King: Tapered off of Lexapro in 3 weeks...

[King]

Hello, you can call me King :). Someone from a discord server referred me to this discord server saying that you all would know what I'm going through and how i can deal with it....

 

So a few months back like October ish i joined an IOP program to help manage my anxiety. I had a whole group of doctors there (therapist, nurse, behavioral specialist, and a psychiatrist for medication management). Before joining this program i already had a psychiatrist who had put me on Lexapro 20mg, Gabapentin 100mg, and Intuniv 1mg (I think... i forgot the dosage for that last one if ima be honest).

 

Anyways during my time at this IOP program that was all performed through Microsoft office the Psychiatrist took my off of all my meds, first Intuniv then gabapentin then Lexapro. The first two weren't bad as far as i could tell because I don't think they were addictive like SSRI's typically are, but then he took me off of Lexapro first cutting my 20mg dose into 10mg then a few weeks later he said i  could just stop taking it all together.

 

I didn't know any better so i just listened to the doctor but little did i know i was about to have one of the worst experiences of my life, keep in mind this was all during the end of November now. So i got off Lexapro and then i got discharged from the program because insurance didn't want to pay for it anymore.

 

About a month later i started having horrible anxiety, TERRIBLE mood swings, nausea, bad body temp regulation, etc. Its been about 3 months now and its not as bad as it was when i first started but its still hard for me to function honestly.

 

My anxiety is through the roof and all the progress I made during the IOP program was basically destroyed. I had my main psychiatrist call the other one that took me off the meds to chew him out and he said that it was a miscommunication and that I wasn't meant to come off of Lexapro (I found out what he told my psychiatrist last night), needless to say I am furious that hes trying to cover up for a massive error in judgement he made.

 

Anyways I was wondering how long I should expect to be experiencing these withdrawals or any thoughts you may have? My psychiatrist wrote me a prescription for Klonopin last night so I'm hoping this will help me massively with all anxiety related issues. 

Edited February 16, 2021 by manymoretodays
name to title, spacing in narrative

[Erell]

 

Hello King, 

 

And welcome on SA.

 

This site is run entirely by volunteer Administrators and Moderators, all have been through or going through withdrawal.

There are no commercial interests or influences  involved.

 

And I'm sorry for what you're going through : unfortunately psychiatrists don't seem to understand how powerful these drugs are and don't recognize withdrawal syndrome.

Some questions to help us understand your drug history : 

 

1. How long have you been taking Lexapro 20mg, Gabapentin 100mg, and Intuniv 1mg ? 
Did you take other psych drugs before ?

2. Can you detail the dates : when did you stop Intuniv ? When did you stop Gabapentin ?
You stopped Lexapro ate the end of November, right ?

 

3. Are you currently drug-free ?

4. I know we are asking you a lot, but could you please create a drug signature ? Please include drugs, dates, discontinuations. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can, and allow us to see your history at a glance.
 

• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

On 2/16/2021 at 8:33 PM, King said:

Anyways I was wondering how long I should expect to be experiencing these withdrawals or any thoughts you may have? 

 

You Central Nervous System is probably quite destabilised after your fast tapers. Your symptoms are common withdrawal symptoms. 
Unfortunately, nobody can predict how long symptoms last. But we do know that, with time, people do get better. 

This might help you tounderstand what is happening : 

 

  On 8/30/2011 at 9:28 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."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-> You might also find comfort in our Success Stories : 

success-stories-recovery-from-withdrawal

 

I know how hard it can be, and I'm really sorry for what you're going through, but I'm glad to read that you're seeing some improvements. 
Recovery from WD doesn't seem to be linear, and tends to happen in a windows and waves pattern. Perhaps this thread will help you to understand the healing process :
the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-stabilization/

 

On 2/16/2021 at 8:33 PM, King said:

My psychiatrist wrote me a prescription for Klonopin last night so I'm hoping this will help me massively with all anxiety related issues. 

 

I understand the need to find relief from WD symptoms, however we do not recommend drugs to treat withdrawal.
Are you currently taking Klonopin ?

 

We only recommend two supplements to help with WD symptoms, see : 

1. magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker
 

2. omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil

Again welcome
And remember, people do get better.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by Erell

[King]

Hey Erell,

 

I started Lexapro in June/July of 2019, started gabapentin and intuniv a few months after around septmeberish?

Before I took Lexapro i was on Zoloft 20mg (i think) from about February 2018 to whenever i started Lexapro.

Now I'm taking Mirtazapine 30mg and i started Klonopin 0.5mg yesterday.

 

 

 

 

[Yesyes123]

Hey @King, how long has it been since you quit Lexapro?

[King]

Hey @Yesyes123, I quit right after thanksgiving. so end of November beginning of December

[Yesyes123]

Looks like you are still in time for reinstatement. Maybe a small amount like 1mg

[King]

@Yesyes123 ive come so far i dont even want to look back if that makes sense

[Yesyes123]

It totally makes sense. The mods here will give you better directions but reinstatement of small amount of Lexapro might give you relief, as opposed to waiting years of suffering without it.

 

You could then taper off that very small amount slowly, and be on your way to being drug free.

[Shep]

@KingSince you last took gapapentin and Intuniv in September, which was 5 months ago, you may not be able to reinstate due to too much time passing.

 

Lexapro was stopped in November, which was 3 months ago, so you might be able to reinstate a small amount, but let's get some more information first. 

 

What time(s) of the day are you taking mirtazapine and Klonopin? How is your sleep? How is your appetite?