Lexapro withdrawal

[JackM]

I have been off of Lexapro for 11 months, and my severe cognitive dysfunction, headaches, jaw pain, and dizziness have all worsened.  
 

I used to be a voracious reader, but now I struggle to process simple instructions, whether written or verbal.  I struggle to remember words and concepts that I knew as a child, much less define them!  I cannot remember family trips or conversations I had a couple of years ago.  I’m horrified by my wretched condition! 
 

I have been diagnosed with aphasia, too, which is predominantly anomic.  However, I believe that I have a receptive language deficit, too, that ultimately stems from the Lexapro. 
 

To be clear, I never had any cognitive deficits before coming off of Lexapro.  I graduated at the top of my high school and college classes. This is new territory for me, and I’m beside myself. 
 

I am terrified that I have permanent brain damage from this drug.  I’m 31 and generally healthy, but I don’t know if I am too old to reverse the damage that has been done???

 

I came across this blog which made me feel more despondent: https://www.hormonesmatter.com/brain-long-term-lexapro-chemically-induced-tbi/

 

Ir anyone can offer some reassurance or advice, I would be most grateful.  When can I expect to regain my cognition, if I ever will, and what would catalyze this process? 
 

 

[Onmyway]

Hi @JackM

so sorry to hear that you have been having cognitive issues during withdrawal. They are not at all uncommon and they do heal as your nervous system adapts to the its new status quo. I had this for the first year of withdrawal as well - I would make presentations at work and confuse words or not be able to remember a specific term. I never got officially diagnosed because I knew what was happening. You will be glad to know that it all went away. I am also much older than you and remember being terrified of this.  

 

Our 'brain injury' is physiological and what you read on the web about TBI does not apply. WD symptoms do heal in a windows and waves pattern over many months, sometimes years but they do heal even in the worst cases. The only thing you can do is support your brain - be as gentle as possible with it - gentle exercise, calming activities, no alcohol or other psychoactive drugs (prescribed or otherwise), you can find lots of tips on the website. Many find Magnesium and Omega-3 helpful. For me personally Magnesium citrate was helpful but I did not like Omega-3. Try them one at a time and at slow doses, our nervous system can be too sensitive and react in the opposite direction sometimes. 

 

This tells you about the pattern of recovery that we see in post acute withdrawal. 

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

 

This explains what is happening in your brain - it is my favorite post on the site. 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/10914-what-is-happening-in-your-brain/?tab=comments#comment-199680

 

Please summarize your drug history for us so that we can provide better advice and tips that is individualized for you. 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/28240-how-to-summarize-your-drug-history-in-your-signature/

 

OMW

 

[JackM]

You are so kind, @Onmyway.  Your sensitive feedback and encouragement have given me hope, which I have been chronically bereft of.  
 

Yesterday I had a wonderful window in which my cognition was transiently restored, albeit only partially. Alas, today the pervasive cognitive difficulties and vertigo have re-emerged, rather insidiously.  
 

I am relieved that you made a full recovery. I guess I can reasonably presume that, given my age and overall health, I am likely to experience a similar trajectory in my recovery.  I am returning to graduate school this fall, by which point I hope to be functioning close to my baseline. 
 

Did you experience any comprehension issues, too?  If so, was your functioning in this realm restored? I used to be a voracious reader, but now the most simple instructions go right over my head.  it’s like I am hearing or seeing the words, but I am incapable of synthesizing the information.  
 

Lastly, I have forgotten basic concepts and words that I learned in high school and college.  This has been my most disturbing symptom, by far. I’m assuming that this is also very likely temporary?  I never had any of these symptoms before discontinuing Lexapro. 

[Onmyway]

What kind words @JackM, Thank you!

 

hold on to the memory of this window, it shows you that this is all temporary and shows you what is possible. I clearly remember my first window - that's when I knew I could wait this out. 

 

 

 

I did not personally have significant comprehension issues. When I did have some, it was because my body/mind was so agitated that I was not able to pay attention as deeply as I normally would, my mind was doing 1000 miles a minute in frantic fight/flight. There have been people with more severe cognitive issues here who healed as well. I would suggest to do things where you don't try to test your cognition constantly and you don't overwhelm it too much with such tests or worry about whether it is ok. Do not make it a point of obsession [I did and it didn't help]. Accepting that this is how things are FOR NOW and that your nervous system is working hard to heal can allow you to relax and help the healing process. Can you walk in nature? Can you appreciate music that does not require a lot of cognitive effort? 

 

 

 

The other thing that helped me with the cognitive issues was sleep. My sleep was very bad for the first 4-5 months (1-2 hrs a night) but as it got better the cognitive issues improved as well. If you are having sleep issues be good about sleep hygiene and look at the thread [the one on cortisol spikes has really good tips buried inside]. 

 

 

 

I suspect that the cognitive issues will be much better by the time you get to grad school if you do not mess with your nervous system much (new drugs/supplements etc). Also remember that you can get by on much less effort in graduate school if absolutely needed - grades don't matter as much as they do in UG.

 

 

 

I don't know if this helps but from the way you are writing, I have no worries about your cognitive abilities - your writing is clear, concise, expressive, grammatically correct etc. So your perception of 'diminished' cognitive abilities may not be as bad as you think but may be amplified by worry. 

 

 

 

Just give yourself a break and some self compassion. Kristen Neff has some really good meditations for self-compassion. 

 

 

 

OMW

 



 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by Onmyway

[JackM]

Great advice, @Onmyway.  I always appreciate your words of wisdom and empathy.  I’m praying that this nightmare will end within a few months.  I’ll certainly keep you posted.
 

Thank you, my friend.  

[BelaLugosi]

Great advice, I "test" myself all the time lol

I have to cherish how much one person can help you by sharing experiences and using just the right word

 

I had a window of almost 4 days and now it's 100% gone  I be like  wtf

 

It  was not a clear window tho it's a small window with grids =P but lasted a lot

[Onmyway]

2 hours ago, BelaLugosi said:

Great advice, I "test" myself all the time lol

I have to cherish how much one person can help you by sharing experiences and using just the right word

 

I had a window of almost 4 days and now it's 100% gone  I be like  wtf

 

It  was not a clear window tho it's a small window with grids =P but lasted a lot

You made me smile @BelaLugosi with the "window with grids" phrase I'm going to steal that

 

[JackM]

After 13 months of severely disabling protracted withdrawal from Lexapro, I am still suffering greatly with debilitating fatigue and cognitive dysfunction.   I am a 31 year old male and was on 10mg of Lexapro for about 18 months.  
 

I am worried that I have permanent brain damage, partly because of what I read here: https://www.hormonesmatter.com/tag/lexapro-brain-damage/

 

Is this case delineated on Hormones Matter unusual????  
 

My symptoms are confusion, impaired concentration, tremors, slurred speech, anomic aphasia, and chronic fatigue.  I never had these symptoms before tapering Lexapro, which I did over a two month period.  I’ve only had ONE window last fall which lasted two days.  
 

I can’t read, enjoy my time with friends because of slow processing and speech difficulties, and have become house bound. 
 

Any reassurance or advice would be most appreciated.  I’m really feeling hopeless. 😩😩😩
 

 

[Onmyway]

Hi @JackM, 

I have moved your post from the Symptoms forum here - updates about your case belong to this thread. 

Can you pls fill in your drug signature as requested in my first message on you thread? 

 

On this forum we observe that people recover slowly (sometimes years, occasionally a decade). It seems like that person was trying to get a disability approved so required expert opinions and their health history is very specific. I have posted a link in my first post to help you understand how your brain is healing. No one knows whether that person's situation is permanent or not until he actually dies and he may be suffering from other issues as well that they simply haven't diagnosed. Just because someone on the internet has something doesn't mean that you have that as well. He seems to be slow metabolizer of these drugs, he may have other health issues as well. Pls ignore such posts. We don't know that these expert opinions are actually true opinions - the Internet is full of all kinds of things whose truth we cannot verify. 

 

You will heal, pls take care of yourself.

 

If you are worried about some symptoms, do get yourself checked out by a neurologist or a GP, it is always good to get strange symptoms checked out first. 

 

OMW