Escitalopram21: WD from escitalopram and quetiapine

[Altostrata]

Please keep daily notes of times of day you take your drugs, their dosages, and your symptoms throughout the day. We need to know how you feel before and after taking each drug, and your symptoms in between. Post 24 hours of notes at a time in this topic, in a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom or drug and dosage) on the right. This can show if your symptoms are adverse effects from one of your drugs.

[Escitalopram21]

@Altostrata

thank you so much! 
I will post and update!

[Escitalopram21]

Sunday. 
8:00 woke up with anxiety

10:00 got out of bed, had breakfast

back in bed trying to deepbreathe through it all

12:00 lunch still feeling like crap with lots of anxiety and depression

16:00 a little better, some sort of a window

16:30 took 2,2 mg Escitalopram 

17:00 anxiety still better, can’t stop thinking about if I’ll experience derealization

20:00 brainfoggy until sleep 00:00

 

[Escitalopram21]

Monday 

6:40 woke up with anxiety 7/10

11:00 anxiety gone

feeling good almost happy

11:30 trying to nap can’t due to cold shocks/sensations in my body. Almost electric

12 feeling ok!

13 2,2 mg Escitalopram 

feeling ok! 

14 working out 15 min 

15 feeling weak, brainfog 

17-18 feeling ok. A little tingling in my legs and feet 

19 went for A walk felt ok

20 brainfog 

20-23 brainfog and weak, headache

[Greatful]

@Escitalopram21 Your day looks like things are coming together for you.

  I hope it keeps up❤️

[Altostrata]

Does escitalpram make you sleepy?

 

Do you not take 2.2mg escitalopram at the same time every day?

 

You must take it at the same time every day. If you don't, you may be causing your own symptoms. We cannot support that.

[Escitalopram21]

@GratefulThank you, I really hope so too! 
Hope you are doing well ♥️

[Escitalopram21]

@Altostratano it doesn’t make me sleepy. 
 

I am taking it the same time everyday but have realized that the 13 oclock is a bad time, I have forgotten it twice and had to take it later. 
Do you think it is a difference if taking it in the morning or the evening? What could be the best time?

[Escitalopram21]

SUCH an eyeopener!

 

I have been suffering from severe brainfog the last two years. It has been significally better when i was off my meds for a while. 
 

Now i realize that 1h20min after taking my medication i get the brainfog back. 

[Escitalopram21]

Tuesday

6:40 woke up

8 anxiety 9/10 vibrating 

9 walk and a 10 workout rapid heartbeats 

anxiety is bad until 12 

12 lunch feeling ok

14 2,2 mg Escitalopram 

15:30 brainfog and tired

17 feeling ok 

18-23 anxiety and rapid heartbeat

 

 

[Altostrata]

10 hours ago, Escitalopram21 said:

Now i realize that 1h20min after taking my medication i get the brainfog back. 

 

It is important that you recognized this. 

 

How long have you been taking 2.2mg at 2 p.m.? When did you forget doses?

[Escitalopram21]

@Altostrata it was monday and one day earlier. I took my dose but took it later.

 

6 woke up morning anxiety ok 5/10

felt ok and even happy until 10

10-12 brainfog 

12-13:30 managed to nap! 
14 2,2 mg Escitalopram 

Severe brainfog 17-20 also a bit of anxiety and triggers were bad 

22-24 anxiety feels electric in my Chest rapid heartbeats 

[Altostrata]

It sounds to me like 2.2mg is too much for you. You are doing better earlier in the day, when it wears off. You might go down to 2mg again.

[Escitalopram21]

@Altostratai do have an autoimmune condition that i know is affecting my brainfog as well but At this point it is hard to know what causes what. 
i am researching if my meds have been causing the imbalance leading to autoimmunity. 
 

is the bad anxiety in the morning something that i should get used to or could that be better with a Lower dose? 
I feel the best between 12-17 and takes my dose around 14 
 

 

 

[Escitalopram21]

Thursday

6:40 woke up anxiety bad 8/10

11 lunch felt better after 

11-14 feeling ok

14 2,2 mg 

14:30-17 felt so happy and normal

17-19 felt tense and electric

19-22 felt ok! 

[Altostrata]

21 hours ago, Escitalopram21 said:

14 2,2 mg Escitalopram 

Severe brainfog 17-20 also a bit of anxiety and triggers were bad 

22-24 anxiety feels electric in my Chest rapid heartbeats 

 

These are fairly clear adverse reactions to escitalopram.

[Escitalopram21]

Friday

woke up 7:40 SLEPT FOR ALMOST 8h

10 got up, enjoyed staying in bed so much because anxiety wasnt bad 2/10 

felt happy until 12

12 got an jobinterview felt anxious

14 took 2 mg

Felt anxious the rest of the day, can’t handle stressors

 

[Escitalopram21]

Barely Slept tonight because the possible new job is rreaking me out. I have trodd journaling, physical exercise, breathing exercises, mindfulness, relaxation. Nothing works 😭

[Escitalopram21]

Saturday 

03 fell asleep

7:40 woke up feeling anxious

10:00 got up had breakfast

10-14 really bad anxiety 9,5/10

14 2 mg Escitalopram 

14:30 lunch

15-17 forest w my kids feeling ok 

18-18:30 LOVELY WINDOW ♥️
19 dinner

20-22 movienight felt ok. Rapid heartbeat 

23-08 sleep 

[Escitalopram21]

Sunday 

08:00 woke up had a snack Back to bed

10:00 real breakfast 

10-12 a bit anxious

12-13 lovely window 

13-16 irritated, felt low angry

16 2 mg Escitalopram 

16-20 felt ok

20-21 brainfog 

21-24 a bit tension in my Chest

[Altostrata]

Please take 2mg escitalopram at the same time every day! If you don't do this, it may cause waves of symptoms -- and you'd be making your own problems. We cannot help people who make their own problems.

[Escitalopram21]

I know!! @Altostratai don’t know why i have such a hard time remembering to take my meds!

[Escitalopram21]

6:00 am woke up had a snack, back to some sort of sleep until

8:30 got up had my real breakfast. Anxiety 3/10 

10-12 anxiety 7/10 

12:30 lunch felt better

13-14 Talking to my therapist

14 2 mg Escitalopram 

14-18 felt a bit flat, not happy nor anxious. 

18-19 in the forest with my kids, felt fine

20 evening snack Feeling ok until

23 going to sleep 

[Altostrata]

If you continue to be consistent with your drug schedule, you should see gradual improvement. Please let us know if any new symptoms occur while you're keeping a regular schedule.

[Happy2Heal]

hi @Escitalopram21

 

just wanted to pop in and say hi and welcome to the forum.  As you've found out getting of lexapro  (escitalopram) is no fun at all!! 

 

I was on lexapro from 2002 until 2017 but I tried to get off it several times over that period of time. Every time I stopped taking it, even when I "slowly" reduced the dose as per my doctor (cut dose in half for a week, then in half again for a week, then take it every other day for a week and then stop) I had horrendous withdrawal symptoms and believed this meant that I "needed"  to be on the drug.

Doctors were only too happy to agree with that assessment.

 

but over time I realized I had no life at all, I was obese, I was sleeping up to 20 hrs per day, I was in pain and sick and just tired of being tired.
I'd been on a dose of up to 40mgs of lexapro per day, so when the dr suggested that my sleeping all the time meant I was depressed, that's when I realized that if this drug actually "worked" why would I be depressed? I was not depressed, I was over medicated!!!

 

 

it motivated me to get off the drug for good. it was hard but it was doable. I am so glad I did it!

 

 

you may want to be aware that for lexapro once you get down to 2.5mgs and below, it does become a bit tougher.  This drug is incredibly strong!

You may even want to go slower at the lower doses. 

me, I was impatient and tried to go faster, that was a terrible mistake. Please don't do that!!

I got thru it, but it was harder than it needed to be, if only I had followed the advice given here.

 

mainly I just wanted to say, while it's hard now, you will get thru this and come out the other side and be ok

 

 

 

 

you will heal and life will be good.  🌞

 

 

 

 

 

[Escitalopram21]

Thank you @Altostrata

[Escitalopram21]

Thank you so much for your kind words @Happy2Heal

Your druglist ending with Loving life gives me a lot of hope!

The fact that you were on High doses and feel this good now is very emcouraging.

And thank you for giving me a heads up on the tapering and the need to go slow. Its really tricky with the tapering since the liquid form only comes in 20mg/ml, but now its only time to stabilize on my 2mg and find a job before considering any taper.

 

Hope you Will keep feeling good 🌸

[Escitalopram21]

If I really would need to change the time for when i take my medicin. What is the best way? to gradually change it with e few minutes a day or to change it once and deal with the consequenses?

[Greatful]

@Escitalopram21  Hi there,  How are you doing.  You have been pretty quite over hear.   I hope that is a good sign things are going well😊

[Escitalopram21]

Hello @Greatful

it is a good sign indeed, I am ok!

Thank you for checking in on me!

Anxiety is bad for a few hours in the morning and late evening, otherwise its quiet. 
i am dealing with emotional spirals and other issues but mostly its not too bad.

how are you doing?

[Escitalopram21]

Today both my doctor and my psychoterapist convinced me that i need more than 2 mg of Escitalopram. I took 3 mg today with the intention to updose from here. Now 90min later i have a stiff feeling in my throat, my lips feel numb, tingling in my hands and a bit tired. Is there any chance that updosing could benefit me? I dont feel like i am in a good enough position in my life to managae without the drugs but i am scared to my core that things Will get worse if i keep updosing!!!!
I have 2 kids 8 and 4 y old and i can’t work right now since anxiety hits as soon as someone needs anything from me. Like if i am just home and not have any obligations i am mostly fine, but now i lost my job due to driving anxiety and i have a jobinterview for a new job on thursday. 
The last few days i have experienced a lot of very hard derealization and i have been scared about my future and mostly about how my anxiety and everything is going to affect my kids and our familylife. 
A few years on my meds i was the best mum, functioning and anxietyfre, I miss that mum so much!

 

 

My question is:

Is there any chance i Will feel better with a higher dose of Escitalopram?
My doctor thinks so and i dont trust him but i have seen my Therapist for 10 y and i trust her and she Believes i need a higher dose too. 

[Happy2Heal]

oh dear, I am so sorry to hear that you were talked into taking more meds when it appears that this drug is causing you so many issues

 

I am surprised that you didn't object....?

 

I know withdrawal is very hard, VERY hard, but it end eventually and then life is good.

BUT You have to stay consistent with your doses and not go up and down over and over again

 

Sadly that is what I did, and If I could save just one person from the very bad consequences of bouncing around in doses, it would be worth all the trauma I went thru

 

PLEASE do not keep changing your dose!!!!

 

Just yesterday you wrote:

On 9/26/2021 at 6:06 AM, Escitalopram21 said:

Hello @Greatful

it is a good sign indeed, I am ok!

Thank you for checking in on me!

Anxiety is bad for a few hours in the morning and late evening, otherwise its quiet. 
i am dealing with emotional spirals and other issues but mostly its not too bad.

how are you doing?

and now today you have increased you dose?

 

I am confused by why you would do this.

 

The truth is, withdrawal is a long hard process but if you keep at it, it will end.

 

you have to accept that there will be bad days and bad hours, but those will end.

 

however if you keep running back and adding more of the drug, then going back down again, you will destabilize your nervous system very badly.

and you will be dealing with symptoms for far longer than you would have if you just accepted that things are going to be bad for awhile

and tried to make the best of it

 

as you can see, up-dosing did nothing to make you feel better.

 

it looks like you might be having an adverse reaction (and/or a panic reaction) so why would you even consider taking more?

 

I hope you can get consistent with your dosing so that you will heal.

 

[Escitalopram21]

I feel like i can’t live without them! I have been on them for my whole adult life! I dont know how to handle anxiety without them.
i dont know what it means when people write in their drugdescriptions ”symptom free - loving life”.

I was not loving life BEFORE the meds either. I was just a scared and traumatized little girl who couldnt function. I feel like i have been faking beeing an adult who has it all together since i dont feel that way after seizing my meds 😭 even on my meds i have had months when i couldt get out of bed, but then i only had one little child. I dont know what to do! 

@Happy2Heal

[Escitalopram21]

I am so sick and tired to never be able to turn to someone in real life for expertise. I also have an autoimmune condition where i had to become my own doctor and now also having to become my doctor with my psychmeds. I loved life when i could just trust ”authoroties” like doctors. I hate the situation i am in. 

[Happy2Heal]

10 minutes ago, Escitalopram21 said:

I feel like i can’t live without them! I have been on them for my whole adult life! I dont know how to handle anxiety without them.
i dont know what it means when people write in their drugdescriptions ”symptom free - loving life”.

I was not loving life BEFORE the meds either. I was just a scared and traumatized little girl who couldnt function. I feel like i have been faking beeing an adult who has it all together since i dont feel that way after seizing my meds 😭 even on my meds i have had months when i couldt get out of bed, but then i only had one little child. I dont know what to do! 

@Happy2Heal

so you are about 30 yrs old now?

I was on all kinds of meds for over 40 yrs, also pretty much my entire adult life

 

I realized far too late that the drugs were NOT helping, but I knew they were doing something, because I had so many terrible side effects that I was told I just had to live with.

The drugs were mainly making me numb. At a huge cost to my overall health, I gained a ton of wt and was on all kinds of other meds to deal with the problems the psych meds were causing.

 

you've not given yourself a chance yet to see what life is like without being drugged.

If you BELIEVE that these drugs are somehow helping you, it's well within your right to keep taking them.

It surely doesn't LOOK like they are doing much to help you, from where I'm sitting, but you're the only one who knows what's going on inside you

 

BUT please do not confuse the terrible awful symptoms of withdrawal as being some sort of "proof" that you "need" to take these drugs

 

Human beings were not born with a lexapro or a lithium or a zyprexa deficiency. There is no chemical imbalance in our brains that needs to be chemically adjusted by taking pills and potions.

The drugs essentially cause brain damage.

 

I know it's scary coming off them, but it DOES get better!! however it will take much longer to get to that better place if you keep going up and down and changing your mind about what to do

 

Believe me I was in the same position a few years ago. I did not know what to do either. I ignored the advice I was given here, and I SUFFERED greatly for ignoring that advice

It was only when I accepted that withdrawal was going to be hard and probably a lot longer than I wanted it to, that things eased up and I found the strength within myself to get thru it

we all feel like we are just pretending to be an adult. ALL Of us. Not everyone will admit it but none of us have travelled this path before, it's all new to all of us

 

we do the best we can. that's all anyone can do. 

 

Many if not most of us, never learned to self soothe, never learned healthy non drug methods for dealing with anxiety and sadness and other uncomfortable feelings. We took a pill (or 2 or 3 or more) and thought that would solve all our problems. It didn't, we just pushed the problem down the road. Eventually many if not most of us realized we could handle our feelings just fine without drugs, we stopped being afraid of feelings, and learned to embrace them as the things that give life it's flavor, it's brightness and makes it worth living. Feelings don't last, they come and go, and when you learn to accept that you'll feel a freedom that may make you someday realize that life truly is good. It's all in how you look at it. 

 

if you have decided you want to take these drugs that's your right. but if you want to get off them and see what life can be chemical free, you need to stick to a consistent dose.

 

it's the only way to get thru it with the least bumps in the road.

 

 

 

 

[Happy2Heal]

10 minutes ago, Escitalopram21 said:

I am so sick and tired to never be able to turn to someone in real life for expertise. I also have an autoimmune condition where i had to become my own doctor and now also having to become my doctor with my psychmeds. I loved life when i could just trust ”authoroties” like doctors. I hate the situation i am in. 

oh believe me, we know! we know!!
but they were never really authorities in the first place, they were supposed to be someone you could consult and collaborate with, a member of your team to help you achieve the best health possible

 

why look to them, they don't have all the answers and they never did, although since they profit off sickness, they may insist they do know it all.

we have learned that is a lie.

 

it is hard to go "against" them but we know that our health is in OUR OWN HANDS and while that can be scary at first and frustrating when you cant find answers, in the overall scheme of things, this is a good thing.

We have a lot more power than we ever realized before

 

we have a lot more freedom too. The freedom to say what goes in our bodies, the freedom to say no I don't want to sick with side effects, I want to learn how to be healthy without some putting potentially dangerous substances in my body.

Teach me to relax without drugs, show me how to do yoga, or meditate , encourage me to eat well and to do gentle exercise

Teach me CBT so my faulty ways of looking at things don't cause me distress. Teach me how to breathe deeply and how live in the moment.

 

I know you're scared and frustrated, but you have the strength within you to get thru this.

if it's what you want to do.