BestLife: Looking for support during Lexapro discontinuation

[BestLife]

Hello everyone!  

 

I am a mom of three little ones - 4, 3, and 7 months - all healthy beautiful children.  I had 3 wonderful pregnancies and 3 wonderful deliveries.  I also suffered from postpartum anxiety and depression all three times.

 

My youngest son was born in December 2017.  Knowing I was prone to PPA/PPD, I prepared myself with exercise, magnesium, yoga, and the hope I could avoid the anxiety this time.  It was not enough but I recognized the symptoms quickly was went to my PCP in April 2018 to discuss options.  She prescribed me 10 mg per day of Lexapro and I started CBT on TalkSpace.  Both of these things worked very well and I quickly felt like I had my anxiety in hand.  My doctor and therapist felt strongly that my issues were very situational and, armed with new coping mechanism, I was told I should come off the Lexapro.

 

My doctor said since it was a low dose and I was on a short time, I could just stop.  Having had brief stint on Cymbalta after my second baby (less than 4 weeks), I knew that was not a good idea so I began weaning:  5 mg for 5 days, 2.5 mg for 5 days, then off.  As I had read, about 3 days after I took my last dose of 2.5 mg, I began experiences a lot of discontinuation symptoms.  For me, the most prominent are fatigue, dizziness, and headaches.  I felt confident that it wouldn't be so bad...and that was 19 days ago.  

 

Since then, my confidence has waned and I wonder if this will ever end.  I was on SUCH a short time that it's hard for me to understand how I could have this much trouble getting off but, despite my efforts to eat well, sleep well, take magnesium, flaxseed oil, and a B-complex, I am still suffering.  The worst of it was about 13 days into my withdrawal, I felt decent - even good - but then all the symptoms came back and are still here.  My anxiety and depression still seem in check but it's so hard taking care of myself and my family when I feel like I've been run over by bus.

 

I am looking for support, advice, and guidance.  I really felt as if I had done all of the right and responsible things but now I feel like I may have made a bad decision in taking the medication.  I would like to be able to see a light at the end of this tunnel and I'm truly unsure as to what to do next - wait more time?  Go see my doctor again?  I touched base with my uncle, a physician, and he said there's no point in going back on meds down that I've been off 19 days so if I get to 4 weeks without medication and still feel awful, I should request a work up for underlying conditions.  However, I hate to waste time and money on that when all of my issues are consistent with withdrawal.

 

Thank you for reading and any advice or support!  

[mammaP]

Hi Bestlife, welcome to SA. Congratulations on your new baby, you have a lovely family and I can imagine how hard it is to look after them when you are feeling so bad. You are right, what you are suffering withdrawal.  It doesn't matter that you were only on lexapro for a short time, some people take them for just a few days and have withdrawal, everyone is different. It becomes harder to quit drugs when someone has been on and off trhem several times. The human brain is remarkable but every time a drug is started it has to change the way it functions, then the drug is stopped and it has to try and reset again. Rinse and repeat a few times and there it takes much longer because it has not caught up between drugs.  Your doctor was right and it is good to see when they acknowledge that drugs are not the answer but it would save a lot of pain and hassle if they saw this BEFORE prescribing them!    

 

The only way to stop withdrawal is reinstating the drug that was stopped. We often find that a very tiny dose can help with withdrawal but we need to some more information before we can recommend any reinstating dose. You could wait out the withdrawal, you seem to be doing quite well but with 3 little ones to run around after it must be difficult. There is no timeline for withdrawal, and any tests to rule out other conditions are futile, you are right to save your money.  Some people find they are sensitive to B vitamins in withdrawal, maybe you could drop it and see if it makes any difference.  Fish oil is good for the brain fog, I take it every day and can feel it if I forget.  

 

If you can fill in your signatire for us that will be great, we need your drug and taper history, drugs, doses,start and stop dates, and how you tapered. When we have this information we will be better able to advise you. You can find instructions here

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/12364-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/?do=getNewComment

 

This has some links to excellent topics that explain withdrawal

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/603-what-is-withdrawal-syndrome/

 

 

 

 

[BestLife]

Thank you for your reply!

 

Since I'm 3 weeks off and still somewhat functional, I have really committed to not reinstating unless I want to go back on - which I do not.  

 

I started the B vitamin at the recommendation of my uncle, a physician, to help with my energy level and it seems to be working a bit.  It's just so hard to hang in there when you are told by the medical community that you should be fine by now!  And the oft suggested - it's the anxiety again.  It is really no wonder people end up on these medications for life.  

 

I have been spared the brain zaps, thankfully, but the headaches are like nothing I've ever felt.  I have Sea Bands on today to see if that helps with the dizziness but th more I think about it, I would say I'm lightheaded more than dizzy.

 

In any case, I hope to get more advice and keep updating since I'm guessing there are many like me - lurkers - that are looking for a way out of the hole!

[mammaP]

Sadly the only thing that helps is time, and a positive attitude which you seem to have.  It is really sad that taking a drug for such a short time can cause so much suffering. Yes you are right, people end up on them for life because they are so hard to quit, and the drug companies are responsible for the chemical imbalance theory that they came up with when they realised people could not get off them!  Have a look round the site, there are many many excellent topics in symptoms and self care.