blackrabbit: Help with tapering off Lexapro

[Phoenix72]

Hi Scotty999,

 

some compounding pharmacies here in Australia can crush your Lexapro and put it into tablets of any dosage you need (but the dosage will need to be prescribed by your Dr or any holistic Dr you can find).

 

Unfortunately I found out this few days ago, so it was a bit late for me and my 'Armageddon"...

 

I titrated myself 'slowly' over a month as per Dr's recommendation..only to experience the worse possible headaches, gastro disturbances, fatigue and malaise. I am dealing with pins & needles in my legs atm, an emotional roller-coaster on a regular basis, depression and anxiety as well as overwhelming sadness...BUT I can't bear the idea of going back to Lexapro and going through the other symptoms again...

 

Went to see a different Dr and he told me about compounding pharmacies being able to crush and remake the Lexapro tablets..not many GPs know about that..

 

I was on 10mg for few years on and off- took myself of it cold turkey few times (which was not a good idea I know now!), I put on weight a lot and wasn't able to 'feel' much...I didn't like any of that so I decided to stop it once and for all.. Ohhh, why do I find the relevant info AFTER I stop Lexapro? Had have I came across this page and a different Dr , I would have gone off it veryyyy sloooowllyyy...now I am dealing with a remaining symptoms and it isn't fun.

 

If anyone knows of any supplements that I can take to ease this Hell- it would be greatly appreciated...

[Altostrata]

Hello, Phoenix. Please start a topic for yourself in the Introductions forum.

 

 

Yes. Even if you "could" do the others, it can't hurt you to go slowly. If you get nauseated, go to 5%. Have you found the info to make your doses? The bridging is more appropriate for short-acting or hard to measure drugs.

Well luckily today the psych prescribed me 30 5mg pills and 30 10mg pills so I can take 15mg easily. Before this I was breaking them up and weighing them on a freakin' jewelry scale. 

 

 

blackrabbit, making a liquid with the 5mg tablet will make your tapering easier, see Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

[blackrabbit]

Hello, Phoenix. Please start a topic for yourself in the Introductions forum.

 

 

Yes. Even if you "could" do the others, it can't hurt you to go slowly. If you get nauseated, go to 5%. Have you found the info to make your doses? The bridging is more appropriate for short-acting or hard to measure drugs.

Well luckily today the psych prescribed me 30 5mg pills and 30 10mg pills so I can take 15mg easily. Before this I was breaking them up and weighing them on a freakin' jewelry scale. 

 

 

blackrabbit, making a liquid with the 5mg tablet will make your tapering easier, see Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

What exactly do you mean by making a liquid with a tablet?

[Altostrata]

Please read the link I gave you.

[blackrabbit]

So I decided that in order to go down to 13mg of Lexapro (I've been on 15mg for a little over a month), I am going to have to mix the liquid and 10mg pill form. I know this may seem like a dumb question but for someone who is terrified of getting sick, I am wondering if it is OK to take the liquid and pill form together.

[Petunia]

If you mean if its ok to take part of you dose as a pill, and part as a liquid, I can't see any problem with that. I'm assuming that you will take a 10mg pill and then make up 3mg as a liquid?

[blackrabbit]

If you mean if its ok to take part of you dose as a pill, and part as a liquid, I can't see any problem with that. I'm assuming that you will take a 10mg pill and then make up 3mg as a liquid?

 Yes that is what I mean. So you think it should be OK?

[blackrabbit]

Please read Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

It sounds like you are tapering too fast and you are getting withdrawal symptoms. Going from 18mg to 15mg is a decrease of 17%.

 

You may be more comfortable with a dosage of 16mg rather than 15mg.

Hey Alostrata,

 

I have a question for you and you seem to know a good deal about these things ... I have been on 15mg of Lex for over a month (since 4/19/15 to be exact). Tomorrow I am going to go down to 13mg. Is that in your opinion a good % to decrease by? How long do you think I should stay at 13mg for?

[blackrabbit]

I am on my 3rd month of tapering from 20mg of Escitalopram and my 3rd week of being at 13mg. Lately I have been experiencing tiredness all the time and when I get up from sitting down or laying down my vision gets dark for about 3 seconds. I am weak too (get tired easily). Is that normal?

 

I was wondering how long I should stay on the 13mg for. One more week? I don't know how long to stay at each decrease. 

 

How long does it usually take during a new decrease for withdrawal symptoms to catch up with me or kick in?

 

I tried asking this question on my original intro post but it got no replies. Please help. Thanks.

[brassmonkey]

The general rule of thumb is to stay on a dose for at least four week and then evaluate how you feel before dropping again.  I personally recommend 6 weeks between drops because that is what has worked so well for me.  It usually takes four days for a dose change (either down or up) to become steady state in the blood and then it can be up to several weeks before the symptoms show up.  The momentary "going black" would indicate that you are decreasing too fast.  The effects of your big drop in the March/April time frame are catching up with you.  I would suggest sitting tight at 13mg until the symptoms settle out which could take a couple of months.

[ikam]

I have been actually holding since January...I decreased far too fast...had lots of symptoms...I was also exhausted at some point...I still get some symptoms, such as paraesthesia in the morning, but it has been progressively better...

 

I was told once that I need to wait until I get as good or better than before my decrease...

[JanCarol]

Hey Blackrabbit!  Welcome to SA!

 

Your first tapers were a little fast, I see you are slowing down.  This is wise.

 

We generally taper by 10% and hold for 3-4 weeks before tapering again.  This gives the neurons time to regulate and balance again before we make any changes. 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

One of our esteemed Mods, Rhi, says it so well here - what is important is not the schedule, but HOW YOU FEEL.  How do you feel?  This one is tricky, because sometimes the taper reaction is delayed by more than a month.  Sometimes as much as 6 months!  So we like to feel absolutely as good as possible before tapering again.  

Rhis's Start Small Listen to Body Taper Plan

 

The only exception would be if you were having adverse reactions, then you might taper faster.  Your tiredness and symptoms you mention sound like typical withdrawal.  It takes a LOT of energy to heal a brain, and rest and time are the best things for getting better.

 

Do your symptoms follow a pattern?  We call it Waves and Windows - at first, most of the time, you feel horrible, with lots of symptoms and effects (I will not name them, it is better for you to tell us what you are feeling), sometimes they are physical, sometimes emotional.  In the wave, you think it will last forever, but it won't.  Then - by surprise - a window will open up.  It might only be for a minute, like a bird song or the sun peeking through the clouds.  Then you know you are healing.  The waves will come back, but the windows will come back to.  Think of it as a pendulum, it has to swing back and forth for awhile before it can come to stillness in the center.

 

Please feel free to use this thread a journal for your symptoms and questions, and the moderators will be better able to track your progress and help you.  As you can see, others in the community will visit you here, as well.

 

Again, welcome!

[JanCarol]

Hey Rabbit - 

 

I just checked on drug interactions between Zofran and escitalopram, as they are both 5HT drugs.  Here is what Drugs.com said:

 

 

 

Interactions between your selected drugs

ondansetron ↔ escitalopram

Applies to: Zofran (ondansetron), escitalopram

Using ondansetron together with escitalopram can increase the risk of a rare but serious condition called the serotonin syndrome, which may include symptoms such as confusion, hallucination, seizure, extreme changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate, fever, excessive sweating, shivering or shaking, blurred vision, muscle spasm or stiffness, tremor, incoordination, stomach cramp, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Severe cases may result in coma and even death. You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience these symptoms during treatment. In addition, combining these medications can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances (for example, magnesium or potassium loss due to severe or prolonged diarrhea or vomiting). Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. You should seek immediate medical attention if you develop sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations during treatment with these medications, whether together or alone. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

You might consider switching to ginger, mint and Tums to avoid making your withdrawal more difficult.  I see that your use of Zofran is "as needed," and I know you are looking to improve appetite - but that particular drug might not be the best solution.

[JanCarol]

Okay, I just got back from yoga - and while I was laying on the floor, I thought:  glutamine?  Really?

 

It is so common in food, I can't imagine why you would need to supplement that one.....unless of course you didn't eat food.....

 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/249890-list-of-foods-that-contain-glutamine/

 

from the same website:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/239337-pro-cons-of-glutamine/

 

Have you noticed the benefit of taking it?  I'm not saying that it's bad, or harmful - if you want to improve digestion or immune system, there are other things which may be more effective.  Was this given to you by a naturopath?  Or did you figure it out on Dr. Google?

 

Hope you see the sun today.

[blackrabbit]

Okay, I just got back from yoga - and while I was laying on the floor, I thought:  glutamine?  Really?

 

It is so common in food, I can't imagine why you would need to supplement that one.....unless of course you didn't eat food.....

 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/249890-list-of-foods-that-contain-glutamine/

 

from the same website:  http://www.livestrong.com/article/239337-pro-cons-of-glutamine/

 

Have you noticed the benefit of taking it?  I'm not saying that it's bad, or harmful - if you want to improve digestion or immune system, there are other things which may be more effective.  Was this given to you by a naturopath?  Or did you figure it out on Dr. Google?

 

Hope you see the sun today.

Hey thanks for the reply and the advice. I started L-glut about 3 weeks ago before I even decreased to 13mg. I had hardly any appetite and was hungry but couldn't bring myself to eat. I noticed after taking the L-glut my appetite got better and I could eat more with out feeling turned off by food. I read that it "support the integrity of the gut mucosa in the face of intestinal damage " I def think taking Lexapro for so long has damaged my stomach and changed the way eating makes me feel so thats why I take it. No doctor recommended it. In fact, no doctor has given me any good advice yet! 

[ikam]

Hey Blackrabbit!  Welcome to SA!

 

Your first tapers were a little fast, I see you are slowing down.  This is wise.

 

We generally taper by 10% and hold for 3-4 weeks before tapering again.  This gives the neurons time to regulate and balance again before we make any changes. 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

One of our esteemed Mods, Rhi, says it so well here - what is important is not the schedule, but HOW YOU FEEL.  How do you feel?  This one is tricky, because sometimes the taper reaction is delayed by more than a month.  Sometimes as much as 6 months!  So we like to feel absolutely as good as possible before tapering again.  

Rhis's Start Small Listen to Body Taper Plan

 

The only exception would be if you were having adverse reactions, then you might taper faster.  Your tiredness and symptoms you mention sound like typical withdrawal.  It takes a LOT of energy to heal a brain, and rest and time are the best things for getting better.

 

Do your symptoms follow a pattern?  We call it Waves and Windows - at first, most of the time, you feel horrible, with lots of symptoms and effects (I will not name them, it is better for you to tell us what you are feeling), sometimes they are physical, sometimes emotional.  In the wave, you think it will last forever, but it won't.  Then - by surprise - a window will open up.  It might only be for a minute, like a bird song or the sun peeking through the clouds.  Then you know you are healing.  The waves will come back, but the windows will come back to.  Think of it as a pendulum, it has to swing back and forth for awhile before it can come to stillness in the center.

 

Please feel free to use this thread a journal for your symptoms and questions, and the moderators will be better able to track your progress and help you.  As you can see, others in the community will visit you here, as well.

 

Again, welcome!

 

I try to LISTEN TO MY BODY...I learnt this when I was decreasing Effexor...

I have been holding now almost 6 months...

I also take to the consideration the level of additional stress I am under- don't decrease when I expect to be under extra pressure...

 

I still wish I could do it faster...

[Altostrata]

Glutamine supplements can help heal a damaged gut and are fine as long as you're not sensitive to glutamine or monosodium glutamate.

 

The nausea and feeling faint are withdrawal symptoms. If I were you, I'd hold at your current dosage for at least a week, maybe another month, to let your nervous system settle down.

 

blackrabbit, I'm merging this with your Intro topic to keep your story all in one place. Please add further questions to your Intro topic. Please do not start new topics when you should be adding to your Intro topic -- as you can see, JanCarol got confused and thought you were a new member.

 

JanCarol gave you good suggestions about how to deal with the nausea rather than take a drug that might clash with escilatopram. However, it would be even better for you to avoid withdrawal symptoms by tapering slower than you have been.

 

When do you take B vitamins and your drugs? Do your symptoms follow any daily pattern?

[blackrabbit]

Glutamine supplements can help heal a damaged gut and are fine as long as you're not sensitive to glutamine or monosodium glutamate.

 

The nausea and feeling faint are withdrawal symptoms. If I were you, I'd hold at your current dosage for at least a week, maybe another month, to let your nervous system settle down.

 

blackrabbit, I'm merging this with your Intro topic to keep your story all in one place. Please add further questions to your Intro topic. Please do not start new topics when you should be adding to your Intro topic -- as you can see, JanCarol got confused and thought you were a new member.

 

JanCarol gave you good suggestions about how to deal with the nausea rather than take a drug that might clash with escilatopram. However, it would be even better for you to avoid withdrawal symptoms by tapering slower than you have been.

 

When do you take B vitamins and your drugs? Do your symptoms follow any daily pattern?

OK well whenever I ask other questions in my thread they get ignored. 

 

Anyway, how would I know if I am sensitive to glutamine or monosodium glutamate?

[Iamfine]

I've done the two week cross taper thing about 9 times over the past 12 years with no known symptoms. It was my go to med for years, it worked when the others didn't. Then it stopped working altogether. I cross tapered from 40 mg Lexapro to Luvox about 4 months ago, again in two weeks. The Luvox isn't working either so I am tapering that now. Went from 150 mg Luvox to 25 in about 4 months and I can't wait to take that last pill. I'm done with ssri's.

[JanCarol]

Iamfine's tapering schedule is faster than we recommend, with the exception of severe drug reactions.  Just because his cross taper has worked in the past, doesn't mean it will work every time.  You never know when the withdrawal monster will bite you.  Caution is better than meltdowns.

 

Hope you saw the sun today.

[Iamfine]

Yes I agree, who knows what all those fast cross tapers have done to me. Had I tapered properly I would probably be happily drug free now. I'm not saying that everyone has to go as slow as 10%/month but err on the side of caution.

[blackrabbit]

Iamfine's tapering schedule is faster than we recommend, with the exception of severe drug reactions.  Just because his cross taper has worked in the past, doesn't mean it will work every time.  You never know when the withdrawal monster will bite you.  Caution is better than meltdowns.

 

Hope you saw the sun today.

Hi JanCarol,

 

Yesterday I decreased to 11mg. Judging by what my signature says, do you think I am tapering too fast? I don't want to get hit with bad withdrawals. Your advice would be appreciated

[Altostrata]

Blackrabbit, you had difficulty with a 2mg or 13.3% decrease from 15mg to 13mg.

 

Now you are decreasing 2mg from 13mg to 11mg, a 15% drop.

 

If you continue to taper by 2mg, the relative percentage of decrease will keep getting larger. This may cause withdrawal symptoms to become worse and worse.

 

We recommend 10% decreases, based on the last dosage. The amount of the decrease keeps getting smaller. Read
Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

[blackrabbit]

Blackrabbit, you had difficulty with a 2mg or 13.3% decrease from 15mg to 13mg.

 

Now you are decreasing 2mg from 13mg to 11mg, a 15% drop.

 

If you continue to taper by 2mg, the relative percentage of decrease will keep getting larger. This may cause withdrawal symptoms to become worse and worse.

 

We recommend 10% decreases, based on the last dosage. The amount of the decrease keeps getting smaller. Read

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

I feel like 10% is WAY too slow and I'll be doing this annoying process forever. I honestly don't know what to do. I wish I could find someone who has had experience getting off LExapro.

[Altostrata]

We have experience and that's why we recommend going slowly.

 

If your nervous system is complaining, you need to negotiate this with your nervous system, not with me.

[blackrabbit]

We have experience and that's why we recommend going slowly.

 

If your nervous system is complaining, you need to negotiate this with your nervous system, not with me.

Oh I'm not going against anything you're saying, I'm just venting. I think I'll go back to 12mg to be safe. Thank you.

[blackrabbit]

Blackrabbit, you had difficulty with a 2mg or 13.3% decrease from 15mg to 13mg.

 

Now you are decreasing 2mg from 13mg to 11mg, a 15% drop.

 

If you continue to taper by 2mg, the relative percentage of decrease will keep getting larger. This may cause withdrawal symptoms to become worse and worse.

 

We recommend 10% decreases, based on the last dosage. The amount of the decrease keeps getting smaller. Read

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

I am horrible at math. I just took 11.7mg. I did 10% of 13 which was 1.3 and then subtracted that from 13 which is 11.7. How does that seem?

[Altostrata]

That is correct.

[blackrabbit]

That is correct.

Thank you Alostrata <3

[blackrabbit]

I am halfway through. Monday I tapered to 10mg. I hope things continue to go smoothly. 

[Altostrata]

Hurray!

[blackrabbit]

I am so so tired. It's always around 2 and after. I hate this. I feel so alone. Lexapro sucks. 

[blackrabbit]

Currently hating life. In April and May I had such bad anxiety accompanied with nausea and vice versa. It went away for the most part all summer. I've just been SO SO tired. On Aug 10th I started on 10mg. Last week I started to feel anxious and nauseas again and ever since yesterday I have had a headache too. I went from 11.7mg of Lexapro to 10mg in a month. I know that wasn't the 10% taper but if I did the 10% it would've been 10.6mg, not a big difference. Thinking about bumping to 10.5mg...thoughts??

 

I'm so fed up with feeling like crap and being agrophobic. I'm afraid to do things because I don't want to feel sick out of nowhere when out. Is there something I could take to help me feel better? I have a week vacation coming up starting Saturday and I don't want to feel sick during it. Help

[Darwin]

i get how you feel i feel the same way now. i too went to vacation bout 2 months back while my symptoms were still pretty bad;but i could say one thing that helped was going with the flow & enjoy the moment and nature. ignore the symptoms as much as possible & tell yoursef that it's only in my mind I'm in control & if i don't think about it it won't exist. don't worry too much try & tell your family about your situation too if that makes you feel any better.

try meditating by searching for chakra cleanse on youtube & get some valerian root tea might help. also some magnesium. these meds highly deplete our Mg levels.

[Darwin]

also one advice please question everything you're putting into your body. Not meaning to scare you but just a precaution because one toxic thing you may be sensitive to could be excacerbating your symptoms.

[Petunia]

Blackrabbit, I merged the topic called "Anxiety, Nausea, and Headache", which you started in the symptoms forum because it was an update about your own situation and history, not a specific symptom. Please put these kinds of posts here in your intro/update thread, that is what these threads are for.

 

From looking at your signature, it seems that you went down from 20mg to 10mg in 4 months.

 

You have been tapering too fast. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Reading back through your thread, I can see that you have been given advice many times about tapering slower, but have chosen to go faster. This may be why you are having these uncomfortable symptoms now.

 

My suggestion is to carefully read back through your thread, including the links which have been posted for you, and then perhaps re-evaluate your tapering plans.

 

I'm not sure if you should updose or not, but it looks like you will need to taper slower in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms.