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AuntiLu: tapering off Lexapro


AuntiLu

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Hi H2H, you’d probably know if you have bike acid malabsorption.  It’s also called bile acid diarrhea.  About 10% of people who lose their gallbladder get it and it is often a permanent condition from then on. I literally cannot eat anything that does not cause diarrhea...constant diarrhea, without the medication.  Even if I don’t eat, I’ll have diarrhea.  I couldn’t leave the house.  This is because, without my gallbladder to reserve the bile acid, it flows in a constant, slow stream right out of my liver and into my intestines where it draws water into the colon.  The water fills up the colon and....💩💩💩 happens!

 

The Questran is actually a med for high cholesterol but it’s been used for many decades for bile acid malabsorption, too.  It works by binding to bile acid in the intestines and taking it out through my 💩 before it can draw water into the colon. Thing is, it binds to EVERYTHING else, too.  So, it binds to some of every med or supplement I take.  It binds to my food, etc. 

 

i hope I explained it ok. 

2003  lexapro 10mg

2010 lexapro 20mg
2018 July 15 reduced Lexapro to 10 mg

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  • Mentor

oh my goodness AuntiLu, that sounds horrible!
I am so glad I'm not in that 10%

yes you explained it perfectly and I love the use of the little poop guys LOL too cute

 

what an awful thing to have to deal with.  almost makes you wonder if you could get a gall bladder transplant, or find some device that did what your gallbladder did.

:P

 

I recall so many ppl telling me I was stupid to get my gallbladder out, that we really do need it and that most ppl have the surgery when just changing their diet would cure their symptoms.

I did not want surgery but I was told my gall bladder wasn't able to function at all and would most likely get infected if it was left, so I agreed to let them take it out.

but I've been told repeatedly by well meaning people that I never needed the surgery. I think based on the way you described how your gallbladder had to come out, that maybe you've had ppl second guessing your decision. I don't know of course, just wondering out loud here so to speak lol

 

I have a friend (well ex friend now) who never wasted the opportunity to tell me that she thought I'd made a stupid and wasteful mistake having "unnecessary surgery"

*sigh*

 

 

with all this in mind, I think I can understand your response better now, to my telling you my story and trying to warn you about the POSSIBILITY of things not going as well as they are now for you,  with your WD recovery

 

I'm a virtual stranger and here I am trying to tell you what to do, or not do, as the case may be. That must have sounded awfully presumptuous and intrusive of me and for that I apologize.

 

when I first arrived here, I thought ppl were being unnecessarily "bossy" and intrusive but now I understand that there is a system here, that is followed for EVERYONE and I was not being singled out as I'd felt at the time.

THis is a huge forum and new ppl join every day.

The volunteer moderators have a gigantic job to do, responding to all the new people, and of course they have no idea what each person has read or hasn't read, knows or doesn't know. I think with the limited amnt of time in each day, it's easier for the mods to use a format of replying to everyone who is new to avoid having to come back and answer individual questions one at time.

Everyone is given those links to read,  everyone. I for one appreciate it, because I found this forum very hard to navigate when I first got here (and I still do sometimes)

so having the links given to me in one message made my life a lot easier!
 

 

anyway, thanks for the info on that drug, so sorry that you've got that issue to deal with on top of everything else

 

I'm very thankful i wasn't in that 10%.  😕

 

 

 

 

 

  • pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) 
  •  Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years
  • started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 
  •  2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs
  •  June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until  Sept, then acute WD hit!!  reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106
  • Tapered off to zero by  Oct. 2017 Doing very well. 
  • Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 
  • Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content
  • Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs ;) 
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Thank you everyone for your time and support, I wish you all the best.  Jozeff, I hope you are well. 

 

I was issued a warning for “being disrespectful to mods” in this thread.  I felt things went quite the opposite way. This forum purports to “meet people where they are” but does little to ask where people are before giving advice on supplements and behaviors.  

 

The mission of this page is great, and I certainly think you’re doing some good.  When a person is not allowed to assert her own boundaries, however, and is repeatedly told to do things when she NEVER asked for medical advice or information...merely introduced herself as requested by forum moderators...there’s a problem.  

 

I won’t be here to read any replies.  

2003  lexapro 10mg

2010 lexapro 20mg
2018 July 15 reduced Lexapro to 10 mg

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Hi auntilu, if you read this......

 

Too bad it's going like this now. I started to appreciate your daily updates. 

You sound like a decent person with some knowledge we could have learned from some more.

 

The moderators do a great job in sending all the information and links. It gave me some great insights and it made me feel more than welcome in these difficult times. If I didn't have a problem I would not be active on survAD. I know some stuff I'd rather spend my time on ...

 

If you feel lectured that's a pity. I calculated a tapering dose for someone and it contained an error. A moderator warned me that it's very worrying that a new member gives incorrect info to another member. I felt shi... about the warning because I'm a chemist in daily life. However, I'm glad now that people who run this website are strict and canalise all the experiences and info people give.

 

There is so much crap on the internet about medication. SurvAD is a light in the dark for me.

 

I hope auntilu recovers well!!

 

Jozeff

 

Sep- 2016 - Okt 2017 citalopram some months 15 mg some months 20 mg

Nov 2017- Apr 2018 citalopram 25 mg

Apr 2018 -  Jun 2018 citalopram 3 month TAPER too fast  from 25mg to 16.5 mg (0.1 mg per day decrease, felt horrible and crashed)

Jun 2018 - Aug13th 2018 citalopram trying to stabilize at 16.5 mg for 5 wks

- August 14th 2018 - April 29th 2019  citalopram 18 mg (1.5 mg updose).

 

2019 apr 27 : START taper citalopram @ 18 mg: 29Jun 16.4 mg / 19aug 15.4 mg / 25aug 15.2 mg / 30sep 14.0 mg / 4dec 13.1 mg

2020  03Jan 12.75 mg / 28Jan 12.29 mg / 18Feb 11.83 mg, 25Feb 11.68 mg hold.. / 7May 11.33 mg hold...., 4Aug 10.98 mg / 5Dec 10.0 mg 4 month hold...

2021 30mar 9.8 mg / 06apr 9.5 mg /  13apr 9.4 mg / 14may 8,5 mg / 04jun 8,0 mg / 11jun 7.75 mg, 02jul 7.35 mg /  09jul 7.2 mg hold 3 weeks during holiday /31jul 7 mg/ 8aug 6.8 mg / 15aug 6.63mg / 22aug 6.5mg / 1sep 6.3 mg / 8sep 6.15 mg / 15sep 6.0 mg / 22sep 5.9 mg / 29sep 5.8 mg / 04 oct 5.65 mg / 10oct 5.55 mg / 17oct 5.45 mg / 24oct 5.35mg / 30oct 5.25 mg hold 3 wks / 22nov 5.15 mg / 01dec 5.1mg / 12dec 5.0mg / 20dec 4.85mg / 30dec 4.70mg

2022   08jan 4.5 mg / 16jan 4.4 mg / 23jan 4.3 mg / 27jan 4.2 mg / 18feb 4.1 mg / 25feb 4.0 mg / 04mar 3.9 mg / 11mar 3.75 mg / 18Mar 3.65 mg / 09apr 3.55 mg / 16apr 3.45 mg / 23apr 3.35 mg / 01may 3.25 mg / 8may 3.15 mg / 17may 3.10 mg / 28 may 3.0 mg / 7jun 2.94 mg / 18 Jun 2.88 mg / 27 jun 2.84 mg / 05 jul 2.80 mg / 16 jul 2.75 mg / 23 jul 2.70 mg / 01aug 2.65 mg / 09aug 2.60 mg hold 5wks / 18sep 2.55 mg / 25sep 2.5 mg /02oct 2.45 mg / 10oct 2.40 mg / 19oct 2.35 mg / 27oct 2.30 mg / 05nov 2.27 mg / 14nov 2.25 mg / 22nov 2.20 mg / 29nov 2.10mg / 09dec 2.05 mg / 15dec 2.0 mg 

2023  hold 2.0 mg for 5 months / 05may 1.95 mg / 14may 1.90 mg / 24may 1.87 mg / 02jun 1.85 mg / 17jun 1.82 mg / 27jun 1.79 mg / 07jul 1.75 mg / 31jul 1.72 mg / 12aug 1.69mg / 27aug 1.67 mg / 04sep 1.65 mg / 09sep 1.63 mg / 22sep 1.61 mg / 27sep 1.60 mg / 12oct 1.58 mg / 18oct 1.56 mg / 31oct 1.54 mg / 06nov 1.52 mg / 18nov 1.50 mg / 04dec 1.48 mg / 11dec 1.46 mg / 22dec 1.45 mg / 28dec 1.44 mg

2024 01jan 1.43 mg / 06jan 1.42 mg/ 10jan 1.40 mg hold /

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  • Moderator Emeritus
5 hours ago, jozeff said:

However, I'm glad now that people who run this website are strict and canalise all the experiences and info people give.

 

There is so much crap on the internet about medication. SurvAD is a light in the dark for me.

 

Thank you jozeff.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Moderator Emeritus

AuntiLu,

 

The majority of members need the information like what/how it was provided to you and in a lot of cases they need it urgently.  This has been learned from knowledge gained  from our own and others experiences and research.  We try to help people so that they don't have to experience what we or others have.  Our aim is to get the information to them that we think they need as quickly as possible.   Because of this urgency we cut to the chase and don't pussyfoot.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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