Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted October 7, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 7, 2021 Someone once shared this fable with me in a 12 step meeting, and it really stuck with me. It's about a donkey who falls into an old dry well, and since the donkey is old and not much use to the farmer, he decided to just bury the donkey in the well. The donkey decided to shake off each shovelful of dirt, and step up, and eventually escapes from the well. Recovery from WD has been like this for me. I find myself being taught lessons about perseverance and patience. Knowing how painful this is gives me compassion to help others. Shake it Off and Step Up What lessons have you learned from going through WD? How could you shake it off, and step up? 4 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
siderale Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 I had heard about "letting go" for a long time as an advice to feel better regarding well, pretty much anything in life. In french it's called "lâcher-prise" and I'm unsure it bears the exact same meaning as in English. It's about letting go, especially mentally, of the situations you cannot control. Not to dwell on them because you have no power over it, even if it is very upsetting, even if it is happening right now such as withdrawal. And I could get the idea behind it but I definitely could not apply it to my thought process. As it turns out, I have slowly accepted to let go of things, regarding or not WD, that I spent too much time pondering about. Decisions I have taken by the past are in the past, things that will happen in the future are only the product of my imagination (I reckon I do not have the ability to plan the future and-- thank God I don't!). Basically learning to "let go" taught me that the only thing one could truly experience was the present, and that ultimately everything comes and go. So I just go with the flow, day by day, whether it's hard or easy. I made it until there, I will make it tomorrow. The only thing I can act on, is taking care of myself day by day. Costs nothing, and helped me a lot to change my outlook on life these past months. 5 Better days are ahead. If you read this and are still struggling - hang in there. It'll be worth it. My success story: I recovered from Escitalopram withdrawal. Aug 2017 - May 2018 -> Escitalopram 10 mg. Nov 2018 - Jan 2021 -> Escitalopram 10 mg. Feb 2021 - 5 mg. Feb-March 2021 - 5 mg, one day out of two. Since March 13th, 2021 -> Escitalopram 0 mg. Withdrawal appeared 1 week after last dose. Profile image: Edward Robert Hughes' "Night" Link to comment
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