Tbear: Need help and answers please

[Tbear]

Hey everyone! I really need some answers because I've looked everywhere to try and find one answer which can relate to my question but sadly to no avail.

 

I was on 20mg Cipralex for 7 years due to general anxiety disorder. I was feeling better last year so decided this year in February I would start tapering and weaning off. It all went great until roughly 7 weeks ago when I went from 5mg to 2.5mg. Withdrawal has hit me hard and I have been off work since then.

 

My question is basically, after now 7 weeks is it safe to go back up to 5mg from 2.5? I felt fine on 5mg hence me wanting to move back up to it. And how long will it take for the WD symptoms to go away or just for me to feel better cos currently I'm just having a hard time functioning. I'm afraid of everything basically. 

 

Thank you for any reply 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Tbear and welcome to SA,

 

When updosing, SA recommends a very small increase.  You may find that 0.5mg is enough to bring the withdrawal symptoms to a tolerable level.  The idea of updosing (reinstating if you have stopped the drug completely) isn't to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms completely.  Your brain will have made some adaptations during the 7 weeks you have been on 2.5mg.  It is better to start with a small amount and increase by a tiny bit more if after about 1 week if you find that the symptoms are still unbearable than to take too much and upset your CNS.

 

Please read Post #1 carefully of this topic:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

Please keep daily notes on paper of your symptoms so that you can assess whether updosing is helping and also to assess if you need to updose further.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Brain Remodelling

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

This is your own Intro topic where you can ask questions about your own situation and also journal your progress.

[Tbear]

Thank you for the quick reply! I tried taking 5mg again today. The problem is here in Austria you can only get the pills and so it's tough to go by small dosages. 

 

So you think I should instead tomorrow just take around 3.5mg instead of 5? Nothing bad can happen because I took 5mg today or? I'm sorry I'm just so scared now that I messed up or something. 

[ChessieCat]

It is possible to make a liquid to get a smaller dose.  I suggest you take 3mg from your next dose.  It takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full strength in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.

 

Do-it-yourself liquid
People report that they can make their own liquid from Lexapro tablets and water.

It is soluble in water, see http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB01175 -- stability (shelf-life of dilution) is unknown.

See How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

[ChessieCat]

It's important to try and remain as calm as possible and not to panic.  It's important to learn and use Non-drug techniques to cope

 

You might find these helpful:

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)
 

CBT Course:  An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes
 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...

[Tbear]

Hey everyone! 

 

Around a week ago I posted a topic about me having been on 2.5mg of Cipralex for 7 weeks after cutting down from 20mg slowly since the beginning of the year. Everything went well till I dropped to 2.5mg and felt absolutely horrible since then. Then around a week ago I decided to reinstate back up to 5mg because I think I still need to take it and use it in conjunction with therapy. 

 

Now it's been 8 days that I've been taking 5mg again and I feel horrible since yesterday. I feel like I'm going crazy. I also have other huge anxieties and headaches and stomach ache. How long is this gonna last till I stabilize again? I thought I would feel better going back up to 5mg but I feel absolutely horrible. I don't know what to do anymore

 

I just want to feel better... any help would be appreciated...

[Gridley]

It is likely that you reinstated too much.  During the time of your taper from 5mg to 2.5, your brain made adjustments to the lower doses and could not handle the 5mg.  Because of this, we recommend reinstating/updosing with a very small dose.  I suggest you drop down to 3mg and see how that works.  

 

Remember, it takes about 4 days for a dose change to get to full state in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain. 

 

Please Keep Notes on Paper so that we can tell updosing is working.

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms.