[Julia77]

I made a mistake and thanks a million dear Schnauzer for pointing it out to me. I went to .09 mg on a Wednesday and in a week on a Wednesday I went down to .08 mg. On Saturday I became depressed and felt lots of heart palps. I thought it was due to stress I underwent that week, but most likely they were DOUBLE withdrawals. I've been extremely fatigued for almost two weeks, but now things are starting to get a little bit better. I still feel nauseous and foggy, but depression seems to start to clear away.

..Is skin itching part of the withdrawals? Did you guys ever feel like there are bugs crawling under you skin, especially in the skull area? And gurgles in your stomach? I am pretty sure they are, but they are new to me.

I guess I will wait for a couple more days and see. Depression is always the most bothering part however it seems to get better. I will not taper until I feel 100% normal again, and I guess each of my tapers should be 2-3 weeks long.

[tavee]

Julia
You Definitely Had Withdrawals And They Were Double Because Your Body Was Trying To Catch Up From The Other Taper.
It Seems Like U Are Very Sensitive To A Minute Taper. Definitely Stay On It For At Least 14 Days Until You Are Stable Again. Then Go Down Again.

Did You Get My Reply Email From Last Night??

Hang In There. It Will Get Better. Exercise And Take Your Supplements.

I Was Thinking Of Starting A Yoga Class This Week In Addition To My Other Workouts.

Take Care
Tavee

*i Am Not A Doctor And This Is Just My Opinion

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by tavee

Julia
You Definitely Had Withdrawals And They Were Double Because Your Body Was Trying To Catch Up From The Other Taper.
It Seems Like U Are Very Sensitive To A Minute Taper. Definitely Stay On It For At Least 14 Days Until You Are Stable Again. Then Go Down Again.

Did You Get My Reply Email From Last Night??

Hang In There. It Will Get Better. Exercise And Take Your Supplements.

I Was Thinking Of Starting A Yoga Class This Week In Addition To My Other Workouts.

Take Care
Tavee

*i Am Not A Doctor And This Is Just My Opinion

Tavee,

We were out for most of the day today so i just read it now. I don't really know what to say. I don't know how come I feel such terrible withdrawals having stabilized on 0.1 mg. So, if you go down to 0.1, stabilize and then stop altogether there might be two scenarios: 1. you might feel slight withdrawals for a week or so and then be fine. 2. God forbid, my case. I don't know if I am super sensitive to this stuff or this is something that most people feel. I have heard from both people on the forum and the doctor who helped me taper that once you are stable on 0.1 mg you can quit and be fine. Apparently, this is not my case and i feel like it will still be a long road for me.
The same doctor said I might have slow metabolism which is why I assume I was able to recover on 2.5 mg instead of 10 at least like most people do. My guess is also that this is why I have belated withdrawals.

I wonder what happens when I get to 0.01 mg, lol

My advice to you is go with your gut feeling. You know your body like no one else. I would stay on 0.1 longer than you normally stayed on each taper and see how you are doing. I think you should be fine because you tapered right from the very beginning and your brain had enough time to heal properly.

With Bach Remedy, I used it once in a while and it worked amazingly on me. Are you still a little anxious? How are you doing?

Yoga is great. I don't think I would ever be able to go through all of this if I didn't have yoga. I go there in rain and storm, feeling good or bad. It really made a difference in my life and allowed to look at myself in a different perspective. Breathing/meditation are wonderful parts of it. It has been proven that yoga is the best when it comes to battling the blues you'll see for yourself. And remember: it's not the studio you want to go to, it's the teacher. And it may take awhile till you find one.

[tavee]

So Let Me Get This Straight.

We Are Talking About The Baby Syringe That Starts At .9ml Right??? Thats What U Are Using Right?
So U Are On .1ml(the Last Big Line Right Before The Very End????)

I Am On .15 The (.1 And The Two Little Lines Up).

So U Are Saying To Stay On This For A Week And Then Stop??
Is That What U Are On Now?

Sorry But Im A LitTle Confused With These Damn Numbers!!

PS I AM LOOKING AT THE SYRINGE NOW AND IT IS AMZING HOW THIS ONE DROP CAN AFFECT US. WOW

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by tavee

So Let Me Get This Straight.

We Are Talking About The Baby Syringe That Starts At .9ml Right??? Thats What U Are Using Right?
So U Are On .1ml(the Last Big Line Right Before The Very End????)

I Am On .15 The (.1 And The Two Little Lines Up).

So U Are Saying To Stay On This For A Week And Then Stop??
Is That What U Are On Now?

Sorry But Im A LitTle Confused With These Damn Numbers!!

PS I AM LOOKING AT THE SYRINGE NOW AND IT IS AMZING HOW THIS ONE DROP CAN AFFECT US. WOW

Ok, let's clarify this. Remember I was seen by the specialist who recognized my symptoms as withdrawals and put me on 0.1 mg? We had this prescription done in one of the collective pharmacies. So for a month or so I had been on 0.1 mg, which is one hundredth of 10 mg. pill. Do I make sense so far? ( I hope I do) This specialist, as well as people on the forum, had told me that as long as I stabilize on this dose, I should be fine just to quit.
Because I am going through a busy period now ( both work and school, and moving soon) I decided it wouldn't hurt if I taper from this dose like you guys are tapering from higher doses. I open up capsules ( 0.1 mg), empty the content and mix it with 10 ml water. Then I squirt it back into the syringe and pour out the content until I reached 9 ml last week, and 8 ml this week.

That's how I get to my 0.08 mg of this drug.

Did it make sense to you?

[auntybiotic]

Originally Posted by Julia77

Ok, let's clarify this. Remember I was seen by the specialist who recognized my symptoms as withdrawals and put me on 0.1 mg? We had this prescription done in one of the collective pharmacies. So for a month or so I had been on 0.1 mg, which is one hundredth of 10 mg. pill. Do I make sense so far? ( I hope I do) This specialist, as well as people on the forum, had told me that as long as I stabilize on this dose, I should be fine just to quit.
Because I am going through a busy period now ( both work and school, and moving soon) I decided it wouldn't hurt if I taper from this dose like you guys are tapering from higher doses. I open up capsules ( 0.1 mg), empty the content and mix it with 10 ml water. Then I squirt it back into the syringe and pour out the content until I reached 9 ml last week, and 8 ml this week.

That's how I get to my 0.08 mg of this drug.

Did it make sense to you?

In my math 0.1 is 1 MG. .01 is the amount you describe. So you are actually on 0.1 Mg. Compounding pharmacies have a 15% error factor allowed in measuring out the drug so add or subtract 15%. 0.08 is slightly less then 1MG.

Call the pharmacy and find out exactly the amount of lexapro 0.1 or .01.

Something does not sound right here.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by auntybiotic

In my math 0.1 is 1 MG. .01 is the amount you describe. So you are actually on 0.1 Mg. Compounding pharmacies have a 15% error factor allowed in measuring out the drug so add or subtract 15%. 0.08 is slightly less then 1MG.

Call the pharmacy and find out exactly the amount of lexapro 0.1 or .01.

Something does not sound right here.

I am on one hundredth of 10 mg... is that 0.1? I am so confused now.
1 mg is one tenth of 10 mg.
0.1 mg is one hundredth of 10 mg. Am I right??

So my capsules are 0.1 mg, or 1/100 of 10 mg.

And if there is an error factor maybe this explains withdrawals I am feeling?

[Julia77]

My capsules are 0.1 mg. For me 0.09, 0.08 are slightly less than 0.1. Am I right.....

Aunty, what do I do when I get to 0.01? Should it be the last taper and I then stop?

[tavee]

I Am Confused Now Too!

So U Are Saying That U Are Not On 10mg But One Below Which Is 9mg??
Am I Right?
Or Are U On .1?
Cuz Thats What I Am On Now. What Kind Of Syringe Are U Using??
Is It The Real Skinny Baby One Or The Fat One???
I Am Using The Baby Syringe And I Am At The End Of It Which Is .1ml/

Check That Out Cuz That Might Be The Reason Why U Are Having Withdrawals.u Might Not Be Tapering Right.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by tavee

I Am Confused Now Too!

So U Are Saying That U Are Not On 10mg But One Below Which Is 9mg??
Am I Right?
Or Are U On .1?
Cuz Thats What I Am On Now. What Kind Of Syringe Are U Using??
Is It The Real Skinny Baby One Or The Fat One???
I Am Using The Baby Syringe And I Am At The End Of It Which Is .1ml/

Check That Out Cuz That Might Be The Reason Why U Are Having Withdrawals.u Might Not Be Tapering Right.

Tavee,

I am on .08 which is slightly less than .1

Sorry for confusing you.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by auntybiotic

In my math 0.1 is 1 MG. .01 is the amount you describe. So you are actually on 0.1 Mg. Compounding pharmacies have a 15% error factor allowed in measuring out the drug so add or subtract 15%. 0.08 is slightly less then 1MG.

Call the pharmacy and find out exactly the amount of lexapro 0.1 or .01.

Something does not sound right here.

Aunty, I think we are talking about the same thing. Yes, now I am on 0.1 mg ( less than that 'cause i am tapering).

Tavee, your syringe ends at 0.1, but I didn't quit at that and decided to taper because it seems i am really sensitive to this stuff.

[Nocturnal]

Originally Posted by tavee

I Am Confused Now Too!

So U Are Saying That U Are Not On 10mg But One Below Which Is 9mg??
Am I Right?
Or Are U On .1?
Cuz Thats What I Am On Now. What Kind Of Syringe Are U Using??
Is It The Real Skinny Baby One Or The Fat One???
I Am Using The Baby Syringe And I Am At The End Of It Which Is .1ml/

Check That Out Cuz That Might Be The Reason Why U Are Having Withdrawals.u Might Not Be Tapering Right.

Tavee,

How are you doing at this dose? Any significant problems? Do you feel yourself or do you feel the depression coming back? Hope to hear from you.

[Shakespeare]

Hello, I want to share with you some of my fatigue symptoms, because bouts of fatigue have been my worst symptom during the two months on Lexapro and the five months now in withdrawal. I just want to know if others have experienced something similar. The first weeks after I tapered down, it went so far as to the doctor recommending me for a check-up on diabetes, hypoglycemia and insulinoma because I was feeling so terrible weak and tired at times. (Once I even collapsed when I was in the bank. Had to go to ER.) Now I have been fine a couple of weeks, but as I said in my earlier postings the bouts of fatigue and squeezing feelings from my right ankle and up, has returned in full force. Sometimes it starts in my hands, as though they go slowly weaker and weaker, almost numb, I have ringing in my ears and its difficult to lift my arms. This happens especially after a hot meal or after a hot cup of coffee (caffeine free, of course). The bouts of tiredness lasts from 5-30 minutes. They are often accompanied by a nervous feeling and sweating. Then it passes, and I can be okay for hours.
Has anyone else felt the same? Is this common for people in withdrawal? Or is there something else wrong w me? (Of course, this is the question I always ask myself when this and other strange thing happens. ) I also have other symptoms like zaps, head ache, etc, but the bouts of fatigue and extreme tiredness are by far the worst for me.
I would be very happy for any response.

[ronja]

Hello members of this forum! I'm Ronja and a woman from Holland. I'm very glad to have found this forum. I hope someone can answer my question. Is it possible that after taking 5 mg of Lexapro for one day that I after 4 days I still have symptoms such as trembling exitement and heartbeats? Last week I was on 3000 mg antibiotics a day and 80 mg of Pantazol (stomach tablets). Here in Holland they say that it.s not possible but I started getting these symptons after taking the Laxapro and they were also the reason I had to quit. Anyone any idea?

Ronja

[Shakespeare]

Originally Posted by ronja

Hello members of this forum! I'm Ronja and a woman from Holland. I'm very glad to have found this forum. I hope someone can answer my question. Is it possible that after taking 5 mg of Lexapro for one day that I after 4 days I still have symptoms such as trembling exitement and heartbeats? Last week I was on 3000 mg antibiotics a day and 80 mg of Pantazol (stomach tablets). Here in Holland they say that it.s not possible but I started getting these symptons after taking the Laxapro and they were also the reason I had to quit. Anyone any idea?

Ronja

Yes, only after one day on Prozac I was a nervous wreck. Insomnia, shaking, nervous, hot flashes, head ache, shaking, sweating, palpitations, etc.
Best advise I can give: Take blood tests, get some x-rays, thorough check-up. Then, at least, you know what you DONT have... Doctors really have no clue about this. Go here. Interview with dr. Breggin. He tells what can happen to you after only one SSRI pill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh0iOd3KEAY
Shakespeare

[Shakespeare]

Originally Posted by ronja

Hello members of this forum! I'm Ronja and a woman from Holland. I'm very glad to have found this forum. I hope someone can answer my question. Is it possible that after taking 5 mg of Lexapro for one day that I after 4 days I still have symptoms such as trembling exitement and heartbeats? Last week I was on 3000 mg antibiotics a day and 80 mg of Pantazol (stomach tablets). Here in Holland they say that it.s not possible but I started getting these symptons after taking the Laxapro and they were also the reason I had to quit. Anyone any idea?

Ronja

Yes, only after one day on Prozac I was a nervous wreck. Insomnia, shaking, nervous, hot flashes, head ache, shaking, sweating, palpitations, etc.
Best advise I can give: Take blood tests, get some x-rays, thorogh check-up. Then, at least, you know what you DONT have... Doctors really have no clue about this.
Shakespeare

[ronja]

Thank you Shakespeare for your quick reaction! Did you quit the prozac as well after one day! And if so how long did it take to be completely free of all your symptoms?

[Shakespeare]

Originally Posted by ronja

Thank you Shakespeare for your quick reaction! Did you quit the prozac as well after one day! And if so how long did it take to be completely free of all your symptoms?

At the time I had no idea that this was side effects, 'cause my doc said Prozac had no side effects, so since I was hospitalized for amoeba (dysentery) she convinced me that my reactions were just a result of my new illness (panic disorder and anxiety disorder), even though I never had any panic attacks or real anxiety in my whole life prior to a strange dizziness the day I was admitted. I took Prozac 10 days... and I felt horrible. Then I stopped, but when I didnt get better, two days later I went to another doctor, and he, too, convinced me that I now had panic disorder and GAD and convinced me to try Lexapro instead. I used this for 6 weeks, but I only felt worse and worse - dizziness, sweating, insomnia, horrific nightmares, fatigues, etc. And so I stopped Lexapro, too, rather quickly, because my doctor said there was "no withdrawal problems with Lexapro". Since I stopped these f... SSRI pills, I never had any panic attack and the only anxiety attacks I have is every time I feel these withdrawal symptoms everybody talks about here. Doctors have no clue about this SSRI medicine, they believe the drug companies' hype and lies, and my experience is that many doctors and psychiatrists are really very, very dangerous people. All they want is to push these SSRI drugs because the drug companies are paying them lots of money. Horrible. Good luck to you. Your withdrawal can take one week or 18 months, according to what I have read here...

Shakespeare.

[carolleah]

Originally Posted by Shakespeare

Hello, I want to share with you some of my fatigue symptoms, because bouts of fatigue have been my worst symptom during the two months on Lexapro and the five months now in withdrawal. I just want to know if others have experienced something similar. The first weeks after I tapered down, it went so far as to the doctor recommending me for a check-up on diabetes, hypoglycemia and insulinoma because I was feeling so terrible weak and tired at times. (Once I even collapsed when I was in the bank. Had to go to ER.) Now I have been fine a couple of weeks, but as I said in my earlier postings the bouts of fatigue and squeezing feelings from my right ankle and up, has returned in full force. Sometimes it starts in my hands, as though they go slowly weaker and weaker, almost numb, I have ringing in my ears and its difficult to lift my arms. This happens especially after a hot meal or after a hot cup of coffee (caffeine free, of course). The bouts of tiredness lasts from 5-30 minutes. They are often accompanied by a nervous feeling and sweating. Then it passes, and I can be okay for hours.
Has anyone else felt the same? Is this common for people in withdrawal? Or is there something else wrong w me? (Of course, this is the question I always ask myself when this and other strange thing happens. ) I also have other symptoms like zaps, head ache, etc, but the bouts of fatigue and extreme tiredness are by far the worst for me.
I would be very happy for any response.

Shakespeare,

Me too. I am seven and a half months off and still have weird symptoms of headaches, tinglings, sensitivity, etc. These are all very scary things and I wish they would go away. The best way that I cope is to stay busy and really take care of myself. Please take a look at my past posts if you would like to know more of what I have experienced. Hang in there. It does get better, and know that you are not alone.

[tavee]

I Am Actually Feeling Good. I Am Down To .15 Ml And It Has Been Ok.
I Am Taking Supplements And Himalayan Goji Juice So I Think Thats What Is Helping. Plus I Am Down To Nothing And Having Done The Tapering For A Year My Body Got Used To The Low Dose.

That Is Why Slow Taper Is The Answer. No Matter How Fast U Want To Get Off This, U Have To Be Very Patient.
I Am Hoping That I Will Be Ok In A Few Months If I Get Pregnant And Of Course After Birth Too. I Dont Ever Want To Feel Like This Again. I Want To Try To Do Everything Naturally And Avoid Depression(hopefully).

Tavee

[SchnauzerTime]

Originally Posted by Julia77

I made a mistake and thanks a million dear Schnauzer for pointing it out to me. I went to .09 mg on a Wednesday and in a week on a Wednesday I went down to .08 mg. On Saturday I became depressed and felt lots of heart palps. I thought it was due to stress I underwent that week, but most likely they were DOUBLE withdrawals. I've been extremely fatigued for almost two weeks, but now things are starting to get a little bit better. I still feel nauseous and foggy, but depression seems to start to clear away.

..Is skin itching part of the withdrawals? Did you guys ever feel like there are bugs crawling under you skin, especially in the skull area? And gurgles in your stomach? I am pretty sure they are, but they are new to me.

I guess I will wait for a couple more days and see. Depression is always the most bothering part however it seems to get better. I will not taper until I feel 100% normal again, and I guess each of my tapers should be 2-3 weeks long.

I've heard a couple others that had tingly skin feelings with withdrawals...actually, come to think of it, I've had them too. Especially in my head like you have them. It's just a tingly feeling for me...and yes , I get gurgles in the stomach too. Like alot of gas that doesn't pass out of your system, lol! But yeah, that will go away eventually.

[SchnauzerTime]

Thanks for your sweet comments . I haven't been able to post much lately with all this junk going on...it's so annoying, but going to be worth it I hope. We had painters come out today to work on outside the house, fixing it up to help it sell better. And a well man came out to fix our dumb well because it's old as the hills...like over 30 years old and all rusted. And of COURSE it breaks down a week or so before we move out! And tomorrow is my husband's birthday (he'll be 28) and we're going to my grandma's to celebrate. It doesn't seem like we've had a day to relax in a couple weeks! And most encouragingly through it all I've been OK...I'm really surprised but I've had no withdrawals come up yet.

Anyway, thank you for the uplifting words...always when I need a smile I can go on this forum and get one . Hope you are doing well!

[ronja]

As I today told you I took only ONE lexapro last thursday and started trembling over my whole body! I didn't take any lexapro since then no more. Today I was doing fine. No trembling at all, but know at this moment it started again. First I get cold and hot flashes and than it starts! Does anyone recognize this please? How long will this go on?

[ronja]

After my last writing I was reading about your complaints. I also feel like I.m loosing strength in my arms hands and leggs during the trembling. And it also starts with that weird noise in my head. I have read about your advice to let me check my blood. But what is it they have to search for? Here in Holland you first have to see your doctor and he or she must order a bloodtest for me. Please tell me what they have to check. I know that you all are much further with these things than we are.

[Jhebs]

Greetings everyone!
This is the first time I've been on a message board in probably about five years but I'm on day two of weening off 10 mg's of Lexapro and it is nice to read other peoples experiences doing that.

I've been on Lexapro for about a year now and it has helped greatly with the depression I was experiencing but it also caused my muscles to be very tense and heart palpitations. I also had a really strange experience where I drank one beer two nights in a row and colapsed while walking both times. Basically my legs just gave way out of nowhere.
I went to the Doctors and they did tests but had no explanations but it may of been an interaction with the medication. Not sure if anyone else had any experiences with drinking on this drug I highly advise be careful even with small amounts of alcohol.

I'm pretty exhausted today and I'm hoping that won't last for weeks but after reading the forum I see it can take along time for the side effects to subside.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the fatigue I'm in the process of looking for a job right now ,I just graduated, and need all the energy I can have but my Psych. feels it is about time I get off this drug and I agree

Thanks for having this thread!

-Jess

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by Shakespeare

Hello, I want to share with you some of my fatigue symptoms, because bouts of fatigue have been my worst symptom during the two months on Lexapro and the five months now in withdrawal. I just want to know if others have experienced something similar. The first weeks after I tapered down, it went so far as to the doctor recommending me for a check-up on diabetes, hypoglycemia and insulinoma because I was feeling so terrible weak and tired at times. (Once I even collapsed when I was in the bank. Had to go to ER.) Now I have been fine a couple of weeks, but as I said in my earlier postings the bouts of fatigue and squeezing feelings from my right ankle and up, has returned in full force. Sometimes it starts in my hands, as though they go slowly weaker and weaker, almost numb, I have ringing in my ears and its difficult to lift my arms. This happens especially after a hot meal or after a hot cup of coffee (caffeine free, of course). The bouts of tiredness lasts from 5-30 minutes. They are often accompanied by a nervous feeling and sweating. Then it passes, and I can be okay for hours.
Has anyone else felt the same? Is this common for people in withdrawal? Or is there something else wrong w me? (Of course, this is the question I always ask myself when this and other strange thing happens. ) I also have other symptoms like zaps, head ache, etc, but the bouts of fatigue and extreme tiredness are by far the worst for me.
I would be very happy for any response.

Fatigue:

What you are describing regarding fatigue sounds too familiar to me. Yes, I've been having those and the symptoms are pretty much as you've been describing them.
During those bouts I feel like I can't move even a finger on my hand, and after they go away they leave you exhausted and sweaty, lol.
They DO get better. Today I hardly had any fatigue spells.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by Jhebs

Greetings everyone!
This is the first time I've been on a message board in probably about five years but I'm on day two of weening off 10 mg's of Lexapro and it is nice to read other peoples experiences doing that.

I've been on Lexapro for about a year now and it has helped greatly with the depression I was experiencing but it also caused my muscles to be very tense and heart palpitations. I also had a really strange experience where I drank one beer two nights in a row and colapsed while walking both times. Basically my legs just gave way out of nowhere.
I went to the Doctors and they did tests but had no explanations but it may of been an interaction with the medication. Not sure if anyone else had any experiences with drinking on this drug I highly advise be careful even with small amounts of alcohol.

I'm pretty exhausted today and I'm hoping that won't last for weeks but after reading the forum I see it can take along time for the side effects to subside.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the fatigue I'm in the process of looking for a job right now ,I just graduated, and need all the energy I can have but my Psych. feels it is about time I get off this drug and I agree

Thanks for having this thread!

-Jess

Alcohol is strictly prohibited on this medication from what I know. However, when I was stable on this drug I did have an occasional glass of wine and it didn't seem to interfere with it. Now when I am tapering it's a strict no-no for me. I feel like I'm gonna die when I even smell alcohol.
Also: if you tapered too fast, you might be under withdrawals soon. How long did it take you to wean off this drug?

[Jhebs]

Oh I actually just started taking 5mg's on Sunday so I just started weening off
of Lexapro basically I'm just beginning the process of getting it out of my system. Yeah I don't touch alcohol since that happened

[Tryn]

Hello everyone...It is day 12 since my last lexapro. I am feeling human again. It just amazes me at how such a short time taking Lexapro can cause such harsh effects. It appears that my wds are gone. I do have my anxiety still however..I am learning just to deal with them. In a month I do plan on starting on a herbal supplement that will help with anxiety. I hope all is going well with everyone and that ur symptoms are getting better each day. I have not heard from crashnburn...I hope things are ok. Hang in there everyone..there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Take care and God Bless

[tavee]

Be Careful About Going On Any Herbal Supplement.
You Might Want To Ask Aunty For Supplements That U Should Avoid.
She Has A List Of Things.

Do Not Do Anything Cuz Remember That It Is Still Very Early To Take Anything That Is A Natural Replacement For Serotonin(eg, St John Wort,ginseng,etccc)or Anxiety.

Tavee