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flourishingme: lexapro, anxiety, and eating disorders


flourishingme

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Hello! I'm new to the idea of prolonged/protracted withdrawal, but some stories here definitely resonate with me.

I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and anorexia, and was pressured to start taking Prozac (10mg). After only 2 days, I experienced extreme anxiety and panic attacks. My doctor switched my prescription to Lexapro (10mg, then 20mg), which I continued to take for about 6 months. I was always averse to the idea of medication, and I was feeling better, so I tapered the Lexapro over 2 weeks. I felt some immediate withdrawal symptoms, but it was easy to cope. About 10 months after I stopped taking it, I started to experience even more depressive/anxiety symptoms than I ever had before that first Prozac pill. I know it could be worse, since I feel anxiety attacks starting to happen fairly regularly, but I am usually able to fight a full blown attack. I'm curious if this could be a result of the ADs and my quick taper. Just looking for some support and advice, and hoping that with patience and therapy I can recover from this.

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  • Moderator

Hi Flourishingme-- welcome to SA. Your post is going to get lost and overlooked here on this thread so it would be a really good idea to start a personal thread in the introduction forum.  That will become your personal journal for keeping records and asking questions.

 

From your brief description yes, it sounds like what our are experiencing has been caused by the too rapid taper you did several months ago.  Well done on being able to fight your way through the panic attacks, with practice it should become easier and with time the attacks should become milder.  There will be a lot of support and advice offered by both the staff and the other members, but again the best place for this to happen will be on a persona intro thread.

 

Brassmonkey

Edited by manymoretodays
first 2 posts moved from tapering to introduction

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

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Hello! I'm new to the idea of prolonged/protracted withdrawal, but some stories here definitely resonate with me.

I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and anorexia, and was pressured to start taking Prozac (10mg). After only 2 days, I experienced extreme anxiety and panic attacks. My doctor switched my prescription to Lexapro (5mg, then 10mg), which I continued to take for about 6 months. I was always averse to the idea of medication, and I was feeling better, so I tapered the Lexapro over 2 weeks. I felt some immediate withdrawal symptoms, but it was easy to cope. About 10 months after I stopped taking it, I started to experience even more depressive/anxiety symptoms than I ever had before that first Prozac pill. The anxiety might also be due to the fact that I'm progressing more and more in anorexia recovery. I know it could be worse, since I feel anxiety attacks starting to happen fairly regularly, but I am usually able to fight a full blown attack. I'm curious if this could be a result of the ADs and my quick taper. Just looking for some support and advice, and hoping that with patience and therapy I can recover from this.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Welcome to SA, flourishing.

 

We recommend tapering no faster than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.  

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Your fast taper of the Lexapro is likely the cause of your current symptoms.  Symptoms are often delayed, and an increase of symptoms is common at the 9-10 month mark.  S that you have a better understanding of what you're experiencing, here is some information on withdrawal and healing.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list

 

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

These explain it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

   On 8/30/2011 at 2:28 PM,  Rhiannon said: 
When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

 Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

Here are some techniques helpful in dealing with anxiety and panic attacks.

 

 

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can ask questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

Gridley Introduction

 

Lexapro 20 mg since 2004.  Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017.   

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.  Current dose: 0.000mg

3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete.

 

Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements

Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium

Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium 

End 2021  year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg

End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg 

End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg

Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper.

Taper is 95% complete.

 

Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986.  Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg  

March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper

Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper

Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper.  Current dose as of Feb. 22: 7.6mg

Taper is 90% complete.  

  

Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotics, zinc, melatonin .3mg, anti-candida, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase


I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice but simply information based on my own experience, as well as other members who have survived these drugs.

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  • ChessieCat changed the title to flourishingme: lexapro, anxiety, and eating disorders

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