Jump to content

Tips for tapering off escitalopram (Lexapro)


Altostrata

Recommended Posts

  • Moderator Emeritus
4 hours ago, indario55 said:

Yes I've read that. I've tried saline too.

 

But if it dissolves in water just fine, then I guess no need to go for extra steps making a saline solution. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.

 

If it was me I would be using saline.

Please DO NOT TAG me - thank you

PLEASE NOTE:  I am not a medical professional.  I provide information and make suggestions. 

  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:    (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq      on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator

It's not a matter of the tablet dissolving in water, but rather the chemical reaction that allows the Active ingredient to dissolve in the water. Lexapro is "sparingly soluble" on water which means that only a small amount of the AI will dissolve in the required volume of water. Add a little salt to the water and Lexapro becomes "soluble" making it so all the AI in a normal tablet will dissolve in a workable volume of water.

 

Soluble (S) if 1000mg of material requires 10 to 30mL of solute to dissolve. 

Sparingly soluble (SpS) if 1000mg of material requires 30 to 100mL of solute to dissolve.

 

20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013.

Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks.  The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better.

Final Dose 0.016mg.     Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017

 

"It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general."  Stephen Hawking

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Since this drug is proportionally stronger in the lower doses, what would be a conservative percentage to taper below 2 mg?

March 2010 Started 50 mg ZoloftMay 2010 CT Zoloft Jan 2015 Started 25 mg Zoloft June 2015 CT Zoloft 

Dec 2019 Started 5mg LexaproJune 2020-July 2020 7.5 mg (alternating 10 mg and 5 mg) LexaproAug 2020- Jan 2021 5 mg Lexapro February 2021-July 2022 2.5 mg Lexapro August 2022 2.5 mg Lexapro (alternating days)  September-October 2022 Updosed 3.2 mg Lexapro November 2022 3.0 mL/mg Lexapro December 2022 2.7 mL/mg Lexapro January 1, 2023 2.5 mL/mg Lexapro January 27, 2023 2.3 mL/mg Lexapro February 19, 2023 2.1 mL/mg Lexapro February 28, 2023 Updosed 2.3 mL/mg Lexapro 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy