Lexapro withdrawals?!
Question: I was on 5 mg daily of lexapro for 2 years. I quit taking it because I'm going to find natural alternatives. I however feel like I am drugged...heavy head, eyes, can't concentrate. I just want to sleep. Is this normal and how long will it last? It's only been 5 days since I haven't taken it. I already cut my 10mg pills in half, so I figured 5 mg was a safe dose to quit. Thanks for your help!
Answers: I was on 5 mg daily of lexapro for 2 years. I quit taking it because I'm going to find natural alternatives. I however feel like I am drugged...heavy head, eyes, can't concentrate. I just want to sleep. Is this normal and how long will it last? It's only been 5 days since I haven't taken it. I already cut my 10mg pills in half, so I figured 5 mg was a safe dose to quit. Thanks for your help!
Lexapro is more potent than the mg amount sounds; officially it is regarded as double the potency of Prozac / Paxil / Celexa, for example.
The Prozac trials showed the efficacy level at 5mg - so that might also shine a slightly different light on the possible strength/effect of a 5mg dose of Lexapro.
For those who wish to taper to a lower amount before stopping, liquid Lexapro is available and by using oral syringes the lower dosages may be accurately measured.
What is a safe dose to quit varies from person to person, experience to experience. For those most sensitive to the process, you encounter tapers which have gone to fractions of a mg; others seem to cold turkey without obvious effect. It seems logical that most might fall somewhere between the two extremes.
Withdrawal checklist below, plus link to a very long Lexapro withdrawal thread where you may read of others' experiences in terms of doses/tapers/stopping points.
The typical onset of Lexapro withdrawal is listed as Day 3-5 after a dose drop (Glenmullen), and this is related to the half-life of the drug. Again some can feel it earlier, some later - someone I know stopped from the 5mg level and was fine for 6 weeks, before several withdrawal symptoms arrived with a bang.
Suddenly stopping, or even weening yourself off of Lexapro or any anti-depressant can be dangerous, leading to a number of the withdrawal symptoms, including many of those you have listed. Contact your doctor who prescribed you the Lexapro to begin with to more safely reduce your dosage. This way, your symptoms can be monitored.
Yeah, you can expect that. Lexapro has a short half life and it won't be long until it is out of your system. I would suggest getting on your new meds asap. It should be over soon, try and exercise , that will help produce serotonin and endorphins and make you feel more awake and alert.
5 mg of lexapro is a nothing dose. i'm amazed it ever helped you. it never helped me and i got off it but i was taking it for clinical depression.... now i'm bipolar...
Hey Trixie,
Sorry to hear that honey~ hope the following info assists U in your time of need
KYIMP-(keep ya in my prayers)
Lar :)
All information, including the book, How to Get Off Psychiatric Drugs Safely, is available for free on this site. Click here to read the book on this site. All chapters are located on the left side of the page you will be directed.
Benzodiazepines are viewed as nearly impossible to get off. No longer with The Road Back Program. Klonopin, Xanax and the sleep medication Ambien have been the most difficult in the past for withdrawal. No longer.
* Many of you may feel you are the only one going through what ever you are going through. We assure you, you are not. The link that follows will open a new browser window. Just click the X at the top right of your screen when finished and you will be back on this page. Take the time and read this, you can make it back. Click here.
Antidepressant "brain zaps" cause more people to go back on the drug or increase their dosage again. This does not have to be the case if The Road Back Program is followed. Many people have gained excessive amount of weight while taking Celexa, Cymbalta, Effexor, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft and other antidepressants. You may very well find weight begins to come off during the period we call the Pre-Taper.
Anti-psychotics, while being in a class of their own, can be handled effectively.
If you are not sure if you can get off your medication due to side effects, just follow the pre-taper procedure and see if you do not feel like a new person. Then decide. Click here
Anxiety, insomnia and or fatigue are the three major side effects most people have and these three side effects are what is causing most of the other side effects you have.
Take one moment here and imagine how you would feel at this moment in time if you did not have anxiety or fatigue and you were able to have a full night of sleep. How would you feel? And this is just the beginning of what can be for you once again.
You will read how to taper off antidepressants, anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines, sleep medications and ADHD medications. The information includes how to taper off these medications with little to no side effects.
To find all of the information you will need, click here and you will be directed to another page within this site. The Road Back book, How to Get Off Psychiatric Drugs Safely is available on this site, in full, for free.
Dr. Donald E. McAlpine, Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic.: "It's important to taper off slowly, extending the taper over several weeks under your physician's direction. When you stop too quickly, you may experience so-called discontinuation symptoms, which can masquerade as relapse."
Information covered:
How to withdrawal, get off or quit taking;
Antidepressants - Celexa withdrawal, Cymbalta withdrawal, Effexor withdrawal, Lexapro withdrawal, Luvox withdrawal, Paxil withdrawal, Prozac withdrawal, Remeron withdrawal, Strattera withdrawal, Trazodone withdrawal, Wellbutrin withdrawal, Zoloft withdrawal
Benzodiazepines - Sleep Medication - Ambien withdrawal, Ativan withdrawal, BuSpar withdrawal, Klonopin withdrawal, Librium withdrawal, Valium withdrawal, Xanax withdrawal
Anti-Psychotics - Abilify withdrawal, Clozaril withdrawal, Geodon withdrawal, Haldol withdrawal, Olanzapine withdrawal, Risperdal withdrawal, Seroquel withdrawal, Zyprexa withdrawal
ADHD Medication - Adderall withdrawal, Concerta withdrawal, Ritalin withdrawal, Strattera withdrawal
Withdrawal off psychiatric medication, as long as it is done with a structured program, does not have to be difficult. The structured withdrawal program must address the potential withdrawal side effects, existing withdrawal side effects, and include a gradual reduction of the medication. Any program that does not address all aspects will have undesirable results.
Current Spotlight: Lexapro
Lexapro Side Effects - Lexapro Withdrawal - Lexapro Stories
Lexapro does have a rather long list of side effects as well as withdrawal side effects. We have defined the medical terms used to describe the side effects for easier understanding of what they are really. Take your time, read through this list.
We have included stories from other people that have taken Lexapro for you to read. See if any of the Lexapro stories sound familiar. You are not the only one. Know that. Click here for stories or continue down this page.
The Web Site you are on now, The Road Back, offers information how to get off Lexapro, prevent Lexapro withdrawal side effects as well as eliminating current Lexapro side effects. Click here to begin the journey.
Lexapro side effects
Body
Lexapro side effects
Dry Mouth - The usual amount to moisture in the mouth is noticeably less.
Lexapro side effects
Sweating Increased - A large quantity of perspiration that is medically caused.
Cardiovascular (Involving the heart and the blood vessels)
Lexapro side effects
Palpitation - Unusual and not normal heartbeat, that is sometimes irregular, but rapid and forceful thumping or fluttering. It can be brought on by shock, excitement, exertion, or medical stimulants. A person is normally unaware of his/her heartbeat.
Lexapro side effects
Hypertension - is high blood pressure, which is a symptom of disease in the blood vessels leading away from the heart. Hypertension is known as the