here

at 15 mg 4/25

at 10mg 8/25 - Big psychological win if I can get here

at 5 mg 3/26 

at 2.5mg 11/26 

at 1.0mg 10/27

at 0.5mg 11/28

target being Lexapro free on June 23, 2029

Edited September 23 by Emonda
Name to title

[Emonda]

Welcome @Texans57,

So the moderators can best help you, please complete your drug signature by following these instructions. Adding a signature ensures your drug history appears at the bottom of every post, making it more efficient for those trying to assist. This link should go directly to your own signature: Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

2 hours ago, Texans57 said:

I am concerned being on Lexapro forever will shorten or reduce my quality of life in the long-run.

 

I can relate to this. I had concerns about some developing side effects, and that started me on my tapering journey.

 

2 hours ago, Texans57 said:

am trying to get sunlight after work and doing some jogging or walking at a minimum everyday to keep myself active. I also eat spring mix leafy greens every day and I have always taken Omega 3 fish oil every night with my Lexapro (been doing that for years). I don't drink caffeine, alcohol, or do any other recreational drugs

 

👍

 

2 hours ago, Texans57 said:

I am the breadwinner,

 

I feel this pressure, too.

 

2 hours ago, Texans57 said:

Work has been very busy over the last few months which may have also attributed to the bout of insomnia.

 

Have you worked with a counsellor to help with this stress?

 

2 hours ago, Texans57 said:

My TARGET milestones

 

Firstly, please read the link on the maximum 10% taper. If you do this correctly, it will take much longer than your dates show.

 

I'm approaching three years into my tapering journey. Time + patience are essential.

 

Once you rock the boat, it can take some time for stability to return....best not to rock the boat!

 

The tortoise beats the hare with tapering.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage? The reductions should get smaller and smaller each month, for example: 10mg, 9mg, 8.1mg, 7.3mg etc. This process involves a degree of trial and error, as there is no way of predicting how an individual will respond. Importantly, if you develop unpleasant side effects from tapering, halt the taper, give yourself time to settle, and once stable, taper more slowly and by smaller amounts moving forward. The experience of others suggests that the lower you go in dose, the slower you need to go with tapering.

Those that taper too quickly often develop very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) is a helpful summary of what many experience.

Some people find tapering by smaller weekly amounts more tolerable. You can read more about this approach here: The Brassmonkey Slide Method of Micro-tapering

Recovery from ADs and tapering is not linear. There are good days and not-so-good days/weeks/months. This is referred to as the Windows and waves pattern of stabilization.

Once you add your signature, we can chat further.

Don't change the manufacturer of your AD.

Once again, welcome to S.A.

Emonda