Thank you all this is very important information. Thank you all very much!
Yes, I found that out the hard way! The withdrawals were herendous. I gave up and went back on a lower dosage of Lexapro. My doctor said that the side affects weren't from withdrawals, she said it sounded more hormonal--I know better! After being on antidepressants for about 15 years, I'm just one of those that do not produce enough serotonin and will probably need drugs for the rest of my life.
By stopping cold turkey, serotonergic activity will drop drastically. Hence withdrawal side-effects may appear such as electrical surges/shocks in the head (brain shivers) and/or body, pins and needles on the skin, feelings as being on the verge of losing consciousness, blackouts, short term memory problems, etc.. Above mentioned side effects refer to epileptiform activity, or electrical discharges, in the brain. When dosages are cut back, (withdrawal) side-effects are at least minimized. No one should stop taking their medication cold turkey, but anti-depressant use should be tapered off very, very slowly.
I'm pretty sure that with any antidepressant you have to taper off slowly. You should make an appointment with his psychiatrist and discuss this with him/her. They might switch him to a different med.