SSRIjunky Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Hi, I'm a male 28 years old from Europe. You can see my drug history and problems with withdrawal below. I am trying to quit Lexapro (10 months use), already had two bad attempts, with debilitating symptoms, feeling very low about the whole situation, afraid that i will have to take them for the rest of my life , feel betrayed and humiliated by the lying psychiatrists... However this time I will try to do slow 10 % taper, and hope it will help, but need more courage and stories of 10 % taper success with as little as possible withdrawal symptoms. Will appreciate your help. Hope to find help here and will post my progress while I taper. Scales are already orderd, so the first step of freeing myself of this drug done 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 not sure why drug use history is not showing... 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
clearday Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Welcome - I can see your drug history. Sounds like you have the typical set of Lexapro withdrawal symptoms. I had pretty much all the symptoms you had at some time or another during the year after I cold turkeyed Lexapro from 5 mg to zero. Glad to hear you are stabilized right now. Best of luck on your 10% taper. Sometimes a 5% taper is suggested for those who are sensitive to these drugs. Since you are stable at 5 mg, you can take your time getting off the drug, and take it real slow. I think you should hold for awhile, a few weeks at 5 mg. But a moderator will be along to better advise you on that. I am healing well, but it's been a long haul. You'll get through this. Lexapro withdrawal causes some very persistent symptoms, it gets frustrating, but the symptoms will heal. We're all justifiably angry at what has happened to our nervous systems because we placed our trust with reckless, pill-pushing doctors. Plenty of us are quite pissed off at the shocking ineptitude of these ignorant doctors. They don't even know how dangerous their medications are. Well, we sure do. Don't let the anger eat you up, you need to channel your energy into your recovery. For now the best revenge is to get better and undo the damage that they caused to your nervous system when they gave you Lexapro. That's going to take a lot of patience and time. Later on, after you feel better and stronger, you can channel that anger into something constructive. Sounds like you have the knowledge and right attitude to move forward and heal from this. Hell hath no fury as an SSRI scorned..... Prozac: 20 mg 1996 – May 2003 CT to 0 mg; by Aug 03 CRASH then protracted WD 3 yrs Zoloft: 2004 few weeks;, CT to 0 mg Effexor: 2005 few months CT to 0 mg; bad withdrawal. Lexapro: 10 mg from 2009 – 2011; cut dose in half to: Lexapro: 5 mg from 2011 – Feb. 2014; CT to 0 mg; 2 months of fatigue, followed by:Aug - Oct 2014 Lexapro WD Insomnia Wave; sleeping very good from Nov 2014 - Nov 2015; broken sleep pattern Dec 2015 - Jan 2016 Dec 2014 - present: Brutal Lexapro WD ear ringing/head ringing/head pressure lasting for 14 months now. 24 months SSRI-free Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted June 2, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 2, 2015 Hi and welcome to SA. Looks like you have read the topics on tapering and are prepared to start a slow taper which is great to see. Lots of us went too fast and had to start again, but you will get there in the end. There is a section on success stories if you want to check it out. It includes successful tapers as well as those who have recovered from withdrawal. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/forum/28-success-stories-recovery-from-withdrawal/ You should hold for a while to allow your nervous system to stabilise, there have been a lot of changes and things need to settle down before making any more changes. You will probably have some waves and windows before stabilising, the waves can be hard to cope with after feeling well for a time but they do pass. You can read about windows and waves here....http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/82-the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-recovery/ It is best to wait until you have been stable for at least 4 weeks before making any cuts. Listen to your body and it will tell you how it is coping. If you get withdrawal symptoms while tapering it means you have made a cut that is too big or too soon. You can then adjust your taper to suit your body and get on with life with minimal disruption. **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
LoveandLight Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 I'm sorry what you've gone through. But I'm so happy when I read of someone who arrives at this site already stable..it makes it easier from the word go.. Best of luck.. 2000 - sertraline for job anxiety low confidence (17 years old) ..which turned the next 16 years into nightmare! On/off sertraline severe withdrawals every time. 2014 - felt better as reduced dose of sertraline no more inner restlessness. Doctor rushed off again. Hit severe withdrawal. Lost the little I had in life. Couldn't get stable again on 12.5mg. Was switched to prozac. Had severe reaction to prozac..came off in November 2015 at 6mg as felt more confused and damaged on it..Even more withdrawal ..rage, depression, dyphoria, near constant suicidal ideation, self harm impulses, doom, concrete block in head, unable to do much of anything with this feeling in head..went back on 6mg of sertraline to see if would alleviate anything. It didn't..reduced from December to June 2016 came off at 2.5mg sertraline as was hospitalised for the severe rage, suicidal impulses, and put on 50mg lofepramine which in 2nd week reduced all symptoms but gave insomnia which still have..psych stopped lofepramine cold turkey..no increased withdrawal symptoms new symptoms from lofepramine except persistant insomnia which has as side effect. Taking Ativan for 8 months for the severe rage self harm impulses 1-3 times a week (mostly 2 times a week) at .5mg. Two months (I'm unsure exactly when the interdose started to happen) ago interdose withdrawal seemed to happen..2 days I think after the Ativan. Nightmare that could have been avoided! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted June 3, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 3, 2015 Hi SSRI junky , welcome to the site. You can see from my sig. I have a l-o-n-g history , and have been tapering at 10% for 3 months , with little or no symptoms after the last 2 decreases. I waited 8 months to stabilize before I started to taper. Don't be in a hurry - after this many years , slow and steady is the way to go. Fresh 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thanks all for kind words It seems i finally found a place where my words and experiences mean something, as I'm so tired explaining people that these drugs are actually addictive and have bad withdrawals. It hurts so much when your parents or closest friends take your words sceptically ("Well you know he is on these drugs for a reason, doctors know better blah blah blah"). I've seen friends OD'ing from heroin until they turned 20, friends put in rehab for cocaine habit when they were 23, going to AA meetings already at 25... all had problems with addiction, deserved and got some compassion, but when you are on psych meds and struggle to come off - you are on your own. I guess you have to experience it yourself to understand it. I remember when I was 17 and started to take Zoloft for panic attacks (no depression... well if you consider a teenager, with a history of emotional abuse and abandonment and who thinks a lot about stuff at that age, a sign of depression, then yes), it changed my world completely.. I gained 20 kg, became unmotivated, did not care about anything (just have some beer and smoke some weed and that's all...) ,and the apathy.. All the things that you need when you are that age But sure it was always my underlying condition, right? And I believed that crap they told me. When I stopped Zoloft, I hoped that I won't need them anymore.. Was fine without any drugs for more than 10 years, had my last panic attack in about 2008, and life went pretty well, with occasional bumps on the road which is a normal human experience... However, last summer due to pressures in work, family and changes in life circumstances I was in a huge amounts of stress.. First sleep deteriorated, fatigue kicked in, naturally mood was worsening, then anxiety... As if my body and mind were telling me - STOP! Guess when I really stopped - it was too late... tried herbs, many alternatives, meditation and yoga (I've done it for a few years), acupuncture etc. nothing helped and just wanting some relief I came back to psychiatry and took the pills. They put me on 10 mg Lexapro (no interest in my history, problems, why this is happening to me or anything, as there is a pill for everything) and the first few weeks I took them, I felt high, and not in a good way, like tripping on some designer drug... But of course according to my very confident psychiatrist I was imagining it... Things settled down after awhile and I had only minor side effects from the drug, but then again I just could not care about my life, people or anything, like I was numb and detached from environment in some cocoon or something, so after a few months I decided (psychiatrist did not agree) to cut it to 5 mg... And instantly I felt better (It was like "OMG where was I, this drug is so strong", i think in the long run it can really change you...), finally I could feel emotions and understand how this drug blocks them, blocks all my creativity and connection with other people. So then I CT'ed and the rest is already described in my signature. Reading other stories, topics about reinstatement and updosing I consider myself very lucky. I was able to stabilize in a short time... This whole industry causes so much pain, literally destroying lives. It has to stop... But stay strong friends we will make it and feel better Now that was a vent But had to do it as I already wrote, that nobody really listens to me. So glad i found this community. 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
clearday Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 It seems i finally found a place where my words and experiences mean something, as I'm so tired explaining people that these drugs are actually addictive and have bad withdrawals. It hurts so much when your parents or closest friends take your words sceptically ("Well you know he is on these drugs for a reason, doctors know better blah blah blah"). I've seen friends OD'ing from heroin until they turned 20, friends put in rehab for cocaine habit when they were 23, going to AA meetings already at 25... all had problems with addiction, deserved and got some compassion, but when you are on psych meds and struggle to come off - you are on your own. I guess you have to experience it yourself to understand it. Well put - It is appalling, of course. Yet not surprising. In fact, this behavior of psychiatrists is to be expected, and makes perfect sense in the scheme of things, given that such institutional criminal negligence has occurred on a mass scale time and time again. So many examples. Big Tobacco got away with it for decades before public pressure and evidence was so obvious that they had to admit that cigarettes are harmful. Our dilemma is that our symptoms are largely not measurable. Lung cancer is measurable. Fatigue, akathisia, paresthesia, tinnitus, anxiety, brain fog, etc, etc - are all subjective. The doctors have us checkmated. They hang their hat on our so-called "mental illness". And the rest of society is largely in full agreement with the doctors - after all, we are "mentally ill” in their eyes. I used to trust doctors blindly. I wouldn't believe this damage could happen to me from drugs so widely prescribed by doctors and accepted as safe - until lit happened to me. Many of us are just average people with no severe mental illness. We just thought that "better living through chemistry" was the modern way to go, to take the edge off of stress-induced discomfort, or natural tendencies that hampered us. I actually felt it was my responsibility to improve myself as best as possible, and if these pills made me a happier person, better able to handle stress, then I should do that. It's bad enough we're all harmed and struggling. It is so frustrating that we are largely powerless to stop this madness. They will get away with it for many more years. Perhaps when a celebrity gets taken down by this stuff - and figures out what caused it - maybe then, it will brought to public consciousness. That's what happened when Karen Carpenter died of anorexia in 1982. Before that, no one heard of anorexia. When will "protracted SSRI withdrawal" be a household word? I'm not holding my breath - Hell hath no fury as an SSRI scorned..... Prozac: 20 mg 1996 – May 2003 CT to 0 mg; by Aug 03 CRASH then protracted WD 3 yrs Zoloft: 2004 few weeks;, CT to 0 mg Effexor: 2005 few months CT to 0 mg; bad withdrawal. Lexapro: 10 mg from 2009 – 2011; cut dose in half to: Lexapro: 5 mg from 2011 – Feb. 2014; CT to 0 mg; 2 months of fatigue, followed by:Aug - Oct 2014 Lexapro WD Insomnia Wave; sleeping very good from Nov 2014 - Nov 2015; broken sleep pattern Dec 2015 - Jan 2016 Dec 2014 - present: Brutal Lexapro WD ear ringing/head ringing/head pressure lasting for 14 months now. 24 months SSRI-free Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted June 3, 2015 Administrator Share Posted June 3, 2015 Welcome, SSRIJunky. Tapering with a liquid is usually easier, see Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram) This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 clearday - good points, that's exactly how I felt, trying to maintain a stressful crappy job, being in abusive relationship etc. Improving myself at all costs. When my body and mind said no, i chose the pill... But I don't blame myself, you live and learn. Speaking of both tobacco and big pharma industries I like what John Oliver does.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UsHHOCH4q8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZ2UeOTO3I Altostrata - unfortunately prescribed liquid is not available from where I come from... I tried to do it myself, but after I dissolve the pill there are some white particles floating, not sure if it is just a coater or additives or Escitalopram itself? So I kind of afraid that every time the dose could be different. But maybe someone with an experience of making their own Lexapro liquid could advice me with that.. 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
clearday Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 clearday - good points, that's exactly how I felt, trying to maintain a stressful crappy job, being in abusive relationship etc. Improving myself at all costs. When my body and mind said no, i chose the pill... But I don't blame myself, you live and learn. Speaking of both tobacco and big pharma industries I like what John Oliver does.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UsHHOCH4q8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZ2UeOTO3I Thanks for those links - they are amazing, must-see videos - Hell hath no fury as an SSRI scorned..... Prozac: 20 mg 1996 – May 2003 CT to 0 mg; by Aug 03 CRASH then protracted WD 3 yrs Zoloft: 2004 few weeks;, CT to 0 mg Effexor: 2005 few months CT to 0 mg; bad withdrawal. Lexapro: 10 mg from 2009 – 2011; cut dose in half to: Lexapro: 5 mg from 2011 – Feb. 2014; CT to 0 mg; 2 months of fatigue, followed by:Aug - Oct 2014 Lexapro WD Insomnia Wave; sleeping very good from Nov 2014 - Nov 2015; broken sleep pattern Dec 2015 - Jan 2016 Dec 2014 - present: Brutal Lexapro WD ear ringing/head ringing/head pressure lasting for 14 months now. 24 months SSRI-free Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Just updating: unfortunatly tapering postponed, as having some stressful time, relationship issues and my sleep is broken (sometimes better, sometimes worse).. Today I visited my psychiatrist... seems he is a hardcore withdrawal denier. Not only told me that all these synptoms are my condition, but that brain zaps usually are in people's heads, thus their conditions.... I don't even... I was lost, I am still lost. On moments like these I don't want to live on this planet, it is just so sad, so sad... I feel so helpless and want only to cry Just sharing with you all.. 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
DaddyCee Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 sounds like you need to find a better and more compassionate psych to me. I have been trying Reflexology and the occasional Massage over the past 7 months and I think that has helped with my recovery process. 1997 - 2001 Seroxat 10mg 2001 - 2013 Escitalopram 10mg Gradual taper from 10mg to 5mg over 2.5 years (between 2011 - 2013) Last taper from 5mg to 0 under advice from doctor done in 1 month (too damn fast!) - included missing out days. Have been drug free since Oct 2013. - Yep 5 years drugs free Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted July 15, 2015 Administrator Share Posted July 15, 2015 SSRIjunky, I would let your nervous system rest for a time before tapering. Yes, when you make a liquid with the tablet, you may see some particles floating around. Don't worry, this is normal. Everyone who makes their own liquid sees them. Simply mix up the liquid well and, with an oral syringe, take your dose from the middle. See How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted July 16, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 16, 2015 Try not to be too down SSRIjunky. All your feelings are magnified at the moment , and everyone here knows exactly what you're talking about. I agree that a new psychiatrist who can support you would be a big plus. Good decision to hold tapering off if things are already a bit rocky. You'll get there , and you're listening to your body which will help as the process goes along. There's a video of chicken showing how to do a taper with liquid here that may be helpful. 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Thanks all for tips, Speaking about compassion - my dog receives a better treatment when i bring him to the vet, street drug dealers are far more compassionate as well And actually this guy could be called "progressive" , has phD, lectures in the most prestigious medical school in the country. I visit him in public hospital so usually they don't have time and don't care. It is difficult to find alternatives or critical psychiatrists in this country (not sure if they actually exist here..), and I'm not sure if i want to pay these crooks, if I'll choose to go to private one. Anyway, will try to search for someone at least supportive and little more understanding. 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
DavidStone Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Just updating: unfortunatly tapering postponed, as having some stressful time, relationship issues and my sleep is broken (sometimes better, sometimes worse).. Today I visited my psychiatrist... seems he is a hardcore withdrawal denier. Not only told me that all these synptoms are my condition, but that brain zaps usually are in people's heads, thus their conditions.... I don't even... I was lost, I am still lost. On moments like these I don't want to live on this planet, it is just so sad, so sad... I feel so helpless and want only to cry Just sharing with you all.. Brain zaps aren't just in people's heads. He should read more about the pills he's pushing. Lexapro four times in the last ten years. Each time 6 month use. Two week taper. Lexapro 20mg August 2014 until Feb 28 2015. Two week taper Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 19, 2015 Administrator Share Posted August 19, 2015 Very, very few doctors of any kind know anything about tapering off psychiatric drugs or withdrawal syndrome. This is true everywhere in the world. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Hi everyone, just updating my topic. A week ago I decided to start my taper, as my withdrawal/reinstatement/general drug effects or whatever (You name it, I am lost ) symptoms are not as severe as they were back in a few months and waves are not as brutal as they were before. Unfortunately I started to take Quetiapine again, as my sleep deteriorated in these few months. Though I take only quarter of the pill (6.25 mg) for a night. I have insomnia for the second year now, and have little hope that my sleep will be better anytime soon (if ever ). For a week I feel slight increase in anxiety, but unsure if it is from the cut itself, or just of thinking about withdrawal and previous CT traumatic experiences. Also I have blurred vision and very slight dizziness that comes and goes throughout a day since my dose cut. Besides that - crying, weeping, feeling extremely sad and in pain (not withdrawal related. I view them as positive symptoms. Better than anxiety, panic, weird feelings). As if I process long held grief ( until now haven't shed a tear in 15 years..) and realizing the human condition as inevitable suffering, and emotionally experiencing Buddha teachings or something I still suffer from many issues in my life and they won't go away anytime soon. So I decided there is no "right moment" to start a taper for me. I will just go slow and see what happens. Also I am seeing a new psychiatrist and she actually thinks that I suffer from PTSD and the meds were not right for me from the beginning. She suggested a long taper with 25 % cuts, lasting from 6 months to a year (which is quite good, knowing the general opinions of the crook psychiatrists) but I won't risk it and go with much smaller cuts. 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted October 21, 2015 Moderator Share Posted October 21, 2015 Hi SSRIjunky-- Often there is no "right time" to start and you have to just go for it. As long as you're fairly stable which it sounds like you are things should work well. I agree, don't believe your Pdoc, making cuts that big will cause you a lot of trouble. Here are some things you should read to help get ready to do your taper. Preparing to taper Why taper by 10% of my dosage? Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram) Best of luck on your new journey and please keep us posted. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 Hi, updating on my withdrawal journey. I will list some symptoms that I experienced thus far and write down some observations. 4.5 mg: dizziness, tinnitus, anxiety (might be more from thinking about withdrawal). All very mild. 4 mg: made a cut after 3 weeks, on the second week a road became a little more bumpy. Dizziness, tinnitus, anxiety (now clearly withdrawal related, more like akhatisia, but not severe), deteriorating sleep (had to increase Quetiapine.. yeah I know will have problems with it too, eventually... ), anger, irritability, obssesive thinking. All from mild to moderate. Lesson learned: make smaller cuts, stay on the dose for longer if experience symptoms from the previous cut. 3.75 mg: made a cut a few days ago so hard to tell. Thus far dizziness, nausea. All mild. No or very little anxiety, insomnia, tinnitus. Feel much better at the moment. Still very far from quitting this junk, but not many problems until the present moment. 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
DaddyCee Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Good to hear you are getting there. Slowly is the key. You've got plenty of time to enjoy the rest of your life drug free. Namaste. 1997 - 2001 Seroxat 10mg 2001 - 2013 Escitalopram 10mg Gradual taper from 10mg to 5mg over 2.5 years (between 2011 - 2013) Last taper from 5mg to 0 under advice from doctor done in 1 month (too damn fast!) - included missing out days. Have been drug free since Oct 2013. - Yep 5 years drugs free Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus apace41 Posted November 19, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted November 19, 2015 Hi, SSRIjunky, Read through your thread. You have a good handle on things and are in a good place for tapering. SLOW DOWN!!!! You've dropped about 15% in a month. That's faster than we would recommend and since you are feeling some symptoms I would suggest you stay here for a little longer than you originally planned. We ALL want to get off this stuff but nothing good ever comes from people going too fast. If the whole process takes 6 months longer and you avoid a protracted withdrawal, doesn't that seem worth it? Just sayin'. Best, Andy Sertraline 50mg and Clonazapam .375mg from 2000 -- symptoms of dizziness Spring 2012 increased to .5 Clonazapam and 100mg Sertraline -- no improvement Benzo microtaper from November 2012 to November 2014 (followed benzo sites "taper benzo first") Started Sertraline taper in December 2014 cut by 25mg to 75mg; 62.5mg 1/1/15 and 50mg on 2/1/15 Held at 50mg through April 5 to use liquid Reduced dosage in 10% or less drops from 50mg to 25mg -- at single tablet of 25mg on 10/5/15 Transitioned to all liquid for accuracy while tapering -- Horrible insomnia -- back to 25mg liquid and held until October 1, 2016 10/16 -- 11/18 tapered very slowly to 10.6mg. No real improvement and never really stable so updosed to 12.5mg (1/2 a pill) for convenience and long hold. After 8+ months of holding with no noticeable improvement decided to add .4ml of liquid Prozac (about 1.5mg) to see if that improves the situation Supplements, Magnesium, D3, Omega 3, curcumin, Valerian, 81mg Aspirin, L-Theanine, Vit. C, Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hi guys, writing my first update of 2016. I must say that so far everything goes pretty well. Currently I'm on 3 mg of Lexapro. There are no new withdrawal symptoms to report. Actually there are less... From time to time I get some slight dizzy spells. Also Anxiety/fear attacks. But honestly, it is very hard to tell if it's withdrawal anxiety or just natural reaction to the situation I am in my life right now. Guess the meds are not numbing the real feelings and adequate reactions to the things happening On the positive note... I think the crap lost it's psychoactive "antidepressant qualities" on me at 3.5 - 3 mg. I feel as if emerged from underwater. There is less body load from it as well. This all means, ironically, less depression Very happy about it. That of course does not mean, that it does not "work", but at the moment I'm not that eager to quit the junk as soon as possible. The reality is that, these meds numb the feelings, so joy is numbed with all the rest. All the rest is present as well. Life is not candy, but sometimes it is just so incredible to experience life without the chemical veil. Sending healing, may 2016 be better for all 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
AmyK Posted January 13, 2016 Share Posted January 13, 2016 Well done - so far, SSRIjunky! Current dose: 0! Free! Quit June 2017. 2017: Last dose zoloft: 17 June 0,00065 mg 18 May 0, 001 mg 14 May 0,002 mg 9 May 0,003 mg 28 April 0,006 mg 19 April 0,009 mg 8 April 0,013 mg 25 March 0,019 mg 22 March 0,039 mg 18 March 0,052 mg 16 March 0,079 mg 4 March 0,086 1 March 0,099 mg 22 February 0,11 mg 15 February 0,13 mg 6 February 0,145 mg 24 January 0,15 mg 19 January 0,19 mg 10 January 0,20 mg 3 January 2016: 0,98 to 0,22 mg; 2015: 2,35 to 1,01 mg; 2014: 4,9 to 2,5 mg; 2013: 9,1 to 5,1 mg; 2012: 15,7 to 9,7 mg; 2011: Started on 25 mg - then 50 mg- dropped to 25- to 12.5 mg - back to 25 mg - after 18.75 mg started tiny tapering to 16.6 mg Started on 25 mg Zoloft in March 2011 due to stressrelated tinnitus that gave me panicattacks. Had a terrible reaction to Zoloft from start, but was told to "hold on". After four months I was stuck. Therefore the long taper. Crazy, I know... Super sensitive to drops and have dropped by 4-6 % from the previous dose. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus bubble Posted January 13, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted January 13, 2016 Hello from me too. It's really nice to read such a positive update. In order for such good news to continue I will again call for moving slow and with caution. Speaking from my experience, when we are doing well we tend to become a bit careless and forget how powerful these drugs are. (I'm just suffering after pushing my taper during a good period). Keep up the good work and I look forward to more good news. Bubble Current: 9/2022 Xanax 0.08, Lexapro 2 2020 Xanax 0.26 (down from 2 mg in 2013), Lexapro 2.85 mg (down from 5 mg 2013) Amitriptyline (tricyclic AD) and clonazepam for 3 months to treat headache in 1996 1999. - present Xanax prn up to 3 mg. 2000-2005 Prozac CT twice, 2005-2010 Zoloft CT 3 times, 2010-2013 Escitalopram 10 mg went from 2.5 to zero on 7 Aug 2013, bad crash 40 days afterreinstated to 5 mg Escitalopram 4Oct 2013 and holding liquid Xanax every 5 hours 28 Jan 2014 Xanax 1.9, 18 Apr 2015 1 mg, 25 June 2015 Lex 4.8, 6 Aug Lexapro 4.6, 1 Jan 2016 0.64 Xanax 9 month hold 24 Sept 2016 4.5 Lex, 17 Oct 4.4 Lex (Nov 0.63 Xanax, Dec 0.625 Xanax), 1 Jan 2017 4.3 Lex, 24 Jan 4.2, 5 Feb 4.1, 24 Mar 4 mg, 10 Apr 3.9 mg, May 3.85, June 3.8, July 3.75, 22 July 3.7, 15 Aug 3.65, 17 Sept 3.6, 1 Jan 2018 3.55, 19 Jan 3.5, 16 Mar 3.4, 14 Apr 3.3, 23 May 3.2, 16 June 3.15, 15 Jul 3.1, 31 Jul 3, 21 Aug 2.9 26 Sept 2.85, 14 Nov Xan 0.61, 1 Dec 0.59, 19 Dec 0.58, 4 Jan 0.565, 6 Feb 0.55, 20 Feb 0.535, 1 Mar 0.505, 10 Mar 0.475, 14 Mar 0.45, 4 Apr 0.415, 13 Apr 0.37, 21 Apr 0.33, 29 Apr 0.29, 10 May 0.27, 17 May 0.25, 28 May 0.22, 19 June 0.22, 21 Jun updose to 0.24, 24 Jun updose to 0.26 Supplements: Omega 3 + Vit E, Vit C, D, magnesium, Taurine, probiotic I'm not a medical professional. Any advice I give is based on my own experience and reading. Link to comment
SSRIjunky Posted April 11, 2016 Author Share Posted April 11, 2016 Hello all, So this is just a second update in a year... There is really nothing bad to report. I'm doing my taper (a bit faster than recommended) and feeling better than ever. Actually I'm not sure if I have any symptoms from withdrawal at the moment. The one thing that bothers me is from time to time, for a week or two I feel fatigued, but nothing major. Guess that could be both - withdrawal and stress (which I am trying to manage best as I can). The second thing is palpitations... I suffered from them before Lexapro, and they seem to come back with a vengeance when I don't care about a lack of my emotional resources, but I think I understand that they are a signal to slow down in work, relationships etc. due to my CNS being pretty vulnerable from traumas and Lexapro (which is a traumatic agent as well...). My sleep sometimes gets disrupted as well, mainly due to stress. No deppresion, neuro-emotions, anxiety or whatever to report Mostly I feel very good and there are some major positive changes in my life at the moment Take care friends 2003 october - 2004 august: Sertraline (don't remember the dose, however tried to quit it cold turkey once, dizziness, zaps etc. reinstated after a few days, tapered in few months, with no major withdrawal, with a slight increase of anxiety. )2014 July - 2014 December: 10 mg Escitalopram/Quetiapine slowly weaned myself from quetiapine 50 mg to 6 mg quetiapine with no problems.2014 December - 5 mg Escitalopram, major improvement in wellbeing, but SSRI numbness still present. Decided to quit it... what a mistake. 2014 January - 0 mg, after 3 days zaps, dizziness, extreme fatigue, then after 2 weeks a week or so everything seemed quite ok, on the 4th week acute depression, with horrible insomnia (with nightmares, night sweats (never had those prior), suicidal thoughts (never had those prior), feelings of terror, doom, extreme fear (never had those..). Reinstated after a month. 2015 February - reinstated 5 mg Escitalopram, first few weeks paralyzing anxiety, obsessive thoughts, severe depression, was lucky that i stabilized after 3-4 weeks. 2015 February - 2015 April: 5 mg Escitalopram, numbness becomes unbearable, depression caused by the drug itself, as i no longer feel as myself, psychiatrist suggests to cut the dose to 2.5 mg ("you will be ok, no one is that sensitive" - really?) 2015 May - 2.5 mg Escitalopram, again numbness subsides, first 2 weeks emotions surge, in week 3 insomnia starts with the same nightmares, sweats, suicidal thoughts at the waking in 3-5 am, blurred vision , brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, tinnitus...2015 05 29 - updosed to 5 mg Escitalopram, sleep better, no anxiety, however feel betrayed, unhappy and very sad because of this situation... 2015 10 12 - Escitalopram 4.5 mg/ Quetiapine 6.25 mg [...] 2016 01 04 - Escitalopram 3 mg/Quetiapine 25 mg 01 18 - 2.75 / 01 28 - 2.5 / 02 14 - 2.25 / 02 27 - 2 / 03 14 - 1.75 / 04 01 - 1.5 Other Psychiatric Drugs - Quetiapine daily at night 25 mg. Link to comment
LexAnger Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Thanks for sharing the great news! It gives me hope and helps with my plan of faster taper. Looking forward to hearing more good news from you! Drug free Sep. 23 2017 2009 Mar.: lexapro 10mg for headache for 2 weeks. 2009-2012: on and off 1/4 to 1/3 of 10mg 2012 June--2013 Jan,: 1/4-1/3 of 10mg generic, bad jaw pain 2013 Jan-Mar: 10 mg generic. severe jaw and head pain; 2013 Mar--Aug. started tapering (liquid ever since) from 10 to 5 (one step) then gradually down to 2.25 mg by July. first ever panic attack, severe head/jaw pain 2013 Aug.: back to 2.75 mg; Nov: back to Brand Lex. 2.75mg -- 3mg, 2014 June: stopped PPI, head pressure/numbness. up-dosed 4.5mg, severe reaction mental symptoms added on 2014 Aug--2015 Aug: Micro taper down to 3.2mg, .025mg (<1%) cut holding 2-3 weeks. 2015 Aug 15th, Accidental one dose of 4.2mg. worsening brain non-functional, swollen head, body, coma like, DR 2016 Feb., started dosing 10am through 11 pm everyday 2/13--3.2mg, 3/15-- 2.9mg, 4/19-- 2.6mg, 6/26--2.2mg, 7/22 --1.9mg, 8/16--1.8mg，8/31--1.7m g, 9/13--1.6mg, 9/27--1.5mg, 10/8--1.4mg, 10/14--1.3mg， 11/1--1.2mg, 11/29--1.1mg, 12/12--1mg, 12/22--0.9mg 2017: 1/7--0.8mg, 1/15--0.7mg, 1/17--0.6mg, 1/20--0.52, 1/21--0.4mg, 1/22--0.26, 1/23--0.2, 2/13--0.13mg, 2/20--0.06mg, 3/18--0.13mg, 6/1--0.12mg, 7/6--0.1mg, 7/14--0.08mg, 8/17--0.04mg, 8/20--0.03mg, 8/28--0.02mg, 9/6--0.0205mg, 9/8--0.02mg, 9/17--0.015mg, 9/20--0.01mg, 9/21--0.0048mg, 9/22--0.0001mg, Link to comment
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