MiguelFreeman: question about Lexapro

[MiguelFreeman]

2 hours ago, Longestroadhome said:

I am not qualified to give advice but wanted to share my thoughts. You have come from 20mg to 8.5mg in eight months. That is massive. Have you considered doing a long hold to allow your CNS to stabilise? I know how badly you want to get off this med but I have to ask the question.... At what cost? 

My withdrawal has been long and slow. For the most part I have been able to function well and enjoy life.

 

The past twelve months have been hard because although it doesn’t sound like much coming down from 4mg to 2mg it has impacted me greatly. My anxiety has been intense. As much as I want to be off this medication I don’t want to cause myself any more trouble than I have to. For me that means staying at 2mg for an extended period of time. Then once I feel that my CNS has recovered I may consider a TINY reduction. 

 

I think it it is far better to be on the meds and reducing slowly whilst living a relatively normal life than withdrawing too quickly and living in hell. 

i will probably keep on holding until it passes they suicidal toughts come and go but i can put them away last  drop was 1 mouth and 8 days soo i will keep holding  until i am completly fine for 2 weeks maybe or i just do a 2 mouth hold 

[MiguelFreeman]

On 16/12/2017 at 6:21 AM, manymoretodays said:

Yay......that's great Miguel.  Hopefully another random burst of happiness?    Congratulations.

 

 

so today i had a horrible colon cramp during a bowel movement i have had them when i was on high dosages but this one appeared out of the blue  i did eat like 15 grams or more of fiber dont know if that was the problem  

it was a really strong urge to evacuate and cramps but it got worse when i was evacuating the stool was like very light brown if some knows what's happening i would appreciate the help 

might it be ssri induced IBS ?

or just side effects ?

ty for the help 

 

 

healing and staying strong

MiguelFreeman

[MiguelFreeman]

On 1/26/2018 at 11:40 PM, Longestroadhome said:

I am not qualified to give advice but wanted to share my thoughts. You have come from 20mg to 8.5mg in eight months. That is massive. Have you considered doing a long hold to allow your CNS to stabilise? I know how badly you want to get off this med but I have to ask the question.... At what cost? 

My withdrawal has been long and slow. For the most part I have been able to function well and enjoy life.

 

The past twelve months have been hard because although it doesn’t sound like much coming down from 4mg to 2mg it has impacted me greatly. My anxiety has been intense. As much as I want to be off this medication I don’t want to cause myself any more trouble than I have to. For me that means staying at 2mg for an extended period of time. Then once I feel that my CNS has recovered I may consider a TINY reduction. 

 

I think it it is far better to be on the meds and reducing slowly whilst living a relatively normal life than withdrawing too quickly and living in hell. 

lately, i have been feeling more down and sad seems like the pattern  is changing I have been having more Nero fear and less suicidal flashbacks

it has been 1 month, 11 days since the drop sometimes it gets hard to get up from bed but well i know its the brain healing it would be nice to have someone to talk 2   from here by voice 

[FarmGirlWorks]

I've felt similarly the past few days: down, sad but not suicidal or highly anxious. Of course, I want to be energetic and happy... but not suicidal is a step in the right direction. Hang in there, Miguel.

[MiguelFreeman]

5 hours ago, FarmGirlWorks said:

I've felt similarly the past few days: down, sad but not suicidal or highly anxious. Of course, I want to be energetic and happy... but not suicidal is a step in the right direction. Hang in there, Miguel.

i will its hard but we can survive this

[MiguelFreeman]

11 hours ago, Longestroadhome said:

I try to come here every few days to offer a little bit of support to others who are struggling. I find it easier sometimes to help others than help myself!

My last drop was back in September and my pattern of healing is unstable right now. I think too much about how I am feeling. Some days it is the only thought I have, rotating round and round. I wish I could switch my thoughts off. 

It is good that you are not having suicidal ideation. Please allow your body to recover from all the withdrawing before making further cuts. Why make further cuts at the risk of those ideation returning. Better to stay where you are right now and work on healing. 

well i spoke 2 soon the  came back but i tink its caused for a bad sleeping cicle i am sleeping realy late and when i wake up i fell like **** 

[MiguelFreeman]

16 hours ago, Longestroadhome said:

I definitely think that lack of sleep is a contributing factor. My initial diagnosis of depression came during a period of intense sleep deprivation. 

 

Do do whatever you can to get good sleep ( no drugs or alcohol!) soak in a bath of Epsom salts, sprinkle lavender essential oil on your pillow. Do it all! Sleep is the best medicine. Have you heard of floatation tanks? They are highly recommended by people with anxiety and sleep issues. Here they are about $80 for a one hour float. Not cheap but a good self care treatment. Have a look for one in your area and research them!

that problem is that i have no income because i am unemployed and i am now trying to fix my live 

[MiguelFreeman]

On 30/12/2017 at 2:23 AM, brassmonkey said:

This is a very good example of the power of distraction.  While at work your mind has a lot of other things to keep it occupied, but once you get home it's left up to it's own devices and can get into trouble. It's like to old saying  "idle hands are the devils workshop".  Almost any form of distraction will work as long as you have to concentrate on what you're doing.  Activities where you can "space out" while doing them won't help all that much.

hi it has been 7 weeks since the last drop my suicidal thoughts are going down really fast sometimes in the day I have them but hen they go away and been feeling down sometimes and medium Nero -fear shude I wait a bit more and then resume taper 

[MiguelFreeman]

my situation on the taper is I did a 10 % cut from 10 to 9 and got medium to high withdrawals after 4 weeks I did another taper of 5 % and got hard withdrawals so I have been holding for 7weeks now my plan is 1 more week and then taper but I don't know what would be the best percentage if 8 % or 5 % or 6 % in your opinion what would be the safest % and I am

considering splitting that percentage over a period of weeks like 1 week I droop like 1.5 or 2 % then on the other same  like the brass monkey method but for my % 

[brassmonkey]

How are your feeling besides the suicidal thoughts?  Is everything settling into just feeling the same level of blah all the time with no big swings either way?  That's the state you want to be in before you try to taper again.  Weren't you having good success with the Slide method last year?  I would really suggest doing several smaller drops instead of one large one.  It doesn't have to be 2.5% a week, some people are doing 1% a week for four weeks and then a two week hold and are having really good luck with it.

[MiguelFreeman]

11 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

How are your feeling besides the suicidal thoughts?  Is everything settling into just feeling the same level of blah all the time with no big swings either way?  That's the state you want to be in before you try to taper again.  Weren't you having good success with the Slide method last year?  I would really suggest doing several smaller drops instead of one large one.  It doesn't have to be 2.5% a week, some people are doing 1% a week for four weeks and then a two week hold and are having really good luck with it.

Ye i am in that state i does not swing that bad some days they are a bit worse other days they are a bit less but  the havr not changed in a while

 

[MiguelFreeman]

12 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

How are your feeling besides the suicidal thoughts?  Is everything settling into just feeling the same level of blah all the time with no big swings either way?  That's the state you want to be in before you try to taper again.  Weren't you having good success with the Slide method last year?  I would really suggest doing several smaller drops instead of one large one.  It doesn't have to be 2.5% a week, some people are doing 1% a week for four weeks and then a two week hold and are having really good luck with it.

I did a drop today to 8.35 if possibel can you recalculate the taper for 6% drop and splited so it applys to your taper protocol + how mutch in percentage i droped from 8.5 to 8.35 . 

Ty for your help

 

Tnx

MiguelFreeMan

[brassmonkey]

If you're in that state then you should be ready for the drop you just did.

 

Going from 8.5 to 8.35 would be 2%

 

Doug a 6% drop in four parts would be 1.5% for each drop.  To calculate the dose weight, multiply the weight of your current dose by .985 or 98.5% to get the new weight.  For the dose strength multiply the current strength (say 8.35mgai) by the same numbers .985 or 98.5%.

[MiguelFreeman]

Just now, brassmonkey said:

If you're in that state then you should be ready for the drop you just did.

 

Going from 8.5 to 8.35 would be 2%

 

Doug a 6% drop in four parts would be 1.5% for each drop.  To calculate the dose weight, multiply the weight of your current dose by .985 or 98.5% to get the new weight.  For the dose strength multiply the current strength (say 8.35mgai) by the same numbers .985 or 98.5%.

ok if it is a 2 % drop it wont affect me that mutch soo now i hold for a week and then the next drop shude be 8.35  what 8.1 

[brassmonkey]

Close, this is where rounding comes into play. The calculated drop for 2% would be 8.183mgai.  In general it is better to round to the higher number so the next dose would be 8.2mgai. If you rounded down the drop would be 3%.  The same thing would apply to calculating the dose weight.

 

 

[MiguelFreeman]

ok so next cut will be 8.2 ty for your help the only thing that i feel is mostly nero/fear

[MiguelFreeman]

On 06/02/2018 at 7:49 PM, brassmonkey said:

Close, this is where rounding comes into play. The calculated drop for 2% would be 8.183mgai.  In general it is better to round to the higher number so the next dose would be 8.2mgai. If you rounded down the drop would be 3%.  The same thing would apply to calculating the dose weight.

 

 

something strange happens apparently I am feeling a lot better by doing the cut how is this possible? the suicidal thoughts are rare now and i feel honest better only had a thought but it was not of suicidal I was like of casual like if I died no one would miss me but I immediately changed it so that's why I need to make friends and get  my life together 

[joy2730]

Can I ask of you still have your job?  I quite understand if you don't want to say.

 

Joy

[MiguelFreeman]

23 minutes ago, joy2730 said:

Can I ask of you still have your job?  I quite understand if you don't want to say.

 

Joy

 i only stayed there 1 weak because they only need me for that time they basically lied just to get someone to help on that weak and then send the on their way 

[MiguelFreeman]

24 minutes ago, joy2730 said:

Can I ask of you still have your job?  I quite understand if you don't want to say.

 

Joy

so far i am feeling better since they drop then when i was just holding but since i am on nicotine withdrawal i am getting some bad thoughts but nothing compared to when i was holding 

[MiguelFreeman]

On 06/02/2018 at 7:49 PM, brassmonkey said:

Close, this is where rounding comes into play. The calculated drop for 2% would be 8.183mgai.  In general it is better to round to the higher number so the next dose would be 8.2mgai. If you rounded down the drop would be 3%.  The same thing would apply to calculating the dose weight.

 

 

for some reason, i slept a lot today  at least 10 hours

[MiguelFreeman]

27 minutes ago, joy2730 said:

Can I ask of you still have your job?  I quite understand if you don't want to say.

 

Joy

I might have to find a job now and finish school at night i cant stay like this for long i need to start working on ways to ensure my survival in case my family cant be there for me and ofc jump in to some night time schooling 

[ChessieCat]

1 hour ago, MiguelFreeman said:

something strange happens apparently I am feeling a lot better by doing the cut how is this possible? 

 

It could be that you reinstated too high a dose:

 

On 23/09/2017 at 4:00 PM, ChessieCat said:

Were you sleeping a lot when you were taking 10mg or a higher dose before?  If you were, then that would be a side effect of the drug and means you have increased your Lexapro by too much.

 

If you weren't getting bad withdrawal symptoms when you were taking 7.5mg you should have stayed on 7.5mg.  If you have only taken 1 or 2 days of 10mg and you were coping with your withdrawal symptoms on 7.5mg my suggestion is that you go back to 7.5mg for your next dose.  Note:  this needs to be done immediately if you are going to do it.  If you take 10mg for 2 or 3 more days you will have to stay at 10mg.

 

If you were getting bad withdrawal symptoms when you were taking 7.5mg increasing your dose by a small amount might have been enough to help with the withdrawal symptoms without producing the side effect of sleeping (if that is what it is).  Instead of going back to 7.5mg as suggested above your could take 8mg or 8.5mg.

 

You need to decide what dose you are going to take and stick to it.

 

[MiguelFreeman]

11 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

It could be that you reinstated too high a dose:

 

 

Probably was that the whitdrawls are alot less since the drop i just feel a bit bad when i wake up and suicidal thougts are low or non existent , so far nero-fear is mediun to low but yesterday at night i got a rondom spike in suicidal tougts but they eventualy whent down ,buy at the same time i am trying to go off vaping.

Edited February 9, 2018 by MiguelFreeman

[MiguelFreeman]

18 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

It could be that you reinstated too high a dose:

 

 

well the lack of energy is apparent 

[MiguelFreeman]

well today the brain changes started first got the  normal thinitus every time I make a drop it happens its like my brain saying I am making changes then I slept 3 hours today don't feel tired at all but i was sleeping a lot the last couple a days ,then got really happy for some reason and yesterday I was like hyper not full-blown manic but something was happening maybe its induced by the withdrawals 

[MiguelFreeman]

4 hours ago, Longestroadhome said:

Try not to focus too much on every possible symptom. Yes it could be withdrawal but giving it too much attention is not a healthy way to spend the day. Ruminating can be so easy to fall in to. Go outside, take a walk, meet a friend for coffee.... anything to take your mind off symptoms. Said with care and concern, not criticism 👍

Ty for the love i will ty god for this forum and all the wonderfull peapol here

[MiguelFreeman]

6 hours ago, Longestroadhome said:

Try not to focus too much on every possible symptom. Yes it could be withdrawal but giving it too much attention is not a healthy way to spend the day. Ruminating can be so easy to fall in to. Go outside, take a walk, meet a friend for coffee.... anything to take your mind off symptoms. Said with care and concern, not criticism 👍

1

well so far i am keeping the positivity like i always will but i do need to stop thinking soo much about it  btw how do you deal whit your ruminating thoughts 

[Rose9975]

Hi Miguel, I just wanted to say high. My brain too is healing from Lexapro.  I can empathise with the distress of ruminating thoughts....I have started studying Access Consciousness a few weeks ago &  got my bars run  etc. All I have to say is that I am AMAZED at the results.I would encourage you to utube it & check out the website. 

[MiguelFreeman]

1 hour ago, Rose9975 said:

Hi Miguel, I just wanted to say high. My brain too is healing from Lexapro.  I can empathise with the distress of ruminating thoughts....I have started studying Access Consciousness a few weeks ago &  got my bars run  etc. All I have to say is that I am AMAZED at the results.I would encourage you to utube it & check out the website. 

4

ty mine is 2 I tink I might have had a very short auditory hallucination but well I have people home and probably was nothing  and one of the supose hallucinations happen in a voice chat where i was waiting for a friend of mine and i heard him but he was not there probably he enter the room and left just to troll me 

[MiguelFreeman]

2 hours ago, Rose9975 said:

Hi Miguel, I just wanted to say high. My brain too is healing from Lexapro.  I can empathise with the distress of ruminating thoughts....I have started studying Access Consciousness a few weeks ago &  got my bars run  etc. All I have to say is that I am AMAZED at the results.I would encourage you to utube it & check out the website. 

ty for being here to share your story this are some scary times indeed now that i am on lower dosages the symptoms are changing to tons of sleep and a lot of feelings of doom or fear ... but well  better then  suicidal feelings 

[MiguelFreeman]

20 minutes ago, Longestroadhome said:

I don’t always deal well with ruminating thoughts, sometimes they consume me. Some things that have helped include meditation. I find that I have to start before the thoughts take hold  to the point of distraction. It really needs to be a constant ritual practiced daily but I haven’t manage to do that! My favourite place is to sit in my outdoor spa which is surrounded by beautiful trees and plants. I find that very healing. Otherwise I lock myself in the bedroom and follow a guided meditation. Another thing that helps me is listening to Audible books and drawing at the same time. I choose books on self help. I find that drawing whilst listening helps free my brain from the intruding thoughts. Other times I use prayer beads and repeat a small repetitive prayer over and over. It drowns the thoughts out! 

 

Like i said, it’s not always successful but the tools I use have helped me a lot in controlling my own ruminating. I do believe in neuroplasticity and think if we can stop the ruminating then we are putting an end to our brain building a new pathway from the destructive thought. I like to think that I can build my own brain pathway with more positive thoughts! Have you read anything on meuroplasticity? My favourite author is Dr Joe Dispenza. It can be confusing at times but by listening to the Audible version I find it manegable. 

 

Take care!

9

i have been meditation for awhile now and it helps a lot i tried sleep meditation yesterday but prefer the regular mindfulness

hope you find and let's keep healing and fighting 

 

[MiguelFreeman]

Just now, Longestroadhome said:

Yes, I agree with you, mindfulness is often easier to do ♥️

today I got scared because i thought i was having auditory hallucinations but turns out it was not  but i got scared  but i am happy that the suicidal thoughts are gone  

now i have to make an appointment to make a check-up because i have been having strange electric pain in my chest and trouble breathing when i push my shelf hard  on the gym  i think its a inflammation on the sternum from bench press but well better be sure the sorry 

[manymoretodays]

On 2/8/2018 at 4:55 PM, MiguelFreeman said:

so far i am feeling better since they drop then when i was just holding but since i am on nicotine withdrawal i am getting some bad thoughts but nothing compared to when i was holding 

 

Hi Miguel,

 

I read through some of the last week or so, and it is looking good I think.  What are you doing with the nicotene right now?  Are you doing a taper there?  I got to a kind of holding point myself as far as the nicotene and then while on vacation/family visit found myself going even lower without even any awareness of it........so that is good, eh?  Consequently though......I did find myself getting some longer sleep stretches in while out of town.........and maybe that is related?  Interesting.

 

I'm also very interested in neuroplasticity.

38 minutes ago, Longestroadhome said:

 Have you read anything on meuroplasticity? My favourite author is Dr Joe Dispenza. It can be confusing at times but by listening to the Audible version I find it manegable. 

 

Take care!

I'm hoping to get to a conference next month, as there is a speaker there on the subject.  I'll have to report back after........if I go.  And will take a look at what I can find from Dr. Joe Dispenza as well.

 

And good to be sure on the chest pain and breathing.

 

Love, peace, healing/inrecovery, and growth,

mmt

[MiguelFreeman]

1 minute ago, manymoretodays said:

 

Hi Miguel,

 

I read through some of the last week or so, and it is looking good I think.  What are you doing with the nicotene right now?  Are you doing a taper there?  I got to a kind of holding point myself as far as the nicotene and then while on vacation/family visit found myself going even lower without even any awareness of it........so that is good, eh?  Consequently though......I did find myself getting some longer sleep stretches in while out of town.........and maybe that is related?  Interesting.

 

I'm also very interested in neuroplasticity.

I'm hoping to get to a conference next month, as there is a speaker there on the subject.  I'll have to report back after........if I go.  And will take a look at what I can find from Dr. Joe Dispenza as well.

 

And good to be sure on the chest pain and breathing.

 

Love, peace, healing/inrecovery, and growth,

mmt

well i might have to go back of nicotine the withdrawals for some reason are stronger now maybe because that brain i already changing because of the SSRI withdrawal but the recent strange pains in the chest and trouble breathing kinda get me thinking is probably nothing i am really active my problems is that i go way harder then i shude on the gym  , right now i am having more nero fear but well better then suicidal toughts ty for the love you give me its amazing how the human spirit can shine true all that social stigmas .

[Rose9975]

I hear you brother. This is a powerful drug indeed.Thisis NOT you. You are in withdrawal. please do not identify yourself with your symptoms. I chuckle to my myself when I read Lexapro being referred to as one of the 'safer drugs'.All I can talk about what worked for me & I had to stop the taper & allow my brain to heal. Are you availing of any profession support through this journey? Some one who cares &listens.Are you talking any multivitamins?