mdwstrx: Lexapro / escitalopram taper or not?

[mdwstrx]

@Frogie

Thanks for stopping by.  Things are going relatively well! I've been tapering very slowly to maintain stability. A 1 or 1.5% monthly cut hits about day 4 or 5 and I feel it for the next week or so. At this low level, it seems the best I can do without upsetting things too much. 

[Frogie]

@mdwstrx

 

Unfortunately the lower you get with Lexapro, the buggier it gets. 

 

But you are doing the right thing, going slow.

 

You will win this race!

[Godsave]

@mdwstrx@Frogie

 

kindly help me in my journey too .

I can say that the 5 mg is not helping me much  .

I am scared about the memory loss and forgetfulness.

yesterday I wa a feeling g so nervous and hopeless while going for shopping g and my brain was foggy .

I understood my mistakes . Instead of reinstatement should have been in that 2.5 mg .

now again I have to start !! 

now I wanted to try slowly tapering as told by frogie .

 

i am

going to start after getting my liquid this time 🙏🏼
really really this drug has taught me so many lessons .

but I am ready to fight with it . 🙏🏼
I wanted the courage to slowly take this out from my body .

[Crochet]

@mdwstrx Hi there!  Just sending support and best wishes for this new year.  I hope you are doing well.

[mdwstrx]

A quick check in as I slowly taper off Escitalopram. Now at .62 mg. It's proving possible to do this slowly though I don't know how things will be at the point that I stop completely. That is far enough out I don't think of it. I focus instead on reducing while living life. Things are very manageable. The only withdrawal is moodiness for a few days. Being active, that is managed well. Especially in the good weather months. Thank you @ChessieCat for the wise advice of not focusing on the end goal but on living each day. Peace to all.

 

[Carmie]

I’m so glad that things are manageable @mdwstrx, Chessiecat hasn’t checked in here for ages. 
 

Sending hugs🤗

[mdwstrx]

@brassmonkey

 

Hello. I'm currently at .36mg. I'd planned to taper to .02mg before stopping. I am rethinking this given my length of time on Escitalopram and seeing recent posts from someone similar who's sadly experiencing a difficult jump from .02mg.

 

My question: how does one taper liquid Escitalopram below .01mg? I am taking commercial liquid Escitalopram-5MG/5ML. I've read, "Changing the dilution ration to make the liquid easier to measure". I get thrown by the "mgai".  I want to be certain I understand. Thank you for any clarity you can add.

[brassmonkey]

I agree, 0.02mgai is still too high to make the jump. My calculations show 0.006mgai would be a better point.

 

Working with dilutions is all about ratios. Increasing the volume will decrease the strength. If you double the volume, you cut the strength in half. By adding 5ml of water to 5ml of your original liquid you get a new liquid that is 10ml in volume but has the original strength of 5mgai. Making the strength of the new liquid half of the original, meaning you have to take twice as much. If your original dose was 0.36ml then you would have to take 0.72ml to get the same amount of active ingredient. From there you reduce the volume by the desired percentage and the active ingredient will automatically follow along.

 

Hope that helps.

[mdwstrx]

14 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

Hope that helps.

Very much so; as does the excellent information on Managing the End Game Taper along with your Tips and Tricks for Tapering/Acronyms and Definitions. 

All critically helpful as well. Thank you.

[Sveta81]

Hi mdwstrx, thank you for posting your updates. I have tapered down to 0.38 mg Lexapro in the past years, so I am finding myself in about the same place as you are. The BM comment above is very helpful for me as well, as it is getting more difficult to do the small measurements. I don't seem to have the right kind of syringe. 

 

I also try to take live by the day, and prefer to do the slow taper (slow and steady). I don't have a fixed timeline by when I need to be off Lexapro either. I'd rather have my sanity and health enable me to enjoy life and function normally. Would be great to hear how your taper is going now and then and whether you have any tips to share. Thanks and keep it up 😊

[mdwstrx]

Hi @Sveta81

Happy things are going well with your taper. My intent is to slowly taper until I can go no lower. I am very active with fun, "old folk' sports.   It may help since I barely notice the drops other than being more moody the first few days. If that changes, I will post. Otherwise, I'll continue to update my signature with each drop. I wish you well with your journey; slow and steady. 

🙏