mdwstrx: Lexapro / escitalopram taper or not?

[mdwstrx]

@brassmonkey

Thanks for the reply! Holding...

@92sharks 

Thank you for your suggestion! I will consider. 

Praying things go smooth for your taper from 

here out.

[92sharks]

@mdwstrxThank you for your prayers! I get tickled because I know I'm at only 10 beads, but I think it's going to take me the better part of another year to jump off! 🤷🏼‍♀️ I hope you feel some Improvement soon.  

[Crochet]

@mdwstrxJust stopping by to let you know that I'm thinking about you and praying for the best.

[mdwstrx]

@Crochet

Thank you!! Things are going much better. I have stabilized I think, at least mostly. At some point, I will consider another taper but holding for just bit longer. Appreciate your kind thoughts and prayers!

[Carmie]

Glad to see you’ve stabilised a bit mdwstrx, 

 

Sendng hugs🤗

[mdwstrx]

@brassmonkey

Hope this finds you well and ready for the holiday!!  Grateful for your lead, I'm checking in to say things have stabilized a bit. Recent history -Updosed twice - from .095 to 1.05- 2 months ago after a small crash and have been holding.

 

I'm not at the level of w/d normal as before. Remaining symptoms are:  my nervous system feels fragile; slight burning in extremities; slight inner restlessness; early waking; hypnic jerks; foggy thinking and social anxiety in some instances. It feels like no man's land presently. Go up? Go down? Hold?  I'm taking propranolol more often to combat slight inner nervousness that seems always present. If I get triggered, I feel the burn in extremities and fragile nervous state. 

 

@Carmie

Thanks for your thoughts and hugs! I hope you're doing better?! 

Love reading your upbeat gratitude lists! Thanks for shining the positive light for us!! 💜

 

[brassmonkey]

If things feel like they are stabilizing then I would stay put for a while. Each time you try to stabilize WDnormal is going to feel a bit different because your body is a little different. 

 

Things are going well for the Halloween display. Most of it is up and running. Heavy rain today s can't get much done, but it's looking good.

[mdwstrx]

@brassmonkey 

 

Thanks!! It felt like stabilizing but things have ramped up again over last week, so can't say. Stronger waves two months out?

 

🎃 Would love to see display! Have fun!

[Carmie]

Thanks for your kind words mdwstrx, 

 

I really do find that looking at the positives in life helps me to cope, and gratitude lists are so powerful.
 

That’s not to say that I feel positive all the time. I have meltdowns where I’m not coping at all because of all of my health problems. I try and pick myself up again all the time though, and continue to look at things I can be grateful for. I take each day as it comes. 
 

I’m so very sorry to hear that you’re in strong waves at the moment. Time will no doubt help you to stabilise again. I’ve had so many episodes where I thought the waves would never end, but they did eventually even when it took ages. 
 

Take care🤗

[Crochet]

Praying for a full recovery for you @mdwstrx

[Carmie]

Thinking of you mdwstrx while you’re going through the bad waves. I hope you come out the other side soon. 
 

Distract! Distract! Distract!🧡

[mdwstrx]

@Crochet and @Carmie

Thank you both for your caring messages! In comparison to some, I'm doing surprisingly well! Hoping in time, that the 'old' withdraw normal returns so I can resume tapering. I am gratefully functional and happy many days!  Prayers for you both on your journey here. 

md

🌤️

[mdwstrx]

Checking in. Since last drop/slight reinstatement, seems I'm having minor windows and waves. The worst of which is an unsettled anxiety I liken to a light akathisia. I'll be feeling relatively well followed by days of inner angst/light agitation/loss of self confidence. It's then I realize, must be a wave... Once these waves resolve, I'll begin taper again. Soon I hope. 

md

🦃

 

[Frogie]

You are able to tell the difference between windows, waves and "everything else". Sounds like you are able to float through them best as you can.

 

I hope you continue to have more windows and less waves. But you are improving everyday 😊

 

Take care,

Frogie xx

[Carmie]

On 11/14/2021 at 10:33 PM, mdwstrx said:

Checking in. Since last drop/slight reinstatement, seems I'm having minor windows and waves. The worst of which is an unsettled anxiety I liken to a light akathisia. I'll be feeling relatively well followed by days of inner angst/light agitation/loss of self confidence. It's then I realize, must be a wave... Once these waves resolve, I'll begin taper again. Soon I hope. 

md

🦃

 

Glad to hear your waves have lessened a little mdwstrx, 

 

You’re doing so amazing with your taper. Not too long before you’ll be down to 1mg. Keep up the good work. 
 

Sending hugs🤗

[mdwstrx]

Thank you @Frogie and @Carmie

Your encouragement is so appreciated!

 

Today is day three of my first decrease since this Summer's mini crash. I am now at 1.025 mg. That's a 2.38% decrease. I intend to stick religiously to the BM taper going down by no more than 2.5% each week, then holding for two weeks. 🙏

[Carmie]

34 minutes ago, mdwstrx said:

Thank you @Frogie and @Carmie

Your encouragement is so appreciated!

 

Today is day three of my first decrease since this Summer's mini crash. I am now at 1.025 mg. That's a 2.38% decrease. I intend to stick religiously to the BM taper going down by no more than 2.5% each week, then holding for two weeks. 🙏

All the best with your latest drop mdwstrx🤗

[Frogie]

I'm sending you lots of prayers and encouragement. 

 

You've got this😊

[mdwstrx]

Update:

At my last update, I had intended to decrease by 2.5% a week, holding for an additional two weeks. However, it took weeks for that small 2.38% reduction to work itself out. I reduced further by 2.43% nine days ago to 1 mg. The reduction hit about day 3 and is starting to even out. I still feel like I want to jump out of my skin at times; almost breathless. It seems manageable if I take Propranolol though I try not to do so every day.

 

At this rate (2.5% a month), it's going to be a long road to 0 mg. 🤷‍♀️ I hope the reductions get easier as they were earlier in the taper when I was reducing at 10% every month (until a mini-crash this summer). That took several months to return to a wd normal. I wonder if after tapering, wd normal fades to feeling well or is wd normal as good as it gets? Holding... again. 

 

Prayers for a peaceful Christmas for all.

md

🎄

[Crochet]

@mdwstrx It looks like you are holding for a bit based on your last post.  I hope you are feeling better.  Know that I still think of you often and pray for a full recovery for you, no matter how long it takes.

[mdwstrx]

@Crochet

Thanks for stopping by. Always brightens my feed to see your posts! Thank you also for your prayers. They are effective! I am praying for you and others here too. 

 

Here is a short update since my last post:

I tapered to .95 mg mostly without incident. I am holding for another week since I'll be travelling. When I return, I plan to resume the slow downward crawl. So far, so good and feeling much better than some of my last posts thankfully! Nothing is forever, even withdrawal. It too changes, even if at a snail's pace. 🐌

 

 

 

 

[Carmie]

Hi @mdwstrx

 

Just popping around to say hi and give you a hug🤗

[catmama]

Hi @mdwstrx I've been scrolling through your post and can relate so much to what you're going through. I'm also tapering Lexparo and finding it harder and harder as I creep below 1.5 mg. I had been on a hold for about 6 weeks after a bad crash and was feeling really good. Then when I resumed my BM taper, I was hit with another rough wave of symptoms. I have decided to do an even longer extended hold (I'm thinking 4-5 months) to just really let myself heal before trying a taper again. 

 

Thanks for providing updates on your journey. It's giving me hope that I will eventually hit that 1 mg mark too. And we will both eventually hit 0! Keep posting updates when you can. And I hope you're doing well.

Edited March 30, 2022 by catmama
misspelling

[mdwstrx]

Hi @catmama

Thanks for stopping by. I'm sorry to hear that you're also experiencing the slow crawl downward but impressed that you're making the effort! I think we'll both find it is well worth it in the end. Meanwhile, the coping techniques we learn will serve us well post zero!

 

Hi @Carmie Always good to get your hugs!! Sending one back to you {{hug}} 💜

 

Brief update: I've been successful in reducing by 2.5 to 5% cuts the last few months I'm now at .9 mg and have been here for a couple weeks. I did very well with the last cut. I noted on day 5, " Didn't sleep well. Feels like I'm in quicksand with my mood. Everything seems heavy and not light as normal." But things rapidly settled and within a few days was sleeping and feeling better. The slow taper is doable! Pay attention to your body and if you're like me, best to hold during stressful or important events. It is a glacial taper pace but still heading downward while managing my mood. I may try a cut next week... or the next.  

 

md

🌼

[Crochet]

@mdwstrxI am glad to hear that you are doing well and are able to continue to cut right now.  I'm also glad you know when to hold.  Keep us posted!

[mdwstrx]

Checking in with a question for @brassmonkey and @Gridley

Hope you're both well and don't mind me updating here by conjuring you up for opinions. I know you both have your own challenges so if you're too busy, I sure understand! I haven't been on in awhile as the tapering is going slow. I am reducing roughly 2.5-3% monthly. It hits hard about day 7 or 8 and I feel moody, irritable, self-conscious and general malaise. So far, it lasts a week maybe and then I tend to bounce back in time for next cut. 🤞

 

I am comparing my taper (post 2018 crash) to Gridley's taper. Please see below.

 

Mine
End 2019 @ 3.95 mg
End 2020 @1.65 mg
End 2021 @ 1 mg
5/9/22 @ .085 mg

 

Gridley

End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg

End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg

End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg

Oct. 30, 2020  Jump to zero from 0.025mg.    It will take me forever to reduce from .085 to a suitable jumping off point. The cuts are hard on my mood and it  makes me difficult to be around until wd normal kicks back in so I'm reluctant to go faster.   Any thoughts as I continue the slow trudge downward? At this rate, should finish in another 5 years!? Not sure friends and family will be left by then with my moodiness. 😒

 

Thanks!!

md

[ChessieCat]

2 hours ago, mdwstrx said:

I am reducing roughly 2.5-3% monthly. It hits hard about day 7 or 8 and I feel moody, irritable, self-conscious and general malaise.

 

Q:  How long have you noticed this pattern?

 

If you are still menstruating and you happen to be reducing on a monthly basis you might try changing the timing of your reduction in relation to your monthly cycle.  The other thing to consider is are you perimenopausal or going through menopause.

[brassmonkey]

My calculations show a jump off point of 0.065mg. At a reduction of 2.5% it will take 10 reduction cycles to get there. How long that takes depends on how long each reduction cycle is. If you are still having symptoms with each reduction, then I would slow down and allow more time between reductions. At the end of a good taper, it is best to let your body dictate when to reduce and not go by a fixed schedule. Also, CC makes some very good points.

[mdwstrx]

@brassmonkey@Chessie

 

Thanks to both of you for such quick responses! There is a typo as noted here and below. My current dose is .85 mg not .085 sadly. Chessie's points are well-taken but neither apply in my case. The pattern has been going on for a 3-4 months now. 

 

I'm not sure how to go lower that 2.5 or 3% a month and make headway. I'll try to calculate but amazing how strong this stuff is at such low levels. Is 0.065 still target jump off? I think that puts me out at 2032 😔

 

21 hours ago, mdwstrx said:

Mine
End 2019 @ 3.95 mg
End 2020 @1.65 mg
End 2021 @ 1 mg
5/9/22 @ .085 mg

 

[mdwstrx]

Update: Continue to cut by under 3% every 30-45 days as able. I take longer holds as needed to maintain functionality.

 

6/17 - Decreased to .83 mg. a 2.35% cut

6/22 - Akathisia-like symptoms began on day 5 as has been the trend.

6/24 - No abatement yet. I anticipate the symptoms will fade. They have w/previous cuts.

 

Propranolol helps - a lot. 

 

Wishing all safe healing.

🙏

[indario55]

You being on just 0.83 mg from 10 mg is great. I know how strong this drug is.

 

How many days/weeks takes for your symptoms to fade after making a cut?

[Carmie]

On 6/25/2022 at 5:56 AM, mdwstrx said:

Update: Continue to cut by under 3% every 30-45 days as able. I take longer holds as needed to maintain functionality.

 

6/17 - Decreased to .83 mg. a 2.35% cut

6/22 - Akathisia-like symptoms began on day 5 as has been the trend.

6/24 - No abatement yet. I anticipate the symptoms will fade. They have w/previous cuts.

 

Propranolol helps - a lot. 

 

Wishing all safe healing.

🙏

Hi mdwstrx, 

 

I’m glad to see that you’re continuing to move forward. You’re doing great with your tapering, you’ve gotten so low, I’m at 3.75mg now. It must feel good to be under 1mg now, we’ll done!! I hope that your symptoms settle soon after this last drop🧡

[Crochet]

@mdwstrx Hi there!  I really hope that things have calmed down.  Akathisia-like symptoms are just awful and I'm glad that you can get some relief from the propanolol. 

 

[mdwstrx]

@indario55@Carmie@Crochet

Hello and thanks for stopping by with support and your kind words. 💜

Symptoms begin on day 4 from a cut, peek on days 5 and 6 and gradually subside by day 14.

I seem to be back to WD normal presently . Even that is a more intense at this low level.

md

 

[Carmie]

On 7/9/2022 at 11:03 PM, mdwstrx said:

@indario55@Carmie@Crochet

Hello and thanks for stopping by with support and your kind words. 💜

Symptoms begin on day 4 from a cut, peek on days 5 and 6 and gradually subside by day 14.

I seem to be back to WD normal presently . Even that is a more intense at this low level.

md

 

Thank you so much for your kind words on my thread md, 

 

I’m glad you’re in withdrawal normal at the moment, I am too, but it’s certainly not without symptoms, as you said. 

 

Hope your taper continues to go smoothly, we can’t escape the windows and waves pattern in this journey, but it shows that our brains are continually trying to find some equilibrium and are healing🧡

[Frogie]

@mdwstrx

 

Just checking in with you?