I have taken Lexapro several times over the last 4 years. When your coming off for the first month or two it makes you feel NUTS!! to say the least - Nausea,Dizziness, brain zaps, headaches, you name it. Bottom line is when you started the Lexapro your system/brain adjust to the medicine. When you quit it has to adjust back to normal. Stick with it because you will be better off.
Dear ovrkllswife,
How long did it take for the dizziness to subside completely? I am in week 4 of cold turkey w/d and still dizzy.
thanks!
I have been weaning off for almost two months now. What happened to me is that after 8 years lexapro just stopped working. Doctor suggested 20 instead of 10, worse advice I have ever been given!! Now after three weeks on 20, two weeks on 10, now on 7 which I will stop after two weeks also. I am shaky every am, nausea throughout the day...so I take these great ginger candies I got from the health food store that really help with the nausea. My research on line has helped me more than my doctor ever could ! Determined to be Lexapro free in another month! Suffering still a bit with headaches but not feeling zombie like!!! Just flu like! Prayers and determined to free my body of this terrible drug!!!!!
I've been taking lexapro for over 7 months now and i just recently started to stop taking it due. I stopped cold turkey and I have to say it is the worst feeling in the world. I attend art school and i cant even sit down and focus on painting or anything. I stumble and have brain zaps throughout the whole day. I was on the highest dosage for severe anxiety and panic disorder. Im actually at school right now about to leave class due to th fact that i feel like im about to black out. I have smoked weed to try and see if it would help with the brain zaps and such and I have to say, it does. But sadly I cant smoke out every 24 hours so like I dont know what i am going to do. Im not sure if i should just get back on it for now. I wish luck to everyone who experiences these withdrawal symptoms because they are hell.
You should take a dose, and gradually decrease. Cold turkey is horrible!!! I am tapering off of my Lexapro that I have been on for years, and I found a site called The Road Back that has supplement recommendations to help, and they really do help. I take large doses of fish oil 2x a day that I think helps tremendously, and sip on Tulsi tea (very calming. great for anxiety)
Yes. I started taking Lexapro 5mg last year, then went to the 10mg for the past 6 months. I'm a 40yr old, active female. I weighed 135 (my normal-healthy weight) when I started. Almost a year later, I am just shy of 160. Very frustrating!!
I took it on Monday then stopped, today is Friday and I feel okay except a slight headache.
Hi i just read your post and i have been on meds over 15 years, been on lexapro for 4 years and stopped working the last year, was getting nausea, depression, anxiety, panic attacks so i went to my doc and he prescribed me with something else, i decided to stop cold turkey i was on 30mg down to 20mg for two weeks and then stopped it, it is day 11 and i feel like im in my own world, always tired, and anxious, get panick attacks and some days i get nausea, dont know how long this will last for but i know that being off them is better for me as i felt no effect of the lexapro towards the end, im 32, married and would like to start a family being drug free. Just wanted to know how u are coping now
You are experiencing rebound syndrome but I think it is really withdrawal syndrome.
It is usually a reflexion of the amount of serotonin receptors that are shut down as an adaptive response to excessive serotonin in your brain caused by the medication.
These medications (SSRI and SNRI) artificially increase serotonin in your brain and the brain has to adjust to toxic levels of serotonin.
If the medication is stopped abruptly and even slowly the low serotonin receptors are not capable of functioning properly causing electric zaps, crying spells, dizziness, lightheadedness, irritability, suicidal thoughts and behavior and impulsivity. These symptoms does not mean you need the medication but the opposite, it is changing your brain, careful you can easily be re-diagnosed as Bipolar if the Doctor does not know about this phenomena.
It depends, how long/what dose how fast you decrease it.
Usually up to a month but sx improve progressively. The increase in serotonin receptors take 2 weeks to happen, for the first 2 weeks the symptoms can be prominent.
Flu-like symptoms are part of the rebound syndrome as well as fibromyalgia that became epidemic after the introduction of SSRI (Prozac 1985).
After 8 years there is a risk of permanent and irreversible decrease in serotonin receptors, check for Tardive dysphoria also go to Dr. Healy and SSRI withdrawal.
Exercise helps a lot, L-tryptophan or 5-HTP, SAM-e can support you off the SSRIs and avoiding them in the future will prevent further worsening of the serotonin system
THC is not a good strategy, it is now link with a bad rebound syndrome also. The strength of THC is almost double what it use to be and the discontinuation is nasty, also we are seen more psychotic episodes.
I have been taking Lexapro 20 mg for 4 years. I want to wean myself off - I missed my dosage for two days because the mail was slow and my pills didn't arrive. Those were possibly some of the worst two days in my life. I had a headache, severe anxiety, physically noted in my chest - I felt like I was having a heart attack. I was also extremely dizzy and had so much problem concentrating it wasn't funny. I was also very weepy. I started back on the 20 mg two days ago and I do feel better, however, I'm still jittery and have pressure on my chest. I hate this drug and want to get off of it. Please help me with ideas on how to wean myself.
You're scaring me. i'm on 20mgs of the stuff and have decided I don't want it anymore. Help!
Iam in withdrawal after eight years of Lexapro 10mg. Working on it for 8 months and now down to 4 mg. my doctor has me on a weaning schedule that will end in October. So I have 4 more months to go! Take a good probiotic also a good enzyme! Good Luck to you. My prayers and faith keeping me sane, I do sleep okay thank God. If not for that I would be a basket case for sure!