Feeling bad after Stopping Lexapro

I was on Lexapro for 8 months since I was diagnosed with clinical postpartum depression after my 3rd child.  When I explained the symptoms to my doctor, turns out I had postpartum depression during my first two pregnancies as well, but I never payed attention to the symptoms or seeked treatment.  So, I started on 10 mg of Lexapro for 2 months, then went up to 20mg for 3 months, then came back down to 10mg for another 2 months, finally 5mg for 1 month.  I stopped 2 weeks ago and feel great!  I strongly believe regular intake of Vitamins play a very big role while weaning off.  Especially Omega 3.  Up your intake in Vitamins if you are weaning off and continue to take them even after you stop lexapro.  ***NEVER STOP ANY ANTIDEPRESSANT COLD TURKEY!!***  And monitor your mood swings for about 3-4 weeks after weaning off of it.  Good luck!

I have been on lexapro for a year and recently found out that I am pregnant.  I began to ween myself off the meds and did it in about a week.  I now feel horrible, but didn't want to harm the baby.  I am dizzy with a quick turn of my head and feel this flutters in my chest and neck.  I am extremely irritable and cry a lot too.  Does this go away?  I am not going back on this while being pregnant!  Help...

I first want to thank everyone for their comments and finding I am not alone. My DR as well told me not addictive to take Lexapro and when you tell them of side affects they up the dose and then my side affects got worse.. I finally talk to her about just getting off of it she recommended 10 mg half for one week and stop.. well reading all your posts I decided to do 10 for a few days then 5 mg for a few days and last few days felt great but dang the symptoms progressively got worse and I was scared a bit until reading your posts THANK YOU again! .. so now I get up feel great in the am do my chores and b/c of Lexapro I lost my job couldn't concentrate on the work at hand and I have NEVER lost a job in my life so that really devastated me and it was humiliating!! Either way I thought well this isn't so bad but nope I get gut wrenching feelings from bottom of chest to mid abdomen and it hurts and then the dizzy was NUTS.. I asked the pharmacist and he was more helpful the DR was they don't care and half the time don't believe you they just say well you need to be on meds anxiety coming back that is stupid! They just want to keep you as a patient but I am truly trying to do this I thought what a great time to ween off Lexapro while I was unemployed and seeking jobs.. well went to an interview today yippee but it wasn't a good one but then during I felt the anxiety try to return but fought it!! and then same time every day between 5-7 pm like clock work I feel worse and unable to do much and want to vomit etc.. so took a half of xanax this morning and again at 5 pm so not horrible since that only adds up to 5mgs. But she told me I may need to do that and it was acceptable to keep doing that for a week or two.. She doesn't want me to get addicted to Xanax and I have that since the hospital visit having my first panic attack thinking of course heart attack and it works great NO side affects but they DON'T want you to take it long addictive.. that little pill has been a great placebo for me I don't have to take but just knowing I have it "in case" makes it better unless you have an addictive personality you will be fine with Xanax and she best get over it!! either way feeling dizzy and crappier today so signing off but hang in there we can ALL do this it just takes time.. get out and get fresh air like I need to do more and do a bit of yoga even just stretching .. my only fear now is when I take a stroll on the treadmill nothing as fast as I use to and my heart rate goes mental and then I feel a boob muscle pain it freaks me out and I have to get off.. so I have to know my heart is okay and tell myself it will do that b/c I gained weight and of course it is going to race more until I get the fat off lol.. hang in there folks we will do this it has to get better.. it sure can't get any worse! 

I am currently taking 10 mg a day and want to go off of it. I was actually on Lexapro 6 years ago for a year and managed to get off o fit, but it took about 3 months of feeling those brain zaps and then I was good. Now when I try to go off, I start feeling strange and tearful and just depressed, so I went back on it. I feel like I am stuck on it as I have tried several times in the past year to go off. I think like others have mentioned, if you eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and limit alcohol while tapering slowly off over a period of 2 or 3 months than it should be ok. If not, then certainly go back on it. I guess they dont call it the happy pill for nothing:-)

I have been on Lexapro over a year. I consulted my physician's nurse on how to wean myself off of the drug. My dosage was 20mg. I began by alternating my doses taking half doses every day for a week, then I started taking half doses every other day. I was supposed to continue my every other day half doses for a week but I got impatient and stopped a few days shy. I have done pretty good except for this lightning sensation in my head. I read just read them described as brain zaps and I said "Thats it, thats me." These zaps have been frequent and I have kept a continuous low ringing sound in my ear or head. Sunday (today is Friday) will make 2 weeks since I began to wean off of the drug. I feel better now knowing that these "Brain Zaps" are most likely side effects from discontinuing my medicine. This is a small price to pay to get off of these drugs. I thank God for them being there to help me with my anxiety. I had severe anxiety where I experienced every symptom that one could experience. But God has brought me a long way and I am ready to get back to being my own self. God is good and prayer works. Depression is real and can happen to anyone. So I say to you my fellow sufferers, hang in there, take your medicine and pray!

Ditto. The sweats last for about a month. They do get less frequent as time goes on. My left arm ached so much I could barely lift it over my head. I did cry easy and anxiety was somedays high. Drinking lots of water each day helped me feel better. Remember your starting to feel again now that your off it. Hang in there it soon will be over.

I've taken lexapro for over 12 years -beginning with 5mg for a few years, then 10, 15, and 20 mg for the last 9. I felt like I have not 'needed' it for the last 5+ years having learned coping skills, better breathing, and improved nutrition. I tried perhaps 2-3 times to decrease the medication by 2 mg per day and couldn't get past the first week due to the incredible nauseau, dizziness, and vertigo described also by others. Want to know what is working with zero physical side effects? Tapering with the liquid by .5 milligrams about every 7 days. I've gone from 20 to 16mg over the last 8 weeks and feel terrific. Seriously, I'm going off lexapro and I feel terrific. For context: I had been very leery to try, because I get withdrawal if I'm a few hours late for a dose! Friends, if you are feeling sick from withdrawal -GO SLOWER!!!!!!! (I tried to go from 16.5 to 15 (jump to 1.5mg reduction) last week for 3 days and the nasty symptoms were there. I returned to the .5mg tapering and feeling great again!) Lex comes in 20, 10, and 5 mg tabs and a liquid. You need the liquid to taper slowly! The liquid is expensive, so I take half a 20 mg tab, half a 10 mg tab, (=15 mg) then add the liquid depending on the remainder. This is the cheapest way. They special order the liquid at the pharmacy -have them do this if they don't carry it! It is worth it! Tell your doctor, tell your pharmacist -this works! You don't need to feel so awful -just go slower! Also, make sure your vitamin d, iron, and b vitamins are up! Don't take poor quality/ drugstore vitamins -they are unregulated and make you feel worse. Instead, my favourite is New Chapter Only One. It doesn't have herbs in it, which can interact with meds and is organic, food based. I take a half a tab at a time because they are rich enough in vitamins to split. Good luck everyone! Oh, I do have a few emotional things -the first two weeks angrier and irritable, then a little sadness, and now the last week some euphoria. I know that it's just me adjusting to the med changes and that really helps to know its temporary and not to worry. :)

Hi Anonymous,

I am in same position.  Started tapering off 10 mg of lexapro on 8/7 and now on 9/12, I am on 2.5 Mg every other day.  Dr said I don't need liquid form, but instead to do 2.5 mg every other day.  This is giving me all of the withdrawal symptoms and i really want the liquid so i can taper off without the  symptoms.  I also have been taking new chapter, but the prenatal.  Also take vitamin d and fish oil.  The side effects from the withdrawal are the worst.  Dizzy, brain zaps, agitated, nervous, brain fog, nausea, crying spells.  I have not felt the euphoria yet, but hoping that comes soon.  Also, would love to start gaining my energy back to get my gym routine back.  I should add that ii was diagnosed with hyperprolactinemia on 8/7 and my levels have dropped from 106 to 80 since I started to decrease my lexapro and I read online that lexapro can cause hyperprolactinemia.  If my prolactin levels continue to drop in correlation to my decreased lexapro, then I might have a lawsuit on my hands.  This pill is over prescribed and the drs who prescribe it don't forewarn their patients of the potential long term side effects.  I was never even that depressed or anxious in first place and truly wish I never listened to my drs.  hoping to feel better soon!

Everyone that posted their experience, THANK YOU! Okay, so for anyone else who Googles this like I did: I took 10 mg of Lexapro after trying Prozac. (Prozac turned me into a complete zombie.) I did better on Lex, and it helped my anxiety tremendously. I have two friends on it who it helps a lot as well. The trouble is, I had bad side effects that were still a problem six months in. Significant /extreme fatigue and drowsiness, sore throat and loss of motivation. It sounds like no big deal, but I had to take a nap about 1 1/2 hrs after eating breakfast and getting a full night's sleep, AND I was taking the dose at night. I've also gained about 15-20 lbs in 6 months. Maybe it was the drug, maybe it was being a human slug because of the drug. Either way, my pants don't fit. I also had "sexual side effects." Lower libido, and when I did have it. I often couldn't orgasm. I'm a woman, btw. Anyway, I was fed up with life requiring Herculean effort so I informed my dr I was stopping. A while back (a month or so ago) we tried lowering my dose to 2.5 mg and adding Wellbutrin. The Wellbutrin immediately made me feel peppier and like myself, but I had terrible side effects from it (saw gold sparkles, had insomnia, dry mouth, painfully huge dilated pupils) and had to stop. Unfortunately when I dropped from 10 to 2.5 mg, I only took 5mg for a couple of nights. (I didn't know about the serotonin discontinuation syndrome yet. Someone on another forum mentioned it, and if you don't know about it, pls stop and look it up on Wikipedia right now. It is real, proven by double blind studies, and more than a little disturbing.) Anyway, when I went from 10 to 2.5 mg I had a terrible nightmare that a friend died ( I was so shaken I called him when I woke up), I was really irritable and moody, abd crying at the drop of a hat. Anxiety and depression. This was NOT my prior state coming through. (Mine doesn't come on suddenly like a tsunami but slowly and insidiously so I don't notice I'm always vegged out in the dark.) So, I went back up to 5mg. I took it for weeks. During this I was able to orgasm again. Also I was not apathetic, and less drowsy, lethargic. Through still needed naps at least half the time. Still sore throat. Now, in tapering from 5 to 2.5, I have vicious headaches almost every afternoon and evening (maybe because it is lowest then since I take it at night?), my eyes feel weird, hurt, photosensitive, leaky and dialated, but I am significantly less lethargic. It is worth mentioning that I am very sensitive to medication, so bear that in mind. Every body is different. I've been taking lots of vitamins and ibuprofen has become a fairly regular thing. My pupils are still large/dialated in low light, sometimes in normal light, and I can't handle bright full sun. I may have had a tiny brain zap, but I'm not sure. Mainly killer headaches and eye issues. It hasn't been a full week yet, so I'm fighting through it. Hoping the weight loss happens on it's own for now. I'm exercising a couple of times a week. This time my mood has been stable, no crying or anxiety or nightmares. If you are tapering down, good luck to you. Hope this helps you know you're not the only one experiencing this.

going down 5% is too fast. If you get brain shocks, that is telling you it is too fast. You should reduce by 10% every month. Then after you finish - supplement with 5-HTP, Omega-3 and Vitamin B.
Take the 5-HTP for a couple of months, then you can taper it by going from 50mg to 25. But, 5-HTP is an all natural supplement, so you could continue to take it like a vitamin.

I have been off lexapro for about a month now... I feel ok at times but my mind starts to wander and I over think things so much... I get angry really quick and I hate wing bothered at times...the reason I weaned off was because I am pregnant... I am trying my best but it gets so hard at times... I don't know what else to do.. I go to a military hospital and they don't help that much to help me understand my situation.. Pls help...

Hi there, I've been off lexapro for about 3 weeks now. I weaned off it as the GPs say to do, however I'm more anxious than I was before I started them and I cry at random. I just feel terrible all the time and there is very little that can cheer me up. I went out to lunch and the whole train trip down I had this horrible feeling and I get to the restaurant and I hardly eat because I feel so anxious. I just want it to stop

I was on 20mg of lexapro and have weaned myself off it over a period of around 4 weeks. Now a month after my last tablet I am still experiencing withdrawal symptoms.  Unusually tired, hot and colds, mild headaches, not thinking clearly, cranky.  I am hoping the symptoms will start easing soon.  I also gained an excessive amount of weight since I started the tablet.  I wished I had read more up on lexapro before I listened to my Dr and started taking it.  I only started it due to some anxiety.

How long did this last? I am experiencing the exact same things. The nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are unbearable. I am almost two weeks out of being completely off a Lexapro from doing a two week taper. I just want to know how much longer. You are the only person I've seen who has experienced the nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea to the extreme like I have.

First, good to know that I am not alone. And silly as it sounds, calling it 'Crazy Meds' kind of makes me feel better since that is the underlying feeling I have anyway. 

I've been on 10mg Lexapro for about a year, gained 20 pounds, and was a lot easier to live with.  When I had only a few weeks pills left I cut them all in half.  I've got 3 little "pieces" left to take and I've been a complete jerk. It is like looking at the world through shi* colored glasses.  Not the glass half empty, but there isn't a glass - just a water ring where it wrecked the finish of the table where it once was.  Not surprisingly, my spouse has encouraged me to continue.  I am not eager to have to maintain drugs just to be a berable person, but I can feel this agitation, anxiety, negativity, lack of focus, almost paranoia, jealosy, straining nearly every relationship.  ..... I started because in the process of menopause thoughts of dying were a pleasant comforting thought. I don't think I was suicidal, but my perspective of life sucked.  SO... I don't really know if this current malaise is connected to my slow withdrawal of Lexapro - menopausal - or maybe I'm just a negative jerk and this is me.  I'm a little worried that I'll never get off Lexapro - and/or I'll fulfull my image of becoming a fat old lady.