Stopping Lexapro

I have been on Lexapro for over 10 years.  I have tried to stop several times, but the side effects were just too much.  Rather than shoot my husband, I just kept taking it.  But I retired in February, and my medical insurance ceased.  We are paying for a private plan and it is very expensive.  The prescription portion is horrible.  I went to pick up a 3 month supply of Lexapro a few days ago and it was going to cost $450!  No way - I told them to just keep it.  So I am basically going cold turkey.  I am dizzy and cranky.  But I have told my friends what is going on, and I know if it gets too bad, they are there to support me.  I am not going to die, even though I might feel like it, and I WILL get through it!

i am taking lexapro 25 days then i have a headace so i stop taking for the 4th days still i have a headace.

Thank you for posting. I know this is many years later...but I am feeling the same. I want to be free of the Lexapro. It just doesn't seem like it is worth all the side effects while taking it!!! I am suffering from the withdrawal symptoms but have hope that one day I will be done with it all!

I have been on Lexapro for over 8 years.  Every time I miss 2 doses I almost feel I am going to explode and my dizziness is terrible.  I only take 10 mg but have tried many times to stop.  I wish I had never gone on this drug.  I have massive ups and downs while trying to quite.  The emotional trauma is maddening.   I changed doctors thinking a new doctor would trya nd let me get off the Lexapro.  No luck.  I'm not a nut case.  I manage a Utility and many employees but cannot afford to take weeks off work to get over this.  Any suggestions?

You should always take your doctors advice. My doctor told me that when i am ready, i should reduce by 5 mgs for about 1 and a half to 2 weeks and when i get passed the stage of 5 mgs to start taking it every other day for another week and a half to 2 weeks and after that stop completely. Never ever go cold turkey. It can get you very sick physically and cause you to relapse mentally.

I myself have been struggling to get off my lexipro it is by far one of the hardest thing im coping with..I havent takin it for a couple weeks now and am having shock feelings and massiv3 mood swings but I did sone looking up and am now tryin vitamin s to help with my side effects ...omega 3 fish oil im taking 3 in the morn and 3 more in the noon time each day for about a week then 1 in 5he morn and 1 in the noon t8me after that for dizzyness and the shock feeling.....vitamin b for mood swings...and melatonin for sleep at night....cut back on caffeine and eat right ...and lots of possitive thinking ...I kbow it might sound crazy to u but whats it hurt to try vitamin s r good for u anyways ...but from experience lexipro sucks coming off of I know. Look it up if u like thats what other websites recommend. ..if you try ket me know how it works for you

This is a follow up on my earlier post.  I have now been off Lexapro for several months and am doing well.  At first, I had a lot of dizziness and headaches, but those finally went away.  I am finding I have more energy, and I am requiring a lot less sleep.  Before, I had trouble getting up in the morning and almost couldn't make it through the day without a power nap.  But now I wake up early and have enough energy to last all day.  I am so glad I made the decision to get off of it.  I basically did it cold turkey, not recommended, I know, but through lots of prayer, I made it.

Wow, be very careful with valium. It can cause severe depression in some people. Dr's seem to give one pill just to cure the side effects from the other. Try excercise, any type sport you like! Try the supplement S.A.M.E., it does work, of course docs will say it doesn't. Some people do need to be medicated, not 1 out of 3 that walks out of a Dr's office. Remember, they get samples from the distributors and have lunches sent into them from drug reps....... It is in their best interest to keep people drugged up! Not all docs, there are some good ones out there.

I have been taking Lexapro for almost 10 yrs as well..I've been on 20mg for that long pretty much. I wonder sometimes if I don't need more due to I feel like sometimes it's not working. But I don't want to go up in dosage, it has helped me for the most part and my moods have stabilized. I wonder if I've been on it too long? and how long should you take it?

Hi I was on Lexapro for 6 month. Doctor prescribed me 20 mg /day. But I thought that that would be too much as I first started with 10 mg and it was working and so I asked my doctor to be able to stay on 10 mg/day-- she approved. after taking it for 5 months, I realized that it was slowing me down quite a bit. Even after I started reducing to 5 mg/day, I felt slow and became less creative.

Now let me tell you why I was taking it-- because I was suffering from anxiety which was causing stuttering when I speak (also I am a stutterer, a light one)

Finally, one day I started to think that, I should stop everything-- no med, no caffeine (I was somewhat a heavy coffee drinker). At the same time I started taking vitamin B complex (1/2 a tablet/day), vitamin D, Fish Oil (1-2). This improved my situation tremendously.

 

Also, I was informed by a relative that taking homeopathy medicine like Lycopodium and Kali Phos helps. I know Kali Phos helps as I took it before. But I think Lycopodium works like lexapro. But I don't take them regularly. Only once in a while as I feel needed. These medication has no side effects and works great and you can get them from 1-800homeopathy.

 

Anyway, I am just describing my experience and not suggesting that you do the same as I have described above. I feel that at the end of the day Lexapro or any other conventional medication does not give you what you need permanently.

 

And BTW, I eat my fruits and vegetables. And be careful having too much veggies at night as it will impact my sleep.

I've been on 20mgs of Lexapro for about 10 years.  Yeah, it sucks, but it did get me through some rough times.  I've managed to halve my dose in the past, and I'm down to 10 mg now.  I find it very, very difficult to quit.  I've done it by cutting back 5 mgs at a time for 4 weeks per level.  I notice that I'm becoming a bit impatient.  A few years ago, I tried to quit completely...made it, but after about two weeks, I had to start up again.  My anger was like a flash point.... I wanted to assault stupid drivers, etc.  My therapist warned me that it might be a permanent brain change.... I find that heartbreaking.  If I had know before I started, I would have gone right into talk therapy, which is what helped me the most anyway.

I hate the sexual side effects.  As a male, the delayed ejaculation morphed into serious performance anxiety.  Yeah, you can last and last, but when you get so close and then the feeling just fades, man, that's the worst.  I tried testosterone therapy, and while that helped somewhat, that has it's own set of side-effects.   So I've quit the T-gel and am struggling to get off (ha ha, great choice of words) Lexapro.  Enough witch's brew of chemicals for me.

I also did stop cold turkey but after one year I had such a major reaction that I nearly died as I was unable to sleep for 9 days. Boy just don it gradually and be very very happy and busy and try to have lots of loved one do your daily exercise etc. Now I am back on it for 6 years and cant go even out of the country thinking where would I get my medications I take 5 different ones I live day to day and fight with many side effects daily

I have been on Lexapro for about 5 years.  I started because I would get anxiety and panic attacks that wouldn't go away.  My neck and back would get tense and just make me miserable to the point where I would get bouts of depression.  Nothing suicidal or anything but just a constant low mood along with the anxiety.

Doc says take this stuff and it will make you feel better.

I have to say that the medicine did pull me out of it.  15mg seemed to work the best for me.  I also (thought I) liked not letting things get to me.  My kids wouldn't get on my nerves like they used to, things at work wouldn't bother me.  It definitely narrowed the emotional extremes.  I wouldn't get the lows but at the same time I wouldn't get the highs.

The bad side I found was some wreckless behaviour in terms of spending money.  For a while anyway.  We all have toys or something we would really like to buy.  It made me feel great for a while.  New jetski?  Holy c**p show me where to sign the papers....  That kind of faded out after a while and since most loans are 5 years I've got some really cool stuff now that is almost paid off.

Also, alcohol.  Man I got cravings for alcohol.  I couldn't feel the emotional highs unless I drank.  It didn't become a problem for me as I would just drink when I got home from work but I really enjoyed it.  I never get drunk or anything but I needed my beers when I got home.

So I've been taking this medicine for years and probably wouldn't think twice about taking it for the rest of my life.  I really never got any horrible side effects or anything.  However..... I've been working on getting my private pilots certificate so I can fly planes.  My dad was a pilot (who also has anxiety and panic attacks) so I grew up flying ever since I was a kid.  My dad lost his medical that allows him to fly because he came down with diabetes.  So I started taking lessons.   I'm really good at it.  I didn't feel the medicine impacted me at all.  I research on the FAA site and Lexapro is a medicine that can be approved.  So here I am ready to fly solo and I go to get my medical and pass everything with flying colors, except the medications question.  Now my application has to go to the FAA for approval.  Two months later I hear a reply... denied.  They want me to be monitered for 12 months and go through a battery of tests that are going to cost as much as getting my private pilots certificate.  I'm pissed.  I want off this medicine.

So I've gone from 15mg to 0 in a matter of 5 days.  I've got major mood swings, tired, anxious, headaches... Really vivid dreams.  I sleep OK but the dreams are interesting.  Not bad but really vivid.  This is my second day off the stuff so it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride right now.  I've been going to the chiropracter alot and that really helps with the tension.  I feel great when I leave there.  I think as long as I can keep the anxiety and tension under control I should be alright.  I've got some goals to shoot for and that is helping.  I find that if I keep busy and take my mind off feeling like c**p it really helps.

I'll let you all know how I make out.

I have been on Lexapro for nearly 4 years and have just weaned myself off it under the advice of my doctor. In the first days without it I had the worst headache I've ever experienced in my life. I told my husband I thought my head was going to explode.. but he gave me a tea and some ginger water and I took some Mersyndol and passed out. I thought I was going to die. I have been dizzy every day since and actually only found this thread as I googled 'is it normal to have dizziness coming off Lexapro". Boy I'm glad I found this! I thought I was going to die of a brain tumour!

 

Thank you to everyone who has posted, now I know I'll be ok. :o)

I was on 20 mg for one year, then 15 for the following year.  Two weeks ago i started to wean off it (dropped to 10 mg for one week, then 5 mg for one week).  It has been 2 days without any Lexapro.  I have a minor stomach upset and quite a bit of light-headedness (like someone said earlier, it feels like my brain has to catch up when i turn to look at something).  I'm sleeping alright, but not too soundly.  I still wake up tired but this is getting better.  I have not noticed any mood changes or headaches.  All in all, i'm not too worried about the side effects and happy i'm ready to get off this medication.