Smart4agirl: Chronic Fatigue and tapering off Escitalopram/Lexapro/Cipralex

[smart4agirl]

Hey there,

This is my first post and I'm feeling rather desperate. I'm a 26 year old woman and have been on Lexapro for over 6 years now. Around that time, I also became chronically fatigued (could easily sleep 12+ hours, couldn't keep my eyes open on the bus, work etc...) and no doctor told me that antidepressants could be the main cause. During that time, I tried adding Wellbutrin to no avail, and also got various blood tests, sleep studies, changed times of day I took my meds, tried supplements, different diets etc... and nothing seemed to help. 

 

Only after doing some research on Reddit am I realizing that Lexapro causes this chronic fatigue for a lot of other people and after trying Wellbutrin one more time with no increased energy, I've decided to taper. It is nearly impossible to find a doctor where I live, and my current GP told me I could taper from my current 10mg dose in 2 weeks which seems insane from what I've read. 

 

I went on 5mg for 2 months and am currently taking 5mg every second day, and my fatigue is only getting worse and I'm at the point where I'm unable to function.

Is there a better way I could be tapering? How long should I expect this fatigue to last?

Thank you so much. 

[Go2zero]

Welcome to this support site. Before we can answer your questions, please give us more information first. Good that you came here. There is a lot of knowledge to be found and shared here. Also the members can support each other here.

 

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.  

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18343-please-summarize-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

Sorry to read that you are suffering so much. Lexapro can definitely make very tired. Adding drugs like Wellbutrin is often advised by doctors. Sometimes one gets more energy, but it is just a way to diminish a side effect of Lexapro. But adding a drug adds other possible side effects. And in a lot of cases, withdrawal becomes much more difficult when taking more than 1 drug.

 

Lexapro is a very potent antidepressant. One should be very careful in tapering. Going too fast in tapering can cause serious withdrawal symptoms. Going slow will eventually be the fastest way to get away from this drug.

 

Here is some important information:

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/82-the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-stabilization/

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/6632-the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable/?tab=comments#comment-525233

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/406-tips-for-tapering-off-escitalopram-lexapro/

 

This information will most probably answer a lot of your questions.

 

I read that you taper by taking 5mg every other day. This is asking fro trouble. Never skip dosages, but always take the same dosage every day

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/22958-never-skip-doses-to-taper/

 

The lower you get in dosage, the more important exact dosing becomes. You could ask for a prescription of liquid Lexapro (escitalopram) or you can make your own liquid from pills. 

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/2693-how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1596-using-a-scale-to-weigh-and-measure-doses/