frigidjones: severe PPD led me to be medicated back in Dec 2018. I am now tapering.

[frigidjones]

After my 3rd child I developed debilitating PPD with OCD and panic disorder. It was so bad I thought I had a brain tumor in my head causing these problems. I was not myself. I was put on zoloft. I stayed on that for a year and a bit and had wellbutrin added on about 8 months into treatment, because I felt dead inside. It helped for a few months and then I felt dead inside again. I tried effexor it made things worse and then switched to lexapro. I felt good for a couple months and then dead again. I cold turkeyed the wellbutrin at this point. I didnt notice any withdrawal other than a good laugh here and there which was a relief. A month later I decided to taper off lexapro. I was at 15 and went to 10 mg for 2 weeks. Now I am alternating 10 and 5 for 10 days. I am doing ok so far. I planned to do each step down for 2 weeks, but I see you guys do 4 weeks. I may step down to 5 soon and do 5 for 4 weeks instead of 2. Or should I alternate another couple weeks. 

 

I am ready to be done. I am ready to have feelings again. I already have some back. I dont want to hurt myself tapering though. I want to see what my baseline is, I want to know if that mess I was in with the PPD is finally gone. It literally felt like my last baby broke my brain. 

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, frigidjones.

 

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You are tapering too fast and reducing your dose too much with each taper.  We recommend tapering  by no more than 10% of your current dose every four weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug. Lexapro is the strongest SSRI on the market, and it is especially important to taper slowly at the lower doses, i.e., 10mg and below.  Something like 85% of the drug's effectiveness happens in the first 10 mg, so making even a small change can have a big effect symptom-wise.  Going down from 10mg to 5mg is far too much.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

We also strongly counsel against skipping doses. Skipping doses is equivalent to reducing your dose by 50%.  It causes the amount of the medication in your bloodstream to go up and down, battering your nervous system, and makes withdrawal worse.  

 

Skipping Days vs Every Day Dosing Graph

 

The following link is specifically about tapering Lexapro, including how to get the non-standard doses you'll need for a 10% taper.

Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)

 

If prescription liquid Lexapro is available, that would be the easiest method for your taper.  If not, the link details other methods to get your doses.

 

Withdrawal symptoms can be delayed.  I would wait at least a month before continuing your taper to let your brain catch up to the changes in dose you've made.

 

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. Get supplements that are single ingredient (not mixed with other types of supplements).

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[frigidjones]

So right now I am doing ok, and currently alternating 10 mg and 5 mg and have been for 10 days now. Should I just keep doing it this way for now, and then when I go down to 5 mg, do just 5 mg. My next step down was going to be 5 mg for 2 weeks but now I am going to do 5 mg at 4 weeks. If I hadnt done it for 10 days already I would just do what would have come after 10 mg. but I have been so now what?

 

[getofflex]

I would not suggest that you alternate doses between 10 mg and 5 mg.  You may feel fine for now, but these things have a way of catching up with you.  Sometimes it can take several weeks to feel the effects of varying or changing our dose.  I would take 7.5 mg per day, which is the average between 10 and 5.  

 

Stability

 

Lexapro is an especially powerful drug.  I believe it is at least twice as strong as other SSRI antidepressants, which can affect your system even more, and cause worse withdrawal symptoms.  I've experienced this myself.  The more we stop and start different psych meds, and change doses, the more likely that our nervous systems will become sensitized and we can be headed for a painful crash.  If that happens, it could take months or years to recover from.  

 

Also, if it were me, I would wait until I felt stable before I decided to lower the dose again.  It may take 4 weeks, or it may take longer.  Our nervous system is very complex, and these things take time. 

 

Please read these links to understand why it's important to keep your dose the same from day to day between tapers.  

 

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome

 

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by getofflex

[getofflex]

Here is a suggestion for you.  Get the liquid Lexapro.  It is much easier to dose precisely, and make the small reductions.  I believe that the Lexapro in Canada is the same as that in the USA, so  1 ml of the liquid contains 1 mg of Lexapro.  Please verify this with your pharmacist.  Use a syringe to administer the liquid.  We suggest doing a crossover.  That is because the liquid gets in your bloodstream faster than the tablets.  

 

1:  take 5 mg of a tablet, and 2.5 ml liquid each day.  Do this for 2 weeks, and see how it goes.  If you feel OK, then: 

2: Take 2.5 mg of a tablet, and 5 ml liquid each day.  Do this for 2 weeks, and see how it goes.  If you feel OK, then 

3: Take 7.5 ml of the liquid daily.  Do this for a week.  If you feel OK, then go ahead and taper by 10%.  That would be 6.8 ml (6.75 rounded up) 

 

I would not suggest dropping down to 5mg, because that is a 33% cut, and we suggest a 10% taper.  Please read the link above that Gridley posted "Why taper by 10%".  

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by getofflex

[Heath]

Welcome to SA @frigidjones! 
slow, steady, and stable! Listen to you body! These withdrawals will catch up with you and come out when you think you are in the clear, most of us here have been there done that! I too am on lexapro and using the liquid. The liquid will allow you to be in control of coming off this drug. It will allow you to change slowly which will help keep you stable . Hang in there !