Lexapro withdrawal

Posted by freefromdrug1 @freefromdrug1, Apr 19, 2017

I am currently weening from 10 mg lexapro after 15 years of being on the drug. I was put on this drug due to post partum. Having a difficult time getting into psychiatrist due to wait list. I've been weening for 2months and taking .5 instead of 10 mg daily. I was doing fine until 2 weeks ago when severe anxiety hit, no appetite, flu like symptoms and very emotional. Doctor prescribed xanax to help with anxiety and I take only as needed but honestly I'm afraid to take another drug. I see an phych nurse this week and a holistic doctor as well. Taking a multi vitamin, fish oi, B12 and vitamin D as well. I'm trying to figure out if my severe anxiety is due to withdrawal or if I'm prone to anxiety attacks because I've never had anxiety before.

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@ght456

I made a huge mistake and stopped taking Lexapro and Wellbutrin a week ago. Now I have a severe migraine and I’m feeling nauseous and dehydrated. What should I do? Should I go to the hospital?

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I’ve already had 2 mini strokes and now my blood pressure is very high from weaning off the Lexipro. I’m a mess!

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@ght456

I made a huge mistake and stopped taking Lexapro and Wellbutrin a week ago. Now I have a severe migraine and I’m feeling nauseous and dehydrated. What should I do? Should I go to the hospital?

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I am extremely sick tonite. Taking care of my son and going to bed!

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@ght456

I made a huge mistake and stopped taking Lexapro and Wellbutrin a week ago. Now I have a severe migraine and I’m feeling nauseous and dehydrated. What should I do? Should I go to the hospital?

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I do hope you’re keeping in touch with your doctor. It sounds like it’s necessary.

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@gailb

It seems like you are trying to withdraw too quickly from the Lexapro. I called my pharmacist to help me with information about how to withdraw from 2 medications I have been taking. I recommend that you contact your pharmacist. Actually mine was far more helpful than my physician.

Also, I discovered late in life that all my years of counseling and group therapy have helped me live a more fulfilling and large life, but didn't help my anxiety/panic attacks. I always believed that eventually I would be cured from them, but at the age of 62, I was still having them. I was living in a tiny town in rural Missouri at the time. I asked my general physician if he could give me a prescription for an antidepressant that would help with anxiety too. He prescribed Celexa, and I titrated over 6 months to the full dose of 40 mg. For the first time in my life I have been free from panic and anxiety, and have been happy with my life. I have been happy before, but always with an undercurrent of fear. I had a traumatic childhood, so I understood my constant vigilance as part of PTSD. I never thought I could be free from that undercurrent in my life. With the Celexa (I take the generic Citalopram) I am free of the fear. I am far more relaxed and can express my love and joy. I have concluded that sometimes individuals need both talk and medication therapy. Looking back now, I am sure I needed the antidepressant a long time ago.

I don't know if this will be helpful for you, but I hope it gives you a different perspective. While I have been withdrawing from Gabapentin and Baclofen, I have been experiencing occasional feelings of anxiety and I'm certain this is the result of withdrawal. So, your anxiety may very well be from withdrawal. Google it and read qualified information about withdrawal and the side effects with Lexapro. They will also tell you generally how quickly to withdraw. You do need to be very careful not to get serotonin storms from withdrawal too quickly. Good luck. Gail B

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Do you ever get better from withdrawaling from Lexipro? Seems like everyone who weans off just goes on something else. I cannot do that. Haven’t slept in two nights and it’s going on one week since I stopped taking it. I feel hopeless.

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@johne2002

For all my 15 years of living I have lived with depression. I always have done good in school but I have had 2 good friends my whole life. This past year my friend and I were jumped walking home from hanging out and he has not talked to me ever since. After this I soon became hooked on nicotine as well as smoking weed through a vape pen. My addiction became so severe that I was institutionalized in May due to my refusal to attend school and eat. I have now been clean for almost 5 months but I stopped using my prescribed escitalopram about 2 weeks ago and seem to exhibit extreme depression that I have never felt before. I tried taking 2 or 3 of the pills but they do not help. I have considered breaking my sobriety but I know there must be another option as I want to reinvent myself due to transferring to a new co-ed school. If anyone has experienced anything I have and has overcome please reach out and share some advice as I am in a time of dire need of it.

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John 2002, going thru this now John. Feeling really hopeless!

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Hang in there! You should be close to finishing your weaning process. How much longer?

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@farabella

Do you ever get better from withdrawaling from Lexipro? Seems like everyone who weans off just goes on something else. I cannot do that. Haven’t slept in two nights and it’s going on one week since I stopped taking it. I feel hopeless.

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You will get better! It takes time! Just hang in there!

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Sadly, I'm stopping Lexapro cold turkey @ 30 mg after being on it for four years. The last time I was out of it for a week i had a nervous breakdown. I'm very scared and can't get through to my psych. Do I call my provider? At this point I have lost most communication skills and having my car take over. Please help.

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@kaylacookie

I am withdrawing from 30 mg Lexapro which I took for 13 years. I have a had a very easy withdrawal so far down to 10 mg over the past 2 months. I am wondering if tapering the last third of the full dose will be harder and would like to hear the experience of others who have successfully withdrawn. (For those who posted here about withdrawing quickly-I understand wanting to get the drug out of your body, but it is not healthy and I imagine, set one up to fail. The safest tapering schedule is supposed to be decreasing at the most 5 mg at a time for about 2 weeks for each level). Lexapro saved my life when I had a terrible depression and anxiety in my early 40's, probably related to perimenopause. Lexapro was the second medication I tried at that time: I first tried Effexor for a few months which I did not like and the withdrawal was a horrible experience. But, I know that Effexor is known for being difficult-one of the things I HATED about Effexor when I took it was that exactly 24 hours after taking each dose, I would develop a headache from the withdrawal effects of that single day!!!

The Lexapro worked pretty quickly for me and relieved my anxiety and depression. In the last 5 years, I felt that the Lexapro was impacting my energy and my motivation. I had also gained a lot of weight since starting the medicine and had some health indicators that I was worried about that could possibly be related to Lexapro. I tried several different antidepressants over the past few years but I either I got depressed or I had intolerable side effects (stomach). I wondered if I needed to be on anti depressants and think it makes sense to at least find out. With my psychiatrist's guidance, I was on 25 mg for 3 weeks, 20 mg for 4 weeks, then 10 mg for 4 weeks. I had no side effects. I did use CBD oil and perhaps that was helpful for the withdrawal process. A few days ago, I was going to go to 5 mg, but I just impulsively decided not to take the medicine at all for the past 3 nights. This evening, I felt dizzy and a little shaky. So, I took 5 mg, and the CBD oil. I feel better. If I get withdrawal effects, I plan to decrease my tapering even further, ie 2.5 mg at a time.

If anyone has withdrawn successfully from Lexapro and can share their experience with me-i would greatly appreciate. I particularly interested in hearing about whether the last part of the tapering process was harder than the first part and any suggestions.

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It was awful! I was out on Prozac to help. I was told it was worse than heroine withdrawals.

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I believe that. Anyone who hasn’t gone thru this wouldn’t understand. I’d like for some of these doctors to experience it just so they would know.

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