Kay92 Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 Hi all! My name is Kay. I’m new here after struggling for years to withdraw from Lexapro. I did a 8 month taper and was diagnosed with Lyme disease as soon as I got off. I’m now pretty certain my symptoms were actually those of withdrawal rather than Lyme… since then I’ve stopped cold turkey probably 8 times. I always thought it was ok since I was on such a low dose but now see I’ve rushed things. It’s frustrating as I want to be off these meds so badly and feel deeply traumatised from what I’ve experienced on them. I’m so happy to have found this group. I’m currently 2 weeks off lexapro cold turkey and starting to experience withdrawal symptoms and unsure whether to restart or trying to push through with the aid of supplements. Has anyone GAINED weight when withdrawing SSRI’s?? Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted September 24, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 24, 2021 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. On 9/22/2021 at 3:19 AM, Kay92 said: since then I’ve stopped cold turkey probably 8 times. This is very harsh on the nervous system. We suggest you do not stop these drugs cold turkey. 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 vertical 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 Happening in Your Brain Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization As we are recovering, we suggest keeping things slow, simple, and stable. Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable Considerations About Stability - Stop Jumping Around 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 Finally, going back on a small dose of your drug, or increasing your dose, which we call reinstatement, is best done very carefully. This is temporary, and after stabilizing you would then taper gradually off of this. There is some risk involved, and we need more specifics about your drug history before we can suggest a good dose at which to reinstate. Here is some information about reinstatement. About Reinstating and Stabilizing to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms I've given you quite a bit of information here. Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there. In the meantime, take care of yourself, and take heart. We in this forum have been through this, and we understand first hand the pain and discomfort you are going through. Please know that the brain is amazing in it's healing abilities. It takes time, but healing can and will happen. Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment
Kay92 Posted October 20, 2021 Author Share Posted October 20, 2021 I'm certainly not encouraging this but curious if anyone else does so. I have tried many times to get off Lexapro (not following the rules of this website obviously) and got into the routine of taking my Lexapro twice a week, and have not noticed any ill effects. Does anyone else only take it a few times a week, and if there any chance this could be having ill effects without my noticing? Thanks in advance Link to comment
Moderator Onmyway Posted October 20, 2021 Moderator Share Posted October 20, 2021 Hi Kay92, welcome to SA. Taking medicines just a few times a week is a bad idea as the concentration in the blood/brain ends up being irregular and may send your system into chaos. We would advise not to do that. Sometimes doctors advise patients to take drugs every other day. It is still a bad idea. If you do decide to come off of Lexapro, you can learn from this site on how to do it properly. You seem to have already started doing this. If you need our help, we will need a bit more info from you. Can you please start with a drug history and what questions you might have. How to List Drug History in Signature - Introductions and updates - Surviving Antidepressants Wishing you an easy time this time getting off of the meds OMW "Nothing so small as a moment is insurmountable, and moments are all that we have. You have survived every trial and tribulation that life has thrown at you up until this very instant. When future troubles come—and they will come—a version of you will be born into that moment that can conquer them, too." - Kevin Koenig I am not a doctor and this should not be considered medical advice. You can use the information and recommendations provided in whatever way you want and all decisions on your treatment are yours. In the next few weeks I do not have a lot of capacity to respond to questions. If you need a quick answer pls tag or ask other moderators who may want to be tagged. Aug 2000 - July 2003 (ct, 4-6 wk wd) , citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn, wellbutrin for a few months, trazodone prn Dec 2004 - July 2018 citalopram 20 mg, xanax prn (rarely used) Aug 2018 - citalopram 40 mg (self titrated up) September 2018 - January 2019 tapered citalopram - 40/30/20/10/5 no issues until a week after reaching 0 Feb 2019 0.25 xanax - 0.5/day (3 weeks) over to klonopin 0.25 once a day to manage severe wd March 6, reinstated citalopram 2.5 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 mg for sleep 2-3 times a week Apr 1st citalopram 2.0 mg (liquid), klonopin 0.25 once a week (off by 4/14/19- no tapering) citalopram (liquid) 4/14/19 -1.8 mg, 5/8/19 - 1.6 mg, 7/27/19 -1.5 mg, 8/15/19 - 1.35, 2/21/21 - 1.1 (smaller drops in between), 6/20/21 - 1.03 mg, 8/7/21- 1.025, 8/11/21 - 1.02, 8/15/21 - 1.015, 9/3/21 - 0.925 (fingers crossed!), 10/8/21 - 0.9, 10/18/21 - 0.875, 12/31/21 - 0.85, 1/7/22 - 0.825, 1/14/22 - 0.8, 1/22/22 - 0.785, 8/18/22 - 0.59, 12/15/2022 - 0.48, 2/15/22 - 0.43, 25/07/23 - 0.25 (mistake), 6/08/23 - 0.33mg Supplements: magnesium citrate and bi-glycinate Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted October 21, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 21, 2021 @Kay92Please note I've merged your two introduction topics into one. Please continue posting here in this topic so all of your information is in one place. Link to comment
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