Dee12h: weaning from a low dose of Lexapro

[Dee12h]

Hi.

I started lexapro about 2 years ago, 2.5 mg ev day then went to ev other day for awhile. About a wk after stopping recently I had bad insomnia, so I started back & am trying to go more slowly. Is that even possible? Should I ask for the liquid? Also, any natural supplements that help?
 

 

More info: I took it during college for about  1 yr, 10mg, and never had trouble with withdrawal (tapered slowly). I started this time at 2.5mg, had fatigue & nausea for 1 wk then it went away. I tried going up to 5 mg, but had weakness & tremors which scared me, so I just stayed at a quarter pill. It made a huge difference to my mood (for the better, no more depression, less anxiety & being bothered by little things). I guess I’m just super sensitive. After several months my fatigue got bad, so I went to every other day, mood stayed stable, energy was better. I think it’s causing fatigue again, as well as holding onto extra weight, so I decided to go to every 3rd day. I did have some breakthrough symptoms on those 3rd days. When that stopped, I figured I can’t go much lower, so I just stopped. My energy got so much better, I felt even slightly manic (which I NEVER have in my life! Lol) But I week later I stopped sleeping, like having to take xanax to sleep stopped (which is the wrong direction I want to go!) We have a couple trips coming up, so I went back on. I’m literally taking an 8th of a pill every other day now. Sleeping fine, but having other weird symptoms like brain fog, irritability, headaches. Plan is to stay on this dose through April, then what?? If I’m such a low dose, the insomnia shouldn’t last too long, right? We have nothing planned June-middle of Aug when kids’ school starts; will that be long enough?

[Dee12h]

Topic title:  Dee12h: weaning off lexapro

 

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Posted 1 hour ago

Hi.

I started lexapro about 2 years ago, 2.5 mg ev day then went to ev other day for awhile. About a wk after stopping recently I had bad insomnia, so I started back & am trying to go more slowly. Is that even possible? Should I ask for the liquid? Also, any natural supplements that help? Also, if using 1mg/ml liquid to taper, how do you go much lower than .5mg? I can barely measure that.

 

More info: I took it during college for about  1 yr, 10mg, and never had trouble with withdrawal (tapered slowly). I started this time at 2.5mg, had fatigue & nausea for 1 wk then it went away. I tried going up to 5 mg, but had weakness & tremors which scared me, so I just stayed at a quarter pill. It made a huge difference to my mood (for the better, no more depression, less anxiety & being bothered by little things). I guess I’m just super sensitive. After several months my fatigue got bad, so I went to every other day, mood stayed stable, energy was better. I think it’s causing fatigue again, as well as holding onto extra weight, so I decided to go to every 3rd day. I did have some breakthrough symptoms on those 3rd days. When that stopped, I figured I can’t go much lower, so I just stopped. My energy got so much better, no depression, I felt even slightly manic (which I NEVER have in my life! Lol) But I week later I stopped sleeping, like having to take xanax to sleep stopped (which is the wrong direction I want to go!) We have a couple trips coming up, so I went back on. I’m literally taking an 8th of a pill every other day now. Sleeping fine, but having other weird symptoms like brain fog, irritability, dizziness, headaches. Plan is to stay on this dose through April, then what?? If I’m such a low dose, the insomnia shouldn’t last too long, right? We have nothing planned June-middle of Aug when kids’ school starts; will that be long enough? Also, if using 1mg/ml liquid to taper, how do you go much lower than .5mg? I can barely measure that.

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by ChessieCat
added topic title before merging 2 Intro topics

[Dee12h]

Also, has anyone tried nuerofeedback?

[Dee12h]

Why is there an exclamation point by my post & no replies? (Sorry about the double post!)

[Dee12h]

Why do my comments not bump my thread? If I’m doing something wrong, please just let me know, thanks!

[ChessieCat]

Hi Dee and welcome to SA,

 

SA is staffed by a small number unrostered, unpaid voluteer peers (people who are currently or have completed tapering or stopped their drugs too quickly).  Different staff members have different areas of knowledge and ability and respond to the members who they are best able to assist.

 

One of the other moderators will respond to your posts as soon as they can.

 

In the meantime please create your drug signature following these instructions:

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

[Dee12h]

Checking in one last time before deleting. Can anyone answer my last couple questions? Tia!!

[brassmonkey]

Hi Dee-- Welcome to SA, I'm truly sorry that you appear to have been overlooked. As CC mentioned we are an all volunteer staff, most of who are struggling with going through ADWD as they try to help others. It's not an excuse, but we are very short on staff ATM and are experiencing a huge crush of new members.

 

The site is programmed so that every new members first few posts have to be approved by a moderator. Until they are approved they are not visible to the rest of the site and show as with an examination point on the list to draw our attention to them. This is visible only to the staff and the new member. I have approved all of your posts so they will now show on the listings.

 

There is a huge amount of information available on the site with neurofeedback being a popular topic. The best way to find information is to do a google search on "survivingantidepressants.org neurofeedback". Our on site search works pretty well too.

 

If you would please start posting a symptom diary each day. What you take and when, eating sleeping, and the ebb and flow of any symptoms you are feeling it would be quite helpful.

[Dee12h]

Thanks!

 

I wish I had written down the exact dates, but it was mid March when I stopped taking the lex. I was taking it every 3rd or 4th day, and at first I would have depression (crying for no reason) on the day my dose was due, but that finally went away, so I kept forgetting to take it & just stopped. 
 

A week later I started having bad insomnia but didn’t connect it right away. I was off almost 3 weeks total, realized it was WD & reinstated 2.5 mg right away. Since my most recent steady dose was about .83mg/day (2.5 ev 3 days), I am now taking 1.25 ev other day (.625mg/day) as of the beginning of April.
 

I am sleeping fine. I do have brain fog & irritability (but have had irritability the whole time I was on it too), & some dizziness, nothing extreme. I am just really nervous about getting insomnia again when I finally stop. It’s one of the worst things to me & makes my anxiety so much worse. 
 

It’s just impossible to break the pills beyond 1/8. I’m going to ask my doc for the liquid, and then I guess I dilute that to get lower doses? What should the next dose be, .5mg? I won’t change it till at least May.

[mdwstrx]

Hi @Dee12h

Jumping over from your post on another members thread (copied below).

• "Hi @mdwstrx No one is posting on my thread, so I thought I’d ask here. Did you taper down to 2.5, then stop that CT, then had to go to 7.5 after reinstating? Sorry, I might be reading your sig wrong. How long were you off completely? I quit 2.5 as well but only for 3 weeks. Reinstatement has been fine so far. Have your symptoms been pretty minimal during tapering? I’m already at 1.25 ev other day (I know that’s a no no, but I go to the dr. For liquid nx wk). I’m wondering how to taper at such low doses. Do you have a plan for once you’re under 1mg? Thanks!!"

I'm sorry you're having wd symptoms.  I've found there is a lot to be hopeful for 🙂 after stabilizing by following the excellent advice from Alto and the mods on this site. I'll try to answer your questions as follows: 

1. Did you taper down to 2.5, then stop that CT, then had to go to 7.5 after reinstating?  Yes. My doctor advised me to stop at 2.5 mg. I was off for 5 days and began to experience withdrawal, so I reinstated. My doctor then advised to go from 2.5-5-7.5-10 mgs. I increased up to 7.5 mg. before I was able to shift paradigms and trust this website. Following Alto and the mods' advice, I held at 7.5 for 5 grueling months before stabilizing.
2. Have your symptoms been pretty minimal during tapering? Mostly. Symptoms have been very manageable during tapering. I play sports, travel and socialize with others with minimal difficulty. Not always but at the worst, I may get a defeatist, anxious and gloomy mood following monthly tapers. I may struggle a bit with early waking and intra muscle aches and pains (neuralgia). But... I always hold for two weeks after the final taper and those symptoms, if present, fade off.
3. Do you have a plan for once you’re under 1mg? The moderator here, Brassmonkey, has been very helpful in helping me to chart my "end game taper". Everyone's situation is different. I would highly recommend that you seek out the moderator's opinion by using the @ symbol before their name. The liquid makes tapering to the smallest levels quite easy so it sounds like you're on the right path.

Another moderator here encouraged me to adopt a perspective of seeing how low I could go with minimal withdrawal instead of rushing and risking acute withdrawal again. Great advice that has worked well for me. 

 

I hope the above is helpful. Happy to answer any questions and I wish you the best on your journey off the drug.

 

md

🙏

 

[Aleena]

You should try reducing dosage only 10pc every 2 or 4 weeks and if you feel any withdrawal stay on the dose more or go to the previous dose. The effects of stopping abruptly keep increasing after a month and the person suffers hard so going off this drug is a decision to be taken carefully and taper it till 0.05mg or even lower. Longer and stable the taper better will be your future life. 

[Dee12h]

@AleenaI thought I read once you’re under 1mg, it’s often faster than 10%, during the end game taper? I’m already at .625. Thanks for the help!

[Aleena]

Ahan good I am at 0.3mg now as I am making my own liquid due to in availability in my area. I try to hold my dose every 2 weeks. What strategy are you following? 

[Crochet]

I'm glad you got your sleep back (insomnia is just terrible) and hope that your taper goes well.  Sending you many positive thoughts.  Also - I lived in Houston for a while!

[Dee12h]

3 hours ago, Aleena said:

Ahan good I am at 0.3mg now as I am making my own liquid due to in availability in my area. I try to hold my dose every 2 weeks. What strategy are you following? 

I don’t have one yet, lol 😆. That’s why I posted. I’m getting liquid hopefully next wk from my dr. I plan to stay at this dose till the end of the month & then go to .5? I just picked the next # down that seems easy to measure. After that, I have no idea.

 

If I’m switching from pills every other day to liquid every day, do I need to give that extra time before going down again? Maybe 2 extra weeks to see how I feel?

[Dee12h]

48 minutes ago, Crochet said:

I'm glad you got your sleep back (insomnia is just terrible) and hope that your taper goes well.  Sending you many positive thoughts.  Also - I lived in Houston for a while!

Cool, I grew up not far from there.

[Dee12h]

One more question, if you have to take opiates, should anything else change, like taper schedule, AD dose, etc? I get excruciating nerve pain every once in awhile. Thankfully it only lasts 48 hrs at most, but I have to take lots of things for it. I am pretty sensitive to opiates but have done ok with Tylenol 3 so far. 

[Aleena]

You will need liquid to taper lower doses. Try making your own liquid from pills that's quite easy to measure as you can dilute further for lower doses. 

[Gridley]

On 4/17/2021 at 3:13 PM, Dee12h said:

 

If I’m switching from pills every other day to liquid every day, do I need to give that extra time before going down again? Maybe 2 extra weeks to see how I feel?

We recommend a gradual crossover from pills to liquid:

 

3/4 dose pills, 1/4 dose liquid for 1 week

1/2, 1/2 for one week

1/4 dose tablet, 4/3 dose liquid for one week

all liquid thereafter

 

Do not taper while doing the crossover.  If after the crossover, you're feeling stable, you can begin your taper (10% of current dose every four weeks).  We strongly recommend against skipping doses (alternate day dosing), which makes withdrawal worse.

 

We recommend going down to the 0.00's before jumping to zero, as low as possible. For example, I jumped from Lexapro at 0.025.

I wanted to get down to 0.01 but had measurement problems.

 

If you have to take opiates from time to time, I would hold during those times and stop the taper until your problem resolves.  Make only one change at a time.

[Dee12h]

@Gridley Well, the problem is, I can’t split the pills smaller than 1/8. I’m already below that, taking it every other day, so I couldn’t do that switchover you mentioned (3/4 & 1/4, then 1/2 & 1/2, etc.) I can’t get a dose any lower without switching to liquid. 

[Gridley]

24 minutes ago, Dee12h said:

I can’t get a dose any lower without switching to liquid. 

I understand.  I'd wait a couple of weeks after you make the switch before starting to taper the liquid..  And don't do alternate day tapering as you continue down to zero.  You're very close and congratulations.

[Dee12h]

Insomnia the past 2 nights. I was able to sleep at 2 with benadryl & melatonin. I’m having trouble stabilizing. Yesterday was my first liquid dose, so I took .75, but I still didn’t sleep (have been on 1.25 ev other day). Feel awful today. Do I keep upping my dose slowly until my sleep is better?

[Dee12h]

I’m so confused. Now that I have the liquid & can take it every day, I don’t know what my dose should be. I was taking 1.25 ev other but having WD symptoms. 2 days ago I took .75, trouble sleeping & all kinds of symptoms the next day. .9 yesterday, felt better within an hr., slept great. Tonight after my .9 dose I felt shaky & anxious again like 2 days ago. Is my body just trying to stabilize? If someone could look through my dose history & give me a daily dose suggestion, that would be great! Dr. Appt tomorrow. 

[Aleena]

Take your regular 1.25 mg dose for 2 weeks at least as you are doing liquid as it must be 1mg:1ml so you should take 1.25 ml everyday for the same time. If you have trouble sleeping take your dose in the day. 

[Dee12h]

8 minutes ago, Aleena said:

Take your regular 1.25 mg dose for 2 weeks at least as you are doing liquid as it must be 1mg:1ml so you should take 1.25 ml everyday for the same time. If you have trouble sleeping take your dose in the day. 

But I was taking 1.25 every other day. I wouldn’t start taking that every day, right?

[Aleena]

Try a 1mg dose if you still feel withdrawal in 3 days increase your dose to 1.02 or 1.05 lowest the dose easier for tapering further. 

[Aleena]

Every other day is not recommended on SA.you will see here many people here as they have been unsuccessful in tapering by doing every other day. 

[Dee12h]

Yep, why I got the liquid. 😃

[Dee12h]

My dr. prescribed the liquid, so I don’t have to make my own anymore, yay! He also gave me a bunch of Belsomra samples. Anyone have experience with it? Not asking for advice of whether or not I should take it, just if anyone had experience with it. 
 

He told me to go down .5 mg per week until I was off the lex. 🤦🏽‍♀️ (I won’t be doing that, lol)

[Aleena]

@Dee12h well I have no idea what that is. I have found that I am only able to decrease 10pc of my escitalopram dose every 3 weeks.I feel severe withdrawal when I go faster.  My main withdrawal symptoms are numbness, chest pain, palpitations and sadness. 

[Dee12h]

@Aleena, thanks. Have you had any insomnia?

[Aleena]

Yes I got hit by insomnia when I went cold turkey from 5mg and also when I drop my dosage quickly also I suffered vivid dreams when I got insomnia. 

[AndyPants]

I've had my first encounters with insomnia this week, it has been miserable. I hope we all sleep well tonight. 🤞

[Dee12h]

3 hours ago, AndyPants said:

I've had my first encounters with insomnia this week, it has been miserable. I hope we all sleep well tonight. 🤞

🙁 sorry!

[Aleena]

@Dee12hhow you doing?has your insomnia improved. I think when you will reach lower than 1mg  insomnia problem will resolve. 

[Dee12h]

Yes, it’s fine now. I raised my dose a little, but only to .85.