Feeling bad after Stopping Lexapro

I'm SO glad I read all of your posts. I've had the flu for a week and forgot to take my Lexipro (20mg). I take it for panic attacks/ anxiety. I have been so quick to feel emotionally out of control and aggressive. I thought it was because I've been so sick and then I remembered... I haven't taken it for 6 days. Of course panic set in and then with my heart racing I'm feverishly looking online because I realized what the effect feels like by NOT taking it has been. (I've been taking for many years; 10+) I was truly frightened that I was doing irreversible damage to my brain and wondered if I was no longer taking this drug would I be institutionalized?!? Onset of the "what ifs". I am concerned of long term damage for sure and plan to seek a natural replacement. Has anyone had any luck doing this?

Yes I’m off Lexapro 6 Days now! Feel I’m getting better each day but still so hard. Very tired, emotionally, chest pains. So hard but I have come too far to go back on this awful stuff! I’m hoping there is an end insight soon and I get to feeling great!

hi! i am in the same boat, i see this post was made a year ago and was wondering how long the symptoms lasted? i was taking lexapro for two years and stopped about two and half weeks ago, it felt like the worst of the worst were over, i went thru the highs and lows, relapsing in self harm again, but now the panic attacks are back and im afraid to sleep because my breathing stops when i do. i dont think its sleep apnea tho because its not all the time, just sometimes. others have said its caused by stress. anyhow, i was wondering if the symtoms just slowly stopped over time & if you got on a different med and how tthat went

I don't know your situation. I can only speak from my experience. I've been on at least 3 different antidepressants. Lexapro - for me - has been a life saver, that and some CBT, and reworking my thought patterns.... The last time I went to the Dr. and was prescribed Lexapro (several years now) I was told: "If you've had more than 3 serious episodes, and this is a serious episode, you may always be on an antidepressant. It takes less and less of a trigger once your brain develops this response."

I wept - felt horrible - hated myself. But that really wasn't anything new.

It has been several years of much, much, MUCH better mental health. I take my little dose daily.

Wishing you all the best.

First of all I want to say congratulations on weaning off Lexapro. I too like yourself was on 20 mg of Lexapro for 3 years and prior to that I was on 10 mg of Lexapro. I have been off it for 4 years and the weaning process was slow but I feel like I have not fully recovered even after 4 years. The bouts of anxiety panic and feeling extremely angry was so exacerbated in the first two months and I am still catching up at this point. After experiencing something called brain zaps I decided to do some research on the internet and found that others, like myself , had been experiencing the same side effects as I had been. Now that it has been for years I still do not feel the same, I am still struggling with anxiety panic and anger issues that I have not experienced since I was a teenager. SSRIs have been very helpful for some individuals but for others they can actually cause more anxiety panic and other mood swings that have been blamed on these like drugs for many years. In the first year after weaning off Lexapro I actually had cravings to go back on it because of all of the side effects but I resisted and I'm still recovering to this day. The trick is to wean off slowly and much slower than it is documented on the Lexapro insert. I encourage anyone weaning off Lexapro 2 keep in touch with their doctor and maybe even start counseling to get through the bouts of anger panic and anxiety. The best of luck to you.

I was on lexapro for over 10 years. Highest dose i was ever on was 15mg but usually stayed at 10mg. I started it while I was already on Wellbutrin and having issues with anxiety, pamic attacks and insomnia. Lexapro seemed to stop my panic attacks. Eventually i stopped taking Wellbutrin.

When i would feel good I would go down to 5mg. 4 seperate times I tried to wean off the drug completely. Each time I would get so much anxiety and return of panic and gastro issues. They would deter me from continuing and I would go back on thinking I was not well amd needed the lexapro. Never once did I think I was addicted or going through withdrawal.

I was finally able to lower myself to 5mg every other day during pregnany and wean off to breastfeed. It took me months but it happened slow and easily. But I was on Zofran for morning sickness which stops nausea and constipates you so I felt great. I started taking B12 and vitamin D which helped. My baby is now 10 months and I go back to work in 2 months and was starting to feel anxious. Once more Dr gave me Lexapro.

I took 5 mg and was up few hours that night sick. Had to take a tranquilizer to calm down. I skipped a day and took 5mg and then that night was up from 1am to 7am sick. So i decided I would try taking 2.5mg but I waited 2 days. I took 2.5mg but was so sick again. Then I repeated next day. I could not tolerate it as I had nighttime diarrhea, severe nausea, panic attacks. Felt like my heart would jump out of my chest. I literally would jump out of the bed if I was sleeping and felt like running in fear. I wanted to go to ER as felt like I was dying but I knew it was panic.

So i stopped and I have been sick for 2 weeks since last dose. Today is the first day I did not feel nauseous all day and its day 15 since last dose. I stopped having panic attacks at night a few days ago. I refuse to ever take that drug again. I feel like it gave more anxiety than I ever had in my life. To get through the last 2 weeks I have been using Meclizine, Ativan .5mg during panic episodes, gaviscon and gastrolyte for diarrhea. The ativan saved me but I only take it if necessary. Havent not taken for 3 days now. I think I just need to go through this and get the drug out of my system. I want to do a liver cleanse at some pount when I get better to ensure its gone.

So I am hoping with therapy, exercise, vitamins and proper diet I can get well. Hang in there and take peace in knowing it will pass. I read lots of forums and some ppl go off lexapro no problems, others have so many issues lasting from a week to months. All reputable sites say it should take weeks to come out of system. But just as when you go on them it takes 6-8 weeks to get on I think to at least give yourself that to say its out of system. As for long term effects, I am sure there are some. Your brain was being fed chemicals for so long it doesnt know how to create them its self when you go off. It takes time to heal.

Important part of message is even addicts who are on horribly addicting drugs have horrible withdrawal and difficulty coming off drugs so end up back on as withdrawal is hell. Best to have Dr supervise and do it as slow as possible.

Good luck and best wishes to all of you going through this....sending hugs

Belle