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Any POSITIVE reports for coming off Lexapro???
I Googled "Coming off Lexapro" and came across dozens of health-related websites (similar to this) where I read report after report after report of absolutely HORRIBLE withdrawl symptoms of people coming off Lexapro.
Has anyone come off Lexapro with GOOD results?
One thing in common with most of these is that they would say they would go from, say 10 mg. to 5 mg for just a week and then off of it completely. A week at 5mg. doesn't seem nearly long enough to me.
I am thinking maybe going from my current 10mg to 5 mg for several MONTHS and then maybe 2.5mg (if it goes that low) for several more MONTHS may be a better way to come off Lexapro.
After reading these horror stories, I also think that I should maybe start up again with the psychologist I had visited at the beginning when my general practioner first prescribed Lexapro. At least then I would have a back-up already in place to help me. I would like to try coming off of it in a few months but dread the return of symptoms and ESPECIALLY the withdrawl symptoms mentioned by others - like their "brain restarting or rebooting every 5 minutes" or their "brain being turned into a sponge being squeezed every 10 minutes" or "getting an electric shock to my brain" - YIKES!
Lexapro has helped me a LOT over the last several months and has been symptom-free. But I am past what was causing me to be depressed. (Unless maybe my brain is just naturally lacking in serotonin or something.)
So please - if ANYONE out there has had good results from coming off Lexapro, PLEASE let me know!!! And also let me know what method you followed.
Thanks!
Has anyone come off Lexapro with GOOD results?
One thing in common with most of these is that they would say they would go from, say 10 mg. to 5 mg for just a week and then off of it completely. A week at 5mg. doesn't seem nearly long enough to me.
I am thinking maybe going from my current 10mg to 5 mg for several MONTHS and then maybe 2.5mg (if it goes that low) for several more MONTHS may be a better way to come off Lexapro.
After reading these horror stories, I also think that I should maybe start up again with the psychologist I had visited at the beginning when my general practioner first prescribed Lexapro. At least then I would have a back-up already in place to help me. I would like to try coming off of it in a few months but dread the return of symptoms and ESPECIALLY the withdrawl symptoms mentioned by others - like their "brain restarting or rebooting every 5 minutes" or their "brain being turned into a sponge being squeezed every 10 minutes" or "getting an electric shock to my brain" - YIKES!
Lexapro has helped me a LOT over the last several months and has been symptom-free. But I am past what was causing me to be depressed. (Unless maybe my brain is just naturally lacking in serotonin or something.)
So please - if ANYONE out there has had good results from coming off Lexapro, PLEASE let me know!!! And also let me know what method you followed.
Thanks!
Hi, I have been on Lexapro 20mg for 5 months. During that time, I put on almost 5kg and was more often than not, very lethargic. I could sleep 10-12 hours a day if I got the chance. I decided to go off it and I'm at the end of week 1. I went straight from 20-10mg and haven't noticed anything different in particular. I simultaneously caught a cold a few days ago and am recovering from it. I'll post back here in another week because I'm going to halve the dose again in a couple of days.
Hmm, not really. We all know about drug and other companies' vested interests. I would submit the greatest degree of manipulation comes from the supposed 'formal data'.
I would like to add that everyone person is different in personality and in body, mind and spirit. So different things work for different people. I think if you feel you no longer need the medicine that your body will heal it's self and that you are correct about it. No one is inside your body or mind to be able to tell you weather or not you need to continue use of it. My thought is Your mind is the most powerful form of medicine and if you believe you can heal your self you can. You should try watching the documentary "The Secret" and open the realms of your mind. Just like a cut or wound your mind is also capable of healing. Doc.'s, I believe, are there to suggest an opinion for you. Ultimately you are the one who makes a choice to take his/her advice. Just like a good friend. Good day to you and good luck. May your life be blessed with happiness and peace.
I went off Lexapro about six weeks ago after going from taken ten mg. for about eight months then down to five mg for about six weeks then off for six weeks.
Everything seemed great. But about a week ago I began having symtoms of depression again. I had to go on from a very bad hospital experience. I thought I was ready to not take it anymore. My Dr. said it might just be too early to get off. I will be taking five mg. again for three months then see if I can try to get off again.
I had absolutley no side effects from cutting down then stopping Lexapro. It is just that the depression returned
Everything seemed great. But about a week ago I began having symtoms of depression again. I had to go on from a very bad hospital experience. I thought I was ready to not take it anymore. My Dr. said it might just be too early to get off. I will be taking five mg. again for three months then see if I can try to get off again.
I had absolutley no side effects from cutting down then stopping Lexapro. It is just that the depression returned
I have been off lexapro for 4 weeks with zero negative side effects?? I actually feel 100% happier, is this normal I'm so confused.
I was on it for nearly three years, started on 10mg then upped to 20mg, 30mg for 3 months then back down to 20mg for about a year and a half. Then I just stopped taking the stuff because I eventually want to have children and I don't want to be stuck on them my whole life. How can I feel happier off an antidepressant?
I was prescribed for Anxiety not depression.
I was on it for nearly three years, started on 10mg then upped to 20mg, 30mg for 3 months then back down to 20mg for about a year and a half. Then I just stopped taking the stuff because I eventually want to have children and I don't want to be stuck on them my whole life. How can I feel happier off an antidepressant?
I was prescribed for Anxiety not depression.
I recently tapered off my lexapro from 25 mg to 20. I had tried this before ( doing the extra 5 every other day) but had immediately found relapse of depression, also the jolts of electricity through different parts of my body and sometimes my head.
Odd reading about the vertigo though... i had an extremely bad bout of this recently. I haven't had it checked out yet but presume i do have some sort of inner ear issue going on. for me I woke up and the room was spinning very quickly and i could not control it. every time i opened my eyes things moved quickly in front of me.
it lasted for maybe twenty minutes as I continued to open my eyes for as long as could stand it and the movement eventually slowed to a point that i ust felt a bit dizzy... for the next few days.
It didn't occur to me till now that it might possibly have been related to my dropping that 5 mg of lexapro a few days before cold turkey this time for about a week.
the other symptoms i had: mild depression, itching over my body, electric type jolts, some body pain, perhaps nausea( related to the vertigo)
The other thing is that my pharmacy had run out of my ADHD medicine (vyvanse) so i was also off that for a week when this happened. I am on a fairly high dosage of it 30 mg and i think it may have been a large contributing factor as I felt much better once i got it back in my system. I had a huge sinus infection which i thought also was contributing ( likely it was ) but the sinus medicine didn't help as much as getting the vyvanse back. in fact the sinus (tylenol severe decongestant one day and sudafed SE on the others.) did absolutely nothing for the headache or the vertigo, but when i took the vyvance it went away.
for what its worth, just some more data. Lots of variables, so i dont know how helpful, maybe these drugs interact with each other some.
any way, i feel for all the folks who deal with vertigo. mine comes and goes and hasnt been as bad as that one time ( about a week ago) but still following yp with ENT soon.
GOod luck everyone.
thanks for swapping data.
Odd reading about the vertigo though... i had an extremely bad bout of this recently. I haven't had it checked out yet but presume i do have some sort of inner ear issue going on. for me I woke up and the room was spinning very quickly and i could not control it. every time i opened my eyes things moved quickly in front of me.
it lasted for maybe twenty minutes as I continued to open my eyes for as long as could stand it and the movement eventually slowed to a point that i ust felt a bit dizzy... for the next few days.
It didn't occur to me till now that it might possibly have been related to my dropping that 5 mg of lexapro a few days before cold turkey this time for about a week.
the other symptoms i had: mild depression, itching over my body, electric type jolts, some body pain, perhaps nausea( related to the vertigo)
The other thing is that my pharmacy had run out of my ADHD medicine (vyvanse) so i was also off that for a week when this happened. I am on a fairly high dosage of it 30 mg and i think it may have been a large contributing factor as I felt much better once i got it back in my system. I had a huge sinus infection which i thought also was contributing ( likely it was ) but the sinus medicine didn't help as much as getting the vyvanse back. in fact the sinus (tylenol severe decongestant one day and sudafed SE on the others.) did absolutely nothing for the headache or the vertigo, but when i took the vyvance it went away.
for what its worth, just some more data. Lots of variables, so i dont know how helpful, maybe these drugs interact with each other some.
any way, i feel for all the folks who deal with vertigo. mine comes and goes and hasnt been as bad as that one time ( about a week ago) but still following yp with ENT soon.
GOod luck everyone.
thanks for swapping data.
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