BlushingYellow: Tough withdrawal from Lexapro

[BlushingYellow]

Hi friends. I am writing to you in sheer desperation and panic. I hope that someone can help me alleviate withdrawal symptoms.

A little background. I am 33. At the age of 17, I had a pretty significant episode of depression. I was prescribed Prozac and sent on my way. At some point (my memory evades me) I was switched to Celexa. I became suicidal and made an attempt on my life at the age of 20. After about a year, I recovered and stopped taking all meds with no withdrawal symptoms to note. At the age of 24, I began feeling dizzy, having racing thoughts and eye pain. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and prescribed 20 mg Lexapro. The treatment worked well and I felt much better. Although, I will note that I feel like my memory and cognition have suffered drastically while on it! I have been taking Lexapro for the past 9 years.

When I got pregnant with my first child, I decided to stop treatment. I cut my dose back to 10 mg and had horrific withdrawal. I was very nauseous, had brain zaps and terrible anxiety. I also have a strange eye pain?! After 13 days I couldn't handle it anymore and went back to my 20 mg.

A few years later I attempted to stop again. The withdrawl symptoms were too much. I caved.

I hate being a slave to this medication. I am terribly sick if I miss a single dose! Over the past year, I've gradually cut back my dose from 20mg to 15mg to 10 mg. I have withdrawal symptoms each time that typically get better within 2 weeks. At this point, my anxiety symptoms and irritability are very high! But, I can't help but wonder if they are true anxiety symptoms or are being caused by the Lexapro?

My Family Doctor has no concept that withdrawing from SSRIs can cause big problems. In fact, he basically told me I was imagining the brain zaps and other issues. I'm so frustrated! It's nice to know I'm not the only one feeling this way. I'm determined to get off of this stuff. I'm terrified that I've potentially already caused irreversible damage.

5 days ago I tapered from 10 to 5 mg. I'm struggling. I read about the liquid. I'm wondering if that might be the answer?!

Edited July 19, 2016 by scallywag
tags added

[SquirrellyGirl]

Hello, BlushingYellow - welcome to SA!

 

I'm glad you found us before things have gotten more out of control with withdrawal.  Your tapering has been quite steep by our standards.  We recommend a taper schedule of 10% of the previous month's dose every four weeks.  Your last taper was 50%, so you can see why your nervous system was quite unhappy about that!

 

A bit of housekeeping before I continue. If you would be so kind, can you fill out your signature block with your med history, including current meds and dosages?  Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

 

I have seen from many an anecdotal story here that people often are able to come off of a med without problems once, maybe twice, but after that, the nervous system becomes so touchy that even dosage reductions become problematic. let alone cold turkey stops or relatively fast tapers.  The reasons are explained in these topics:

 

Introduction to AD Withdrawal Syndrome

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Since you just went to 5 mg five days ago, I would strongly urge you to go back to 10 mg and stabilize there for a couple of weeks or longer before proceeding with a 10% taper.  You should be feeling solid before ever doing a med cut.

 

Keep it Simple, Slow and Stable

 

This topic should help, and yes, the liquid version would be very helpful if you can get your doc to prescribe it for you.  

 

Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

Your family doctor is pretty typical in his attitude and lack of knowledge.  They throw patients on these drugs willy-nilly with no informed consent, and don't understand what is happening to the nervous system on these meds which necessitates much slower tapering than what they commonly recommend and were taught by Big Pharma.

 

So, please have a read of those topics and then come back with your questions!

 

SG

[Susanne]

Hi BlushingYellow, a fellow Lexapro user here.

I've been on 5 mg for a few years and felt good. Recently dried to withdraw further but that triggered an 'old program' in my brain. Updosed to 15 within two weeks...noticed that this wasnt working so tapered to 5 again in two weeks. Bad idea! I decided to take it much slower... I would advise you to stay on 5 mg for at least 4 weeks before making another drop(see 10% schedule). Consider the liquid form or make a liquid yourself. (There are topics about how to do this on SA).

 

Let us know how you are doing!

[smo1959]

Blushing Yellow you aren't alone! I just went through a dreadful period of intense withdrawal and am currently on 10 mg and ( at least for today) I am doing okay. My worst symptoms included nausea, diarrhea, headaches, brain zaps, and horrible anxiety - sound familiar? I am fairly new to the forum but have received lots of good information and encouragement. From what I've read, you can be free of Lexapro but it's a very slow process, so be patient and be kind to yourself - you aren't imagining things. If you need to go back up to relieve the worst symptoms, do it! Don't suffer needlessly - it doesn't help in the long run. Sending healing thought your way!

[nz11]

Welcome BY

I agree with SG go back to 10mg and hold there until stable and it could take several months.

 

Your doctor is misinformed and i would consider changing doctors.

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/988-recommended-doctors-therapists-or-clinics/

 

Psychiatrists are being forced to face the evidence that SSRI withdrawal symptoms are indeed long lasting and damaging to physical and mental health. SSRI Withdrawal Effects Are Brutal and Long Lasting. Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida (CCHR Florida) 2015.

 

Difficulty in stopping psychiatric drugs can lead misinformed or unscrupulous health professionals to tell patients that they need to take their drugs for the rest of their lives when they really need to taper and withdraw from them in a careful manner.   Breggin 2014.

 

"Increased professional awareness of discontinuation symptoms is necessary to prevent misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment." Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2000 Dec;102(6):466-7; discussion 467-8. Misdiagnosis of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms. Haddad PM, Qureshi M.

[PatriciaVP]

Hi Blushing Yellow,

 

Fellow Lexapro tapered here. At my highest dose I was at 40 mg. Makes me gasp to think of it now. I have had to pause my taper a couple of times to get off other meds that the Lexapro had made necessary. I'm down to 10 mg now and holding. I'm a whole different person already! I had completely forgotten about the "me" these drugs were hiding.

 

I'm anxious to continue the rest of my taper to see what other good things await, but I plan to take it much slower from here. This first year has been anything but easy, and I'm in no hurry to return to those dark places.

 

Take it easy. Be good to yourself. You CAN do this. You are not alone.