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ilovemycat: Tapering off Cipralex/escitaloprám 10mg safely


ilovemycat

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Hi 

I am a first time user of antidepressants/medication in general.  I started escitaloprám 10mg almost one year ago now.  I started to feel depressed in March 2020.  It was brought on after extreme stress in my private life over a 5 year period.  Then later  in 2020 after alot of work stress, relationship problems and a death in the family it was enough to bring on a period of deep depression and anxiety. I have been off sick from work partly and full time for over one year.

I feel that my mental health has really improved but I have poor memory, concentration and lack the energy levels that I used to have. Being a single mum I need alot of energy to make it though a work day and take care of the family.  I need the good levels of concentration, memory and motivation to work properly.  I also notice some sexual side effects as well that bother me.

Tapering off 10mg Cipralex:

I have read on this group that going down 10% (so in my case 1g) per month is the safest way to do this?

Has anyone experienced going straight down to 7.5mg and then going down 1g per month there after?

 

How bad can I expect the withdrawal process to be?

 

Thanks to all for advice!

 

 

 

 

14 March 2022 - 2 mg escitaloprám /Cipralex drops

7 March 2022 - 12.5-25mg Promethazin Hydrochlorid tablets 2-3 times a week for sleep

7 Feb 2022 - 3 mg escitaloprám /Cipralex drops

27 December - 4 mg escitaloprám /Cipralex drops

Reduction of 1mg every  approx. 4 weeks.  Waiting until I feel stable before the next reduction.

6 September 2021 - 9mg escitaloprám tablet

15 October 2020 - 10mg escitaloprám tablet

8 October 2020 - 1 week of 5mg escitaloprám tablet

 

 

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  • Moderator

Hello ilovemycat,

 

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.  

 

It is important to have this information in your signature so that the moderators can see every time  in on place what you have been taking and what you changed over time while tapering.

 

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

 

You are lucky that you never used this kind of medication before! Because the more often one starts and stops this kind of meds, the more difficult it gets for a lot of people. 

 

Good that you came here for advice. We can give you information how to taper, so that withdrawal symptoms hopefully will not be very strong.

 

Cipralex (escitalopram) is a very potent SSRI. It can give heavy withdrawal symptoms when too fast tapered. It is not one of the most difficult SSRI's to taper, not the easiest either (somewhat in the middle).

 

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

 

It is advised to taper maximum 10% of the LAST taken dosage. So the first taper would be 90% of 10mg= 9mg. The 2nd would be 90% of 9mg=8,1 mg. And so on. DO NOT GO FASTER!   Most member here who came into trouble went faster. When heavier withdrawal symptoms start it may take sometimes months to stabilize!

 

In the end going slow and careful will be faster than going fast.... And believe me, WD symptoms can be hell when you would go too fast!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Let us know when you have questions.

1993    Anafranil (Clomipramine) for a few months. Later in 1993 Paxil for a few months 1993- 2006      No medication

2006   Effexor, Cymbalta, some Benzo’s. All for short periods. Later in 2006 Lexapro (escitalopram) 10 mg and shortly after Wellbutrin XR 150mg, against side effects Lexapro 

Since 2006 until end of 2015: Several times on and off Lexapro and Wellbutrin and several slight dosage changes. Mostly taken dosages: 5mg Lexapro and 150mg Wellbutrin

2016  Dosage change Lexapro from 5mg to 2,5 mg. Wellbutrin stayed om 150mg

November 2016 – April 2017 Down from 2,5mg to 0,6mg Lexapro (in steps) without much problems. Wellbutrin down from 150mg to 66mg. Also without much problems.

April 2017 – March 2019       Lexapro 0,6 mg        April 2017 - August 2018       Wellbutrin in small steps down from 66mg in to 37,5 mg . Quite heavy WD after each step.

March 2019 – May 2019 Lexapro down from 0,6 to 0,3mg then Prozac to 0,6 mg switch because severe discontinuation effects (may also have been from Wellbutrin..)    

Wellbutrin down from 37,5mg to 35,3mg 

October 2019        Seroquel 12,5 mg for 4 weeks because of extreme sleeping problems, then weaning off in 2 weeks       Prozac up dosage to 1,2 mg

March 2020     Wellbutrin in 2 steps down from 35,3mg to 33,3mg   Extreme withdrawal effects during 8 months. Stopped tapering Wellbutrin  until total off Prozac. 

February 2020 – November 2020   Prozac down in steps from 1,2mg to 0,57mg. 

Jan 2021  Prozac down to:  0,55> 0,53>0,51mg,   Feb 0,47mg ,  Mar 0,42mg,   Apr 0,37, longer hold because of WD symptoms July 0,36 and hold again, Sept 19 0,35, Sept 26 0,34mg, Oct 3 0,33mg  Long hold of 172 days until March 2022

January 20, 2022:  Wellbutrin from 33,3 to 32,3mg

March 22, 2022 Prozac down from 0,33mg to: 0,30mg, Apr 0,29, May 0,28, 0,27, June 0,26, 0,25, July 0,24, 0,23, 0,22, 0,21, Aug 0,20, 0,19 Sep 0,18, Oct 0,17. 0,16, 0,15, Nov 0,14  Jan 2023 0,13, 0,12, 0,11  Feb 0,10, 0,09 Mar 0,08 ,  June 0,07 , July 0,06,  0,05, Aug 0,04, 0,03, Sept 0,026, 0,024 Nov 0,022, 0,019, 0,016, 0,013 Dec 0,012, 0,011, 0,010, 0,009   Jan 2024 0,008, 0,007,  0,006,  0,005, 0,004, 0,003, 0,002, 0,001, Feb  0,0007.  0,0005,   0,0003, 0,0001,  

Feb 23, 2024:  0,00000

  

Supplements: Fish Oil (3000mg), Magnesium 100 mg, 2 drops of Lavender Oil, only when feeling extreme anxiety. 50mg of L-Theanine only when severe discontinuation effects caused by Wellbutrin

 

Please note this is NOT a medical advice. Discuss all your medical issues with a doctor who understands psychical drugs and really knows how to withdraw from them. I wish that you will find one.

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  • Go2zero changed the title to ilovemycat: Tapering off Cipralex/escitaloprám 10mg safely

Hi,

 

Thank you so much for this information.  It is great to get this as my general doctor thought it would make 3 months to come off this.

 

8 October 2020 - 1 week of 5mg escitaloprám tablet

15 Ocober 2020 - 10mg escitaloprám tablet

14 March 2022 - 2 mg escitaloprám /Cipralex drops

7 March 2022 - 12.5-25mg Promethazin Hydrochlorid tablets 2-3 times a week for sleep

7 Feb 2022 - 3 mg escitaloprám /Cipralex drops

27 December - 4 mg escitaloprám /Cipralex drops

Reduction of 1mg every  approx. 4 weeks.  Waiting until I feel stable before the next reduction.

6 September 2021 - 9mg escitaloprám tablet

15 October 2020 - 10mg escitaloprám tablet

8 October 2020 - 1 week of 5mg escitaloprám tablet

 

 

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