niks: Taper from cipralex/lexapro

[niks]

Hello everyone,

So here´s my story and forgive me for any bad english...

Im on cipralex/lexapro and lexotan for about 6 or 7 years due to panick attacks back in the days and because at that time i didnt have the information i have today, so i started taking it and well didnt bother me keep my anxiety at bay and life was great.

In 2012 i had enough because i started to become annoyed by the impossible to orgasm quest, and started to read a portuguese forum seeking for help in how to withdrwal etc.
So i get informed on how to do it and started to be more aware of what i had been taking for years without even bother, i then started a taper and made it to 5 mg from 10mg and was ok nothing really serious i can remember side-effects wise, thing is i get to 2.5mg and didnt go lower because i relapse so bad, now i know why, bad withdraw...
So at the time the only solution i figure out was going to the doctor again because i was so desperate and needed a quick fix to my state.
The doc put me on various med from paxil to sertraline etc and nothing seemed to work and the i tried generic cipralex or escitalopram and voyla things started to get better i started to lose those witdrawl simptoms tha i tought at the time where returning symptoms of my "condition" but this relief only came 3/4 months after the relapse because thats when i tried escitalopram again.
So i was conviced at the time that cipralex /escitalopram was the only medicine that works for me and i kept taking it for more 4 months until i was getting this sensation that the medicine simply wasnt working anymore, i was feeling unmotivated with lack of energy, with a depressed state of ming all of the sudden.

From that moment that was like 2 years ago till now i have been to multiple docs been on multiple meds searching for a miracle cure just to realize that no theres no miracle cure.

So a month ago i have seen a doc that surprised me because he was the first doc that told me "you dont need this medications probably you never did"...i was surprised and at the same time reliefed to hear that and he told me that he wants to "unpsych" me, meaning he wants me to quit dose cipralex and lexotan, and so i did, i was on 10mg and toke 5mg for 2weeks and then 2.5mg for a month and then quit.Needless to say it has been a compleet nightmare with all sort of emotional an physical symptoms that you all know about.

So now here i am with some questions seeking for the help of this group,my first question is that since the cipralex was doing nothing for me mentally since i was really depressed even with the 10mg dose, is it apropriate to reinstate the 10mg ( knowing that mentally i will not stabilize with it) and get reed of the physical symptoms im having and from there do the 10% taper?? is this the right thing to do since depression wise the 10mg reinstatement will not stabilize me only physicaly wise??

Second question, i have read a lot and have saw that if i reinstate cipralex i can buy the liquid form and do the 10% reduction metodh more precisely, but i dont know how to do it or even what is what, like 1ml equals to 1mg???

Third question is about lexotan should i keep taking it normaly until i withdraw from cipralex and then make the lexotan taper???

And my final question is, whats the diference? do you reach the end of the taper and dont feel these awfull symptoms by doing the 10% taper?? is your body more prepared because of the 10% taper??

Thank you all and sorry but im a little bit lost and not nowing what to do, one thing is for sure, docs for me are over...Thanks again

[Petunia]

Welcome niks,

I moved your topic from the tapering forum to here, so you now have your own introductions/update thread. You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress, write about symptoms, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want.

 

Thank you for sharing your story and your English is fine.

 

I will try and answer your questions, but we need a little more information about how you stopped taking cipralex. When did you start your short taper and what was the date you last took it (2.5mg).

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

Reinstatement is best done immediately upon appearance of symptoms. The more time that passes, the less likely it is to work. Once you have stabilized on a low dose of the drug, then a slower, safer taper can be started.

 

I don't think you need to reinstate 10mg, 2.5mg or maybe less might be enough to stop your withdrawal symptoms.

 

Here is our reinstatement topic where you will find more information:   About reinstating and stabilizing to stop withdrawal symptoms

 

Once we know exactly when you stopped taking it, we can suggest a dose for you to try.

 

Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)
Aka Cipralex...this topic will give you what you need for proper tapering from cipralex. The instructions on the bottle will tell you how many mg of the drug are in each ml.

 

This topic may also be helpful:  Using an oral syringe and other tapering techniques

 

About lexotan.  Lexotan (Bromazepam) is a benzodiazepine. What dose are you taking and when do you take it?  Yes, you will need to keep taking this until you have finished your cipralex taper and have stabilized.

 

In answer to your final question, we suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, as this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

I hope this helps. Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing, you will find a lot of friendly help and support here.

 

Petunia.

[niks]

hi petunia and thanks for the reply...

 

The last 2.5 dosage that i took will be 8 days tomorrow...question is that i didnt statr to became hill only when i reduced to 2.5 even when i reduced from 10 to 5 i got symtoms...

 

so ive reduced from 10 to 5 mg in two weeks than from 5 to 2.5 and stayd at 2.5 for like 3 weeks and then nothing until now, so it was like one and a half month from 10 to 0

[Tilly]

Hi Niks,

 

I always struggled at the 5mg point or below (currently at 2.9mg Escitalopram). You are not alone. This lower dose seems to be a tricky point for many, for reasons not fully clear to me.

 

The taper lessens the effect of each cut on your body / nervous system, but also prolongs the overall process as reductions are followed by periods of stabilisation of a month or more as needed.

 

It is impossible to predict how individuals will fare with their taper as we are all so unique and have taken different doses of different medications over different periods of time. Slow tapers generally make the process of withdrawal more bearable, but not without its difficult times.

 

I wish you well in your taper.

 

Tilly x

[Petunia]

If I were you, I would try 2.5mg for now.

 

It takes at least 4 days for your body to fully register the addition of a neuroactive drug. Unless you have an immediate bad reaction, observe your symptom pattern for about a week to see if the reinstatement is helping. If you have an immediate bad reaction, reduce or stop taking the drug.

[niks]

thanks tilly for the reply and petunia

 

So if i have a bad reaction to it i just cant do nothing?

[Petunia]

Its rare that people have a bad reaction when trying to reinstate a drug, especially if you have only been off it for a short time. Please read through the topics I have posted.

[niks]

Hello gyes,

Theres a symptom that are condicioning me and is awful, i am taking cipralex 10mg in the am with lexotan and lexotan in the PM again.

i have tried do com off cipralex a couple times but always did it the wrong way so i will try to do it right this time with the 10% method and then i will do it with lexotan to, the problem in the moment is that im not stable i dont feel stable the depression is here and some symptoms that are condicioning me to have a "normar" day

So the symptoms are: A pressure in my head, its awful and i know that with other medication like paxil for example i dont have it, so it must be a side effect from cipralex but its strange because the first time i took cipralex a couple of years ago i didnt have any side effect.
The other "symptom" that are making me crazy is the wake up in the morning feeling, i feel waking up like im in withdrwal like my body needs the medication right away and in the past that didnt happend so i dont know what going on, is it normal?? is the medication out of my system when i wake up?? is it cipralex is it lexotan??

I am thinking of switching to a different AD because of the headche its awfull and its 24/7 i dont get it why it happens because i took cipralex in the past with success.
Can i take divided doses of the AD like half in the am and half in the pm??

Thank you and keep in mind that this is just some symptoms that are bothering me too much and that i would be happy if i figured a way to aliviate them, either change the AD or the benzo, But the goal is taper from this drugs

[Petunia]

Hi niks,

 

I moved the topic you started in the symptoms forum to your introduction thread because it was related to your own situation.  Please use this thread to track progress, write about symptoms, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. If you bookmark or follow it, you will be able to find it easily.

 

I don't think changing to another antidepressant will help, you need to give yourself more time to stabilize from all your recent changes. You have been making a lot of big dose changes over the last 2 months and recently started taking 10mg again, this may be too much for you now that your system may have already adjusted to a lower amount of the drug, while you were tapering and drug free, this is why I suggested you try a lower dose first.

 

I'm not sure what to suggest now, but jumping around in doses and changes drugs will probably make you feel even worse. Please read: The rule of 3KIS: Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable.

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

http://survivinganti...your-signature/

 

Here's how to add your signature from a phone or tablet:

 

http://survivinganti...nature/?p=84105