Popular Post SupahSet Posted April 13, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted April 13, 2019 -- Here is my intro topic -- It has officially been ONE WHOLE YEAR of all of this discontinuation nightmare since I stopped taking Lexapro as of tomorrow! 364 days no Lexapro. I'm SO excited to finally be able to say I've almost fully healed. Your day is coming too! I could not have gone through this without this website and because of that, I am forever grateful. Here is some background on my journey and my healing process. I apologize for the long post, but I want to be detailed in my post so others can hopefully gain some insight / information, and I want somewhere where all of this is documented in one place. Mid March 2018 - Started taking 10m Lexapro (escitalopram) daily when my doctor said it might help with my random chest discomforts. She had some scans done on me and blood tests etc to rule anything serious out, and told me if might be anxiety induced discomfort. I did a tiny bit of research, and jumped on the SSRI bandwagon. April 8th, 2018 - Stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey because it hadn't done anything for me. This was 3 weeks of taking the Lexapro daily. I didn't know anything about lowering dosages / tapering at all. My doctor didn't mention anything so I just stopped taking it. April 15th, 2018 - This is the exact day my discontinuation symptoms started and it hit like a TRUCK. I had no idea they were from stopping the Lexapro either. I all of the sudden had a TERRIBLE panic attack. My arm felt stiff, my vision started to tunnel, it was hard to focus on my breathing and my heads were ice cold and sweating profusely. I told my wife to call 911 I think I'm having a heart attack. I thought I was seconds away from dying and it was so scary. I'll never forget that moment. The paramedics told me I was fine, checked my vitals and asked me if I take any medication. I said "I don't have a history of medication, but I did just stop taking Lexapro last week, but I only took it for 3 weeks". The paramedics said "Bingo, that's your problem". I kinda shrugged it off and for the next week everything was relatively normal. April 22th, 2018 - My wife and I were going to the park for an earth day celebration. It was beautiful out and everything was great. We took a trolley to the park and it was about a 20 minute ride. We got there, everything was fine, and then boom. Heart started pounding and I got lightheaded. I felt VERY odd. I told my wife I needed to sit down and call my doctor. No answer, it was the weekend. No problem, I said. Let's get back on the trolley and leave, and go to urgent care. It was the longest 20 minutes of my life. On the trolley I felt very claustrophobic and a panic attack set in. I did nothing but focus on my breathing and trying to stay positive, but I felt lightheaded, my chest felt very hot and was very tight. We finally got back to my car and went straight to an urgent care down the street. They looked at me like I was an idiot and they gave me some benadryl via IV to "calm me down" This made me incredibly dizzy and more light headed than before. For some reason I was going in and out of panic every 10 minutes. For the rest of the day my wife and I laid outside on a blanket, she read a book and I tried to sleep but woke up in a panic every five minutes. Life for my at this point was VERY, VERY tough and I had no idea what was happening to me and was very, very scared. I thought back to what the paramedics said about the Lexapro inducing that first panic attack. I did some light googling and found a lot of threads on Reddit about SSRI discontinuation and I eventually found this website as well. It finally hit me that I was 100% going through discontinuation. I became a google master like the rest of us trying to figure out why we go through this, how long this will last for, cold turkey vs taper, etc. I LIVED on this website reading every thread I could find. I googled and searched here for every new symptom I got. I developed a VERY, VERY bad health anxiety. I have very good insurance with my company and am very grateful for that because I went to the doctor once every 2-3 weeks when I got new symptoms. The doctor that initially gave me the Lexapro told me symptoms would only last for up to 2 weeks and they will be mild. I stayed with her until about 1 month off at which point she became annoyed with my visits and basically told me this is all in my head and that I needed therapy. Lol? That was a joke, because my symptoms were very pronounced. I called around and found a new doctor who was younger and might understand more. He was a joke and a waste of my time. I only saw him for one visit. I got VERY lucky and found my new doctor (the one I have now kept for a year and am very grateful for and pleased with). She told me what I'm going through is normal and could last a few months up to around 6 months. In reality, I know a lot of us go through this for a year or multiple years, up to 5 or more years. I had her refer me to multiple specialists (cardiologists, neurologists, etc). I got multiple tests done on my heart such as EKGs, stress tests, and multi-day holtor monitors. I had multiple scans done - CT scans, MRIs, etc. All of these tests and visits were done over the course of 6-8 months and every single test came back clean. Since the start of my discontinuation, I had rotating symptom periods. Every 3 or 4 weeks, my symptoms would change. Either brand new symptoms or previous symptoms came back and my current symptoms would go away. Here is a laundry list of symptoms that I have gone through, in no particular order. General anxiety, Health anxiety, panic attacks, night terrors, fatigue, dizziness, light head, nausea, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, claustrophobia, loss of sleep, brain zaps, head pressure, weight gain, eye pain, heart zaps, jolting awake at night, depression, tinnitus, jaw tightness, head tingles, loss of ability to focus, and many more symptoms that I can't remember. I tried everything to combat these symptoms and not much worked other than time. I tried vitamins, diet changes, melatonin for sleep, fish oil, exercise (this was harder to do the more severe my symptoms got), CBD oil, therapy, essential oils, and more.I will say, even if it was placebo, CBD oil (no THC content) did seem to help my general anxiety and chest tightness. I would take it sublingually once in the morning and once at night. Melatonin did help a lot with my sleep. Most melatonin comes in 1gram servings but I broke these up and only took 250mg a few nights a week. It was more than enough to help. I will say some of the biggest things that helped was keeping my mind off of reality as much as possible. Focusing extra hard at work, watching comedy TV shows, browsing this website, and cuddling with my wife. There were weekends I didn't leave my bed and we watched TV all day and it was so comforting. Also, when it was warm out, I would walk. I would walk A LOT. Sometimes I walked for 2 or 3 hours and just sweat and sweat and it felt so great. I doubt these had a direct affect on my healing process, but it's all about keeping your mind off of reality in any way you can. After all, as Aeroman said, it really is just time that is the biggest factor in healing. My healing journey consisted of continuous misery for the first 2 month followed by windows and waves (definitely way more waves than windows) for 3-5 months. Then more continuous misery for 2 months. For the past 4 months I've been in the windows and waves pattern again, but this time, way more windows than waves. There's no way I can pinpoint the exact minute, or day, or even week where I knew I was almost done healing, it happens gradually. But as of today, I've been in a window for a full straight 6 weeks. I have very, very minor symptoms left over, but I am optimistic these will fade over the next few months. I would say I'm 90-95% fully healed. if you asked me 6 months ago, I would say I was at 50-60%. I understand I might still have some waves ahead of me, but I am no longer scared of symptoms to come. I am stronger than this and I've made it through the worst. This journey has changed my life in so many ways, but it's definitely made me appreciate life more now. Thank you everyone from Surviving Antidepressants. From the bottom of my heart, you guys are sincerely awesome and I couldn't have done this without you guys. I hope all of you still suffering will get through this, sooner rather than later. Be strong, stay positive, and keep in mind that EVERYONE heals after time. SupahSet 12 Took 10mg Lexapro daily from March 16th, 2018 to April 10th, 2018 (about 3 weeks). Stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey on April 10th, 2018. Have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since a week after stopping (symptoms since April 17th, 2018) Symptoms since stopping, that I did NOT have before or while taking Lexapro include: Dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, brain fog, brain zaps, head pressure, eye pressure, fatigue, severe anxiety, panic attacks, jolting awake when I catch myself falling asleep, heart palpitations, night sweats, and head aches. Things I am currently taking: CBD oil drops twice daily (4mg CBD with 0.3% THC content each dose), fish oil 2 to 3 times daily, magnesium, vitamin b complex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixiecut Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Hi SupahSet, great story, thank you so much for sharing! I cold turkey citalopram after taking it for 2 weeks (adverse reaction) and I'm 2 months off now my main condition is DP/DR, very bad short memory, lack of concentration, cognitive problems, brain fog, head pressure, blurred vision. very little brain activity, not connected with anything around me... did you have similar experiences? if yes, can u say when these symptoms start and how long did they last? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawny Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 (edited) I loved ur post ❤️ I literally shed a tear ❤️ This is likr my story too ( 4 weeks , 10 mg amitriptyline ) i didnt find any stories o my kinda where within a short usage ur body can have adverse reaction its 1 pm in India now I can peacefully goto sleep tellin my self i will heal 😊 gives me a lot o hope to belive ppl do have adverse reaction on small dosage ❤️ Im on my 5 th month now n things have been ok but lookin at ur study gives me hope . As u mentioned for every new symptom I have been rushing to the docs and everything has come out clean n my folks or doctors back home think I’m delusional and withdrawal can’t exist on such strong dosage so I’m Gona send ur Story across to ppl to tell them it’s true 😀 thsnks a lot for coming back n writing this n I have all the symptoms u goin thru im glad ur over the other side Edited April 13, 2019 by ChessieCat reduced font Sept 28 : nov 10 amitriptyline 10 mg no history of drugs in past symptoms mild grainy vision , visual snow tinnitus dizziness floters difficult in focusin muscle pain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupahSet Posted April 13, 2019 Author Share Posted April 13, 2019 @shawny Thanks for taking the time to read my post I'm sorry you're going through this like the rest of us. I'm glad you're already 5 months off of the meds, that just means you're that much closer to healing. Keep your head up Took 10mg Lexapro daily from March 16th, 2018 to April 10th, 2018 (about 3 weeks). Stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey on April 10th, 2018. Have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since a week after stopping (symptoms since April 17th, 2018) Symptoms since stopping, that I did NOT have before or while taking Lexapro include: Dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, brain fog, brain zaps, head pressure, eye pressure, fatigue, severe anxiety, panic attacks, jolting awake when I catch myself falling asleep, heart palpitations, night sweats, and head aches. Things I am currently taking: CBD oil drops twice daily (4mg CBD with 0.3% THC content each dose), fish oil 2 to 3 times daily, magnesium, vitamin b complex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sertramean Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Great story @SupahSet. The 1-year mark does seem to be the point where recovery becomes a bit more pronounced. I'm sure you have even more improvement to come. Very best wishes to you. Seroxat 30mg (January 1998 > till started taper April 2013 > off completely July 2013) this was about my fourth attempt. Prozac 40mg ( July 2013 - Feb 2014) Sertraline 75mg (Feb 2014- started taper Feb 2015 - off May 2015) Mirtazapine - 7.5mg for 2 weeks - 3.75mg one week - 2mg one week (December'15 - Jan 16) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDOE Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Glad you are healed and I appreciate the detailed post. I read the success stories for the hope that one day I'll be my old self; I really want to avoid reinstatement. I was shocked to see what havoc this drug did after only a few weeks! These drugs are awful; can't believe the FDA ever approved them. Congrats! -2005 -2016 60mg Cymbalta 11/2016 abrupt drop to 30mg. Insomnia started (about 2x a week.) 6/29/2017 started aggressive taper. Dosage:6/29 25mg,7/7 20mg,7/10 15mg,7/1713mg,7/18 10 mg,7/22 8mg,7/31 7.5mg,8/1 6.25mg. At 6.25mg insomnia every night (waking 2-4am.) 8/2017 began up dosing 8/9 7.5mg,8/16 10mg. Late 2017 new taper from 25mg. Approx 10% reduction per mos (mini-tablets.) 10mg sleep would not stabilize. Cont'd taper meds running out. Jan 2019 stopped taper at 2.5mg. Using only supplements. Morning 500mg tyrosine, 100mg L-theanine, 600mg NAC. After breakfast 1000mg fish oil, 5mg iron, 2000IU D3, B complex, 500mg ginseng, 50mg ginkgo, probiotics & 50mg zinc. Bedtime 1000mg tryptophan, 500mg gaba, 3mg time released melatonin, 325mg magnesium powder, & 100mg progesterone. Feb 2019 brain zaps gone. Still have chronic insomnia & anxiety at times. March 2019-Purchased Alpha Stim May 2019-sleep still inconsistent. October 2019- (Morning) L-Tyrosine, Super B complex, 5mg ferritin,fish oil, vit c, (Evening)200mg progesterone, 1mg Natrol Time Release Melatonin, 325mg Calm magnesium, glycine powder. Alpha Stim only seems to help with anxiety not insomnia. Usually wake up nightly average of 2 hours. *Using 25mg Benadryl or 12.5mg Doxylamine Succinate occasionally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
India Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 On 4/13/2019 at 5:24 PM, SupahSet said: I said "I don't have a history of medication, but I did just stop taking Lexapro last week, but I only took it for 3 weeks". The paramedics said "Bingo, that's your problem". I kinda shrugged it off and for the next week everything was relatively normal. I wonder how many people they see in severe WD. I know at least two ppl who ended up in A and E because of too fast WD. Amazing and congrats on your success. Very happy for you. @intothewoods ( don’t know how else to send link) 1999: Paroxetine (20mg). Age 16. 2007-2008: Fluoxetine (Prozac) for 1.5 years (age 25) Citalopram 20mg 2002-2005, 2009: Escitalopram (20mg), 2 weeks, (age 26) (adverse reaction)/*Valium 5mg/Temazepam 10mg 2010: Mirtazipine (Remeron)( do not remember dosage) 2010, 5 months. 2010-2017: Citalopram (20mg) (age 27 to 34) 2016: i.1st Sept- 31st Oct Citalopram 10mg , ii.1st November 2017-30th November 2017, Citalopram 5mg iii.1st December 2017- 4th February 2018, Citalopram 0mg, iv.5th February 2018- March 2018 Citalopram 5mg (10mg every other day) 28th February- tried titration of 5mg ( some adverse effects) 2018: 1st March 2018- 1st June Citalopram 10 mg (tablet form) /started titration 8mg , then 7 mg.2018: June 15th- 10th July Citalopram 10 mg pill every other day 2018: 10th July - 13th Sept Citalopram- 0mg (CBD oil first month of 0mg, passiflora on and off) 2018 13th Sept Citalopram 2mg , approx 16th Sept 4mg , approx 25th Sept 6mg held. 2019: 11 Feb 19: 7mg (instant bad rxn) 12 Feb 19 6mg held 1 May 19 5.4mg held 5 Oct 19 5.36mg 22 Oct 19 5.29mg 30 Oct 19 5.23mg 4/NOV/19 5.18mg 12 Nov 19 5.08mg 20 Nov 19 4.77mg 7 May 22 2.31mg 17/09/2023 0.8mg (Herbal/Supplements since 1st September: Omega Fish Oil 1200mg, 663mg of EPA- 2 tablets a day, magnesium and magnesium bath salts) I did not die, and yet I lost life’s breath - Dante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intothewoods Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Phenomenal story. SO very happy for you, your wife and family after this nightmare is (mostly) over. Thank you for so thoroughly chronicling your journey. Three short weeks of Lexapro - - and all this. Kudos to the paramedics! Very telling. They see emergency calls for AD withdrawal yet the docs don't??? If you check my thread, you'll see I'm a lifelong journalist and have a piece - in-progress that progresses only as fast as I do. (in a big wave at moment 🌊). But am interviewing various situations If it's okay, I'll pm you to see if you might want to share your story at some point. Again, congrats! 👍👍👍👏👏👏😊 And thanks so much @Indiafor the heads up. Success stories have huge healing power! * Fluoxetine: 40 mg 1999-2012; 60 mg 2012-March 2019; 45.2 mg at present. * Provigil: 25-100 mg PRN 2005 to mid-2015; 200-300 mg mid-2015 to early 2016; tapered from 300 mg in early 2016 to 100 mg early 2017; tapered from 100 mg early 2017 to 33 mg June 15, 2019; 8.9 mg at present. * Amitriptyline: 10-15 mg 2002-2013; 25 mg 2014 to December 5, 2018; December 15, 2018 converted to water suspension and tapered to 16.5 mg at present * Diazepam: 5 mg at night 2002-present. Supplements: Iron for anemia Recent tapering timeline: 2019: Fluoxetine 60 mg Provigil 33.5 mg Amitriptyline 25 mg Diazepam 5 mg 2022: 45.2 mg 8.9 mg 16.5 mg 5 mg Back Story: From 2012 thru early 2017, relocated and cycled through over 20 primary and psych docs (supposedly for severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) who prescribed two dozen different psych meds in search of the "perfect therapeutic combo." Took most for only a few days, some for a week. Included Wellbutrin, Cymbalta, Lexapro, Seroquel, Lamictal, Klonopin, Lyrica, Gabapentin, Belsomra, Tramadol, Librium, Halcyon, Remeron and -- the last straw, Trintellix. Began in early 2016 when it was still called Brintellix (Pharma's attempt to combine the words "brilliance" and "intelligence" in a pill name), became unable to eat or sleep, lost 25 lbs and the ability to speak. Slowly tapered myself back to Prozac by 2017 but was unable to stop akathisia, cortisol mornings and kindling which continue, actively, through present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamer Posted April 19, 2019 Share Posted April 19, 2019 (edited) Thankyou for sharing. Did you ever take anything for the anxiety during the withdrawals? Edited April 21, 2019 by Carmie Removed long quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupahSet Posted April 22, 2019 Author Share Posted April 22, 2019 @Dreamer Mainly CBD oil. Its unclear if it actually did anything, but if anything it had a strong placebo affect on me with my anxiety. I did have a small supply of Ativan (0.5mg pills) for severe panic attacks. I had to use a total of 3 pills over the course of a year, but haven't used any in the past 4 months. Took 10mg Lexapro daily from March 16th, 2018 to April 10th, 2018 (about 3 weeks). Stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey on April 10th, 2018. Have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since a week after stopping (symptoms since April 17th, 2018) Symptoms since stopping, that I did NOT have before or while taking Lexapro include: Dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, brain fog, brain zaps, head pressure, eye pressure, fatigue, severe anxiety, panic attacks, jolting awake when I catch myself falling asleep, heart palpitations, night sweats, and head aches. Things I am currently taking: CBD oil drops twice daily (4mg CBD with 0.3% THC content each dose), fish oil 2 to 3 times daily, magnesium, vitamin b complex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloee Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Hi SupahSet, great story, thank you so much for sharing! I cold turkey citalopram after taking it for 2 weeks (adverse reaction) and I'm about 3 months off now my main condition is DP/DR, very bad short memory, lack of concentration, cognitive problems, brain fog, head pressure, blurred vision. a very little brain activity, not connected with anything around me... did you have similar experiences? if yes, can u say when these symptoms started and how long did they last? Thanks in advance! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Santino Posted May 3, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 3, 2019 Hi SupahSet Now that is what we normally call GOOD NEWS. I am happy you are free. Enjoy your life buddy. 1 2015 - 2016 Xanax only rescue doses of 0.125 mg 1-2 times per month March 2016 0.125Mg * 2 Xanax for 10 days. 20 March 2016 0.25 Mg * 2 Xanax for one week. 1 April 2016 Tranxene 5 mg and Fevarin but bad reaction for 5 days.4 April 2016 25 Mg Amitryptiline + 6 MG bromazepam at night Started tapering Bromazepam 6 days later reached up to 3 MG in 10 days and withdrawal. Pdoc asked to go 6 MG again. 10 of May started Remeron 15 MG and started tapering Bromazepam again. SINCE 09/06/2016 BENZO FREE - Started Tapering Remeron 04/07/2016 04/Jul/16 12.8 Mg, 11/Aug/16 12 Mg, 20/Aug/16 11Mg, 3/Sept/16 10Mg, 11/Sept/16 9 Mg, 30/Sept/16 8.1 Mg, 14/Oct/16 7.25 Mg, 17/Nov/16 6.7, 23/Nov/16 6.5, 2/Dec/16 6.25, 9/Dec/16 6Mg, 25/Dec/16 5.7Mg, 4/Jan/17 5.4Mg, 20/Jan/17 5.2Mg, 07/Feb/17 5 Mg, 15/Feb/17 4.8Mg, 27/Feb/17 4.5Mg, 15/Mar/17 4.2Mg, 23/Mar/17 4Mg, 1/Apr/17 3.7Mg, 14/Apr/17 3.4Mg, 27/Apr/17 3.1Mg, 06/May/17 2.8Mg, 22/May/17 2.6Mg, 31/May/17 2.3Mg 09/Jun/17 2Mg, 20/Jun/17 1.7Mg, 29/Jun/17 1.4Mg, 11/Jul/17 1.2Mg, 20/Jul/17 1Mg, 31/Jul/17 0.8Mg, 11/Aug/17 0.6Mg, 23/Aug/17 0.5Mg, 05/Sept/17 0.4Mg, 13/Sept/17 0.3Mg. 22/Sept/17 0.2Mg, 03/Oct/17 0.15Mg, 10/Oct/17 0.1Mg, 23/Oct/17 0.05Mg, 22/Nov/17 0.025Mg, 06/DECEMBER/2017 MIRT FREEE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopefuly1 Posted June 27, 2019 Share Posted June 27, 2019 On 4/26/2019 at 10:09 PM, chloee said: Hi SupahSet, great story, thank you so much for sharing! I cold turkey citalopram after taking it for 2 weeks (adverse reaction) and I'm about 3 months off now my main condition is DP/DR, very bad short memory, lack of concentration, cognitive problems, brain fog, head pressure, blurred vision. a very little brain activity, not connected with anything around me... did you have similar experiences? if yes, can u say when these symptoms started and how long did they last? Thanks in advance! Hi Chloe! I am going through exactly the same phases like you do. I quit cold turkey 2 months ago. Has anything changes since then? Thank you. And i hope this message finds you healthy April 2018 50 mg sertraline May 2018 100mg sertraline June 2018 200mg sertraline July 2018 Cold Turkey August 2018 Withdrawal September 2018 Withdrawal October 2018 20mg Citalopram November 2018 40 mg Citalopram December 2018 40 mg Citalopram January 2019 10 mg Escitalopram February 2019 10 mg Escitalopram March 2019 5 mg Escitalopram for 3 weeks then cold turkey April 2019 Withdrawal , May 2019 5 mg escitalopram taken by mistake with supplements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickFisher32 Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 Supah, did your withdrawl symptoms all go away now 100%? If not, which remain still? also were you on anything before lexapro? (Mental health medication) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Cocopuffz17 Posted December 13, 2019 Mentor Share Posted December 13, 2019 That’s absolutely amazing you are feeling way better! I hope all the best to you in the future! Thank you for sharing your experience! I follow The Plant Paradox lifestyle by Dr.Gundry. This lifestyle has given me my life back and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It has enabled me to finally get off of this medication and truly live my life. Nutrition is the key to health!!!!! 2008 to 2019 - 20 mg Paroxetine Attempted 2 CT's around the 5-6 year mark. Were absolutely terrible and reinstated. Was never explained by the doctor the seriousness of the short half life of this drug. 2017 - Attempted a tapered discontinuation of this drug and reinstated after being unsuccessful. 2019 - Feb. 12 - After a three month taper I am off of paroxetine. The 3 months were terrible, awful withdrawal feelings. I followed the doctors guidelines for the reduction of this drug and now know it was way too fast. 2019 - Oct. 12 - 8 months off paroxetine. 75% improvement since coming off the drug. Definitely have had tons of challenges along the way. Let’s go!!!! 2021 - Feb. 12 - 24 months off paroxetine. I have minor challenges now. Tinnitus/Headaches are still around but are reduced by a massive amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor mstimc Posted December 13, 2019 Mentor Share Posted December 13, 2019 Welcome to the recovering/recovery population, Supah! I think its so important those of us who've survived and came out stronger or wiser share our stories. Just like the effects of SSRI's and benzos is different for each person, each person has a unique recovery story, no matter how dark things were before. Tim C Started Paxil for GAD in 1999 Unsuccessful taper attempt in 2006 Paxilprogress helped with a successful taper completed in 2009 Using therapy and CBT to manage my anxiety Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gem92 Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 My story is a lot like yours! I was only on Lexapro for a short time too. But unfortunately the doctors kept adding more drugs in the mix and now I am a veggie. 😔 Gemma92's signature(now Gem92) (added in by mod mmt 4/23/22) 90s and 2008:Prozac for a year 2016:ADHD drug for a few months CT 2017:Right thyroid removed. May-June 2018: Lexapro 10-20mg. July 4th 2018 Lex CT and took Penicillin, Z-pack. August 2018: 3rd antibiotic and Effexor for 5 days CT. September 2018: Lexapro 5mg (CT after month) Ativan 1-.5mg(CT after 2 weeks) and Hydroxyine 50mg (2 weeks) SEVERE REACTIONS AND SEVERE WITHDRAWAL October 2018: Ashwahganda 2 weeks, Probiotics 2 weeks. Mirt 15mg 6 days CT Oct- Nov 2018: gaba gummies, cbd oil, magnesium. December 2018: Mirt 7.5mg, 15mg, 30mg, Zyprexa 2.5mg, 5mg for 1 week back to 2.5mg. 4th antibiotic used. Hydroxyine. Jan 2019: Mirtazapine 26.5mg. Different brands used when hospitalized. Hydroxyine. Feb 2019: Mirtazapine 22.5mg, 15mg. Zyprexa 2.5mg CT. Prozac 1 pill, Trazadone 4 pills, Hydroxyine few pills, INJECTED with steroids, antibiotics and pain killers for 2 days. Took high doses of benadryl a few times, few more pain killers June 2019: Mirt 14.5mg-13.5mg Sept 2019: 13mg, 12mg, sep 25th 11 mg. 4/22/22- 6.3mg (Tapering between 2 and 3% every 2 weeks). 11/27/2022- 5.4mg 1/8/23- 5.25mg 1/30/23-5.2mg 2/22/23-5.15mg 3/10/23-5.1mg 4/4/23-5.05mg 4/16/23-5mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleopatra Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 Hello, I also had an adverse reaction and wonder if anyone in this thread has recovered? 2nd of April 2020 - 7th of April 2020 Sertraline 50 mg (adverse reaction). 2nd of August 2020 Omega 3 fish oil 1000mg (currently on). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleena Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 I suffered the same symptoms when I tried to go CT of 5mg escitalopram after only 5 weeks of daily use. My family Dr said your palpitations will go away with in two months. Waited for a month found SA forum reinstated 1mg and now tapering it. I can relate to everything you suffered. Hopefully someday I will be free like you. Kudos to your recovery. Escitalopram 5mg 13dec 2020 to 23 Jan 2020 for 5weeks each day. Replaced escitalopram with st. John's wort 500mg 2feb2021 to 13feb 2021 for 10 days. Then again suffered panic attacks, pounding heart and chest pain. Heart rate fluctuations 90 to 100s.. 27days off of escitalopram, 900mg omega 3. Bad withdrawls Reinstated 1mg escitalopram 27, 28 Feb 2021.. 0.4mg 7march to 2 April, 0.35mg 4 April to 10 April, 0.3mg 10 April to 19 April (heart palpitations, chest pain), reinstated 0.35mg 20 april continued.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixmama Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 @SupahSet hi how are you now!!! 😉 i love your story , i am also a adverse reaction victim from an ssri , i took it for three weeks then ct and im now 4 months into withdraw ... LEASE COME BACK AND TELL US HOW YOUR DOING , ❤️ its would serve as a little life raft for us to float on through the depts of hell in wd and give us strength , thank you for your story 2021: started celexa 10mg feb 2nd feb 25th took my last 10g; feb 26th 5mg; feb 27th 5mg; feb 28th 2021 cold turkey currently taking mag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupahSet Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 @Aleena @Phoenixmama So sorry you guys are going though what I and others here have. Its been over 3 years and 2 months since I discontinued Lexapro after only 3 weeks of use. I finally started to feel better after a year and a few months after stopping. The symptoms were like being in hell for 18 months. Still, after 3 years I'm doing fantastic. No more symptoms left. I even quit drinking alcohol for good a few months ago and have seen even more improvements. No more anxiety, panic attacks, brain zaps, bad sleep, nightmares, disassociation, dizziness, etc. Its all gone. gone. It really does just take time. One day you are going to wake up and life WILL be back to normal, and you might night even realize it's happened :) Enjoy the windows, embrace the waves. You can do it! 2 Took 10mg Lexapro daily from March 16th, 2018 to April 10th, 2018 (about 3 weeks). Stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey on April 10th, 2018. Have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since a week after stopping (symptoms since April 17th, 2018) Symptoms since stopping, that I did NOT have before or while taking Lexapro include: Dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, brain fog, brain zaps, head pressure, eye pressure, fatigue, severe anxiety, panic attacks, jolting awake when I catch myself falling asleep, heart palpitations, night sweats, and head aches. Things I am currently taking: CBD oil drops twice daily (4mg CBD with 0.3% THC content each dose), fish oil 2 to 3 times daily, magnesium, vitamin b complex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixmama Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 @SupahSet thank you!!!!!!! 💕💕💕 2021: started celexa 10mg feb 2nd feb 25th took my last 10g; feb 26th 5mg; feb 27th 5mg; feb 28th 2021 cold turkey currently taking mag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Moonpie Posted July 8, 2021 Mentor Share Posted July 8, 2021 Thank you so much for sharing your good news and journey. It was a blessing and encouragement! So happy you are healed! So many of your symptoms sound like mine. Sometimes it seems just too hard to believe all I am experiencing physically and emotionally if from this drug! .025 Xanax 3 x daily Start date 10-13-2013 through 8-13-2014. Started tapering 6-2014 to 8-2014. Some small discomfort. 25 mg Zoloft - Start date 5-1-2014. 50mg. 6-2014. through 7-14-2014 . Started tapering 7-14-2014, stopped tapering 10-2014. I did 1/4 of the dose a month. small discomfort. These next 3 were prescribed when I made some seriously bad choices with my thyroid medication. Was in ER twice for possible heart attack. INTENSE anxiety, panic, fear. Lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks. Thyroid levels bounced to extremes for 8 months. Dr. prescribed Zoloft 50mg 9-2105. After 2 doses had a bad reaction passed out in my bedroom. Also prescribed Xanax .025 at the same time. 3 times daily, 4 if needed. Was only on it about 2 weeks. Was not working. Trip ER they gave me an Ativan IV and it worked and lasted. switched to Ativan. 9-24-2016. 1.5 mg Ativan - .5 mg three x daily -start date 9/24/16. Attempted taper start 12-16-2016. Was shaving Pills and alternating tapering AM, PM and midday dose weekly. Buspar .5mg -2.5mg. am and 2. 5mg. pm start date 9-26-2016 . Lexapro .10mg start date - 10-26-2016. Found SA and began 10/14/2017 tapering .001 by weight of pill every 4 days Held longer if there were was WD. Was very sensitive to Ativan. 3-15-2018 Off midday dose - 7-16-2018 Off PM dose - OFF ATIVAN! 11-17-2018 10 mg. Lexapro. PM - 5 mg start date 10/11/2016 increased to 10 mg 2/2/17. 1-1-2019 Began tapering Lexapro. .001 gm every 4 days. Held longer if there was WD. Last doses some I held a month. OFF LEXAPRO! 2-21 2021 5 mg. Buspar divided into two, 2.5 mg doses AM and PM- Start date 9/26/2016 Cold turkey on Dr. direction, AM and Pm doses. Reinstated 9-22-16. Began Buspar taper 1-29-23, .001 mg by weight of pills. N.P. Desiccated Thyroid. 1-2023 Labs okay but not where I feel best. 60 mg. daily now but adding 15 mg. more twice weekly for a few months then check. Bioidentical hormones. Bi-est/Prog cream, 1/4 tsp. 1 time daily My intro: Moonpie:. Need help and supporting tapering off of Ativan My benzo thread: Moonpie: Need help Ativan weight tapering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixmama Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 @SupahSet I want to try cbd so bad but the ones I find always have that .1 or .3 percent thc , did yours have this ? 2021: started celexa 10mg feb 2nd feb 25th took my last 10g; feb 26th 5mg; feb 27th 5mg; feb 28th 2021 cold turkey currently taking mag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupahSet Posted July 8, 2021 Author Share Posted July 8, 2021 @Phoenixmama Yes it did, but that isn't even close to the amount of THC needed to have psychoactive effects. You need about 2 or 3 mg of THC for that affect. You can get crystalized CBD that is 100% pure CBD, no THC, but I would just get the CBD tincture that contains the tiny amount of THC. Took 10mg Lexapro daily from March 16th, 2018 to April 10th, 2018 (about 3 weeks). Stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey on April 10th, 2018. Have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since a week after stopping (symptoms since April 17th, 2018) Symptoms since stopping, that I did NOT have before or while taking Lexapro include: Dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, brain fog, brain zaps, head pressure, eye pressure, fatigue, severe anxiety, panic attacks, jolting awake when I catch myself falling asleep, heart palpitations, night sweats, and head aches. Things I am currently taking: CBD oil drops twice daily (4mg CBD with 0.3% THC content each dose), fish oil 2 to 3 times daily, magnesium, vitamin b complex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenixmama Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Ok I already have a couple bottles , I use to take it in the first and second week of withdraw but then stopped because my anxiety ramped up but now I’m starting to think it was just my withdraw getting stronger and had nothing to do with the cbd , I only would take 1 to 2 drops , thanks so much 🙏🏼 2021: started celexa 10mg feb 2nd feb 25th took my last 10g; feb 26th 5mg; feb 27th 5mg; feb 28th 2021 cold turkey currently taking mag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayy Posted August 3, 2021 Share Posted August 3, 2021 On 4/13/2019 at 12:24 PM, SupahSet said: Since the start of my discontinuation, I had rotating symptom periods. Every 3 or 4 weeks, my symptoms would change. Either brand new symptoms or previous symptoms came back and my current symptoms would go away. Here is a laundry list of symptoms that I have gone through, in no particular order. General anxiety, Health anxiety, panic attacks, night terrors, fatigue, dizziness, light head, nausea, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, claustrophobia, loss of sleep, brain zaps, head pressure, weight gain, eye pain, heart zaps, jolting awake at night, depression, tinnitus, jaw tightness, head tingles, loss of ability to focus, and many more symptoms that I can't remember. So happy to hear you are doing better! I took Pristiq 50mg for 1 month and stopped cold turkey, I have had tinnitus for 4 straight months and other symptoms like yours extreme anxiety and extreme depression. Has the tinnitus stopped? Mine is like a high electric line buzzing in my head and it feels like my body/ nervous system is shaking at a hyperactive speed ❤️ November 11th 2020 - Pristiq 50mg November 25th 2020- Cold Turkey February 28th 2021- Pristiq 50mg March 25 2021 Cold Turkey Pristiq Caused Permanent tinnitus from brain damage. Constant severe tinnitus for 9 months straight. All from taking pristiq for 24 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RemeronHell Posted November 17, 2021 Share Posted November 17, 2021 @SupahSet Also wondering if your tinnitus went completely away ? Or what sort of improvement you noticed there? From various stories ive read, that doesnt ever seem to go away 100% for those that develop it. Thx for your story! Remeron 15mg for 1 day in July '21, then 7.5mg for 6days ending 30 July 21. Immediate ADR. Went to ER several times, including ICU stay. Dealing with headaches, headpressure, tinnitus, hyperacusis, arm weakness, panic attack like feelings ever since. No more drugs since, just vitamins Magnesium L-Threonate & Glycinate, fish oil , curcumin , ubiquinol, acetyl L Carnitine and alpha-lipoid acid, vitamin d3, vitamin k2 as mk7, and an overall men’s multi-vit. Though I'm mainly just using magnesium since 2022. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarShopping87 Posted April 13, 2022 Share Posted April 13, 2022 I’m so happy for your recovery!! I am a immediate adr victim, 3 doses to lexapro and almost 3 months out. It’s been one heck of a ride to say the least but this gives me hope!! Immediate adverse reaction lexapro 5mg 3x 1/27/22, 1/28/22, 1/30/22 Buspirone 7mg 1x 1/27/22 last dose 1/30/2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john856 Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 Congratulations and thank you for sharing your success story! Your story gives me hope that I'll be fully healed someday. 9/03/2021 25mg Sertraline 9/04/2021 25mg Sertraline 9/05/2021 25mg Sertraline 9/06/2021 25mg Sertraline 9/07/2021 12mg Sertraline 9/08/2021-Present 0mg Sertraline Supplements: Fish oil, Magnesium body wash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawesome Posted September 22, 2023 Share Posted September 22, 2023 This was a great read! I hope you come back and give us another update @SupahSet I took Lexapro for 4 days of 2.5 mgs, and suffered a huge amount. I'm 8 months out and I'm starting to get my life back (thank goodness) My only big simptoms left is tinnitus, and it seems like a mixed bag if it goes away or not. Did your Tinnitus resolve itself? It's not nearly as bad as it was when it first came on, at least for me personally. If I have to live with it, I can accept it, just curious if there is a chance it might resolve itself. My waves now mainly consist of low level neuro emotions, heart palpitations, and GI issues. Luckily they are manageable, but I know i'm close to breaking out now. Currently enjoying a window ❤️ Hope to hear back from you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SupahSet Posted September 25, 2023 Author Share Posted September 25, 2023 @Hawesome thanks for sharing 95% of my symptoms are gone. I'm doubtful everything will be 100% back to normal ever again, but I'm still doing great and living life. The only two symptoms I have left are anxiety and heart palpitations. Anxiety is still improving every day, and its been well over a year since my last panic attack. I've been doing Keto for about a year now. Not only am I down 80 lbs, but it helps a lot with managing my anxiety, and without any sugar, my heart palpitations are few and far in-between. Took 10mg Lexapro daily from March 16th, 2018 to April 10th, 2018 (about 3 weeks). Stopped taking Lexapro cold turkey on April 10th, 2018. Have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms since a week after stopping (symptoms since April 17th, 2018) Symptoms since stopping, that I did NOT have before or while taking Lexapro include: Dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, brain fog, brain zaps, head pressure, eye pressure, fatigue, severe anxiety, panic attacks, jolting awake when I catch myself falling asleep, heart palpitations, night sweats, and head aches. Things I am currently taking: CBD oil drops twice daily (4mg CBD with 0.3% THC content each dose), fish oil 2 to 3 times daily, magnesium, vitamin b complex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawesome Posted September 26, 2023 Share Posted September 26, 2023 13 hours ago, SupahSet said: @Hawesome thanks for sharing 95% of my symptoms are gone. I'm doubtful everything will be 100% back to normal ever again, but I'm still doing great and living life. The only two symptoms I have left are anxiety and heart palpitations. Anxiety is still improving every day, and its been well over a year since my last panic attack. I've been doing Keto for about a year now. Not only am I down 80 lbs, but it helps a lot with managing my anxiety, and without any sugar, my heart palpitations are few and far in-between. Thanks for coming back with the update, means a lot! Happy to hear you are getting massive relief and lost so much weight, that's great! Sounds like you came out a better person after everything, Lord knows I have. I have a good feeling you will be back to 100% before to long, stay on the path and believe in your bodies ability to heal. What has helped me the most is Jesus, after I accepted him into my heart and gave him my life, I'm on the fast track out (if you want to talk about it DM me). Also, COLD SHOWERS! they really stop waves in their tracks most time or at the very least allow me to calm down 50%+ and be around the family. I know it will help you with what anxiety you have left, please give it a try (it's hard at first, but worth the effort) Today is a big day because I'm officially sleeping on my own, wanted to share with you. No more sleep assistance for me. I'm down to just my vitamins and pro biotic You sir, give me hope, God Bless YOU! I only read comments in the Recovery section and I hold strong to those who have made it out ❤️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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