Humanist56: 11 days on 10mg lexapro want off. Scared of what I’ve read about WD

[Altostrata]

It would be unusual for you to get withdrawal from a drug taken less than 2 weeks. You may wish to hold at 2.5mg Lexapro to see if these symptoms subside.

 

If you can, I strongly recommend you get coaching in stress reduction techniques or psychotherapy that will help you manage the worry.

[Humanist56]

@Altostrata

 

Thank you. I think I will just stop now and hope for the best. Today was the last day of my rapid taper. 
 

My work situation is very stressful but I’m hoping a return to my routine will help. Once I feel better I’ll try to start my trazadone taper again. 
 

I had my aa fellowship to help me with stress and “emotional sobriety” but zoom aa meetings are not the same. I may seek other therapy as you suggest and have at other times in the past. Kind of an old pro but I’m certainly rusty to say the least. 
 

Thank again for the reply. 

[brassmonkey]

You asked about your rapid taper on another thread, but I am going to answer here so you have all the information in one place.

 

Doing a rapid taper after less than two weeks on the drug should not be a problem. That is not to say that there will be no symptoms. You explained that in the you've had trouble with a fast taper. Past history is not a good indication of what will happen this time.  It looks like your symptoms are pretty much under control and not over the top, they may continue for several weeks and then start to stabilize and fade. Don't expect there to be no reaction at all, things could be up and down for several weeks. Let it run it's course and roll with what happens.

[Humanist56]

@brassmonkey

 

Thank you for the reply. Yesterday was the last day of my rapid taper. I think I had a bad drug interaction between trazadone and lexapro. I’m still riddled with anxiety but I was before the lexapro. 
 

After reading the info provided here I realize so much of this was not taking the trazadone at consistent times, staying up sometimes all night (during the election as an example and on weekends in general) and that really screwed me up. I think much of what I am dealing with is the trazadone inconsistency and my cns just couldn’t handle it anymore when combined with the work stress, isolation during pandemic etc. 

 

Its almost as if I cold turkey’d trazadone and now I’m trying to stabilize after reinstating. 

 

@manymoretodaysFrom now on this will be the focus of my posting and questions. Trying to stabilize enough and then start my taper. Regardless of the reason for my onset of interrupted sleep, anxiety and congestive issues it seems trying to stabilize is where I’m at.
 

This will be tough with work starting after essentially being off for over two months, I’m worried yet determined and welcome any insight and support.  
 

Thanks again,

Humanist 

[JesusSavemefromWD]

I think work might help u get ur mind on smg, destruct u and allow time to go by faster. In the beginning of my tapering I was bedridden and days seemed endless .... now that I am able to do a few things inside the house time goes by faster. Isn’t that what we want during WD, time to fly? Stay strong and thanks for reading my own story of suffering 

[Altostrata]

Yes, you need to take trazodone consistently, like other psychiatric drugs.

 

Learning meditative breathing may help when you feel a surge of anxiety at work. Self-calming can be quite effective.

[Humanist56]

Thank you @Altostrata, before all of this I didn’t even know trazadone was a psychiatric drug..I just thought it was a sleep aid. Didn’t know it was an anti depressant off labeled for sleep. 

[Humanist56]

@JesusSavemefromWDI’m so happy to hear you’re up and about doing more things. Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. 
 

I did read your story and will continue to. I wish you the best and keep at it. I hope you can stay present and get back in more of a routine. 
 

Humanist

[JesusSavemefromWD]

I will get better and fully recover one day, I now believe it after 2 months suffering in Zoloft and 2 and a half months in Zoloft WD. YOU WILL also recover and I agree your symptoms are probably from the sleeping aid ... antidepressant. I don’t think it is from lexapro and I am soooo happy you got rid of lexapro poison sooner than later. It is UNACCEPTABLE doctors prescribe pills without informing the patient they are antidepressants, just UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!

[Humanist56]

@JesusSavemefromWDthank you so much. Yes the only outlet and understanding we have is here, but I’m grateful for it, Imagine if this forum and compiled data didn’t exist. 
 

The founder of this forum has done great and important work and the mods are so helpful and dedicated. 
 

It is so bizarre to me that the medical community is so clueless. But what would psychiatrist do if the don’t prescribe drugs? That’s literally what they went to school for. And most just go to their MD . Last time I tried to go to a psychiatrist ( trying to get a taper prescription for my trazadone) I had to wait almost 5 weeks and it was a 3rd year resident not even out of school. And I have insurance thru a large corporation. She had no idea what I was talking about and a week later she had a nurse call and say they couldn’t help me and it was too much work for them. 
 

You hang in there, glad you’re doing better. 
 

 

[JesusSavemefromWD]

I agree in everything u say. Only very few psychiatrists have a clue a clue about WD and severe AD effects , as for a example Dr. Shipko with whom I have personally spoken. Also another category of knowledgable psychiatrists are the ones who happened to take these meds themselves (being convinced from pharmaceutical companies they are harmless drugs) and happened to have WD. I am grateful to Dr. Shipko, as well as all volunteers running this site, particularly @Altostrata who created this site to save other people from what she went through.....she was in hell on earth for years but I am sure she has now won a place in paradise-heaven for ever!!!

[Humanist56]

@JesusSavemefromWD, yes I listen to Alto’s interview yesterday from a podcast Mad In America I think it was called. 
 

Amazing tome that still after all these years it hasn’t got more traction. 
 

It’s a travesty and someday it will be like the opiate scandal. But the rich pharma guys got their cash and they’re long gone by then. 
 

I’ll look into Shipko, I need something else to read other than this forum, lol. 

[Humanist56]

I had a very bad night of hardly any sleep, dreams, not knowing if I was awake or asleep. This after 3 nights of better sleep or at least the ability to go back to sleep after I awoke, which was every 2 hours or so. Last night was much worse. I gave up about 8am. 

 

I've also started as of this morning to feel the need to move constantly and when I stand I move my legs shifting my weight back and forth. I also feel the need to get up from my chair and pace every few minutes. 

 

I must believe these symptoms will subside over time. I hope they do, this is not sustainable. I'm trying to remain positive but this is really hard to think it's not permanent. 

 

I hope this is just related to my first day back at working from home. I'm sure that's part of it. I hope I find some peace from this. I start work in 1 1/2 hrs after being off for a long while on vacation. 

 

I'm sorry for the negative rant but I had to get it out. 

[JesusSavemefromWD]

Stay strong u just stopped lexapro.... few days might be tough but i don’t think it ll last long following such a short time at lexapro. Try to focus at your work. I wish I could go back at with but it is still impossible for me.
I will also tell u this... I usually sleep ok (not great) but lately I have had a few sleepless nights, no sleep at all ... every sleepless night has been followed by a window in my severe symptom of depersonalization and great soul relief. I am thinking that as my serotonin levels are restored my brain is to anxious to sleep until getting used to the new more normal serotonin levels. This is just a theory based on my recovery experience but I guess it agrees with what has been told many times in this site... when u feel bad or ur in a wave it’s because ur brain is working hard to heal!

[Humanist56]

@JesusSavemefromWDThanks, I hope so. I'm trying to hold on. I will do my best. I wish I could even take a nap, I used to be able to nap as well as sleep. Now naps simply don't exist, I nod off for 5 minutes and wake in despair. 

 

You hang in there too and thanks for the support. 

[JesusSavemefromWD]

I meant I wish I could go back at work not back at lexapro!!! There is a typo there making sound I was implying lexapro .....😖

[Humanist56]

I slept last night for 7 hrs, only brief wake-ups but they were normal like I've always had, without much anxiety and barely a recognition that I was awake. So for me that's like 7 hrs straight. The vivid dreams were much less pronounced, leading me to believe that the vivid dreams are related to my level of underlying anxiety. First time I've felt like my old sleeping pattern was restored. I'm so thankful for this. All this after the night before was one of the worst sleepless nights ever. 

 

I also feel less anxiety today than I've felt in a long time. 

 

I hope this is going to be more common. This could be because the lexapro is getting out of my system and maybe I'll escape bad wd as I was on it less than a month after having the bad reaction.  I've also been very consistent with my dosage time for the trazadone starting on the 26th of December, this may be helping me stabilize as well. I'm going to bed at the same time every night and taking the trazadone right before bed. 

 

I purchased blackout curtains, a white noise machine and a fan. They will arrive in a few days. 

 

 

[JesusSavemefromWD]

Keep going! I am so sure saved yourself from lexapro by a fast tapper!!! Based on lexapro’s half life , the drug will be out of ur body in around 5 days ... 

[manymoretodays]

Hi Humanist56,

 

What a good last update!

So hoping that your first week back to work went okay.

Do tell.

 

L, P, H, and G,

mmt

[Phoenixmama]

@Humanist56 hi how are you doing , i took celexa for 3 weeks and ct'd , i would love to know if your doing better