juhy789: Lexapro withdrawal symptoms

[juhy789]

Hi, I was on Lexapro 10mg-15mg for a little over 2 years. I did what I can now see was a fast taper down to 2.5mg then stopped taking the drug for 3 weeks, for the 3 weeks I actually felt like I was staring to feel better. That was until one night I had one of the worst feelings of dread I've ever had so I immediately took a 2.5mg dose which helped a small amount for roughly a week. Then last night I had a very very bad panic attack and so I took 5mg, but now I'm feeling HORRIBLE. Is this a sign of kindling? Should I reduce my dose to 1mg? I also took a Xanax today to try and help with my symptoms. I really have not felt this bad in a very long time, can someone help please?

Edited December 11, 2024 by Emonda
Name to title

[juhy789]

Also is it alright to continue taking the Xanax when I have really bad moments of panic?

[juhy789]

Can someone help please my anxiety is worse than I've ever felt before. I took 1.25mg last night to try to reinstate at a lower dose and just woke up at 1am with extreme heart rate.

[Emonda]

Welcome @juhy789

 

18 hours ago, juhy789 said:

I did what I can now see was a fast taper down to 2.5mg

 

Slow is the way to go with these drugs: 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.

 

 

18 hours ago, juhy789 said:

then stopped taking the drug for 3 weeks

 

Jumping to 0mg from 2.5mg is a massive jump. It'd leave you feeling very poorly.

 

18 hours ago, juhy789 said:

ntil one night I had one of the worst feelings of dread I've ever had

 

Those that taper too quickly often develop very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. This Daily checklist of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms is a helpful summary of what many experience.

 

18 hours ago, juhy789 said:

so I immediately took a 2.5mg dose which helped a small amount for roughly a week. Then last night I had a very very bad panic attack and so I took 5mg,

 

Going on and off these drugs is very unhelpful. You need stability. Please add this to your signature.

 

18 hours ago, juhy789 said:

but now I'm feeling HORRIBLE. Is this a sign of kindling?

 

This talks about Kindling. Is it kindling or typical WD symptoms?

About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms

When people reinstate within 4 weeks of a CT, perhaps 50% of the last dose you took might be a reasonable place to start...but everyone is different. This may be 50% * 2.5mg = 1.25mg.

It's best to start low and see how you go. Once you reinstate, provided you have no adverse reactions, it's best to sit back for a few weeks and then reassess.

In the week that you reinstated 2.5mg, how did you feel in the hours after the dose? Noticeably worse, or no different?

 

18 hours ago, juhy789 said:

also took a Xanax today to try and help with my symptoms.

I don't see this in your signature. Please add the dates/doses you have taken. You can end up dependent on this very quickly, and that'll just make things worse.

16 hours ago, juhy789 said:

Also is it alright to continue taking the Xanax when I have really bad moments of panic?

If you've only taken it once or twice, I'd stop. You really don't want to be dependent on this.

3 hours ago, juhy789 said:

an someone help please my anxiety is worse than I've ever felt before.

Non-drug coping strategies

 

3 hours ago, juhy789 said:

I took 1.25mg last night to try to reinstate at a lower dose and just woke up at 1am with extreme heart rate.

You are making so many changes. Pick a dose and stick with it. 1.25mg seems reasonable....but how did you feel for the week you were at 2.5mg?

You need time and patience, with no further changes, to allow your body to recover from this trauma.

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

Magnesium

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Avoid alcohol.

Don't change the manufacturer of your AD.

Once again, welcome to S.A.

Emonda

[juhy789]

Hi thank you so much for responding, I felt okay at 2.5mg for that whole week and didn't have any effects until just recently 2 days ago. I had a panic attack due to some personal problems then proceeded to take the 5mg pill which made my anxiety far worse yesterday, after reading up about reinstatement here I took a 1.25mg dose last night but woke up this morning at 1am with an extremely high heart rate and panic. Do you think I should just go back to the 2.5mg and stabilize there or stick with the 1.25mg?

 

Sorry in the week I took 2.5mg I don't remember feeling any different after taking the dose than I usually would, but then again I always took it at night right before bed.

 

 

Also what would be considered adverse reactions? Everything that I've been feeling so far has been on the withdrawal sheet that you shared I believe. Such as my heart racing, increased panic/anxiety, and feeling down.

Edited December 12, 2024 by juhy789

[juhy789]

Hi thank you so much for responding, I felt okay at 2.5mg for that whole week and didn't have any effects until just recently 2 days ago. I had a panic attack due to some personal problems then proceeded to take the 5mg pill which made my anxiety far worse yesterday, after reading up about reinstatement here I took a 1.25mg dose last night but woke up this morning at 1am with an extremely high heart rate and panic. Do you think I should just go back to the 2.5mg and stabilize there or stick with the 1.25mg?

 

 

Or now I'm thinking since I was fine on 2.5mg for a week should I just go back 2.5mg and ride it out?

 

 

 

[juhy789]

My psychiatrist told me to go on 5mg and take Xanax twice a day until I stabilize. 

[Emonda]

15 hours ago, juhy789 said:

in the week I took 2.5mg I don't remember feeling any different after taking the dose than I usually would

 

That sounds positive to me. If you had some sort of adverse / kindling response, you'd know about it.

 

Years back I reinstated Lexapro at too high a dose, and within a day or two  I knew something was wrong. I developed dreadful tinnitus, my heart was racing, I was shaking. I don't see you describe this. I stopped the AD within a few days and things improved....before I was given a different AD....I don't recall how I felt after than. 10 years later however, I am slowly tapering of that new AD.

 

11 hours ago, juhy789 said:

didn't have any effects until just recently 2 days ago. I had a panic attack due to some personal problems

 

Anxiety / panic = typical WD symptoms. WD can be intensified due to stress / personal problems.

 

You should expect WD given what you have been through.

 

11 hours ago, juhy789 said:

Or now I'm thinking since I was fine on 2.5mg for a week should I just go back 2.5mg and ride it out?

 

Sounds reasonable to me.

 

5 hours ago, juhy789 said:

My psychiatrist told me to go on 5mg and take Xanax twice a day until I stabilize. 

 

Seriously, if you've only taken 2 or 3 Xanax, stop. You really, really don't want to become dependent on this stuff.

 

As to 5mg, it's far safer to start low and see how you go. It'll take a few weeks for the impact of the AD to be noticed. Another member, Koala, reinstated the same AD, and up-dosed more than I suspect they wished, now. In 3 or 4 weeks if you feel the need to increase slightly, then you increase by small amounts, then sit back and observe for a few weeks again.

 

Time and patience are required on this journey.

 

How you feel today, is not how you are likely to feel in 6 weeks.

[juhy789]

Hey thank you for the response, yesterday I had extreme amounts of dread and every night I wake up with my heart racing. Is this like you say withdrawal symptoms or and adverse affect?

 

Yesterday I felt as if I wanted to jump out of my body I was having so much physical anxiety in my lower body and legs, along with my heart racing like crazy. 

 

 

How come I didn't feel any of this in the week that I started 2.5mg again? It just feels so confusing to me that I was doing relatively okay, then one stressful event has sent me into a horrible hole.

[Yesyes123]

So you're currently at 1.25mg Lexapro per day?

 

This is scary, but don't dwell too much on the darkness of it - it doesn't seem like it but it will pass. 

I had a terrible problem when I fast tapered after being on Lexapro for 5 years and then was told by a doctor to reinstate at 15mg (from zero).

It was a long and wild run but now I feel fine and am so thankful this is all behind me.

 

13 hours ago, juhy789 said:

It just feels so confusing to me that I was doing relatively okay, then one stressful event has sent me into a horrible hole.

 

It is very hard to point out what is causing a feeling in your body or mind, even in regular life. In withdrawal, things seem to blow out of proportion. Small things can trigger you to an unusual level and seem much bigger than they are.

 

 What I would do in your position is go deep into breathing techniques and meditation, this was one of the biggest life changers for me.

 

If you sit through this video with headphones while taking very deep breaths and holding them in for a while (10 seconds or so) before breathing out, it can really be helpful.

 

[juhy789]

Thank you so much for the video! No I'm on 2.5mg now and sticking to that until stabilizing, today I've actually started feeling a bit better at night.  I will 100% watch the video and take it to heart. 

[Yesyes123]

You're very welcome. 

11 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

No I'm on 2.5mg now and sticking to that until stabilizing

 

Would be useful to update your signature so moderators here are able to better assist you

 

11 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

today I've actually started feeling a bit better at night.

That's a good sign of improvement

[Yesyes123]

Also, how is the Xanax situation? Did you stop taking it? I would never touch it in your position, you would quickly become dependent on it and cause a bigger problem.

I would stop the xanax for good.

[juhy789]

Yes thank you for the words, it's crazy because this morning I felt horrible but then around 4/5 the suicidal thoughts went away and I was able to actually use my phone to watch tiktoks/YouTube instead of obsessing over this and the Facebook forum.

 

 

No I did not continue taking the Xanax, I was very tempted to this morning but didn't.

[Yesyes123]

2 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

it's crazy because this morning I felt horrible but then around 4/5 the suicidal thoughts went away

 

It's waves and windows, sometimes you feel terrible, other times it gets better.

Everyone lives likes this actually - especially people who are into alcohol, causing big spikes in overall mood, and then big crashes.

The thing is it gets exacerbated for people in antidepressant withdrawal to a very deep level.

 

At first it's very scary but after a while (maybe a month or a few months) you start getting used to it and understand more about it and from there on it keeps getting easier.

 

5 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

obsessing over this and the Facebook forum.

 

What facebook group are you in? I personally would be careful with those, it's unknown whether orientations coming from people on those groups are actually worth your attention or not; I personally would only trust the moderators here in Surviving Antidepressants forums as they're some of the most experienced and well versed people in these things you can find

 

[juhy789]

Why does my vision seem off, almost as if everything is too bright and feels like everything is "too much"

[Yesyes123]

6 hours ago, juhy789 said:

Why does my vision seem off, almost as if everything is too bright and feels like everything is "too much"

These drugs affect severely your central nervous system. Hypersensibility to sound, light and general stimulus is a common symptom

[juhy789]

Should I continue reinstatement seeing that the first 6~ days I went back on were fine? This second week I've been feeling like hell with ups and downs. I'm just so confused how the first week I reinstated I felt perfectly fine.

 

Also at the 6 day mark my girlfriend asked to break up so that caused a lot of stress, however I wouldn't have expected that to still be causing issues into the 13th day(today)

[Yesyes123]

5 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

Also at the 6 day mark my girlfriend asked to break up so that caused a lot of stress, however I wouldn't have expected that to still be causing issues into the 13th day(today)

I’m sorry about that, a breakup in this situation can be extremely tough, I’ve been there. 
 

It can take several months after reinstatement before you’re fully stable, in your position I would hold the current dose until stable.

[juhy789]

On 12/14/2024 at 3:41 PM, Yesyes123 said:

These drugs affect severely your central nervous system. Hypersensibility to sound, light and general stimulus is a common symptom

How long did your stabilization take?

[juhy789]

Just now, Yesyes123 said:

I’m sorry about that, a breakup in this situation can be extremely tough, I’ve been there. 
 

It can take several months after reinstatement before you’re fully stable, in your position I would hold the current dose until stable.

Thank you, will I start feeling better within those several months at least? To the point where I can operate and work?

[Yesyes123]

4 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

How long did your stabilization take?

My case was different because my reinstatement was done at 15mg, as my psychiatrist told me to do at the time (so wrong, didn’t know better. The right move at the time would be to reinstate at a small dose like you did)

 

After 1-2 months on it with no further dose changes I was feeling so much better.

 

If you hold the dose, avoid stress and maybe get into meditation, in no time you’ll be feeling a lot of relief.

 

What are your symptoms currently? How’s your sleep? 
 

Getting quality deep sleep every night is a complete game changer, you’ll heal much faster

 

[juhy789]

2 minutes ago, Yesyes123 said:

My case was different because my reinstatement was done at 15mg, as my psychiatrist told me to do at the time (so wrong, didn’t know better. The right move at the time would be to reinstate at a small dose like you did)

Wow I'm so sorry you had to start at 15mg, I can't even IMAGINE the effects you had if I'm feeling this way on only 2.5mg

2 minutes ago, Yesyes123 said:

 

After 1-2 months on it with no further dose changes I was feeling so much better.

That gives me hope, thank you.

2 minutes ago, Yesyes123 said:

 

If you hold the dose, avoid stress and maybe get into meditation, in no time you’ll be feeling a lot of relief.

 

What are your symptoms currently? How’s your sleep? 
 

My symptoms are pretty much just hopelessness and panic throughout the day, it's hard to get up and do simple tasks. My sleep isn't the worst except for the fact that I wake up every morning now with an intense sense of dread and fast heart rate.

 

Also I'm trying meditation but I swear everytime I do my anxiety just feels worse after I finish the session. Is that common for beginners?

2 minutes ago, Yesyes123 said:

 

[juhy789]

Also I forgot to mention I also feel suicidal sometimes throughout the day like I just want to give up. I know myself that I don't want to commit, but I just get so tired of feeling this way and feeling like nothing will change. 

[Yesyes123]

3 hours ago, juhy789 said:

My sleep isn't the worst except for the fact that I wake up every morning now with an intense sense of dread and fast heart rate.

Waking up feeling dreadful is very normal, a lot of people even without AD problems feel that. When we wake up our cortisol spikes and that leads to weird feelings sometimes.

 

That still happens to me to this day but it quickly gets better as I get up and move.

 

3 hours ago, juhy789 said:

Also I forgot to mention I also feel suicidal sometimes throughout the day like I just want to give up. I know myself that I don't want to commit, but I just get so tired of feeling this way and feeling like nothing will change. 

I totally understand how you feel. It actually makes me emotional reading this as I have been in the exact same situation because of the same drug, and I know just how dark it is.

 

But now, just a few years later, I’m fully healed and life is much brighter. I have a lot more to tell you, and also 2 videos about meditation to send you that might be helpful, I just have some things to do now but will get back here later

[juhy789]

My heart races so much throughout the day

[Evelyne]

18 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

My heart races so much throughout the day

 

That is also a common symptom when going through major stressor like withdrawal, other AD changes, anxiety, fear etc. If you find any ways to relax and focus on something you like, your heart might calm down. Avoid putting extra pressure on yourself if that's possible.

If you feel severe symptoms with it, like intense pain or nausea or feeling like you can't take a breath, absolutely contact healthcare. Sometimes just a simple checking of the heart symptoms at doctor's gives a little peace of mind and can help calming down your system.

[juhy789]

Okay thank you, this reinstatement can't happen sooner this is hell

[juhy789]

I'm feeling very suicidal and depressed today. It's been slightly over 2 weeks since I started the Lexapro back, should I begin increasing the dose? 

[juhy789]

Can someone please help I'm feeling the worst I've ever felt I'm extremely suicidal. What do I do

[Evelyne]

Hey ❤️ Hang in there. It will pass, you don't want to do anything permanent because how you feel now is temporary.

 

 

 

[juhy789]

Thanks Evelyne does anyone know when I can start titrating my dose up? I've never felt so damn depressed 

[Evelyne]

25 minutes ago, juhy789 said:

Thanks Evelyne does anyone know when I can start titrating my dose up? I've never felt so damn depressed 

 

Maybe @Emonda or @Yesyes123 might have some input to this? I don't know enough, but just know you are not alone, and you are cared for here. ❤️

[Pickamew]

1 hour ago, juhy789 said:

Can someone please help I'm feeling the worst I've ever felt I'm extremely suicidal. What do I do

I know it is hard. I had these thoughts more consistently in the immediate weeks after CT’ing Lex. I couldn’t make them stop. The best I could do to live with them was to tell myself this wasn’t my true feeling but a mental symptom. I also told myself if I really wanted to do this, tomorrow was another day to make the decision. This tricked my brain into giving me some time and distance from the thoughts. It felt like an eternity at times, but after day after day passed, I was got myself through this tough period. 

[Yesyes123]

On 12/17/2024 at 9:16 AM, juhy789 said:

My heart races so much throughout the day

Lexapro is known to cause symptoms like this. I also had that a lot. Although it seems something is wrong with your heart it really isn’t, it’s working fine but at a different pace. Try to remember this is only a symptom from Lexapro use and not some underlying problem with your heart.

I’m not sure a dose change at this moment could be helpful. It could actually increase the symptoms.

 

I’m curious to see what @Emonda and @Jane318 have to say about this, but I’m pretty sure they would say to hold the dose and wait until stable.

 

[Yesyes123]

On 12/17/2024 at 1:50 PM, juhy789 said:

It's been slightly over 2 weeks since I started the Lexapro back

The reinstatement is very recent, I would give it at least 3 more weeks before thinking of a dose change in your position. By then you will probably see some relief.