Tamas: escitalopram WD

[Tamas]

English is not my first language!

I am panicking from 2009 to 2018, taking clonazepam 5 mg Lexapro. I got used to the cold turkey lexapro, I tried the cbd oil. I got really bad. I can never go back to Lexapro again, I have had watery diarrhea ten times a day for months. I tried Zoloft, 25mg for 3 weeks, 50mg for 1 week. I’ve never felt so much from any medication before, I can’t get out of the apartment, I can’t get up, my whole body hurts, I’m anxious, I’m really sick. I stopped taking Zoloft cold turkey 2 days ago, today I started taking 2.5 mg of lexaprot to avoid more trouble. But I feel like I'm starting to feel bad. What to do?

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  I'm sorry you are in this predicament.  You have come to the right place.  With time and care, you can overcome this, and get better.  

 

What date did you stop taking the Lexapro?  Did you stop cold turkey, or taper?  Did you have any other adverse reaction to Lexapro other than the severe diarrhea?  

 

What happened when you were on the Zoloft?  

 

You may be dealing with withdrawal from stopping the Lexapro and/or the Zoloft, as well as adverse effects from restarting the Lexapro. 

 

On 11/29/2021 at 11:04 AM, Tamas said:

I stopped taking Zoloft cold turkey 2 days ago, today I started taking 2.5 mg of lexaprot to avoid more trouble. But I feel like I'm starting to feel bad. What to do?

Can you be more specific about what your symptoms are now?  We need to determine whether we are dealing with withdrawal or adverse reaction from restarting the Lexapro.  

 

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.  Use this format:

 

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Drug name: date, dose, date, dose, date, dose…

Etcetera

 

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.   This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper so slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

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.  Please do not make any changes to your drugs just yet, until we can figure out what is going on.  Thank you. 

 

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

Considerations About Stability - Stop Jumping Around

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

To see if you are having adverse effects from the 2.5 mg of Lexapro that you reinstated, I would ask that you please keep a daily journal as instructed in this link: 

 

Recording Drug Schedule and Symptoms to Track Patterns

 

 

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

 

We look forward to hearing from you again soon.  We can advise you when we get a better idea of what is going on.  

 

[Tamas]

1 hour ago, getofflex said:

Meg tudnád mondani pontosabban, hogy milyen tüneteid vannak most? Meg kell határoznunk, hogy a Lexapro újraindításából eredő megvonásról vagy mellékhatásról van-e szó.  

 

Chest discomfort, fear, brain fog, dizziness, bizarre bodily sensations.
Stopping Zoloft brought immediate relief.

Escitalopram 2.5mg, from the second day severe diarrhea, damage caused by zoloft, and also improves my general condition.

How can I stop diarrhea?

[getofflex]

16 hours ago, Tamas said:

18 hours ago, getofflex said:

Meg tudnád mondani pontosabban, hogy milyen tüneteid vannak most? Meg kell határoznunk, hogy a Lexapro újraindításából eredő megvonásról vagy mellékhatásról van-e szó.  

 

Chest discomfort, fear, brain fog, dizziness, bizarre bodily sensations.

You had the above symptoms while taking the Zoloft, I assume.  It's confusing because my quoted question was converted to a language that I don't know.  

 

Question: What day in November did you reinstate the 2.5 mg Cipralex please?  Based on your intro, it looks like you did this on November 29?  If so, I would suggest you immediately drop the dose down to 0.5 mg of Cipralex.  The easiest way to do this is to use a liquid, and get a small syringe to measure it.  This link will explain how to do this: 

 

Tips for Tapering Cipralex/escitalopram

 

My thinking is that you may do better on a lower dose of the Cipralex, just to help reduce the symptoms of withdrawal.  Often people with an adverse reaction can tolerate a very low dose, and a very low dose can often help with withdrawal symptoms.  Cipralex is a very powerful drug.  

Edited December 1, 2021 by getofflex