LeavingLexapro- Introduction

[LeavingLexapro]

Hi, Altostrata.

 

I'm on day 5 of 1 mL and I feel pretty anxious and down today, still feeling stomach upset/digestive issues.

 

So, I am just not sure if that means I need to bump my dose up to 2mL? Not too sure, at this point, that I am feeling any better on the reinstatement.

 

If I do stop the reinstatement this early on, can I stop cold turkey after 5 days, or would I need to taper again in some way?

I know it's difficult to make a recommendation. I can't even figure out what to do each day myself, and I am inside my own head. I have been keeping track of my daily moods.

 

Thank you!

[Altostrata]

You started the reinstatement experiment March 12.

 

You have seen a slight improvement in some symptoms.

 

You have to give reinstatement more time to see if it will work -- as I've said many times. Nothing will instantly set you right.

 

The only way to tell if 2mg would help more is to take 2mg and see what happens. It may be better, it may be worse, it may not help at all.

 

Whether you want to continue with reinstatement on a low dose is up to you. I can't foretell the future or tell you what to do.

[LeavingLexapro]

Hello. I have a few questions I am hoping someone can help me with.

 

1. Are there people who actually just need antidepressant medication? And will some of these people need them for their entire lives?

 

2. Is there any evidence that these meds cause permanent brain damage, that is kill off brain cells resposible for mood regulation, that will then never regenerate, causing people to be dependent?

 

And if so, what choice do we really have but to take the meds?

 

3. Lastly, is there any way to find a doctor in your area that is sympathetic to and knowlegable about discontinuation syndrome?

 

Thank you.

[Nikki]

Hi LL

 

Those are questions I have asked myself one million times, and  I will take a guess that alot of people on the site have often wondered these things too.

 

I believe there are alot of people who need ad's and will need them for the rest of their lives.

 

My question to me is "Am I one of them?"

 

I don't know about permanent brain damage.  Sometimes I feel like I have it though.  I did recently read an article about people who have been on the antidepressant-merry-go-round and are better off on meds due to WD.

 

I don't have a definitive answer to the questions and I wish I did.  I would like to believe that someday I will be med-free and be happy, joyous and free.

 

I did get off Lexapro and onto something else.  The WD became unbearable in the lower doses coupled with some major life changes.  The good news for you is that you did get off of it.  You really did it.  It was fast from what you shared and therein lies protracted WD issues.  The Reinstatment may take a few weeks to feel a difference.  Trust your instincts basedon how you really feel.

 

Been there......you aren't alone.....Hugs

[Jemima]

Hello. I have a few questions I am hoping someone can help me with.1. Are there people who actually just need antidepressant medication? And will some of these people need them for their entire lives?

 

It's my belief that there are some few people for whom antidepressant medication is necessary, but they are a small minority, people with true major depression.  These would be people who simply cannot function at all because of frequent episodes of severe depression.  As Alto said in another, older post, people who are truly clinically depressed would not be able to use a computer or phone and participate in this forum.

 

Even using antidepressants for severe cases is questionable since clinical trials have shown that antidepressants are no more effective than placebos.  Often there is an underlying medical condition causing the kind of depression that interferes with ordinary activities of daily living.  In my case, Lipitor had gotten my cholesterol so low that my brain functioning was impaired.  Several people on this forum were eventually diagnosed with hormonal disorders.  There are many medications that cause depression and many diseases for which depression is a symptom.

 

Most of the people who are put on antidepressants are suffering from undiagnosed medical problems, situational problems, faulty thinking, or a personality disorder, the latter three of which are best treated with counseling, IMO. Antidepressants may be useful in the short term to get a person to a point that they can respond to counseling, but the drugs just have too many dangerous side effects, including a shortened lifespan, to take them unless they are absolutely necessary. 

 

Getting off these drugs can be painful and difficult, but don't give up.  I can't think of anything much worse than going through life numbed up on drugs and getting sicker and sicker from side effects.  There's also the danger of "poop-out", that is to say the drug simply stops working even though you're taking the prescribed dose and withdrawal sets in anyway. I went through a very bad withdrawal because of a too-fast taper from Lexapro, but a year and a half later I'm almost back to myself. 

 

2. Is there any evidence that these meds cause permanent brain damage, that is kill off brain cells responsible for mood regulation, that will then never regenerate, causing people to be dependent?

 

There is no evidence to that effect to the best of my knowledge.3. Lastly, is there any way to find a doctor in your area that is sympathetic to and knowledgeable about discontinuation syndrome?Thank you.

 

We've been compiling a list of doctors who are sympathetic to withdrawal syndrome here:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/988-recommended-doctors-therapists-or-clinics/?hl=doctors .  It's an unfortunately short list.

 

Hang in there.  Withdrawal is a hard thing to experience, but I believe I've come out of it a better person:  more compassionate, more patient, and far less anxious because I now know that I can withstand just about anything.

[LeavingLexapro]

Thank you for your replies. You are such a great group of people, and it warms my heart to have such great help and kindness. I have never done a reinstatement, but after 5.5 months off meds, I have figured out that I need some kind of help in this battle. I contacted my old therapist today, so hopefully some positive changes will come soon.

 

Jemima, were you able to recover without a reinstatement? I have been 5.5 months off meds without one, and am hoping I will still make it even though I never completed a reinstatement.

[Lilu]

Hello. I have a few questions I am hoping someone can help me with.

 

1. Are there people who actually just need antidepressant medication? And will some of these people need them for their entire lives?

 

2. Is there any evidence that these meds cause permanent brain damage, that is kill off brain cells resposible for mood regulation, that will then never regenerate, causing people to be dependent?

 

And if so, what choice do we really have but to take the meds?

 

3. Lastly, is there any way to find a doctor in your area that is sympathetic to and knowlegable about discontinuation syndrome?

 

Thank you.

Exactly the questions I am pondering now. Today I found this article which sadly mentions that damage from antidepressants may be irreversible. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mad-in-america/201106/now-antidepressant-induced-chronic-depression-has-name-tardive-dysphoria

 

The French scientists found that those who initially took an antidepressant for less than one month before withdrawing were less likely to relapse than those who took an antidepressant for two to five months. Those who were exposed to an antidepressant for longer than six months had more than twice the risk of relapse compared to those exposed for less than one month (as measured by a subsequent return to the use of antidepressants.)

[Altostrata]

That study did not distinguish between tardive dysphoria and withdrawal syndrome. People do gradually recover from withdrawal syndrome.

 

This is a common problem in all studies based on people who have quit antidepressants.

[LeavingLexapro]

Hi, I have been off Lexapro for 8 months now.

 

Does anyone here have experience with the book "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross?

 

I went to see my old psychologist, and she recommended I check out this book.

 

For the kind of depression that I have, which she attributes to low serotonin, she recommends 5-htp, tryptophan, St.John's Wort, or SAM-e, in addition to the following basic supplements: 4 multivitamins/day, calcium 250-100 mg/day, magnesium 400-800 mg/day, vitamin D 400 IU, B complex 20-50 mg/day, vitamin C with bioflavinoids 2,000 mg/day, and fish oil 1200-2400 mg DHA/EPA/day, along with diet improvements.

 

She recommends to start with 50 mg/day of 5htp, increasing up to 300 mg/day, depending on response.

 

I started with 50 mg on Friday, then increased to two 50mg doses yesterday, and then tried a 100 mg dose this morning. She recommends to try the 5-htp for 1 week, and if that doesn't work, move on to tryptophan, St.John's Wort, or SAM-e, and to stop any supplement if adverse reactions are seen. She claims that you should stop taking the 5-htp after each bottle, because you may not need it anymore. The idea is that you only take the 5-htp for a short time, and then continue with the vitamins indefinitely. 

 

The author claims people in her clinic have had positive responses to 5-htp in a matter of hours up to a day or two from starting the supplement. So far, I have just felt nauseated, and if anything, more weepy than when I started the 5-htp. However, my moods are pretty variable anyway.

 

Has anyone tried this protocol? What has your experience with the 5-htp or vitamins been? I don't want to just end up in another withdrawal situation.

 

Also, I'm a little unsure about how much stock to put into this book, since it was written 10 years ago.

 

Thank you!

[Altostrata]

The Mood Cure is based on the idea that a "chemical imbalance" or low serotonin causes depression. This is not any more true in alternative medicine than it is in allopathic medicine.

 

The idea of boosting serotonin as a mood cure is based on this fallacy.

 

We have people here who have gotten withdrawal symptoms from taking SAM-e or 5-HTP, indicating they cause downregulation of serotonin receptors or other neuroendocrine dysregulation. This is not a good sign.

 

Generally, we don't recommend 5-htp, tryptophan, St.John's Wort, or SAM-e for anyone whose nervous system has been sensitized by withdrawal syndrome. B vitamins can activate anxiety.

 

Many people feel better with fish oil and magnesium alone.

[LeavingLexapro]

Alto, from what you have seen and read, would you say my nausea and mental downturn after I started the 5-htp an indicate that I will not be able to get relief from SSRIs again?  I don't know, if I had continued with the 5-htp, if I might have just evened out and started seeing improvement, or if I would have just coninued with nausea and mental worsening? Do people who have experienced prolonged withdrawal ever obtain any relief from depression/anxiety on SSRIs after full medication reinstatement?

[Altostrata]

People who have experienced severe withdrawal symptoms often have difficulty with antidepressants afterwards. Some, however, do take antidepressants again. Your nervous system is sensitized and outcomes are unpredictable.

[LeavingLexapro]

I feel some days like i am losing my mind. I feel shaky, like a caged animal. I feel nervous and I don't know why. I wake up in the middle of the night. When I wake in the morning, I feel lonely and empty. I find that the job I used to be able to tolerate now makes me want to jump out the window.

 

I am taking my fish oil and magnesium, walking, getting sunlight, eating well. And still, 8 months into my last dose of Lexapro, I feel like utter crap many days.

 

I am worried I can't deal with the stress of my job anymore. I feel overwhelmed, and I find myself crying at my desk. I keep telling myself to stick it out for a year, but I just don't know if I can make it without flipping out and losing my job.

 

 

[Rhiannon]

I'm sorry you're suffering so much and having such a hard time. I'm going through a bad time myself right now, I can relate, but I know that doesn't really help!

 

The one thing I can maybe offer you is this: what you're experiencing is all fairly typical for someone with a history like yours. That is to say, I see nothing alarming. I've seen many people describe very similar journeys to yours, and they all heal eventually.

 

It's rough, but you will get through it. Take it one day at a time; read the suggestions in Symptoms and Self-Care; try hard not to do anything irreversible (like jumping out of windows, for example); hang in there!

[LeavingLexapro]

after an especially bad day, i had a moment of resignation, or maybe i just gave up. i went to my psychiatrist, told her how anxious and depressed i have been on and off (waves of bad days and good) and she prescribed me lexapro. i took one 10 mg pill after staring at it for a long time, and fighting with myself over it. i had already felt some nausea, stomach upset and anxiety before i took the pill, but after i took it my anxiety went up 3-fold, along with the nausea and stomach upset. i also started having heat flashes. maybe the nausea and stomach issues are unrelated, but the anxiety was likely not. i am very scared. i feel like i am afraid to take a pill today, and afraid i am never going to get better. i have stayed home from work sick the last 2 days, and i have never done that before. yesterday i stayed home because i felt bad, and then went to the doctor.

[Altostrata]

Your system may be sensitized to any antidepressant now. 10mg Lexapro to start is a very large dose. Lexapro comes in a liquid. If you are set on trying it again, if I were you, I'd try a very small amount, such as 1mg or 2mg, first.

 

If the 10mg has further destabilized your nervous system, however, you may not be able to tolerate any dosage.