nivek lexapro withdrawal

[nivek]

Been weening off Lexapro actually escitalopram at 1st by the pills now on oral suspension 2mg. going to taper 10% a month which is recommended....been on this drug for 12 plus yrs. the biggest problem is severe gas & bloating its aweful   the severe gas and bloating is from the withdrawal.....don't know if anyone has gone through this and can offer some  advice on what might help with that. also is 10% a month slow enough.....please need help.........[] or post to this site TY nivek

Edited October 26, 2015 by Altostrata
deleted e-mail for privacy

[Altostrata]

Welcome, nivek.

 

What has been your tapering schedule up to now?

 

Do you get the gas and bloating after eating any particular kinds of foods? When did it start?

 

You may wish to eat very lightly for a while to manage this symptom -- lots of broths, purees, smoothies. Give your gut a break.

[nivek]

Have tapered from 20mg to 15mg then 2.5 reduces every 21 to 30 days til I got to 2.5mg when I got to 2.5 that has been the worst gut wise bloating starts every morning....and get worse as the day goes on.....ok tonight....when I eat it get worse.....ate like a bird today....and will continue that til I feel better.....going to taper every 30 days @ 10% til I get to zero....not sure how long this will take but I don't care started taper in February.....TY for posting.....nivek

[Altostrata]

It might be better right now to STOP tapering for a couple of months and let your system get used to the drug changes.

The rule of 3KIS: Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable.

[nivek]

Hello.....I've been tapering from 20 mg and now at 1.6 mg liquid soon to 1.4mg one of the biggest problems I have experienced is terrible bloating, pain, pressure & nausea feel like I'm going to explode sometimes  2 or so weeks after  cutting dose. Wondering if others experience this? Also I experience withdrawal more than once after dose reduction maybe a week apart....and am tired all the time. anxiety and depression are usually short lived maybe a day or so here and there. I have had insomnia for months just can not sleep for more than a few hrs a night. lots of other things as well. The most glaring are Insomnia, gas and bloating nausea....wondering if this stuff is normal....please feel free to offer suggestions that may help in my endeavor....TY

[LexAnger]

hi Nivek,

 

Congrats to you for getting down to 1.6 from 20 safely. That's a huge achievement!

 

Everything is possible (so normal in that sense) under the influence of these poisons.

 

I just checked your thread seems you wer at 2mg early sep. and now at 1.6. I believe you tapered too fact. Basically whenever we feel too intolerable with symptoms, assuming other factors are relatively constant, it's a indication of going too fast.

 

Back then alto recommended you to hold longer, wonder what made you going fast?

[LexAnger]

You were doing 10% cut but everyone says it's harder at lower doses so you may want to consider smaller cut and longer hold as well and listens to your body.

[nivek]

hi Nivek,

 

 

You were doing 10% cut but everyone says it's harder at lower doses so you may want to consider smaller cut and longer hold as well and listens to your body.

 

Lex.....TY for your input....I was on zyprexa 20 mg also for 13 yrs that as it turns out weaning was a piece of cake compared to Lexapro...off zyprexa now 4.5 mo's  you are right these drugs a poison.....keep looking for my posts......someone's got to keep an eye on me ya know....lol

 

 

Everything is possible (so normal in that sense) under the influence of these poisons.

 

I just checked your thread seems you wer at 2mg early sep. and now at 1.6. I believe you tapered too fact. Basically whenever we feel too intolerable with symptoms, assuming other factors are relatively constant, it's a indication of going too fast.

 

Back then alto recommended you to hold longer, wonder what made you going fast?

[LexAnger]

oh, the other thing you may want to do is adding your med history to your signature for quick understanding and response (why I looked back to your thread).

[Ssriwarrior]

Hey there,

 

As a person who recently did a too fast taper from 10mg to 2.5mg and hit terrible insomnia by 2.0 mg I would like to strongly encourage you to hold and wait until you stabilize more before continuing with the taper.

 

I developed horrible bloating when I got down to 2.0. Horrible. And I eat super clean and have eliminated all food allergies and am still experiencing bloating 10 month later (post a 5mg reinstatement). There seems to be something particularly gnarly about Lexapro and bloating and I think it has to do with leaky gut.

 

I've tried TONS of GI supplements, acupuncture, sauna, yoga, etc and not much has helped with the bloating. I've tried extreme elimination diets and straight up not eating and the bloating remains. Currently I'm eating a "leaky gut" healing diet and praying for a miracle that this bloating will end. What I do know is to avoid ANY fermented foods at all cost right now, as it makes the bloating much worse (vinegar - ketchup, etc; miso, Kimchi, kombucha, and of course alcohol).

 

Stay strong and hold on the taper until the insomnia is not so brutal.

[Altostrata]

nivek -- I moved your recent posts here so they wouldn't get lost. Please follow this topic or bookmark it so you can see the responses to your questions.

[nivek]

alto, ty having a tuff time with this site very confusing.....post stuff than cant go back and find it because I don't know where I posted it.......so I cant see responses.....im experiencing lot of confusion coming off this drug.......also having tuff time reading because of fatigue....5 minutes on the computer and im wiped out.....to much to read on how to use this site....not sure what to do....this site is very helpful.......perhaps you could give me some easy was to negotiate this .

Edited October 14, 2015 by brassmonkey
Removed personal contact information

[nivek]

Hey there,

 

As a person who recently did a too fast taper from 10mg to 2.5mg and hit terrible insomnia by 2.0 mg I would like to strongly encourage you to hold and wait until you stabilize more before continuing with the taper.

 

I developed horrible bloating when I got down to 2.0. Horrible. And I eat super clean and have eliminated all food allergies and am still experiencing bloating 10 month later (post a 5mg reinstatement). There seems to be something particularly gnarly about Lexapro and bloating and I think it has to do with leaky gut.

 

I've tried TONS of GI supplements, acupuncture, sauna, yoga, etc and not much has helped with the bloating. I've tried extreme elimination diets and straight up not eating and the bloating remains. Currently I'm eating a "leaky gut" healing diet and praying for a miracle that this bloating will end. What I do know is to avoid ANY fermented foods at all cost right now, as it makes the bloating much worse (vinegar - ketchup, etc; miso, Kimchi, kombucha, and of course alcohol).

 

Stay strong and hold on the taper until the insomnia is not so brutal.

warrior....ty   for your post....same thing happened to me at 2.5mg major bloating......insomnia nausea.....bla bla bla the list goes on....this stuff is poison.....nothing helps the bloating..if I find something that helps ill be sure to let you know....looks like in may you were at 6mg where are you at dose wise.....and did going back to higher doses help the bloating.....I hope you are doing ok..... nivek 

[brassmonkey]

Hi nivek--  it isn't a good idea to put your contact information in a post.  This is a public forum so any weirdo on the internet could see it.  I removed it for your safety.

 

The easy way to find things you have posted is to find your name at the upper right corner of the page and click on it. A menu will appear. On the left side of the menu it will say "My Content". Click on that and a list of every thread you have ever posted on will appear.  Click on the thread and then find your post.

 

The other was is to find your name at the upper right corner of the page and click on it. A menu will appear. On the top right of the menu it will say "My Settings". Click on that and a new page will appear. On the left side below the avatar picture is a menu and at the bottom it says "posts".  Click on that and every post you have ever made will be listed.  Click on the post and it will take you to the thread.

[KarenB]

Hello Nivek,

 

Hope you're doing okay today - not an easy time for you.  Be reassured that things do improve - you will not stay stuck in this place.  LexAnger had good advice about holding and settling - the main thing is to take care of yourself on the way rather than get there fast.  Your brain is so precious, and will appreciate the care you give it as you gently taper. 

 

Hang in there, you'll make it through,

Karen

[nivek]

hi still experiencing severe bloating & insomnia after cutting from 2 mg to 1.6 liquid. problems started 10 days or so after cutting dose I know 20% dose cut was to much....cant wait to get off this poison.....but will try 10 % next how long does it take for body to level itself? been about 3 or so weeks with stomach severity it has calmed some but still problematic....at docs suggestion for insomnia I am now taking dose in morning since oct 16 how long does it take to curb insomnia once you start taking dose in Am..... cut dose 26 days ago do I just cut dose when I feel ive leveled off....I guess.....I have found melatonin 6mg and 5 htp 200mg got me 5 hrs last night but woke with head ache.....trial & error....any suggestions would be appreciated.....TY Nivek

[Altostrata]

nivek, I moved your post here, to your Intro topic. This is the place for those "what should I do?" questions. Please bookmark it or follow it so you can find it again.

 

The 20% decrease plus switch to liquid must have caused some nervous system upset. Since it's starting to go away, this might stabiize in a few weeks.

 

There is no set amount of time for your nervous system to recover from any change. That is why we recommend very cautious changes.

 

6mg melatonin is a very high dose of melatonin. You may wish to take less to reduce side effects.

[pocketnurse]

Hi Nivek

 

I can totally relate to your bad GI issues as I am struggling terribly with the same and seriously considering reinstating. I have also done an incredibly slow taper and my GI issues only really started at the 2.5 mg mark. I am vegetarian and I am seriously wondering if my vegetarian diet may be making it worse. I wish I could advise you but so far I haven't found anything at all that has relieved it and it is causing me enormous stress and worry. I have been taking magnesium and cod liver oil and have decided to cut out the magnesium for now and see if that helps. I still find it so very hard to believe that these horrendous drugs can cause such symptoms.

The only thing I can offer you at the moment is the best of luck nd I really hope it all settles down soon.

[nivek]

November 2014 2.5 olanzapine cut 50% to 1.25 in dec 2014

January  22nd 2015 olanzapine cut 60% to .50 for 30 days 

February 2015 .25 olanzapine for 30 days

Feb 2015 cut escitalopram/ Lexapro from 20 to 15 mg

March 2015 .1875 olanzapine 30 days

April 2015 .14  olanzapine to june 1st than off

march 2015 12.5 lex 

April 2015 10 lex may 7.5 june 5mg

july 3.75 aug 2.5 sept 2mg

oct 2015 1.6

[Altostrata]

nivek, please follow the instructions in http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/to put your withdrawal history in your signature -- that's the lines under each of your posts.

[nivek]

Hi guys

I now realize why im having such a problem....since last November I started to come off zyprexa it took 8 months. it took 4 mo to see a psychiatrist, he continued the taper 50% in the beginning.....then cut doses to 25 % but i still had lots of problems...He took me of both Zyprexa & Lexapro @ the same time alternating dose cuts 30 days apart. Major problem, doctors just have no idea what to expect. I am off zyprexa 5 months and down to 1.6 Lexapro very sick the while long 3 months now.....the doc im seeing now never mentioned the 10% dose reduction I found it on your site.....I hope I can get back on track.....Im on 1.6 30 days now hope I will stabilize soon and then will cut the dose between 5and10% probably closer to 5% is what im thinking.....I posted my drug history tonight....please look at it and give me some input......TY Nivek

[Altostrata]

nivek, I moved your post here, to your Intro topic. This is the place for questions that pertain to your individual situation.

 

Yes, this site exists because doctors do not know enough about tapering.

 

I see your drug history (also moved to this topic). If you have had withdrawal symptoms all along, additional reductions, even if only 10%, are likely to make them worse.

 

If I were you, I would not only STOP tapering for some months, to let your nervous system settle down, I might consider trying an updose to perhaps 3mg.

[nivek]

Hi guys
I now realize why im having such a problem....since last November I started to come off zyprexa it took 8 months. it took 4 mo to see a psychiatrist, he continued the taper 50% in the beginning.....then cut doses to 25 % but i still had lots of problems...He took me of both Zyprexa & Lexapro @ the same time alternating dose cuts 30 days apart. Major problem, doctors just have no idea what to expect. I am off zyprexa 5 months and down to 1.6 Lexapro very sick the while long 3 months now.....the doc im seeing now never mentioned the 10% dose reduction I found it on your site.....I hope I can get back on track.....Im on 1.6 30 days now hope I will stabilize soon and then will cut the dose between 5and10% probably closer to 5% is what im thinking.....I posted my drug history tonight....please look at it and give me some input......not sure why after about 40 days on the current dose I had 8 days of doable gas and bloating....and since than it has been up and down alternating between not so good days and so so days....I will look at where im at at 60 days and then decide what to do at that time nov 25 will be day 60 on 1.6.....TY NIVEK

[Altostrata]

nivek, I moved your post here. This is the place for reports about your own situation, they'll get lost in the Tapering section. You can keep it all in one place here.

 

Yes, you may have tapered Zyprexa too fast and that made your nervous system sensitive to more drug changes.

 

If I were you, I'd stop reducing Lexapro right now and see if your nervous system can settle down. Do not reduce a drug while you have withdrawal symptoms.

 

Please respond in this topic to confirm you've read it from the beginning.

 

Click on the Follow This Topic button at the upper right of the topic so you can find it again.

[nivek]

Posted 21 November 2015 - 09:54 AM

 

hi guys......I am looking for some direction here.....I've been going to fast but now in a slow slow mode....I have been on 1.6 Lexapro liquid for in a few day 2 months...most of the problem is BLOATING gas gut issues etc. and when I eat no matter how light I feel like so so full its crazy. also insomnia so the question is do I stay on 1.6 another mo or drop to 1.4 1/2 which is a 10% reduction my oral syringe lets me go 1/2 tic if I don't want to go 1- 10th which is a tic Gonna try raw ginger for gut issues....hope it works....also what about the insomnia......taking 200 mg 5-htp And 3mg melatonin and 12.5 trazodone and get 4hrs very interrupted sleep at best..... I wake usally about 1 hr or so after I go to bed on and off the best I get is 4 hrs....looking for some direction. what I have noticed is that after almost 2 months I'm having some good days that are more tolerable then 2 months ago I've had about 12 days this month bloating & gas wise that are a least tolerable and not severe.....so things are getting slowly better.....a little input would be greatly appreciated....TY Nivek

 

 

25 October 2015 - 06:26 PM

November 2014 2.5 olanzapine cut 50% to 1.25 in dec 2014

January 22nd 2015 olanzapine cut 60% to .50 for 30 days

February 2015 .25 olanzapine for 30 days

Feb 2015 cut escitalopram/ Lexapro from 20 to 15 mg

March 2015 .1875 olanzapine 30 days

April 2015 .14 olanzapine to june 1st than off

march 2015 12.5 lex

April 2015 10 lex may 7.5 june 5mg

july 3.75 aug 2.5 sept 2mg

oct 2015 1.6

[Petunia]

nivek,

I moved your post from the tapering forum where it wasn't getting noticed. This is your own introduction/update topic to use for these kinds of posts. Please add information and updates about your changing circumstances, and ask questions here, bookmark or follow it so you can find it again.

 

As Alto suggested in an earlier post, its probably a good idea to stop tapering for now and let your NS stabilize.

 

5-htp is not recommended for people tapering or in withdrawal from SSRIs, its best to let your brain and NS recover naturally, see: 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) and l-tryptophan - Symptoms ...

 

How long have you been taking trazodone? Do you take it every night? Trazodone is an antidepressant and needs to be taken regularly or not at all, especially by someone trying to stabilize and taper off drugs safely. Please would you add this to your signature.

 

Also see this topic for our general guide for safe tapering: The rule of 3KIS: Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable.

 

I'm going to send you a PM with the link to this topic. Please respond here to let us know you have read it.

 

Petunia.

[nivek]

Not really sure what to do.....at 1.6 Lexapro liquid for 2 months now and still having pretty bad bloating  gas & sometimes nausea it was so bad nov 1st I was at the emergency room @ 1am then the 3rd through to 10th it was tolerable then bad again on the 11th and 12th the 13th through 17th tolerable again. Now for the last 11 days I get a so so day then maybe a good day if you can call it that...lol  not really sure if I should up the dose some to see if that make things better or just continue and stay the course.....my diet is pretty clean I don't eat junk...I can not figure this out....trying ginger tea & raw ginger to chew

I will wait to hear before I decide what to do.....sometimes I wake so full I cant eat and I loose weight when I have a bad day like that.....Nivek

[Mort81]

Nivek im not experienced with updosing so maybe someone else could help. But i think if you gut is experiencing extreme distress than maybe updosing will releive the pain. Wait for a mod with more experience

[Altostrata]

nivek, I moved your post here from the Lexapro tapering topic, because the response is going to be particular to your situation.

 

If I were you, I would stop tapering for a while and address the digestive symptoms. You may wish to keep a food diary and see if particular foods cause the symptoms, then stop eating those foods for a while until your digestive system adjusts.

 

You may wish to go on a non-irritating exclusion diet, or eat broth for a few days and see if that helps. See Digestive problems: Nausea, Diarrhea, Bloating, GERD

[brassmonkey]

It would also be a good idea to take a break from tapering just to let things settle out for a while.  Last spring and summer you took a whole series of very large very fast cuts and that is more than likely catching up with you now.  How were you feeling back in September on the 2mg?

[nivek]

It would also be a good idea to take a break from tapering just to let things settle out for a while.  Last spring and summer you took a whole series of very large very fast cuts and that is more than likely catching up with you now.  How were you feeling back in September on the 2mg?

Brass......I went from 7.5 to 2.5 in 31 days and 14 days after I was on 2.5 I thought I was gonna die. I was sick gut wise from august 9th to today Dec 2nd although last month total good days was 15 in all I seem to have 6 or 8 good days then 2 bad then 2 good and so on....it seems to get a little better each month.....went to fast did not know any better TY for you response  Nivek 

[Fresh]

Hi nivek , please use your own thread for questions about your personal situation.

 

If you click FOLLOW at the top right , you'll receive an email each time someone posts. The email

has a link directly to your personal thread , so it's easy to find.

 

 

Posted 17 January 2016 - 04:09 PM

was wondering I have been going through hell the last 2 weeks. im on 1.6 compounded formulated liquid escitalopram and wondering I feel like I have dropped in dose because of aweful withdrawal symptoms but I have been on this dose since oct 2015....can the liquid loose its potency over time....I feel like I cut the dose but im on this dose more than 3 months xmas eve was 3 months......does any body know? not sure whats going on window/waves /withdrawal syndrome/ liquid perhaps has lost its potency just very confused.......nivek

 

 

 

25 October 2015 - 06:26 PM

November 2014 2.5 olanzapine cut 50% to 1.25 in dec 2014

January 22nd 2015 olanzapine cut 60% to .50 for 30 days

February 2015 .25 olanzapine for 30 days

Feb 2015 cut escitalopram/ Lexapro from 20 to 15 mg

March 2015 .1875 olanzapine 30 days

April 2015 .14 olanzapine to june 1st than off

march 2015 12.5 lex

April 2015 10 lex may 7.5 june 5mg

july 3.75 aug 2.5 sept 2mg

oct 2015 1.6

 

25 October 2015 - 06:26 PM

November 2014 2.5 olanzapine cut 50% to 1.25 in dec 2014

January 22nd 2015 olanzapine cut 60% to .50 for 30 days

February 2015 .25 olanzapine for 30 days

Feb 2015 cut escitalopram/ Lexapro from 20 to 15 mg

March 2015 .1875 olanzapine 30 days

April 2015 .14 olanzapine to june 1st than off

march 2015 12.5 lex

April 2015 10 lex may 7.5 june 5mg

july 3.75 aug 2.5 sept 2mg

oct 2015 1.6

[bubble]

Nivek, you may want to check what happened to Lexanger when she got to the very bottom of the 45 day supply of 225 mg/ml.

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6177-lexanger-tapering-or-no-tapering-generic-vs-name-brand-lexapro/page-6

 

I don't know if your situation is similar but:

It may have gotten concentrated at the bottom -- too strong. Get a new bottle ASAP.

 

[nivek]

hi..... was wondering I went way to fast on my taper unknowingly and got caught up in 5 nasty things..... the ( 2 worst are( gas bloating stomach pain,) & insomnia,) memory issues (cant remember anything) confusion, Fatigue. I've slowed the process.. been on 1.6 Lexapro (escitalopram) since end of October 2015 still having all 5 listed stuff above, although stomach is improving some and sleep is also....do I wait till all are completely well then step down.....need to heal....this stuff is such a poison to me it's awful. This is the worst thing I ever been through hand down..... in need of some support. nivek

 

[KarenB]

Hi Nivek,

 

I merged this with your original introduction thread - it's one per member. 

 

Karen

[nivek]

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Sent 31 January 2016 - 09:34 AM

hi feeling very sick at times trouble with 1st and foremost severe stomach pain gas and BLOATING so so aweful and can not sleep 3/5 hrs of very interrupted sleep wake every hour or 2....these 2 things are probably the worst but I also every day experience terrible memory and confusion and also fatigue....and can never sit still.....my doctor here in florida does not understand any of this he is a psychiatrist and has never experienced this with a patient before. he seems to be flying by the seat of his pants, after several months on 1.6ml oral Lexapro/escitalopram he suggested going back to 3 or 5 mg and from what I read on your site that could be a mistake and is likely to make the situation worse not better. I've been on 1.6ml 4 months now. I've not found any doctors in Florida that can help me. I've been to your site and looked at the list you provided for doctors and know one even close to Florida....I live about half hr from Sarasota & 1.5 hrs from Tampa....not sure what to do my body is so stressed that I went to see a nutritionist because I'm loosing weight not sure what to do lost about 8/9 lbs since december.....also have seen gastroenterologist for stomach issues before I knew what it was...no answers there and pcp has know answers either.....so so worried I wont get through this not really sure what to do. feel I need a doc that can guide me through this aweful process TY Nivek

25 October 2015 - 06:26 PM
November 2014 2.5 olanzapine cut 50% to 1.25 in dec 2014
January 22nd 2015 olanzapine cut 60% to .50 for 30 days
February 2015 .25 olanzapine for 30 days
Feb 2015 cut escitalopram/ Lexapro from 20 to 15 mg
March 2015 .1875 olanzapine 30 days
April 2015 .14 olanzapine to june 1st than off
march 2015 12.5 lex
April 2015 10 lex may 7.5 june 5mg
july 3.75 aug 2.5 sept 2mg
oct 2015 1.6

• Edit

 

Altostrata

Altostrata

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Sent 31 January 2016 - 02:29 PM