Breezy624: First post, about to taper off lexapro after 9 weeks at 5mg, advice?

[Breezy624]

Hello everyone I am new here and looking for advice and encouragement. Back in March I suffered my first panic attack due to a bad reaction from a bunch of meds I was on after my first surgery. I did not know it was a panic attack and all the physical symptoms I was having was from anxiety. A month later after finding out it was anxiety my doctor put me on celexa which I only lasted two days due to terrible and scary side effects. I was desperate though and so I decided to try out lexapro. I am sensitive to meds and so I was put on 5mg. The first few weeks were hell and by week 3 i began to experience intrusive suicidal thoughts and an increase in depression but some decrease in anxiety. My physical anxiety symptoms improved some. My intrusive thoughts got worse and started jumping from suicidal thoughts to other terrible themes. I reached out for help to two therapists who actually diagnosed me with ocd. (Never had these thoughts before lex though). Flash forward to week 7 i began getting pulsating and clogged ears then my right here began to ring off an on. This scared the crap out of me as one of my biggest fears was tinnitus. I knew this med could cause it but assumed i was in the clear this late in the game and being on a small dose. After this and having these other side effects i told my doctor i wanted off. I got the liquid lexapro and now have been on that for four days with side effects. I was told i need to stabilize on this before i begin to taper. 
 

Of course I want off as fast as possible as I am scared but I also dont want terrible withdrawal effects or to make the tinnitus worse. Since i have been only on for 9 weeks on 5mg what is the best way I should taper off so that i am off after maybe a few months without suffering through bad withdrawal? Also do i need to continue stabilizing on the liquid lex or can i begin to taper? Also I have been severely depressed with this new ocd diagnoses and these intrusive thoughts and i also am not sure if lex is making this worse. My anxiety symptoms are also slowly coming back. I am worried withdrawal will make my depression even worse. Im in therapy a couple times a week and i am safe 24/7 but crying everyday and i hate that i got on this med as I believe it caused me to develop these thoughts that are now permanent so to speak.

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a peer owned and run forum of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  I'm very sorry that a surgery has led to this cascade of drugs and bad side effects.  I'm glad you found us before trying to taper off of the Lexapro.  

 

11 hours ago, Breezy624 said:

my doctor put me on celexa which I only lasted two days due to terrible and scary side effects

Can you please tell us specifically what all these side effects were?  

 

 

11 hours ago, Breezy624 said:

The first few weeks were hell

Can you please describe specifically what the effects were after going on the 5 mg Lexapro? What physical and mental symptoms did you have? 

 

11 hours ago, Breezy624 said:

I reached out for help to two therapists who actually diagnosed me with ocd.

It's unfortunate they decided to attach a label to you when your thoughts were probably drug induced.  

 

11 hours ago, Breezy624 said:

I was told i need to stabilize on this before i begin to taper. 
 

This sounds like a good plan.  Take plenty of time to stabilize.  It sounds like these drugs definitely do not agree with you.  However, now that you've been on the Lexapro for 9 weeks, your system has probably become acclimated to the drug, and will need to be slowly and carefully weaned off.  

 

Can you please give us specific information about your drug history for all drugs you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise list (no symptoms), only drug names, specific dates (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day) and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Drug History in Signature

 

Here is some information about how these drugs actually work.  

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

 Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

Once you have stabilized, you are ready to begin tapering.  Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we taper by 10% of the current dose no more than once every 4 weeks, so that the taper becomes exponentially smaller.  

 

 Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage  

 

Tips for Tapering Lexapro

 

 

Also, as we are recovering, we suggest keeping things slow, simple, and stable. This is extremely important. 

 

Considerations About Stability Stop Jumping Around

 

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

When we recover, there are times of feeling OK mixed in with times of feeling bad.  This is called windows and waves.

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

I've given you quite a bit of information here.  Take your time to read it and digest it all.  Let us know if you have any questions, or just need some reassurance and encouragement.  We have all been through similar issues here, so we understand what you are going through.  It takes time, but healing will happen.  

[Breezy624]

Hi, thank you for responding.

When I was on celexa for only two days I had ear ringing right away, crazy head burning (explosive feeling), high temperature but not fever point usually around 99F, extremely restless and agitated to where id have to pace and my thoughts would race. Mind you i was only on 2.5mg dose. 
 

when I first went on lexapro I had stomach issues such as diarrhea, nausea, a few days of brain fog or depersonalization, headaches, ears clogged(increased sensitivity to sound, increased anxiety and depression, week 3 was when the intrusive thoughts began, dizziness, and no appetite.

 

drugs I was on include:

Celexa-2.5mg (2 days early april) 

Lexapro -5mg ( 9 weeks come Wendesday since mid april) 

Xanax-.125mg (only took 4 times) was prescribed in april when starting lex and havent taken it since then.

 

 

At the current moment I am on 5mg of liquid lex day 5 and it had been making me feel awful. Within a few hours of taking it I feel jittery, nauseous, and now this morning racing thoughts. I woke up and the first word that popped into my head was suicide. I do have suicidal ocd thoughts but this was weird and it made me scared and i started having more suicidal thoughts. I really want off this med i think it is messing with my mental state bad. If this continues i will need to call my doctor but i worry he will put me on another med and ill have to go to the psych center.

[getofflex]

It sounds like you may have either serotonin syndrome or an adverse reaction to the SSRI drugs.  I think you are wise for wanting to get off of them.  Do the jittery, nauseous feelings, and racing thoughts subside as more time goes on after you've taken the Lexapro?  Try not to freak out about the suicidal thoughts. They are very common when it comes to many aspects of psych meds (adverse reactions, withdrawal, side effects, etc)  I know these thoughts are distressing, but they are only thoughts, and you don't have to act upon them.  I'm assuming you are not intending to act upon them.  Here is a post with links about suicidal thoughts: 

 

Overcoming Suicidal Thoughts

 

Suicidal Thoughts

 

Fortunately, since you are on the liquid, it will be easy to taper.  Are you having any other symptoms besides the ones your listed above right now?  How are you sleeping?  

Edited June 15, 2021 by getofflex

[Breezy624]

Yes they do reside some as more time goes on and it gets closer to night. Not so much the depression but the extreme suicidal thoughts do although i still have them off and on and im not sure if its the intrusive thoughts. Like i said i was diagnosed with ocd but i told them i didnt start having intrusive thoughts til week 3 of lexapro. They think ive always had ocd to some extent though. I really believe the med caused them. You are right about them being just thoughts but they are so strong that like today when j woke up and had them i almost felt compulsed and had severe images of me harming myself and it scared me so much. I didnt have them the first time i woke up just a couple hours after taking my liquid med and going back to sleep then waking up again and tats when they occurred. Ive been upset and freaked out since thinking ill lose control and want to hurt myself.

 

i am not having any other symptoms just the clogged ears/pulsating, nausea, headaches, etc. sleeping is okay just not falling asleep til really late then sleeping all day for like 10 hours.

 

in regards to the liquid i really want to start tapering as soon as possible due to these side effects especially the suicidal thoughts. How long do you think until I can star tapering off of it? In the facebook group they told me i should stabilize on the liquid for 2-4 weeks but idk if i can wait that long to start tapering. Also how low do you think i can go like for my first taper? I read to try 10% but ive only been on for 9 weeks at 5mg steady. I would prefer to go lower but scared to at the same time. 

[getofflex]

My suggestion would be to try and distract yourself to reduce the strength of the thoughts.  There is a technique called "change the channel".  When we have a bad or intrusive thought, purposefully think of something else, and/or do something to take your mind off the thoughts.  Also, brassmonkey has written an excellent set of posts on the emotional spiral here: 

 

Emotional Spirals

 

It's great that you are sleeping OK.  

 

I still don't see your drug signature.  I'll need to see that.  We need that so that the other staff can see your drug history at a glance in each post, and don't have to read the entire thread.  See my first post for instructions.  

 

If you've been on the Lexapro 5 mg for 9 weeks, then go ahead and reduce your dose to 8.1 mg.  Take this precise amount each and every day at the same time.  Let us know how it goes.  Stay on this for at least 4 or more weeks.  Hopefully you have read the links above on tapering 10% and how to taper lexapro. 

Edited June 16, 2021 by getofflex

[Breezy624]

Thank you. I added my signature. Also you said 8.1mg do you mean 4.1mg? I have been on 5mg the entire time and at 9 weeks exactly today. Also do i not need to stabilize on liquid lexapro anymore then?

[getofflex]

I apologize, I made a mistake. 🤭 Thanks for catching that!   Actually you will want to reduce to 4.5 mg.  We suggest a 10% reduction.  The math on that is 5.0 x 0.10 equals 0.5.   5.0 minus 0.5 equals 4.5 mg.  

[Breezy624]

Okay that makes sense thank you! If i tolerate the drop down to 4.5mg do you think ill be able to keep doing 10% every 2 weeks or so? 

[getofflex]

I wouldn't do that if I were you.  We suggest waiting at least 4 weeks.  It can take some time for your system to register the change, and then some more time to stabilize.  I suggest listening to your body.  There have been times I've waited 8 weeks between dose reductions.  

[Breezy624]

Really? Even though Ive only been on 5mg for 9 week? By staying on it longer wont that make things worse? 

[getofflex]

Unfortunately, these drugs create a physical dependency after only 4 weeks.  And Lexapro is an especially strong and powerful drug.  It is 2 - 4 times stronger than other SSRI's, so 5 mg is not a small dose.  Even at very low doses, these drugs affect our brains very significantly.  Please read this link, and pay attention to the chart in there that shows the occupancy rate of receptors even at low doses of SSRI drugs. In that chart, even 3 or 4 mg of Celexa occupies over 40% of the receptors.  5 mg of Lexapro could be as strong as 10, 15, or 20 mg of celexa.  

 

SERT Transporter Occupancy Studies

 

Please re read the link I gave you on "why taper by 10%" in my first post. In there, our founder altostrata says "EXCEPTION: IF YOU ARE HAVING A SEVERE ADVERSE REACTION TO A DRUG, YOU MAY WANT TO GO OFF FASTER. Some adverse reactions, such as abnormal liver tests or strong allergic reactions, indicate potential organ damage". I realize you are having some adverse effects from the Lexapro; however,  we must weigh the adverse effects against the risk of going into severe withdrawal and crashing your nervous system.  We at SA use a harm reduction approach, which is conservative.  We have seen too many people rush a taper and end up very sick for many months or years.   Altostrata also says later in the thread "If you are not having a serious adverse effect, which would show up in blood tests or other physical tests, the risk of withdrawal syndrome is greater than the health risk of the drug. You would want to avoid withdrawal syndrome with gradual tapering."

 

Here is post that discusses when an adverse reaction necessitates a fast taper: 

 

When to Taper Faster Due to Adverse Reaction

 

So the protocol at SA is, only do a faster taper for a SEVERE adverse reaction, not a mild or moderate one.   I see you as having a mild to moderate adverse reaction, but perhaps my interpretation is incorrect.   I realize judging the severity of an adverse reaction is somewhat subjective.  However, if you feel you are having a severe reaction, you are free to choose to go faster.  The key is to try to go with the lesser of 2 evils.  Let me know what you decide.  

[Breezy624]

Well I am going to do 10% but ill see how i feel after two weeks on each dose. Ill probs go slower the lower i get though. Everyone is different too. From most of the people I have spoken with that were on for a short time on a low dose their withdrawal effects did not last that long or weren’t super severe if they tapered off for a few months rather than a much longer time frame. Also the internet can be biased since most people that are posting on these types of forums probably have had bad withdrawal experiences compared with those that have not and were on a higher dose for much longer. Again I will do the 10% though and see how i feel every few weeks before going down more.

[Greatful]

@Breezy624  Hi, stopping by to see how you are doing?  Did you do your drop to 4.5mg Lexapro?

Drop a quick post to let us know how things are going?

[Breezy624]

Hi I am on 4mg and plan on dropping to 3.6 monday. Doing okay so far just some slight headaches and a little increased anxiety. Ear issues still persist but other than that doing okayish. 

[Greatful]

@Breezy624 That is great.  Are having much for WD.  I am really anxious to start tapering Lex.  I am on 5mg.   Still trying to stabilize from last winters mess. 🤪  i have hard times with low moods. How long are you waiting between drops.  I would like it if you could keep me in the loop to give me hope that I can get off of this drug and start tapering Trazodone.   

 

Great job

[Breezy624]

Yeh I expect as I go lower ill get more side effects though since the serotonin occupancy drops off fast. My moods do go up and down sometimes. Currently

ive been doing every two weeks but i expect to have to wait longer the lower i go.  
 

 

[getofflex]

Hello @Breezy624I don't see information about your recent tapers in your drug sig.  Would you mind please updating your drug sig to show your changes in dose since April?n Click on your name in the upper right of the screen, select "account settings", then select "signature", and remember to click "save" after you make your updates.  Thank you.  How have you been feeling since April?  Have you felt any symptoms from the tapers since then?  We suggest you make sure you are stable before you do a dose reduction.  These links explain more: 

 

Stability

 

WD Normal

 

 

Edited July 18, 2021 by getofflex

[Greatful]

@Breezy624  Congrats.  Just remember to listen to your body, you don't to get into W/D trouble. Sometimes it will hit a few weeks out😁

Good luck and let us know how it goes

[Breezy624]

1 hour ago, getofflex said:

Hello @Breezy624I don't see information about your recent tapers in your drug sig.  Would you mind please updating your drug sig to show your changes in dose since April?n Click on your name in the upper right of the screen, select "account settings", then select "signature", and remember to click "save" after you make your updates.  Thank you.  How have you been feeling since April?  Have you felt any symptoms from the tapers since then?  We suggest you make sure you are stable before you do a dose reduction.  These links explain more: 

 

Stability

 

WD Normal

 

 

Hi,

Mentally I have been fairly good since beginning my taper a little over a month ago. I have been doing a 10% drop every 2 weeks and now I am at 4mg. I might hold the 4mg an additional week as I still am having some slight jitters especially in my stomach and occasional headaches. Once I get down to around 3 or 2.5mg i will probably go to a 1-5% taper. So far I am not experiencing anything too bad in terms of side effects from tapering to 4.

[getofflex]

Ok so since I don’t see your recent taper information I can’t tell what percent you are tapering.  Please update sig thank you. I’m glad you are only having mild jitters and headaches.  If you are making a 10% drop we suggest you wait at least 4 weeks between tapers.  These things have a way of catching up with us weeks after the fact.  Better to err on the side of caution.  

Edited July 19, 2021 by getofflex

[Breezy624]

17 hours ago, getofflex said:

Ok so since I don’t see your recent taper information I can’t tell what percent you are tapering.  Please update sig thank you. I’m glad you are only having mild jitters and headaches.  If you are making a 10% drop we suggest you wait at least 4 weeks between tapers.  These things have a way of catching up with us weeks after the fact.  Better to err on the side of caution.  

It is in my signature I see it. I started at 5mg over a month and a half ago and im down to 4mg currently. I plan on staying on this another week or so (making it three weeks) and then dropping again to 3.6. After i get to about 3 i will start and reduce to probs a 1-5% taper every 2-4 weeks. Headaches are mostly gone besides a random stabbing pain at times. The only real issues ive been having the past few days is stomach burning/tingling mostly in my upper abdomen(i had this before lex) and shortness of breath/tight chest when laying down which i think is due to the stomach thing. I do have some acid reflux and for a while i was taking famotidine every day before and while on lex but stopped taking it a couple weeks ago. I am wondering if i should start taking it again. I still take a probiotic every day too. 

[getofflex]

Right now your drug sig says 

 

 

"Lexapro- April 2021- 5mg- currently 9 weeks but about to start to taper 

Lexapro- currently at 4mg as of July 18th"

 

From this, it looks as thought you dropped from 5 mg to 4 mg, which is a 20% drop, and higher than the suggested 10% drop. Even if you are not having any major symptoms now, I would be very careful about making another decrease in the near future.  These decreases can take a couple of weeks to fully register, and then it can take a couple more weeks for your system to adjust to it and stabilize.  I assume you dropped from 5 mg to 4 mg on July 18?  That was only 2 days ago.  (today is July 20).  Since you made a bigger taper than is suggested, I personally would wait at least 2 or 3 months, and make sure I was good and stable before making another reduction.  

 

Stability

 

WD Normal

 

Then, I would make smaller decreases, no more than 10% reduction.  Refer to my link in my first post about reasons for tapering 10% of the dose.  

 

[Breezy624]

14 hours ago, getofflex said:

Right now your drug sig says 

 

 

"Lexapro- April 2021- 5mg- currently 9 weeks but about to start to taper 

Lexapro- currently at 4mg as of July 18th"

 

From this, it looks as thought you dropped from 5 mg to 4 mg, which is a 20% drop, and higher than the suggested 10% drop. Even if you are not having any major symptoms now, I would be very careful about making another decrease in the near future.  These decreases can take a couple of weeks to fully register, and then it can take a couple more weeks for your system to adjust to it and stabilize.  I assume you dropped from 5 mg to 4 mg on July 18?  That was only 2 days ago.  (today is July 20).  Since you made a bigger taper than is suggested, I personally would wait at least 2 or 3 months, and make sure I was good and stable before making another reduction.  

 

Stability

 

WD Normal

 

Then, I would make smaller decreases, no more than 10% reduction.  Refer to my link in my first post about reasons for tapering 10% of the dose.  

 

No you have that wrong and I stated in my post that I went to 4.5 and then 4mg as I have been doing 10% drops every 2-4 weeks. This was a month a half ago. Ive been at 4mg for 3 weeks and prior to that i was at 4.5 for two weeks. I am tapering accordingly.

[Greatful]

@Breezy624  I think the mods want you to adjust your med signature every time you make a change,  Like:   April 4  4.5mg ,  April 20  4mg, so they can see the days and the hold times.

 

Your doing great☺️

[getofflex]

 

11 hours ago, Breezy624 said:

No you have that wrong and I stated in my post that I went to 4.5 and then 4mg as I have been doing 10% drops every 2-4 weeks.

@Breezy624, I was going by your drug signature, not your post, which does not state that you went from 4.5 to 4 mg.  This is why we ask everyone to maintain an up to date drug signature.  The staff members here are unpaid volunteers, we are still going through our own withdrawal, and we don't have time to reread everyone's entire thread each time we try to help you.  Some members threads are very long with many posts.  We can't remember every detail of each members stories.  I feel that your response is somewhat rude and disrespectful, and I don't appreciate that.   I was simply asking you to put the quoted information in your drug sig, since that would be underneath each of your posts, and make it easier for us to help you.  

[Breezy624]

3 minutes ago, getofflex said:

 

@Breezy624, I was going by your drug signature, not your post, which does not state that you went from 4.5 to 4 mg.  This is why we ask everyone to maintain an up to date drug signature.  The staff members here are unpaid volunteers, we are still going through our own withdrawal, and we don't have time to reread everyone's entire thread each time we try to help you.  Some members threads are very long with many posts.  We can't remember every detail of each members stories.  I feel that your response is somewhat rude and disrespectful, and I don't appreciate that.   I was simply asking you to put the quoted information in your drug sig, since that would be underneath each of your posts, and make it easier for us to help you.  

I apologize if what I said came off as disrespectful as that was not my intention. However, disregarding the signature I was replying to your original comment and without having to read through my entire thread i did state in the comment above that I was doing 10% tapers so it felt like you disregarded my response to your comment prior to this one. Also I never asked for helped with tapering as I already have been following the guidelines and I understand what I need to be doing. I only even followed up with this thread because the other user asked how I was doing. Then i posted my withdrawal experience thus far in regards to the other users question. If individuals on this site want to keep tabs then I will Update my signature again later on but I did not feel the need to as I no longer needed help with anything. 

[Breezy624]

4 hours ago, Greatful said:

@Breezy624  I think the mods want you to adjust your med signature every time you make a change,  Like:   April 4  4.5mg ,  April 20  4mg, so they can see the days and the hold times.

 

Your doing great☺️

Thank you and yes I understand this but my intention was not to come back here and post so I felt like i did not need to update this. I was only Responding to you because you asked how I was doing. 

[Greatful]

@Breezy624  Let me know how it goes

[Breezy624]

50 minutes ago, Greatful said:

@Breezy624  Let me know how it goes

I will be leaving this site as I don't like how I am being treated by this moderator. I apologized and stated how I felt. Yet apparently they feel as though I have disrespected them. How is it being helpful If I am not allowed to say that I feel that my comment was disregarded yet because I stated this I get a warning for being disrespectful somehow. I also did update my signature to what I thought was appropriate initially. As I stated before I didnt update it prior because I wasnt coming back to this site until I was messaged by you.
If you would like to keep in contact with me feel free to message me on reddit. My username is Breezy62494. Take care and good luck! 

[Greatful]

@Breezy624  Please don't go away unset.  I am sure it was a big misunderstanding. Most of us are in some sort of W/D and we are not always in the best of moods.  I would like to see you stay on.☺️