KWmom tapering my teen intro

[KWmom]

Hello, I just started tapering my teen off 20mg of Lexapro 10 days ago. I’ve done lots of research. Her psychiatrist has been entirely unhelpful. We plan to drop by 2.5mg until we hit 10mg and then do the 10% reduction of the previous dose based on the hyperbolic tapering method, provided the first 10mg go well.

 

We hit a snag. My daughter has been a pot smoker since summer and has stopped twice and had withdrawal symptoms that last about two weeks. Her system seems super sensitive to toxins.

 

She was clean since end of October and unfortunately she decided to start smoking again the same week we started her taper. We found out this past Friday. On her 10th taper day, Sunday, she started withdrawal symptoms including flu-like symptoms of nausea, headache, diarrhea, noise/light sensitivity, and generally feeling yucky. These are also the symptoms she had before from cannabis withdrawal.

 

I don’t know what is causing the symptoms. They are in their 3rd day. Her last cannabis withdrawal lasted two weeks. Her school substance abuse counselor said a kid whose quit twice can have increasing withdrawal symptoms each time and based on her high sensitivity, smoking for a week and then stopping could cause withdrawal symptoms.
 

I’m thinking I should be conservative and assume it’s the Lexapro. The intensity is decreasing enough so she went to school today. I was planning on adjusting by keeping her at the 17.5 until 30 days are done and then reducing by 10% of that dosage versus going to 15mg. The other thought was to go to the planned 15mg and see if the flu like symptoms return so we’ll know it’s the Lexapro and I can permanently adjust her by tapering pace.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

[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.

 

This topic is for anything relating to you, and any questions you have. Please do not start another topic.

 

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your CURRENT dose each month, to limit withdrawal symptoms. E.g. 10mg --> 9mg --> 8.1mg --> 7.29mg

 

All the answers you are looking for regarding tapering and antidepressant withdrawal are on this site. Please search around and continue to read as much as you can manage. Use the site search function to search for specific words or phrases, such as drugs or symptoms.

 

It's best to only change one thing at a time. If your daughter is serious about stopping escitalopram she needs to stay off the weed until she's finished tapering. If she is going to continually stop and start smoking it will become very difficult for you, her, and us to differentiate psych drug withdrawal symptoms from weed side effects and withdrawals.

 

Here are a few of the most useful links:

 

--------Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ--------

 

Micro tapering

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

 

Regards

Erimus