I have been on 10mg of Cipralex/Escitalopram for roughly 8 months. I was put on it for severe anxiety/depression and ocd. I feel a lot better now and can't really except some of the sexual side effects the cipralex causes. I was thinking about weaning my self off the cipralex. Going down 2.5mg every week. I was wondering if I did this if I would be able to completely avoid withdrawal symptoms? I was also wondering if the original anxiety symptoms I was suffering from before I was taking the cipralex will just return after I have weaned my self off it?
Is cipralex withdrawal symptoms that bad?
Question posted by andyw1991 on 2 Nov 2014
Last updated on 12 April 2019
3 Answers
Nannyru
16 May 2017
I was on cipralex 15mg for a year for GAD. I see all the chats on many websites on how people have tried to get off SSRIs and failed or suffered greatly. I had 0 problems. my doctor is a genius! I am sharing a schedule with you that worked for me. We are all in a hurry and want things to happen now which is why we fail under these circumstances. I had all the difficult symptoms getting on the drug and believe me I was not going to risk getting them back by taking any chances or rushing my withdrawal. You have to be patient. This schedule retrains your brain to get back on its own schedule chemically speaking. I just finished my last week and am drug free now. Here is the schedule. Starting at 10mg it will take 28 weeks for example. Reduce by 2.5 mg every 7 weeks.
Week 1- 6 days at 10 mg, 1 day at 7.5 mg
Week 2- 5 days at 10, 2days at 7.5
Week 3- 4 days at 10, 3 days at 7.5
Week 4- 3 days at 10, 4 days at 7.5
Week 5- 2 days at 10, 5 days at 7.5
Week 6- 1 day at 10, 6 days at 7.5
Week 7- 7 days at 7.5
Week 8- 6 days at 7.5, 1 day ar 5
Weeks 9 to 14 follow the schedule
Week 15- 6 days at 5, 1day at 2.5
Weeks 15 to 21 follow the schedule
Week 22- 6 days at 2.5, 1 day no pill
Week 28 you are finished.
abmpu
12 April 2019
Hi Nannyru,
One of my family member est facing the same issue. He has been taking cipralex for many years and decided to quit all of a sudden. The doctor told me to quit gradually. I'm looking at your schedule, thanks for sharing it.
Question regarding Week 22 and Week 28. You say:
Week 22- 6 days at 2.5, 1 day no pill
Week 28 you are finished.
What about week 23 to 27, is it the same schedule(6 days at 2.5, 1 day no pill) ?
Then from week 28 no pill?
Inactive
22 May 2015
I have been on Cipralex 10 mg for about 7 months, my Pysch, therapist and I all agreed to let me try to get off.
1 week at 5mg, then nothing.
At day 9 without Cipralex my world crashed.. emotions went nuts, anxiety peaked,raging headaches day and night, blurry swimming vision, odd lightheadedness, poor sleep, filled with terrors.
I could barely function so I got in to see my team ASAP, I went back on that day.
I wont be trying that again until I am REALLY ready and will be going down much much mroe slowly and for a long time. I hear 6-8 weeks is much easier to deal with.
GL!
balbanese
3 Nov 2014
Most folks flop when they wean themselves off because they have no idea how long it actually takes. I can say this because I was one of them, and I lost 9 months of my life and screwed up 3 years more of it doing that very thing (not with the med you mention here).
After 8 months you would need a supervised 2-3, 3-4 months to get off it without most of the withdrawal misery. Completely avoid? Maybe, if you take the months and keep the Dr involved the WD can be dramatically reduced.
Related topics
depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, escitalopram, withdrawal, side effect, symptom, cipralex
Further information
- Escitalopram uses and safety info
- Escitalopram prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Escitalopram (detailed)
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