Hopefuly1: Lexapro / escitalopram withdrawal 2 months

[Hopefuly1]

Hello to everyone ! I am a 28 years old male who suffered from anxiety and depression. In 2018 May i was put on Sertraline 100mg and upped untill 200mg  in 3 months. i got rid of the anxiety but depression was still there. After 3 months i quit cold turkey did not experienced any withdrawal but depression was still there.

 

after that the GP gave me Citalopram 40 mg which for 4 months experienced mostly side effects such as numbness, heavy brain fog, depersonalisation and lack of concentration i got sick of them so i started Lexapro10mg by myself without tapering or anything like that. I have been on Lexapro 10mg from December 2018 until April 2019 and quit cold turkey deciding to see if i can make it without them.

 

The first month was horrible but at the beggining of May i experienced for the first time in many years a relief of everything i felt normal for about 8 hours, then by mistake when taking my supplements ( Fish Oil and Magnesium Methyfolate ) i took 0.5 mg lexapro by mistake and in about 5 hours i was back to square one. The first month i experienced the most heavy depression i have ever felt absolutely horrible could not come out of the house could not focus on anything or do anything just Dead.

 

Now i feel much better after 2 months no depression no anxiety but i my head is like in a fish bowl i experience brain fog depersonalisation and no brain activity ,  anhedonia  and the worst of all i cant focus to read properly. I apologise if it`s difficult to understand my writing but i find it very difficult to think. Will this ever go away ? i am really scared. I hope and wish nothing but the best to everyone out there in suffering from this. 

 

Thank you

Edited June 30, 2019 by Carmie
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[ChessieCat]

Hi Hopefuly and welcome to SA,

 

To get you started:

 

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[Carmie]

Hi Hopefuly, 

 

Welcome to SA from me too. Thank you so much for putting in your drug signature.

 

I’m so sorry you’ve been dealing with withdrawal symptoms and that you’re scared, but I’m glad to hear that the depression and anxiety is gone. Besides the DP, anhedonia and brain problems do you have any other symptoms? 

 

What date in April did you come off the meds? You said you cold turkeyed, so you jumped straight off the 5mg of Escitalopram, is that correct? I see you’ve cold turkeyed other meds in the past too. I’ve been put on and off a heap of meds too, and my body is really sensitised now. The more we go on and off meds the more sensitive our brains seem to become.. I can only taper by really small amounts now. There have been people though that have only been on one medication and find it hard as well. These medications certainly are potent. 

 

Our brains have an amazing capacity to heal, it can be a really slow process though.

 

You will find you will have times where you feel a bit better and times where you feel worse. This is the windows and waves pattern, it’s how our brains heal themselves.

 

I find distractions the best way to keep coping, I do all sorts of things to get through the waves: arts and crafts, Netflix and DVD marathons, music, going out in nature, word games etc etc. I’ve been going through lots of waves this week. I’m only tapering by 4% myself, I can’t go any higher. Everyone on this site is going through withdrawals so interacting on here can help you to see that you’re not alone. 

 

Are you n any other medications or supplements? If you are what dosages are you on?

 

Please keep us updated and let us know how you’re doing sending hugs🤗

[Hopefuly1]

7 hours ago, Carmie said:

Hi Hopefuly, 

 

Welcome to SA from me too. Thank you so much for putting in your drug signature.

 

I’m so sorry you’ve been dealing with withdrawal symptoms and that you’re scared, but I’m glad to hear that the depression and anxiety is gone. Besides the DP, anhedonia and brain problems do you have any other symptoms? 

 

What date in April did you come off the meds? You said you cold turkeyed, so you jumped straight off the 5mg of Escitalopram, is that correct? I see you’ve cold turkeyed other meds in the past too. I’ve been put on and off a heap of meds too, and my body is really sensitised now. The more we go on and off meds the more sensitive our brains seem to become.. I can only taper by really small amounts now. There have been people though that have only been on one medication and find it hard as well. These medications certainly are potent. 

 

Our brains have an amazing capacity to heal, it can be a really slow process though.

 

You will find you will have times where you feel a bit better and times where you feel worse. This is the windows and waves pattern, it’s how our brains heal themselves.

 

I find distractions the best way to keep coping, I do all sorts of things to get through the waves: arts and crafts, Netflix and DVD marathons, music, going out in nature, word games etc etc. I’ve been going through lots of waves this week. I’m only tapering by 4% myself, I can’t go any higher. Everyone on this site is going through withdrawals so interacting on here can help you to see that you’re not alone. 

 

Are you n any other medications or supplements? If you are what dosages are you on?

 

Please keep us updated and let us know how you’re doing sending hugs🤗

Hi Carmine ! First of all thank you so much for reading my post. I hope from the bottom of my heart that you will regain your mental sanity back. I quit cold turkey from 5 mg at the end of March begging of April and used 5htp 200mg for about 2 weeks then stopped . I do go trough the waves and windows (more waves) and 2 days out of 7 in the morning i feel a little bit of anxiety but nothing serious. The thing that scares me the most is this brain fog that does not give me any signals that it will go away (i feel like i am retarded and it`s really scary) , i do not see things the way they are like colours, or empathising (relating) with people arround me, and i cannot read properly (cannot concentrate or think) , i have to read one sentence 5 6 times to understand just a bit of something that is complex for example.  I am taking 2000 mg of Wild Fish oil from LIFE EXTENSION and 1 gr Magnesium L Methyfolate from Life Extension aswell. Will this ever go away ? I hope everyone suffering from this to be healed as fast as possible. Thnak you once again 

[Hopefuly1]

Hi guys, I am on my 12 weeks and i have not experienced any waves or windows. My conditions are cognitive impairment (which is the worst), poor memory,  anhedonia, disociation, D/P,  D/R, difficulty understanding information, slurring words, no brain activity just dead.If waves and windows have stopped this clearly looks like brain damage since they do not give any sign of going away. Has anyone else experience this? Please help, anyone

[Gridley]

1 hour ago, Hopefuly1 said:

.If waves and windows have stopped this clearly looks like brain damage since they do not give any sign of going away.

 

It doesn't mean brain damage.  There will be ups (windows) and downs (waves) and periods of neither, just blah.  Twelve weeks out is a very short time in the world of withdrawal.  Brassmonkey, one of our moderators, wrote, "At the beginning of a taper it's hard to really see any long term improvements for the first six months or so, and even then they can be very slight."  

 

The fact that there aren't any signals that a symptom will ever go away doesn't mean it won't go away.  All it means is that it's not going away yet. The symptoms will go away in time, generally a frustratingly long time. As Carmie wrote earlier, the brain has a remarkable ability to heal itself, known as neuroplasticity.

 

Healing from antidepressants: The power of neuroplasticity video (7.5 minutes)

 

Your symptoms are very typical.  Virtually everyone on this forum has experienced some or all of them.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

 

 

[Hopefuly1]

On 7/22/2019 at 7:07 AM, Gridley said:

 

It doesn't mean brain damage.  There will be ups (windows) and downs (waves) and periods of neither, just blah.  Twelve weeks out is a very short time in the world of withdrawal.  Brassmonkey, one of our moderators, wrote, "At the beginning of a taper it's hard to really see any long term improvements for the first six months or so, and even then they can be very slight."  

 

The fact that there aren't any signals that a symptom will ever go away doesn't mean it won't go away.  All it means is that it's not going away yet. The symptoms will go away in time, generally a frustratingly long time. As Carmie wrote earlier, the brain has a remarkable ability to heal itself, known as neuroplasticity.

 

Healing from antidepressants: The power of neuroplasticity video (7.5 minutes)

 

Your symptoms are very typical.  Virtually everyone on this forum has experienced some or all of them.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

 

Hello Gridley 

This Glenmullens list is for tapering not for people who quot cold turkey or fast tappered in 2 weeks. Thank you for reading my post

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by ChessieCat
extracted response from quote

[Hopefuly1]

Today i am having a window where the brain fog completely lifted, but the cognitive function still did not give any sign of improving , it never does , i feel like the back of my head is on fire my face aswell. I also have a back pain. Has anyone else encountered similar situation ? Did the cognitive issue improved trough waves ? or it happened after the windows and waves ? Thank you

[Gridley]

7 hours ago, Hopefuly1 said:

This Glenmullens list is for tapering not for people who quot cold turkey or fast tappered in 2 weeks. Thank you for reading my post

 

It's a list of common withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants, regardless of whether the person tapered slowly, fast-tapered or cold-turkeyed.  I'm tapering very slowly and have experienced many of the symptoms on the list.  

[Hopefuly1]

 Today i had a big wave with feeling of hopelessness, and after i hd a sense of peace. It came to my understanding that not the brain fog was my main issue. Is this derealization, blurred vision like something is rotten in my head, it never gave any signs of going away. Same goes for anhedonia. Has anyone gone trough derealization blurred vision? Seeing halos/tails when looking at lights? Eye pain aswell. Warm wishes to everyone

[ChessieCat]

10 hours ago, Hopefuly1 said:

Topoc title:  0 ZERO CONCENTRATION

 

Hi guys , has anyone who quit escitalopram cold turkey had this issue with concentration ? I cannot understand information at all / cant read / watch movies/ it is absolutely a nightmare , i am currently at work and i am having an incredible difficult time because of understanding basic simple things , its like i am mentally retarded. Will this ever go away ? Warm Wishes to everyone out there in suffering.

 

 

This is a very common withdrawal symptom. 

 

This is what happened to me.  I was taking 100mg Pristiq and because it is only available in 50mg and 100mg doses I started taking 50mg.  Over a 2 week period my brain fog got worse and worse and even walking took my full concentration.  It was at this time that I researched and found SA.  They suggested that I increase my dose but I wanted to find out more about what they were suggesting and of course the brain fog made it difficult to take in the information I was reading.  However, a couple of days after joining SA I was unable to type.  I have been a professional typist for 40+ years so I knew something was wrong.  I decided to take extra Pristiq and after only about 4 hours I was able to type again and the brain fog was lifting.  I had a benchmark so I had proof that it was the lack of drug that caused the brain fog and inability to type.  The difference was like night and day.  I also knew that there was no way that this was wishful thinking etc.

 

I've moved your new topic to an existing topic: brain-fog-blank-mind-comprehension-concentration-cognitive-and-memory-problems

 

[ChessieCat]

On 7/22/2019 at 4:52 PM, Hopefuly1 said:

 

Hello Gridley 

This Glenmullens list is for tapering not for people who quot cold turkey or fast tappered in 2 weeks. Thank you for reading my post

 

 

The Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist is applicable to both tapering and cold turkey.  In both instances it is about the drug being removed, either slowly by tapering (but sometimes we reduce too much and the symptoms can be more than mild) or be removing the drug too quickly by faster tapering or cold turkey.

 

Please also see:  are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

[Hopefuly1]

Good morning guys,

I hope everyone is better.

Today is marked by 12 months since I stopped cold turkey Lexapro.

Dp/DR and cognitive impairment has improved a bit, and cfs comes and go waves which are less intense as they used to be. Current symptoms are :severe upper back shoulder pain and inferior leg pain which intensify if I am putting effort , numbed body, and pssd.

Maybe is it time to consult a neuromuscular doctor about this? Has anyone visited one?

Warm wishes to everyone.

[Frogie]

4 hours ago, Hopefuly1 said:

Good morning guys,

I hope everyone is better.

Today is marked by 12 months since I stopped cold turkey Lexapro.

Dp/DR and cognitive impairment has improved a bit, and cfs comes and go waves which are less intense as they used to be. Current symptoms are :severe upper back shoulder pain and inferior leg pain which intensify if I am putting effort , numbed body, and pssd.

Maybe is it time to consult a neuromuscular doctor about this? Has anyone visited one?

Warm wishes to everyone.

Good morning!

 

Yesterday I celebrated 13 months off of Lexapro. We are about the same time frame. But I’m still tapering Xanax. I should be off that by July. 
I just saw that you had upper shoulder pain. I’ve had that off and on since I was tapering and now that I’m off. The dr said that I had pinched a nerve, but now I’m beginning to think it might be wd symptoms. I also have a “creepy crawling” feeling in my legs, however, that started when I started tapering Xanax.

 I’m sure a Moderator will know a lot more than I do, but I just wanted to share that with you.

 

I hope you’re doing well and continue to heal. Congratulations on being off 12 months!

 

Take care,

 Frogie xx

[Hopefuly1]

22 minutes ago, Frogie said:

Good morning!

 

Yesterday I celebrated 13 months off of Lexapro. We are about the same time frame. But I’m still tapering Xanax. I should be off that by July. 
I just saw that you had upper shoulder pain. I’ve had that off and on since I was tapering and now that I’m off. The dr said that I had pinched a nerve, but now I’m beginning to think it might be wd symptoms. I also have a “creepy crawling” feeling in my legs, however, that started when I started tapering Xanax.

 I’m sure a Moderator will know a lot more than I do, but I just wanted to share that with you.

 

I hope you’re doing well and continue to heal. Congratulations on being off 12 months!

 

Take care,

 Frogie xx

Hi Froggie

Congratulations on your 13 months. Crawling describes perfectly the feeling in my legs also. But unlike yours mine has been constant.

Did you experience psychical symptoms during your withdrawal?

Take care of yourself 

[Frogie]

11 minutes ago, Hopefuly1 said:

Hi Froggie

Congratulations on your 13 months. Crawling describes perfectly the feeling in my legs also. But unlike yours mine has been constant.

Did you experience psychical symptoms during your withdrawal?

Take care of yourself 

Isn’t it an awful feeling? I did find that Apace41 (a moderator on here) suggested spray magnesium and it does help. You can order it from Amazon. I also take 300 mg of magnesium in the morning, 150 mg in the afternoon and another 300 mg before bed. I think that’s helping too. But check with a moderator before starting the magnesium because I know you need to start slow. They can help you with that. I also take an Omega and I think that’s helping.
I experienced a lot of nausea when I was tapering and for a month or two after I was off. And I felt like I was in “outer space “. I floated and just felt cruddy, like I had the flu. But it was the Lexapro flu. Like I said, it went away a couple months later. Then I’ve had a couple of waves hit me pretty hard, but only for a short time. 
You take care also.

Frogie xx

[Frogie]

On 5/1/2020 at 7:21 AM, Hopefuly1 said:

Hi Froggie

Congratulations on your 13 months. Crawling describes perfectly the feeling in my legs also. But unlike yours mine has been constant.

Did you experience psychical symptoms during your withdrawal?

Take care of yourself 

Good morning!

 

It’s an awful feeling in your legs, isn’t it? If I didn’t have that I think I’d feel better. But because of that I don’t sleep either.

Congratulations on your year anniversary. That’s wonderful to be off that long.

 I had physical symptoms when I was in wd. My main one was nausea. It seemed like I had it non stop. I was relentless. But it went away. 
Now to get rid of these symptoms of the Xanax taper and l will be good to go lol...

Hope you continue to heal and live life 😊

 

Take care,

 Frogie xx

[vaibhav]

@Hopefuly1 Hi...i have too suffered from this anhedonia , brain fog, cognitive impairment  while taking escitalopram and even after I stopped it .  How are you? any improvement of these symptoms...I am off drugs since march that is 6 months...my condition has improved but not as per my expectations.....i know 6 months too short span...

[Fromthenetherlands]

Hi, 

 

Is there any improvement in your cognitive abilities? Am in the same situation. It is awful. Would have prefered every fysicial symptom in stead of this.