[auntybiotic]

In many tapering off of lexapro.................about the three to six month mark the "dapressive feelings seem to be returning" but many that have waited it out have found that this again was part of the emotional portion of the withdrawal and that it does go away on its own.

I am sure many others felt that their depression returned and went back on the lexapro and did not wait it out. Again the choice is between you and your physicaian but many have found that the depression withdrawals lift after a few months.

[kimberoo]

I hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July!

As of today, my husband has been on 7.5 mg for 8 days. I wish that I could say that he feels 100% better, but I can't. He pretty much wakes up dizzy and it either passes or it gets worse. He usually has 1 good day and then 1 bad day. I try to remind him that the having a good day every other day is something to be happy about. He's not easily convinced, and because he is still suffering withdrawal ( it has been 2 weeks and 3 days since this all began), he is still not convinced that it is only the Lexapro wreaking havoc on him. He's afraid that b/c we are putting the blame on the Lexapro that we could possibly overlooking something. His fear is his worst enemy. He's still not driving and goes no where without me. He feels safest at home, the least amount of stimulation, I think. He's kept himself busy though, he's been doing things around the house and yard and seems to do well for the most part until he settles down and relaxes, that's when the effects usually worsen. Aunty I agree with you, I'm gonna taper much slower than I had mentioned, I just want this to be over and am losing patience myself. After reinstating, how much times usually passes before a person feels relatively normal again? Is 8 days too soon? I need him to realize that what he is experiencing is normal, I guess the fact that he had been on SSRI's since 1994 convinces him that he is worse than anyone else and it will take much longer than most people for him to feel better, or that his withdrawals are more pronounced in both quantity of symptoms and severity of symptoms. He would love to find someone on here who has been on SSRI's for 10 or more years, have you ever known of anyone?

Take Care!!
Kimberoo

[laurafish919]

Helpme58

I hope everything works out for you. I'm sorry this is a sad week for you. I'm really sorry you lost your husband. That is the sort of thing I imagine needing something like lexapro for. I hope your son enjoys college. Best wishes to you.

[tavee]

Joslyn- You And I Are In The Same Boat My Darling!!

I Was On 10mg Of Lex For 3 Years For Postpartum. My Son Is Now 4 And I Am 37. My Hubby And I Would Like To Have Another Child. That Is One Reason I Am Trying To Go Off Lex. Today I Am At 1.5 Ml. I Have Been Tapering Since October So It Has Been Almost 8 Months.

I, Too, Feel The Same Way About My Age. I Probably Wont Get Pregnant (god Willing) Till 2008 Which Would Make Me 38 And By The Time I Deliver I Will Be Around 39. So My Darling U Are Not Alone In This. I Think Better Safe With The Slow Taper Than Sorry. I Want To Be Able To Be Sane When I Am Pregnant And Lex Free, And Of Course After I Give Birth. I Am Fearful Of Becoming Depressed Again Also.
, But I Will Try My Damnest Not To Take Anything Again Unless It Is A Life Or Death Situation. I Will Continue To Take My Supplements And Try To Do Everything Naturally.
This Friday I Will Try To Speed Up The Taper(not Much). I Will Go From 1.5 To 1.3. Now According To My Calculations, If I Can Do It This Way, Then I Will Be Lex Free In 14 Weeks Which Brings Us To September Or So.

Now My Suggestion(and Again I Am Not A Doctor, This Is From My Personal Experience), If U Are Truly In A Hurry, Check Out The Road Back Program. This Is A Program Which Can Help U Get Off This Quickly And Safely But With Supplements. If U Can Afford The Supplements (its Not That Expensive), Then Try That Or Else Stick Around With Me And We Can Go Thru This Together And I Can Guide U Thru It.

Can U Give Me A Summary Of What Dose U Are On Now? U Never Know, There Are Other Ways To Go Off It Quickly And Safely And U Might Not Suffer That Much.
The Beginning Is Not Bad. I Went From 10 To 7 For 2 Weeks, Then 5, And So On , But Then I Slowed Down Cuz When U Get To The Lower Numbers, U Feel It More Until Ure Body Gets Used To That Dose And Then U Move On.

Again, I Am Not A Doctor So Please Consult Ure Physician Before U Attempt Anything. These Are All Suggestions From My Personal Experiences.

Please Let Me Know If I Can Help With Anything Else.

We Are In This Together. I Am Counting The Days That I Can Finish And Move On With My Life To Bring A New Life Into This World!! Lexapro Is The Only Thing Stopping Me.

Take Care
Tavee

[sweet-thang]

I have been on ssri's for over 10 years...between 13 and 14 years...I'm 38 years old. I'm tapering from 5mgs....right now I'm on 4 mgs...

I would also like to hear from people who have been on long term and have the fear that if you've been on a long time, that perhaps there is permanant damage?

Anyone care to comment? Aunty--do you know of anyone who has been on ssri's for over 10 years and went off and was able to be "normal" again?

[ankah]

I was on 20 mg and then i was taken down to 10 for a few months to see if that would decrease the weight gain. It didnt' and it didn't seem to be helping my depression either. I was told to wean off the 10 mg over 3 weeks. I was supposed to take vary every day with 10 mg and 5 mg. then for one week i was supposed to take only the 5 mg and then for the 3rd week i was supposed to take the 5 mg every other day. I was so frustrated with the whole thing I didn't do the 5 mg every other day and just quit when i got down to 5 mg. I did get some withdrawls each time i cut down. been off it for 2 weeks now and feel like a mess. Not sure how much is Lexapro related and how much isn't. reading here I think it's lexapro. I feel emotionally all over the place, having crying spells and mood swings!!!!! I didn't get the dizziness that i know of but i have another medical condition that can cause me to get dizzy so who knows. I am also completely irritable. I mean seriously badly irritable! it was so bad i even took a pregnancy test!!!!!!! I have heard of pregnant woman saying they are very emotional. It was negative so it's DEFINITELY the lexapro.

[auntybiotic]

It usually takes two to three weeks to stabalize after a taper but you must realize that what your husband did was just not a normal taper. It could take him 4 to 6 weeks to stabalize.

I still wonder if the dizziness is from a adverse interaction with the blood pressure/ heart medication and lexapro........the data said severe dizziness like fainting. Isn't there ANY other medication that the doctor can give him to rule out that interaction?

You may want to Order Online the Bach Flower Essence in White Chestnut for his excessive worrying. It certainly may help.

There are many that have been on SSRI's as well as antipsychotics for 10 to 20 years that have gotten off safely. If you apply to join Yahoo Group WITHDRAWAL AND RECOVERY the forum creator/advisor, Catherine is a VERY WELL informed person who has helped thousands get off similiar medications for the past twenty years. You must apply and be accepted to become a part of this forum but there are many that have been on SSRI's for 10 to 20 years that got off safely with the help of Catherine. It is not a "public forum" as this is. Each person on the WITHDRAWAL AND RECOVERY site explains their story as to why they need help getting off SSRI's and applies..............if accepted you will become a part of the group. As I said, Catherine is extremely knowledgable about every aspect of SSRI's and has gotten people off of SSRI's and similiar medications for twenty years.

Once again I am not a doctor and any suggestion should be checked out with your physician.

[Hopeful 285]

Originally Posted by elizabethmaria

GUESS WHAT! ITS COMING OUT!!! The knowledge about ssri's, benzos, etc.. an all this stuff -- really! My mom is a dietician, and she just went to one of her required training updates/ you know, classes for continuing education credits that you have to keep doing in the health field. Actually, she just went to two -- both on the brain, and one on the addictive brain.. the talked a lot about DRUGS.. especially ssri's/antidepressents, how they are just like cocaine, acting on neurotransmitters, and causing DANGEROUS chemical imbalances in people -- the woman said antidepressants are THE WORST way to attempt to treat depression, and basically don't work AT ALL, except in revving up the adrenal glands so you think you feel better. She talked about how drugs such as ssris, benzos, cocaine, heroin, etc. all act by saturating the system, and this results in the dying off of neurons in the brain - how extraordinarily dangerous this is... - obviously we all know this here, but this was at a big conference!! How very very dangerous it is, how they 'mask' what is actually going on in the brain, how they penetrate that blood brain barrier that is there for our protection, and cause movement and all kinds of masked disorders deep within the brain. She also mentioned that drug damage of this kind often causes bleeding deep within the brain, but it is not found by the doctors normally...YES!!!!!!! whoo hoo! She is a great teacher and expert, and travels to consult at all the major drug rehab centers around the country.. the other conference was on other brain things... very good, and also soo down on ssri's too -- though they didn't go into as much detail that time..

People do HAVE to understand that doctors will tell you that you have a chemical imbalance that needs fixing. What they do not say, is that that was a THEORY, a quite old one, that has never been proven - you can research the theory, but even to this day, they have never actually measured a 'chemical imbalance' of that kind, in patients entering a psychiatric unit - they do know however, as the expert above spoke about, that powerful psychiatric neuroleptic and recreational drugs and alcohol do ALTER the balance of neurotransmitters, to dangerous effects in the brain. That is what much of the conference was about. There is no 'test' for a 'chemical imbalance' in the brain - because there is no way to test what is happening in the synapses of your neurons yet, therefore there also is no 'standard' to compare one person to another too. this info is widely known, and more info can be found at other sites...however, by 'stressing' the body, and raising doubling the cortisol levels (which is well known that ssri's do this) the 'patient' does feel 'better' -

My mom talked to her about my reaction, and how I'm still having seizures, etc.. she was like - "of course" totally understood why it was doing this - my neurons were destroyed, and its all misfiring -

Funny thing is now when I say I have a headache, which is most of the time, my mom's now like - - oh, I know what's happening, you're brain is bleeding, oh no!.... I'm like.. thanks mom, really makes me feel a whole lot better

The speaker talked about withdrawal too - though couldn't go into everything, as she was talking about many different drugs, and addictions of different kinds...
Anyways, it was so nice to hear my MOM telling me all these things -- I was like, uh hum.. yes, I know! But sometimes when family hear's the doctors/experts telling them, it makes it more understandable...


I had another TERRIBLE morning, I was absolutely certain I wouldn't make it, but here I am! the weakness, awful, depression awful, then it all lifts for no reason, and I'm at work, suitably wasting time I hope it doesn't get worse, it can't or I will not make it, but maybe some of the worst is past, I hope... Please pray for me, at least not to have anything bad happen in the am!
Ok, need to get some things done here.. take care, sorry that I'm blubbering away, I just can't believe I"M STILL ALIVE !
blessings,
Elizabethmarie

OH, YES, I am NOT a doctor,... but, the conference speaker was, a PhD expert - so I was just sharing what the expert said...

Elizabethmaria,
I just read this. This is really great! I have to print this.
I hope you are feeling much much better. I sent to an email.

[Hopeful 285]

Hi MH4,
I will check on which books give information on the thyroid attacks of antidepressants and let you know.
I am very new to this Hashimoto's thing but I have read so far that 200 micrograms of selenium helps slow it down. This antioxidant can be toxic if you have over 400 micrograms.
2 brazil nuts a day supply what we need. I discovered that one of the Tropicana orange juices has selenium in it.
Right now I am on no medication. My hormones have tested normal but I have the antibodies and nodules.
I have been moving very slow this week. My legs give out. I feel very tired. I get dizzy and I have vertigo.
What symptoms do you or have you had? Are you able to live a normal life on the synthroid? I read that alot of people like the medication Armour.
I developed the Hashimoto's at the same time as I was dealing with the Lexapro problems. I can tell the difference between the Lexapro and the Hashimoto problems.
If you can tell me anything at all about what you have dealt with having this disease, I would so much appreciate it.

[srclady]

Sweet-thang Re: Anger/Irritability, etc...

I know exactly what you mean about the physical anger reaction and the adrenaline. It is like you have no control and need to punch or throw something just to release the intense and immediate build up inside. And, for me it is usually something really stupid that pushes me over the edge. I am still on my prescribed 10mg lexapro dose and this has been happening to me on and off for the last 3 years. I will say that it is most often a problem near the time for my period or when I was pregnant, but I never had this kind of explosive anger issue before lexapro and I have been on it for 3 years and 6 months now. I'm sure it has to do with hormones somewhat but the "Lex-Effect" cannot be denied.
-srclady

[HelpMe58]

Aunty Biotic
Have you heard how long it takes to lose this excess weight that I gained because of the Lexapro? I have gained about 30 pounds and I have been totally off the medication for two weeks. My doctor says it takes two weeks to get it out of your system but I have ceased to believe doctors about the Lexapro subject.
Thanks
HelpMe

[mh4]

Originally Posted by Hopeful 285

Hi MH4,
I will check on which books give information on the thyroid attacks of antidepressants and let you know.
I am very new to this Hashimoto's thing but I have read so far that 200 micrograms of selenium helps slow it down. This antioxidant can be toxic if you have over 400 micrograms.
2 brazil nuts a day supply what we need. I discovered that one of the Tropicana orange juices has selenium in it.
Right now I am on no medication. My hormones have tested normal but I have the antibodies and nodules.
I have been moving very slow this week. My legs give out. I feel very tired. I get dizzy and I have vertigo.
What symptoms do you or have you had? Are you able to live a normal life on the synthroid? I read that alot of people like the medication Armour.
I developed the Hashimoto's at the same time as I was dealing with the Lexapro problems. I can tell the difference between the Lexapro and the Hashimoto problems.
If you can tell me anything at all about what you have dealt with having this disease, I would so much appreciate it.

Dear Hopeful,
When I was first diagnosed, I was feeling a little anxious and a little tightness of breath, first thing my family dr. checked was my thyroid and he felt nodules and I got an ultrasound and sure enough had diffuse nodules. That was really my only symptoms. around the same time, I think a year after, I went on effexor and felt like it helped with my low grade chronic depression. I have been on and off effexor since my mom died in 1996. I am now 37 years old. It was just the past year or so that I have been on Lexapro and as I was starting to feel like I wanted to go off the lexapro , I tapered myself off from 20mg. to 10mg. to 5mg and then off and I did this over a month and was in really bad shape for about 6 weeks (see my previous post about that nightmare).
anyway, back to the hashimotos. it is hard for me to know what is hashimotos and what is depression, what is the lexapro effects, and what is weight gain and sore joints and sore muscles from being very overweight. I am the heaviest that I have ever been in my life and so I just don't know what is causing what symptoms. some issues i have that could be hashimotos is hair loss, tiredness, fatigue, fuzzy /spacey feeling, low blood sugar issues.
I honestly have not put in my time to research synthroid, I feel like I am a bit blindly on it. I thought I shoudl be on Armor, but my blood levels are fine and they have been fine for the 5 or 6 years that I have had hashimotos and have been on synthroid. I would really like to be off all pharmacueticals eventually but I am really not sure getting off synthroid is a good idea until i really research it well. right now, I am focusing on figuring out a VERY SLOW tapering plan for getting off the lexapro.
my sister has hashimotos and she has alot more bad symptoms, sore back, achy joints all the time, tired all the time, ringing in her ears, swishing in her ears (she is worried she has minaire's disease - also an auto immune disorder). I worry that she has undiagnosed lupus or some other immune disorders.
anyway, I am not sure I helped but Mary Shomon's website seems like a good resource although I honestly really need to learn alot more about hashimotos, it is just that life takes over and I also don't like to focus on my ailments, so I neglect being as informed as I can be.
Tell me more of your understandings of your hashimotos.
mh4

[kimberoo]

Aunty

Thank you for the information, I just got finished signing up for that group. I know that you're absolutely right about the Sectral. If anything I have always told him that both meds cause dizziness and that he needs to do away with one of them b/c the combo of them both was not good. He says that he needs the Sectral b/c the palps are too terrible to live with on a daily basis. The Lexapro is the one that he needs to get rid of. If we stop the Sectral (which is another that can't be stopped cold turkey) and continue the tapers with the Lex he may get some relief, I agree with you, but then if the palpitations worsen? I don't know which is the best route to go, and the docs all think that we're crazy when we start talking about drug interactions. Remember the one who said that his computer wouldn't even allow him to write the script if there were any interactions?...that was for the Elavil! So, today we went to pick up the liquid Lexapro....$172!!! Our insurance won't cover it, go figure. Even the pharmacist started questioning us as to why we needed the liquid form and we told her it was slow tapering, she said that the therapeutic effect of Lexapro begins at 10 mg so he could just stop with no effects unless of course he is just really sensitive.......I just wanted to scream and didn't feel like explaining anything else to her, I've learned that they're all the same. How do we inform people that this is a reality without being ridiculed? Maybe, a big maybe, we'll see how another week goes and if he still doesn't feel better maybe we should try to stop the Sectral, but that is in capsule form and at the lowest dose available. I already know that if we talk to his cardiologist he'll poo-poo our reasons for wanting to do so. It seems that everywhere we turn we hit a brick wall. Is your daughter back from France yet? How is she managing while overseas? My daughter leaves for Italy in 10 days, I dread being away from her for so long (40 days). We were supposed to go as a family but there is no way that my husband could fly like this. Take care and thank you as always!

Kimberoo

[kimberoo]

Originally Posted by sweet-thang

I have been on ssri's for over 10 years...between 13 and 14 years...I'm 38 years old. I'm tapering from 5mgs....right now I'm on 4 mgs...

I would also like to hear from people who have been on long term and have the fear that if you've been on a long time, that perhaps there is permanant damage?

Anyone care to comment? Aunty--do you know of anyone who has been on ssri's for over 10 years and went off and was able to be "normal" again?

You say that you are tapering from 5 mg? Were you always on 5 mgs of Lexapro from the beginning or a higher dose? I reread your previous posts to get caught up and you speak of sexual problems and anger. My husband is definitely high stress & high anxiety but he keeps his anger in check and he's never had any sexual side effects, THANK GOD!! He was only ever depressed once when his father died and I truly think that the Paxil (at the time) helped him, but the closest he has ever come to being depressed since then is now. The frustration of waking up every day with severe dizziness and heaviness and not knowing whether today will turn into a good day or bad day. All I can do is remind him of how bad he was 2 weeks ago. His effects are all in his head (I don't mean that he's crazy) I mean that it's the dizziness, the depersonalization (if that what it is when he can't go into large public places), the tremors, heaviness and zaps and shocks. They all affect him at different times, at his worst he had "all" of these sensations "all" the time. I'll be interested in seeing how you come along, please keep us informed. I appreciate knowing there are others that have been on these as long as him. Thanks!!
Kimberoo

[auntybiotic]

By all means I would NEVER suggest that your husband stop the Sectral. My suggestion was to show the DRUG INTERACTION info to your doctor or pharmacist. Sectral should NOT have been prescribed with lexapro.
There, most likely, is another blood pressure/heart medication in another class that would not interact with the lexapro that possibly your husband's doctor can prescribe in Sectral's place.

With Sectral your husband's blood pressure and pulse should be mononitored regularly by his physician to make sure it is not a low pulse and low blood pressure that DO CAUSE dizziness.

In all probability, your husband's extreme dizziness is caused by the lexapro and sectral interaction which is CLEARLY EXPLAINED on the attached link............... that the side effects of Sectral and Lexapro may be dizziness even fainting.

I will post links.............. Print one of the interaction ones out and ask your doctor WHY HE IS NOT AWARE OF THE LEXAPRO TO SECTRAL INTERACTION THRU THE P 450 SYSTEM....................your husband is sufferening possibly due to his doctor's lack of keeping informed about drug interactions. Show this info to his cardiologist and see if he poo poo's what is written out in a FDA approved nationwide drug interaction list!!!!! It seems a physician should be able to lose their license for continuing to prescribe a medication that a patient is suffering interactions from.

http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/sec1396.htm

http://www.medicationadvisor.com/sid...ts/Sectral.htm

Drug Interactions Checker
BackDrug interaction results for the following 2 drug(s):

escitalopram (lexapro)
acebutolol (sectral)

Interactions between your selected drugs
acebutolol and escitalopram (Moderate Drug-Drug)



MONITOR: The concomitant administration of agents with hypotensive effects and psychotherapeutic agents (e.g., anxiolytics, sedatives, hypnotics, antidepressants, antipsychotics), narcotic analgesics, alcohol, or muscle relaxants may additively increase hypotensive and/or central nervous system depressant effects.

MANAGEMENT: During concomitant use of these drugs, patients should be monitored for hypotension and excessive or prolonged CNS depression. Ambulatory patients should be made aware of the possibility of additive effects (e.g., drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion, orthostasis, fainting) and be cautioned about driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous tasks, and to arise slowly from a sitting or lying position. Patients should also be advised to notify their doctor if they experience excessive side effects that interfere with their normal activities, or dizziness and fainting.

The interaction between Sectral and Lexapro is COMMON KNOWLEDGE so ask your doctor WHY HE IS NOT AWARE OF IT AND WHY YOUR HUSBAND SHOULD SUFFER FROM EXTREME DIZZINESS BECAUSE OF IT!!!!!!!!!!

Please take your husband"s pulse and blood pressure twice daily, Morning and evening and let your doctor know the reading. I am sure they will be extremely low that is most likely why he has dizziness.................due to slow heartbeat and low blood pressure due to the lexapro and sectral interaction.
There are many beta blockers and various medications for blood presure and heart palpitations on the market.............why not try one THAT DOES NOT INTERACT WITH LEXAPRO!!!!!!!!!!!


I am not a doctor so please show the links to your doctor to keep him informed of info he should already know. Also please do NOT assume because your doctor prescribed the medications together that they are safe.............many serious drug interactions occur because of human ignorance. Again I am not a docor but please feel free to inform your doctor of the interactions that you discovered between lexapro and sectral and see what his response will be.

Your husband should NOT stop the Sectral .........but a physician can change it to a similiar drug without a interaction!!!

[auntybiotic]

In my opinion, lexapro causes weight gain because it intereferes with the metobolism and cortisol levels. High cortisol levels cause cravings for carbs and sugarey foods.................combined with slower metabolism equals weight gain.

After stopping lexapro and the body begins to heal and function again as pre lexapro use..................then the weight should stabalize. This can take up to six months in many cases.

I do think to lose weight you may need to exercise and burn calories just as if the weight loss was typical excess pounds wanting to lose. I do not think the pounds will MAGICALLY drop off because you stopped lexapro.................... unless your intake of calories is lower and/or you burn more calories by exercising.

Once again this is my opinion from speaking to lexapro users. I am not a doctor so please check with your doctor before you follow anyone's suggestions on the internet.

[sweet-thang]

Kimberoo--

Yes, I"ve been on 5 mgs of lex as my standard dose and am going down from that. I guess I'm sensitive to drugs, because 10 mgs was way too much for me...I was practically catatonic on it...very sleepy and unmotivated. I still get the sexual side effects on 5 mgs! Even on 2.5 mgs! Amazing....I've gone down just one miligram and have felt (mild, tolerable, although annoying) withdrawal symptoms...I'm so glad your husband didn't get the sexual side effects...I wouldn't wish that on anyone...it makes you feel much less alive.

Aunty, thanks for the info. about the yahoo group....I will check it out...It's so reassuring to know that you can be on longterm and still be okay...I've been really, really scared about that...that perhaps there has been permanant damage.

[Tranquillity]

Hi everybody,
I've read a few pages from this thread now (pages 1-5 and 160-163 or so, couldn't bother to read the whole thing ), and I gotta say, there's a lot of negative energy here, scares me quite a bit, since I'm just starting to taper off.

I've only been on the drug for 7 weeks, so I figure(d) my withdrawal shouldn't be too tough.
I first took 5mg for 3 weeks, then increased to 10mg for a week, and then 15mg for another 3 weeks.
Unlike most of you I've had no positive effects whatsoever on this drug, only increased anxiety (which is why I started in the first place), extreme dizziness, nausea etc. Anyway, me and my pdoc has come to an agreement that I should stop taking it. I was a bit delighted when I read that it should be easier to come off since I've only been on it a short time, but that changed when I read about someone (sorry, haven't started remembering names from here yet) who tried a semi-quick taper off after 10 weeks and felt really bad.

In any case, I'm down to 10mg since this wednesday, so three days on a lower dose. So far I don't think there are many differences, I've noticed some tingling sensation in my face and that's it... Except I still have the intense dizziness I started developing about the same time I started taking the drug, it's been near-unbearable the last two weeks or so, but I've had some of it for at least 4 weeks.

Worth noting is that I'm also taking Remeron (Mirtazapine), 15mg/day, that will hopefully ease things a bit. I'm supposed to increase the Remeron dose to 30mg/day when my Lexapro dosage is down at 5mg.

On another note, I wish you all luck with your withdrawals, and hope you can make me feel a bit more confident about mine. Obviously any advice is greatly appreciated, as I'm sure everyone here would agree with.

One more thing that I forgot. I noticed some people have taken Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine, Gravol, Vertirosan) against dizziness/nausea. How are these taken, and how strong (that is, how many mg's of dimenhydrinate they contain) are they?
The only product available over where I live (Calma) that contains the same stuff is 20mg, and it's a gum, not a regular pill. The reasoning for this is apparently that it works better that way, when used for motion sickness (it's marketed purely as a motion sickness medicine).
There is a prescription medication containing it as well, at 100mg/tablet, which is odd, since it five times as strong as the gum, and the max dosage of each comes to 80mg/day for the gum and 300mg/day(!) for the pill.

So, in short, my original question was: How strong are the pills you take?

[auntybiotic]

For those that may want to listen to Dr. Tracey talk about antidepressants.

I forwarded the email''


I must apologize for not letting you know when I am generally doing a show,
etc. I stay too busy to think about it, just stop in the middle of what is
happening, do a show and go right on with the day is how it generally happens.
I don't get much time to do anything else. There are just far too many in
trouble on these drugs to have much time for anything else. But this time Rev.
Jim Lynn has been kind enough to send a written announcement about the
upcoming webcast this Monday. And I am passing that on to you now so that you can
listen in, send in questions, and have access to the show.

So I hope that you can join us on Monday. Of course the show will have a
spiritual slant due to Rev Lynn putting the show together for his audience. We
will also discuss natural alternatives.


Ann Blake Tracy, PhD, Executive Director,
International Coalition for Drug Awareness
_www.drugawareness. org_ (http://www.drugawar eness.org/) and author of
Prozac:
Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare
and audio Help! I Can't Get Off My Antidepressant!
(800-280-0730)

Millions of Christians take
prescription drugs everyday.

Adverse reactions caused by these same drugs
hospitalize over two million people and kill
hundreds of thousands more every year.

So the question is:

Are prescription drugs a blessing from God,
or are they a clever scheme of Satan to
deceive and create misery?

Join Dr. Ann Blake Tracy live on July 9th for
a world-wide, live Webcast.

Listen to Dr. Tracy, Director for the Coalition
For Drug Awareness, as she discusses
"The Spiritual Nature of Pharmaceutical Drugs."

Listen by computer or phone.

This Live event is sponsored by God's Healing
Word ministry and is free. To register go to:

http://tinyurl. com/3bvjph

Submit questions to Dr. Tracy from the Webcast
website using the Q&A form. She will answer your
questions submitted during the call.

Replay will be available for those who are registered
but are unable to attend

[auntybiotic]

You must go to the archives and there will be many programs on the dangers of SSRI use with Dr. Tracey.

http://www.anniearmenlive.org/

http://www.anniearmenlive.org/archiv...dio%20Archives
Danger of Psychriatric Drugs

[SchnauzerTime]

I've decided whenever I feel better from this too fast taper (I am all the way back on my full dose of 10mg), that I will probably do the slow 10 percent taper. I just have some questions about it.

In general, are the withdrawals not that bad doing it the slower way? I know they don't kick in til a week after you've tapered but then how long do they last and in general how severe? I just don't want to go through bad nausea and tremoring anymore,that was the pits

Also,when people eventually get all the way off the medicine are the withdrawals still really bad or not that bad? I don't want to taper for a year or so then get off it and still be sick as a dog.

Are there any side effects from switching from the pill form to the liquid form? I read some pages back about someone mentioning something about it.

Is it too fast to do 2 week tapers or should I do 3 weeks between tapers to be safe? I just don't want the whole thing to take longer than it has to though, but I do want to be safe and not get sick again.

Tavee

Did you have any bad withdrawals going from the bigger drops from 10 to 7mg? Or any bad withdrawals along the way? Or is it stuff you can tolerate that only lasts a couple days?

I think that is pretty much all my questions, lol. I just want to make sure that people DO get off this stuff safely and without getting really sick...I'm soooo tired of being sick. I've been literally in bed for 2 weeks...so I don't ever want to go too fast again. Now that I have knowledge of how to do it I want to do it the right way. It will still be probably a month before I start to taper though if not longer...I want my body to be 100 percent better.

[Hairyarmadillo]

Everyone has heard me gripe about how bad PMS has been since quitting the Lex. The week before, my moods are really off the chart. Well, I just realized last night that I "missed" my PMS spell this month. It should have consumed me from last Saturday until tomorrow, but NO PMS! I have been feeling more tired than normal and now I know why I was having some trouble avoiding sugar/chips but other than that NOTHING. No hysterical feelings of doom and gloom, needing to cry or even that small temptation to take just a sliver of Lexapro (Yey, I fought it off). I have been beating myself up for not sticking to my diet better and even bought some of those baked chips so I could cheat without feeling quiet so guilty. BUT NO EXTREME PMS MOODS!! I am in shock. I am wondering though if this feeling of fatigue is related any to it being the week of PMS? Anyhow, all I did for that was rest a bit more and not blame myself for not being as productive, though i was wondering why I started feeling like that. It felt a little like I did some of the times when I was tapering, but it is hard to tell if it is an adjustment off the Lexapro or just something else.
I am also proud that I have accomplished almost a full week of no Benadryl as a sleep aid. I took it one night because I have been doing in depth cleaning and couldn't stop sneezing, but at least I am not having to take it for sleep. The Body Calm helps so much.
I wanted to let everyone know the same thing we already know-IT DOES GET BETTER! May not always seem that way in the midst of some of the bad spells, but it does improve.

[tavee]

Schnauzer Time- Regarding Ure Question. I Did Not Have Any Problems Going From 10 To 7mg, But Once U Are In The Low Numbers U Must Go Slower. Yesterday I Went From 1.5ml To 1.3 Ml. I Usually Start Feeling Effects Between 5 And 7 DAYs After My Taper. So I Will Let U Know How This One Goes.

The Effects That I Had Were Mostly Dizziness, Fatigue, And When I Did A Fast Taper, I Felt Like I Was Drunk And I Couldnt Walk. So Overall, Compared To The Others On The Forum, My ExperIEnce Has Not Been Bad. It Could Be Worse!! I Dont Know What Will Happen When I Am Completely Off, But I Am Seeing A Therapist Once In A While To Help Me With My Emotions.

I Switched To Liquid In Order To Do The Slow Taper And I Had No Problems. Again, I Am Not A Doctor So Please Consult Ure Physician Before Attempting Anything.

Let Me Know If U Need Anything.

Are U Going Back On 10mg?? I Think That Is Ure Best Bet. Trust Me U Will See With The Slow Taper That It Is Much Better.

I Can Help U With The Numbers(taper) If U Would Like. I Actually Started From 10 To 7 For Like A Week. In The Beginning I Think I Only Stayed On The Doses For Like A Week, But Now I Stay On It For 14 Days Exactly!!

Good Luck To U
Tavee

[tavee]

I Am So Glad U Are Doing Well. That Is A Good Sign.i Hope That U Continue To Feel Well.

You And I Are In The Same Boat When It Comes To Pms Psychooooooooooooooooooooo!! Lol Lol
I Get Very Tired So I Am Sure The Fatigue Is From That. I Sleep A Lot During Pms And While I Have My Period.

So I Went Down From 1.5 To 1.3 Yesterday And I Am Anxious To See How I Will React In A Few Days. I Am A Little Scared. Mu Hubby Says That I Probably Wont Feel It Since I Am At A Low Dose, But U Never Know. I Know I Will Totally Read Into Everything After A Few Days. If I Start Feeling The Slightest Thing Like A Pain In My Whatever, I Will Be Like Oh My God, Here It Is, This Is It!!!! Thats How I Get!!

Hey As Long As I Dont Lose My Hearing Again And Run To The Clinic Like A Hypochondriac Again!! Lol Lol Lol


I Am Calculating That If This Taper Works(god Willing) I Should Be Done With Lex In 14 Weeks. I Am Not Going To Jinx It Right Now. I Will Leave It To The Big Guy. He Is In Charge.

Take Care Of Ureself Hairy

Tavee

[SchnauzerTime]

Tavee

Yes I do need help! Lol. With the tapering that is Yes, I'm on 10mg now...I've been all the way back on my full pill for 4 days now and I'm feeling better. No other dose would get me out of that withdrawal flu.

So, your withdrawals only last for a couple days each before you feel better? And the worst thing you had was dizziness? That is awesome, I mean compared to the ******************** you get from tapering too fast. I can deal with a few days of dizziness. I'm still dizzy at night now pretty bad, but I'm sure it will go away once the medicine gets back into my system.

So how did you do on the 1.5 dose? And also, I'm scared to go from like 10 to 7 or 7.5 for my first taper, but I do want to go as fast as I can. I know it will take about a year for me to get off this junk but I don't want to get this sick again, so I'll do whatever it takes not to. I'm actually terrified to try ANY taper after this, LOL. But I will do it.

I'm glad you've made it all the way to 1.3! That is so awesome! And I hope your withdrawal week goes smoothly for you, I'm sure you'll be fine and I'll be thinking of you

Hairy

That is great that you aren't having PMS! That's a good sign that the Lex is finally going all the way out of your system. PMS can suck for sure...I haven't had it in awhile myself cause I don't get my period if I'm not on birth control pills, and I'm not on them right now. That's another thing I need to get checked out when I feel better .

Anyways, keep on smiling guys and so happy you're doing well!

[Hairyarmadillo]

Tavee Wow-down to 1.3!! That is wonderful. You are getting so close and SURELY this will make the months after you get off it totally much better. All in all, so far, my months after haven't been so bad. The pms was a major issue with me ending up counting the days down to when it was over. Funny, the Body Calm would have really helped last month but this month wasn't an issue now that I have it available! LOL I do know that the last time but the third month I was having the anxiety issues and depression. I do think this is going much better.

schnauzertime Are you still seeing signs of improvement now that you have reinstated? I think you will find this time around goes much better. Your body won't have such a time adjusting to the little decreases as it did to the larger ones and by staying on those doses until you stabilize, you won't be dealing with a one-two knockout punch from the side effects.

[SchnauzerTime]

Hairy

Yes, I seem to be not nauseous at all anymore...well, sometimes it will hit me a tiny bit but not bad. I am not as weak either, I can sit up for longer periods without feeling sick so that's good. I just can't wait to get out of the bed for good!

The thing I'm feeling now is just VERY jittery/anxious. Also the dizzyness and hot flashes...those are worst at night. But I'm sure it's from reinstating the medicine. I remember the first time I started Lex (was about 4 months ago) and I got the same stuff so I'm hoping that will all go away in a couple days or a week when the medicine gets into my system better.

I ordered the Body Calm and Magnesium Malate and they should be here Monday or Tuesday. Wish I had the Body Calm now though, LOL. Seems people never have it when they need it most!

Thanks for checking up on me and glad you are doing well! I'm sure I'll keep getting better each day now and then I'll start tapering the slow way...think I'll wait a good month at least though before I start. Have a good night everyone!

[elizabethmaria]

Hi everyone,
Glad you are feeling better Hairyarmadillo - that 's awesome.. I remember that that was a wonderful improvement I felt too - but I still have a couple of psycho days right before my period! other days are better though... so glad you are feeling well
Am still surviving here - doing a little better - but overdid it the other day, my boyfriend came to visit, and the first day I did well, but the second day, I got frusterated with not being able to do very much and overdid it, even though he, and my family were trying to tell me to slow down! I ended up going kayaking at my aunts, etc... the next day was horrible.., my head hurt soo bad I was throwing up.. lovely, I know..and well deserved, but I think I learned a good lesson.... AGAIN. boy, sometimes I think I have the intellect of a pile of sawdust..honestly.. It's just so hard when you aren't able to do anything but stay on the sofa for months! but, wow, I sure got a whippin..very smart EM, very smart..

Anyways.. I did learn something that hopefully will help some people.. since I have trouble with my appetite, I notice I try to eat more calories, but it tends to be fruits and protein.. nuts, meat, juice, etc. because I can't eat sugar.. well.. my mom noticed (fortunately no one else!) that when I got soo sick, my breath smelled very very metallic.. she's a dietician, and it smelled like a diabetic person that has gone into a ketonic state.. I started piling on the breads, and cereals, and it really made a difference - I think that especially when our brains are damaged and already not working well, they REALLY suffer if we don't give them the carbohydrate needed for proper functioning - my mom is a great nutritionist (fortunately) and said that fruits actually, though sweet, it takes a lot longer and more difficulty in getting that sugar to the brain, than say, bread carbs.. and obviously protein doesn't give much of any energy to the brain. You need at least 150 grams of carbs a day (5 slices of bread, a couple of glasses of juice) for adequate brain function... Most people eat sugar, or sugary things, cookies, ice cream, etc. and wouldn't have trouble with that, but for people who can't eat that, we need to make sure to eat plenty of carbs!

So.. eat lots of carbs.. it's good for your brain! that's my recovery tip of the week

love,
EM

[mh4]

Originally Posted by Tranquillity

Hi everybody,
I've read a few pages from this thread now (pages 1-5 and 160-163 or so, couldn't bother to read the whole thing ), and I gotta say, there's a lot of negative energy here, scares me quite a bit, since I'm just starting to taper off.

I've only been on the drug for 7 weeks, so I figure(d) my withdrawal shouldn't be too tough.
I first took 5mg for 3 weeks, then increased to 10mg for a week, and then 15mg for another 3 weeks.
Unlike most of you I've had no positive effects whatsoever on this drug, only increased anxiety (which is why I started in the first place), extreme dizziness, nausea etc. Anyway, me and my pdoc has come to an agreement that I should stop taking it. I was a bit delighted when I read that it should be easier to come off since I've only been on it a short time, but that changed when I read about someone (sorry, haven't started remembering names from here yet) who tried a semi-quick taper off after 10 weeks and felt really bad.

In any case, I'm down to 10mg since this wednesday, so three days on a lower dose. So far I don't think there are many differences, I've noticed some tingling sensation in my face and that's it... Except I still have the intense dizziness I started developing about the same time I started taking the drug, it's been near-unbearable the last two weeks or so, but I've had some of it for at least 4 weeks.

Worth noting is that I'm also taking Remeron (Mirtazapine), 15mg/day, that will hopefully ease things a bit. I'm supposed to increase the Remeron dose to 30mg/day when my Lexapro dosage is down at 5mg.

On another note, I wish you all luck with your withdrawals, and hope you can make me feel a bit more confident about mine. Obviously any advice is greatly appreciated, as I'm sure everyone here would agree with.

One more thing that I forgot. I noticed some people have taken Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine, Gravol, Vertirosan) against dizziness/nausea. How are these taken, and how strong (that is, how many mg's of dimenhydrinate they contain) are they?
The only product available over where I live (Calma) that contains the same stuff is 20mg, and it's a gum, not a regular pill. The reasoning for this is apparently that it works better that way, when used for motion sickness (it's marketed purely as a motion sickness medicine).
There is a prescription medication containing it as well, at 100mg/tablet, which is odd, since it five times as strong as the gum, and the max dosage of each comes to 80mg/day for the gum and 300mg/day(!) for the pill.

So, in short, my original question was: How strong are the pills you take?

Dear Tranquility, I wish you luck in your tapering off Lexapro. I think every body/person reacts differently and hopefully you might not have as severe side effects coming of Lexapro. I did not have any or few side effects years ago when I came off of effexor, so I just think that every body is different. My symptoms coming off of 20mgs of Lexapro after taprering off that for about a month and a week was horrible, obviously for me -my taper was much too quick and I was on Lexapro for over a year. I missed 5 days of work and went to 3 ear doctors for my severe dizziness, in hindsight I don't know how I did not realize that it was the lexapro withdrawl, but I just had no idea and all my doctors did not connect it either. Anyway, you wrote that many of the posts were negative and scared you, I can see why you feel that way, but I also think that this is the reality for many people coming off Lexapro and other SSRIs. I am still shocked at how little this is publicized in the news and other media and how little doctors seem to tell us about this or know about this! I do wish you much luck and good feelings in your taper and beyond.
Best ,
MH4

[sweet-thang]

Hi Tavee...

I'm tapering from my standard dose, which was 5 mgs...I've decided to try and go super slow. Right now I"m on 4 mgs...at what point do you start going by the tiny, tiny increments...I was planning on just moving a half miligram at a time, but it sounds like you are going even slower than that...

I have the liquid stuff and am using a ML syringe for the dosage...

Tranquility...I really don't find this site to be negative at all...but very supportive and VERY informative. I've found it to be the most hopeful and helpful of the many boards out there.