Weaning off of Lexapro...?!


Question: I am weaning off of Lexapro..... I was at 20mg and now I am at 10mg for a month then I stop
My Dr. and I discussed this at length and we both feel as though it is the right time....
Anyone have any helpful tips on what to expect? The only thing my Dr said is that I may have flu like symptoms for a few days after I stop...
Blessings


Answers: I am weaning off of Lexapro..... I was at 20mg and now I am at 10mg for a month then I stop
My Dr. and I discussed this at length and we both feel as though it is the right time....
Anyone have any helpful tips on what to expect? The only thing my Dr said is that I may have flu like symptoms for a few days after I stop...
Blessings

List of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms, in the form of a daily checklist, linked below.

Because you are on Lexapro - half-life 27-32hrs - you wouldn't expect the usual onset of withdrawal to be seen until Day 3-5 after the dose is dropped. So for the first few days, you may actually feel pretty much okay, which would tie in with the half-life of the drug.

mg for mg, Lexapro is stronger than Paxil and Prozac, so stopping from 10mg Lexapro is actually equivalent to stopping from a considerably higher mg dose of Paxil and Prozac. It is a bigger dose drop than it sounds.

This is a fast taper, with only one interim step: 20mg - 10mg - 0mg, however you are being allowed the 4 weeks stabilisation period at 10mg, which is excellent news, and you have avoided the 'miss-a-day' or alternating dose tapers which are not recommended at all with these antidepressants (with the possible exception of Prozac), due to the short half-lives of the drugs.

Tips? Do some basic background reading, and understand the nature of antidepressant withdrawal. After this reading, you will be able to address your own taper (and its effects upon you) with solid knowledge and understanding, including the pros and cons of the 10mg - 0mg drop, as well as the alternative approaches available to you.

One person I know personally, was stopped cold-turkey from a 5mg Lexapro dose (having never been on anything higher), and 3 months on is still in difficulties displaying various withdrawal effects - the standard mix of physical and psychiatric symptoms - which have necessitated several doctor/hospital visits.

There are those on Lexapro who have to withdrawal by 1 mg, or fractions of a mg at a time, using the liquid version of the drug (very handy) and stabilising out for a few weeks at each drop.

There are those who come off with little/no apparant effect, including those who have had big % dose drops or cold-turkeyed.

There are those who show no difficulties until they get down to a lesser dose, and then stop, only to find they then experience all sorts of withdrawal effects - it is a factor of SSRI/SNRI withdrawal, that coming off the lower doses may prove more problematical for some people.

There appears to be no way of knowing, in advance, how it will affect any one individual. So, perhaps best to be aware, and consider the merits of a little reading homework - the Preface, below, explains why some of our doctors may be unfamiliar with the withdrawal process and withdrawal symptoms - so that if you have no/mild withdrawal it's only been a little reading time wasted, but if you do experience something more, you already have the comfort of knowledge at your side.

David Healy's document is very helpful in explaining how to differentiate between withdrawal and return of the original problem - particularly since depression and anxiety are common withdrawal effects.

Dr Glenmullen's book 'The Antidepressant Solution' deals with withdrawal from these antidepressants (including Lexapro) and will give much helpful information. Links to Preface and Chapter 1 below.

Good luck, and may your withdrawals be slight to none-existent!

You might experience dizziness, some shaking, inability to sleep, difficulty concentrating. Basically, the same symptoms you experienced when getting onto Lexapro.
I am happy to know that you may no longer need its help.
Happy thoughts to you.

I have been taking 10mg for ever and some times I don't take them for days and I can't tell the difference, but I take them for stress management and not depression. However At This time in my life I might need to step up to a 20 mg. I wonder if they feel any different? I only felt the 10 mg the first one I took. Good luck.

I'm pleased that you are following your doctor's advice and how to taper off Lexapro. It is unlikely that you will experience discontinuation syndrome with the schedule you outlined. If you do experience, sweating, anxiety, shaking, just let your doctor know and they can put you back on. But with the dosage that you described, it isn't likely.
Good for you,
Take care

Lexapro is a simple antidepressant. Antidepressants are not addictive. Some people don't wean off, they just stop! You probably won't have any problem at all.
.
OR, you can worry a lot about it and get tons of symptons!!! Ha! Relax!

It sounds like he is tapering you off slow. The symptoms are dizziness, headaches if you withdraw too fast. Check with your doc, but if you get the headaches etc after stopping the 10mg , he may want to have you take 5mg for like a week or so.

cut your 10 mg in half for a week or two and than take those half every other day for another week and than OFF IT

I actually weaned my self that way and did not have any problems. If I had some side effects they must have been very mild becuase I slowly weaned off.

you might want to follow up with a psychologist or psychiatrist to walk you thru anxiety if you still have that. I know it sounds strange but a lot of articles are saying that people suffer a lot of things these days because our food lacks the nutrition that it used to have. So I'm going to suggest that you start taking a multiple vitamin with minerals. I took a Dale Carnegie course wherein it teaches you how to plan, plan ahead, how to determine which is the best answer to a question and how to make a choice on which direction to go. Perhaps if you go thru those steps it will reduce the anxiety.





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