[SchnauzerTime]

Originally Posted by auntybiotic

I have a friend using the Brant Diet that had cancer that could not be operated on and is doing amazingly well.

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/GrapeCure.html

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=4221

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=4221
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0924122932.htm
http://www.stemcellnews.com/articles...e-leukemia.htm

Schnausertime,

There is much research going on about ways to cure certain types of leukemia. Let me know more about the type your brother has.

Hugs,
aunty

They did the bone marrow biopsy and found out he has type ALL 1. I looked it up on WebMD and it says that is the most "curable" kind so that made me feel alot better.

Also, he said they've been doing bloodwork every day and this is his 3rd day on chemotherapy...and the doctors say it's killing off a ton of the cancerous cells so that made us both really happy. They had to increase his IV to make him pee alot because when he pees the bad (now dead from the chemo) cells go out of his body...too weird.

Anyway, he is very positive about the whole thing and in good spirits...I brought his laptop up yesterday so he'd have something to do. He loves games online (so do I) , so I hope that will make him feel more at home.

He has to have 4-6 weeks of chemo and is going to be in the hospital that long.

Thanks for all the info and for being there .

[Ohwell]

Hey, My oldest son is 18! I am sorry you are going through this. I would hate for my son to be going through this! I am blessed to have 3 strong and healthy children! Please resume taking your Lex. and decrease slowly, like 10mg, for 3 weeks or so , then 9mg, for 3 weeks or so, etc. There is all kinds of info. on here about safe tapering. I sure wish I would have known BEFORE I got off. My dr. told me there were no withdrawals at all! I'm not seeing him anymore! You will still probably suffer, but not as much! And seems like maybe not as long. I just wanted to encourage you to go slowly, Its not too late to get back on a smaller dose...they say you have up to 6 weeks you can safely get back on....too late for me, I"m 56 days out now... Drink lots of water and try to avoid stimulation, that seems to help me. The more I do, sometimes, the more I suffer withdrawal and the fatigue sets in. May God bless you sweetie. oh well.

[auntybiotic]

Originally Posted by mhepner

When I was 13 my doctor put me on Lexapro. I am now 19 and trying to get off it. I forgot to take them while i was on vacation and thought why not just stop now? Its been 2 weeks since I have taken a pill and i don't know if I can handle these withdrawals for much longer. It started with me just sleeping a lot and not getting out of bed. Then I started getting the most intense hot flashes I have ever experianced. I've been randomly crying for no reason and at really bad times (like at work). Im also getting "shock waves" throughout my whole body that make me want to faint. This is probably the worst feeling ive ever had. I dont know why my doctors would keep me on Lexapro for 6 years when it seems like everyone else took it for a year or so. Im scared that I dont even know who I really am as an adult as a result of being on it before I really even hit puberty.
My suggestion to anyone else is dont stop taking lexapro cold turkey, its very unpleasant and I feel like it could potentially cause someone to do harm to themselves.

As a mother and the person who stared this thread, let me encourage you to reinstate your lexapro dose and slowly taper by 2% to 10%.

What you are feeling now is just the tip of the iceberg and it will get worse in waves. The bad feelings and zaps and dizziness can last up to 18 months. By cold turkeying, you are causing a type of reaction in your brain's neurotransmitters that can be related to as a type of brain damage. Please, so many others wish they could be at the point you are at and could reinstate to slowly taper off.

Read thru this thread and see what has happened to others that have just quit lexapro, learn from their mistakes. A word of warning. Because you were so young and were on lexapro so long, you may only be able to handle 2% tapers each time. THis is exactly where my daughter is, she could never handle 5 or 10% tapers. It may take you half of the time that you were taking the drug to safely taper off, so it may be three years in your case.

Consider yourself lucky to have found this site at a time that will allow you to safely come off of lexapro with little to no damage to your neurotransmitters.

The shocks thruout your body that you are experiencing, are your neurotransmitters misfiring. Because signals are not being sent to your brain in a normal fashion due to the misfiring of neurotransmitters/signals, your walking and balance may be affected. Severe Dizziness is common. Movement disorders are also a part of the misfiring.

Hormones make up your neurotransmitters .....................so your body is experiencing similiar changes in hormone levels that occur at menopause, which is the reasons for hot flashes. mood swings and sleeplessness. Nightmares and depersonalization may also be experienced during a cold turkey off of lexapro.

Stopping lexapro cold turkey may also cause mania and psychosis. All I can say is that cold turkeying off lexapro is worse then being addicted to cocaine and then stopping. Most clinics will not take SSRI detox patients because the effects are so severe.

I am not a doctor, but if you were my child, I would beg you to get back on the lexapro and slowly taper off.
Again I am just a lay person who has spoken to hundreds that have experienced lexapro withdrawals. Many doctors are unaware of the seriousness of stopping lexapro cold turkey or quickly tapering. Please consider this thread a Godsend and read and learn from others.
Good Luck.

[salomome]

I was on Lexapro since early April, and just recently I decided to taper off. I cut back little by little, because a few years ago I stopped taking Zoloft cold turkey, totally unaware that there were withdrawal symptoms...duh! Anyway, after the withdrawal symptoms kicked in I figured I'd cut it out for good to get it over with quicker. I must say, this is a tough ride. It's been over a week now of cold turkey. I am totally nautious, hot flashes, my brain is jumping around when I turn quickly, I am dizzy, very emotional for no reason, and I am extremely stressed out. I consider myself a very strong person, and this is kicking my butt!

I have been trying to find out how to ease the withdrawal. Why can't there be one thing that's eased by drinking red wine and eating carbs? That hasn't worked for me, so starting today I am going to begin running again. Unfortunately, I stopped running around the same time as stoping Lexapro due to my daughter waking me up at night. Lack of exercise, combined with my period may be making these symptoms worse. Yesterday I though they were easing up, but today I feel worse. Go figure?! I also never drink during the week, but I have had some wine to help and it hasn't worked at all! How disappointing.

I don't have any advice for anyone, but it is helpful to know why the symptoms are occuring. I wouldn't recommend discussing something like this at work. Just keep it to yourself and control yourself. Some people don't fully understand anti depressents, and then think you are crazy. Having people think of you as crazy can't be helpful to going off of them. What really scares me is the strenght of these effects. It can't be good on the heart and on the body.

These drugs did help me cope when I needed them, but I don't recommend anything like this. I don't mean to sound like Tom Cruise, but I do buy into eating right and exercising to help control depression. If needed, use these drugs short term, but realize they are strong and do have serious effects. Could be a life saver for some.

Okay. I am going to start my series of activities to ease this pain, and I'll report back to let you know if it helps.

[tavee]

hi aunty.
THANKS FOR ADDING THAT TO MHEPNER.
I JUST WISH PEOPLE WOULD BE CAREFUL WITH THE COLD TURKEY. I WISH THEY UNDERSTOOD HOW DANGEROUS IT IS TO DO.
I GUESS THEY JUST HAVE TO GO THRU IT AND EXPERIENCE IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SO IN A HURRY TO GET OFF THE WRONG WAY(I WAS A VICTIM OF THAT 2 YEARS AGO).I FOUND U AND THIS THREAD AND DID IT THE RIGHT WAY. IT TOOK A YEAR BUT I DID IT.

BY THE WAY. IT HAS BEEN 7 DAYS SINCE I GOT OFF AND KNOCK ON WOOD I AM DOING FINE. I CAN SAY THAT THE FIRST FEW DAYS I WAS EXTREMELY TIRED AND DIZZY. I WAS GOING TO BED AT 9. THANK GOD FOR EVERONE'S PRAYERS I AM OK. I HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY. I DONT WANT TO JINX ANYTHING AND FEEL ********************PY IN A FEW DAYS.

DO U THINK THAT THIS IS OUT OF MY SYSTEM NOW, AUNTY??

THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING. I CANT THANK U ENOUGH.

I HOPE THAT URE DAUGHTER GETS THRU THIS SAFELY AND SLOWLY LIKE ME. I THINK ABOUT HER EVERY DAY. THANK GOD SHE IS YOUNG AND SHE HAS TIME. I PRAY THAT SHE IS WELL AND DOES WELL WITH EVERYTHING EVEN THRU THIS HARD TIME.


HUGS AND KISSES
TAVEE

PS I STARTED PRENATAL TABLETS INSTEAD OF MY MULTIVITAMIN AND EXTRA FOLIC ACID LAST WEEK.

AUNTY- WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO GET THIS INFO OUT. I WISH WE COULD GO ON OPRAH OR SOMETHING. I WISH WE COULD GATHER EVERYONE ON THIS THREAD AND DO A SEGEMENT ON LEXAPRO.WOULDNT THAT BE COOL??

[salomome]

I do have a few general questions about this, if anyone has any ideas.

1.) Why am I sick to my stomache more in the evenings? In the morning I am okay, and think I've kicked this, but each day around 3-4pm I get to feeling like I'll vomit.

2.) Yesterday and the day before, symptoms were lessening, now today they are back severely! Why is it fluctuating?

3.) I don't want to get back on. I started this rocky ride over a week ago, and just want this over with. What can help to ease it? I just finished a good long run, and I am assuming the usual joyless things will help - eating well, avoiding alcohol and caffiene, increased exercise. Anything else? I am doing all (most) of the above.

4.) This is not a question, but more of an observation. This is the worst thing I have experienced. In high school I was naughty and did a lot of cocaine, which was tough stopping. I quit smoking after high school. I stopped Zoloft about 5 years ago cold turkey, and only suffered for about a week. I am forty years old here, why do doctors (okay, this is a questin) not warn us about this when they prescribe the stuff?

[auntybiotic]

Originally Posted by tavee

hi aunty.
THANKS FOR ADDING THAT TO MHEPNER.
I JUST WISH PEOPLE WOULD BE CAREFUL WITH THE COLD TURKEY. I WISH THEY UNDERSTOOD HOW DANGEROUS IT IS TO DO.
I GUESS THEY JUST HAVE TO GO THRU IT AND EXPERIENCE IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SO IN A HURRY TO GET OFF THE WRONG WAY(I WAS A VICTIM OF THAT 2 YEARS AGO).I FOUND U AND THIS THREAD AND DID IT THE RIGHT WAY. IT TOOK A YEAR BUT I DID IT.

BY THE WAY. IT HAS BEEN 7 DAYS SINCE I GOT OFF AND KNOCK ON WOOD I AM DOING FINE. I CAN SAY THAT THE FIRST FEW DAYS I WAS EXTREMELY TIRED AND DIZZY. I WAS GOING TO BED AT 9. THANK GOD FOR EVERONE'S PRAYERS I AM OK. I HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY. I DONT WANT TO JINX ANYTHING AND FEEL ********************PY IN A FEW DAYS.

DO U THINK THAT THIS IS OUT OF MY SYSTEM NOW, AUNTY??

THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING. I CANT THANK U ENOUGH.

I HOPE THAT URE DAUGHTER GETS THRU THIS SAFELY AND SLOWLY LIKE ME. I THINK ABOUT HER EVERY DAY. THANK GOD SHE IS YOUNG AND SHE HAS TIME. I PRAY THAT SHE IS WELL AND DOES WELL WITH EVERYTHING EVEN THRU THIS HARD TIME.


HUGS AND KISSES
TAVEE

PS I STARTED PRENATAL TABLETS INSTEAD OF MY MULTIVITAMIN AND EXTRA FOLIC ACID LAST WEEK.

AUNTY- WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO GET THIS INFO OUT. I WISH WE COULD GO ON OPRAH OR SOMETHING. I WISH WE COULD GATHER EVERYONE ON THIS THREAD AND DO A SEGEMENT ON LEXAPRO.WOULDNT THAT BE COOL??

I think the worst is behind you. No I do not think the small amount is out of your system yet....maybe in a few months but it is so minimal that it should not affect anything seriously.

Keep me informed..............you are the first one that actually followed the tapering to a tee.

Hugs and good luck with getting pregnant.

[Hairyarmadillo]

Originally Posted by 55+alive

I quit Lexapro and Buspar COLD Turkey and I have not regretted it. I sleep better, have dreams again, and am able to go to work just fine. I started on Lexapro 18 months ago and quit about 4 months ago. I would say to be sure to exercise every day and eat healthy.

That is great! Did you have any withdrawal symptoms at all? I agree with the exercise and eating healthy making a difference. Unfortunately, I was not able to go cold turkey but at least I am off it now. I feel alive in ways I had thought were gone for good.

[salomome]

Originally Posted by august029

I have been on Lexapro now for over three years and am taking it for anxiety. I may be unusual, but right now I have no desire to go off of it because I really have had no side affects at all while on it and it has helped me immensely. However, I realized that someday I may change my mind and want to go off of it. The withdrawl side affects I read about sound awful and I would not look forward to that part. My question is this: if I had an easy time going on it, could I look forward to an easy withdrawl? Has anyone out there been an exception to the horrific withdrawl details I've read in this forum?

To answer your question, I had absolutely NO side effects getting on the drug at all. I was surprised, because a few years back I took Effexir for a few days and then stopped because it made me so zoned out and ill. When I took Zoloft a few years back I felt numb and sick for a week or so. Lexapro made me feel nothing at all, which is why I am shocked at how bad I feel. I will kick this though.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by Hairyarmadillo

That is great! Did you have any withdrawal symptoms at all? I agree with the exercise and eating healthy making a difference. Unfortunately, I was not able to go cold turkey but at least I am off it now. I feel alive in ways I had thought were gone for good.

How long did it take you to start to feel that way? How long have you been off and when you started to really feel better.

It's great you recovered. I was following your posts in the beginning and understood that you really had a harsh time.

[friendly mom]

WF, 47, 5'5" on 20 mg of Lexapro for 18 months.

Tapering off this medication is a nightmare. The brain buzzing or "zaps" just won't quit. I have been slowly tapering for six weeks now and am now on 5 mg . . . I wish I'd never started this drug. It helped my depression, no doubt about it, but the price I paid was too high.

Like many of the others here, I gained weight without a change in eating habits. I'd weighed between 125-130 for 25 years, and after a year on Lexapro now weigh 145. Most of the weight is around my waist, which is very, very odd for me.

The people who make Lexapro, Forest Pharmaceuticals, are doing a bang-up job hiding the side effects of Lexapro from the public. And why wouldn't they? If your doctor had told you that Lexapro could make you fat and have weeks and weeks of misery when it was time to go off the drug, would you have taken it? I sure wouldn't have.

INCREDIBLY, my doctor (and other doctors, I'm told) still insist that clinical evidence shows that Lexapro is non-addictive and that weight gain is rare. Ha!

[salomome]

Originally Posted by friendly mom

WF, 47, 5'5" on 20 mg of Lexapro for 18 months.

Tapering off this medication is a nightmare. The brain buzzing or "zaps" just won't quit. I have been slowly tapering for six weeks now and am now on 5 mg . . . I wish I'd never started this drug. It helped my depression, no doubt about it, but the price I paid was too high.

Like many of the others here, I gained weight without a change in eating habits. I'd weighed between 125-130 for 25 years, and after a year on Lexapro now weigh 145. Most of the weight is around my waist, which is very, very odd for me.

The people who make Lexapro, Forest Pharmaceuticals, are doing a bang-up job hiding the side effects of Lexapro from the public. And why wouldn't they? If your doctor had told you that Lexapro could make you fat and have weeks and weeks of misery when it was time to go off the drug, would you have taken it? I sure wouldn't have.

INCREDIBLY, my doctor (and other doctors, I'm told) still insist that clinical evidence shows that Lexapro is non-addictive and that weight gain is rare. Ha!

No, I wouldn't have gone on it. As for the addiction thing, it's weird because I don't mentally crave it. It's not like going off cigarettes, alcohol, or even harsher drugs like cocaine. I don't want a "hit" of Lexapro, but the physical effects are worse. Why is that? They all have withdrawal symptoms, and this is by far the worse, but as for me categorizing it as addictive, I don't. Why is that? Aunty, you started this site - how about some advice - although, you have probably addressed it before yet I haven't read it all...I am working through it slowly.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by friendly mom

WF, 47, 5'5" on 20 mg of Lexapro for 18 months.

Tapering off this medication is a nightmare. The brain buzzing or "zaps" just won't quit. I have been slowly tapering for six weeks now and am now on 5 mg . . . I wish I'd never started this drug. It helped my depression, no doubt about it, but the price I paid was too high.

Like many of the others here, I gained weight without a change in eating habits. I'd weighed between 125-130 for 25 years, and after a year on Lexapro now weigh 145. Most of the weight is around my waist, which is very, very odd for me.

The people who make Lexapro, Forest Pharmaceuticals, are doing a bang-up job hiding the side effects of Lexapro from the public. And why wouldn't they? If your doctor had told you that Lexapro could make you fat and have weeks and weeks of misery when it was time to go off the drug, would you have taken it? I sure wouldn't have.

INCREDIBLY, my doctor (and other doctors, I'm told) still insist that clinical evidence shows that Lexapro is non-addictive and that weight gain is rare. Ha!

You are tapering too fast. Your brain can handle no more than 10% at a time. If you do not want to become very, very sick, please follow this advice. Start from the dose you felt most normal at.

Tapering your way will make you very sick, and you're already feeling it. Please go slowly, it can take you a year or so.....but at least you will not very sick.

If you need help doing that there are people here who can help you with the process.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by Julia77

It's funny you're mentioning this. The specialist whom I was seen by also suggested this, and that was a reason to her mind my body responded to 2.5 mg.
Aunty, thanks for responding. I had been very healthy before Lex and had never taken any meds. I know it's hard to believe but I had never touched Advil in my life. I have a box at home and it's been untouched for years. Therefore prior to Lex I hadn't had a chance to find out about my reaction to drugs. I never took anything else with Lex. Never tried street drugs, don't smoke, eat healthy and haven't touched wine with Lex.

I guess there is only one way for me now: suffer and wait until it goes away. I think it surely might be a wave of my wrong tapering from 2.5 mg because it hit me in the end of month 3-beginning month 4. Aren't they the toughest when people cold turkey.

I don't know how long it can last, can you suggest something to help Metabolism?? I take the supplements suggested by you guys on this forum, Fish Oil by Carlson's, Magnesium, Coral Calcium, multivitamin, and B complex.

I wonder what can help to metabolize faster.

Aunty, I wonder what I should do. Should I stay on 0.08 mg and just wait patiently if I feel better? I feel better for a day or so, and then another 'wave' hits me on the head. Depression and shakiness after sleep are the worst, also, weight loss ( funny, after all those worries about gaining it, lol)

Should I wait.... it's been 25 days since I did my last taper ( 0.09 to 0.08). Not myself and quite depressed.

What do you think of the supplements from the Road back?

PS. How is your daughter doing and what dose is she now at?

[Julia77]

Let me know how you are doing there.... Are your withdrawals subsiding? I know you are going through stressful times but I am worried about you.

[Ohwell]

Sure hope you feel better. Taper SLOW! Don't rush off. Take many weeks before you reduce again. You won't feel so sick if you taper slowly. Don't skip doses either! I did that, and always felt funky and spacey. I have been off for 57 days now! But I tapered almost cold turkey...didn't know. My main symptom lately has been fatigue and weird throat issues, also no appitite. Today I've felt better than I have in a few days....yeah!

[auntybiotic]

Originally Posted by Julia77

Aunty, I wonder what I should do. Should I stay on 0.08 mg and just wait patiently if I feel better? I feel better for a day or so, and then another 'wave' hits me on the head. Depression and shakiness after sleep are the worst, also, weight loss ( funny, after all those worries about gaining it, lol)

Should I wait.... it's been 25 days since I did my last taper ( 0.09 to 0.08). Not myself and quite depressed.

What do you think of the supplements from the Road back?

PS. How is your daughter doing and what dose is she now at?

Hi,

Julia since it has been three months since you were at 2.5 Mg, I cannot say if reinstating would help you stabalize. If it were me, I would try reinstating 2.5 Mg and see if I felt better.

Since you have not felt better the last 25 days, the withdrawals are NOT from your most recent taper but from tapering too fast several months ago. Unfortnately these waves can go on for 18 months.

My daughter has tapered about 75% of her original 20 Mg dose and is down to 6 Mg but it has not been an easy road and the road ahead is long.

The Road Back supplements certainly will not hurt you and have helped many. I know many say you can duplicate these medications at a local Vitamin Store for a lot less then charged by The Road Back but the choice is yours.

Loss of appetite is a withdrawal symptom. My daughter has had this for months.

[NorthernLad]

I appreciate all that Aunty has done here, and this is my first post, and the first time I have seen the site.

I am a 30 year-old male who has been on Lexapro (10 mg daily) since about the end of March. My psychiatrist advised taking 1/2 pill for a week and then just stopping, and I forgot to take any for a couple days and figured I might as well just quit cold turkey (the doc said this would probably be OK).

For the first week or so I was fine, but lately I am experiencing an increasingly pronounced fuzziness, for lack of a better word. Basically my head feels kind of woozy and lightheaded a lot of the time, much more noticeable when I am moving it seems, like when I stand up or turn my head quickly... it's almost as if my brain is processing things slower or something, my perception of the physical action of moving my head lags behind the action itself, if that makes any sense.

It's not so intense that i can't function normally or anything, but I do feel a bit more fatigued than usual and just not as focused. It's almost like coming out of general anesthesia (the tail end), that sort of haze. I thought the symptoms would lessen, but they seem to be more noticeable as the days go by.

I've read lots of posts so far about tapering off, but does it matter that I have only been on lexapro for about 6 months at a low dosage (10 mg)? I am tempted to just ride this out and see what happens, but am concerned now that things will get worse.

Logically I'd expect that the lower your dosage was, and the shorter the duration that you took Lexapro, that the easier it should be to stop... is there any truth to this assumption?

What nutrtional changes can I make to alleviate these effects? Is there good anecdotal or scientific support in their favor?

Many thanks to everyone here who shares advice and their experiences.

[auntybiotic]

Originally Posted by NorthernLad

I appreciate all that Aunty has done here, and this is my first post, and the first time I have seen the site.

I am a 30 year-old male who has been on Lexapro (10 mg daily) since about the end of March. My psychiatrist advised taking 1/2 pill for a week and then just stopping, and I forgot to take any for a couple days and figured I might as well just quit cold turkey (the doc said this would probably be OK).

For the first week or so I was fine, but lately I am experiencing an increasingly pronounced fuzziness, for lack of a better word. Basically my head feels kind of woozy and lightheaded a lot of the time, much more noticeable when I am moving it seems, like when I stand up or turn my head quickly... it's almost as if my brain is processing things slower or something, my perception of the physical action of moving my head lags behind the action itself, if that makes any sense.

It's not so intense that i can't function normally or anything, but I do feel a bit more fatigued than usual and just not as focused. It's almost like coming out of general anesthesia (the tail end), that sort of haze. I thought the symptoms would lessen, but they seem to be more noticeable as the days go by.

I've read lots of posts so far about tapering off, but does it matter that I have only been on lexapro for about 6 months at a low dosage (10 mg)? I am tempted to just ride this out and see what happens, but am concerned now that things will get worse.

Logically I'd expect that the lower your dosage was, and the shorter the duration that you took Lexapro, that the easier it should be to stop... is there any truth to this assumption?

What nutrtional changes can I make to alleviate these effects? Is there good anecdotal or scientific support in their favor?

Many thanks to everyone here who shares advice and their experiences.

Hi,

I think that anyone that takes any amount of lexapro for longer then 21 days, has chemically altered their brain chemistry and will need to taper slowly off to allow the neurotransmitters a chance to function with lesser amounts of lexapro until the taper is to none. Some are affected after a few days. You have taken Lexapro over six months.

Julia ( a current poster) was only on the low dose of 2.5 Mg and is having noticible withdrawals as she tapered quickly earlier. Some where only on lexapro for a few days and continue to have withdrawals many months later.

Ten Milligrams is the normally prescribed dose of lexapro, not a low dose. In my opinion your brain has been "chemically altered by the lexapro" and stopping as you did "cold turkey", will bring on many serious withdrawals because your brain will have trouble functioning without the depended on chemical reuptake of the serotonin that lexapro caused.

You may not notice severe withdrawals for about a month or so, but most people that cold turkey and are lucky enough not to get many physical withdrawls do go on to develop the depersonalization, a sense that they are not real in their surroundings.

A week is early to tell what the next few months may hold in the way of withdrawals. You may get dizziness, of unbalanced feeling, moodiness, crying without cause, rage, nightmares, fatigue, retstless legs, joint pain, mania, sinus or flu like symptoms, heart palpitations, stomach cramps, loose stools, ear ringing, the zaps (shock like sensations that occur in the head and run to the extremeties due to misfiring of the neurotransmitters), sweats (even if everyone else in the room is comfortable), lack of appetite and bloating in the stomach area, headaches and many more I have not mentioned..

At the three month mark after cold turkeying or tapering too fast, the physical sensations seem to abate and then the emotional withdrawals set in which is about the time the depersonalization, panic attacks, anxiety, sleeplessness and severe depression....... become apparent. These symptoms can lasts for up to 18 months or longer. The brain is "trying to learn to function again" similiar to what happens after one has a stroke. tapering from your original dose of lexapro by no more then 2 to 10% will ease the transition and the withdrawals.

Lexapro in my opinion is one of the strongest SSRI's on the market and stopping it cold turkey should be avoided if possible.

Please read thru the posts to get an idea of what may be the consequences of cold turkeying. Learn from others experiences.

Welcome, you will find all the information that is needed in this thread to safely get off a lexapro and lead a normal life. I hope by reading the experiences of others and articles posted here, that you can take advantage of the hours of research and years of others sharing a inside look into their personal lives, all in an effort to help others learn to taper slowly off of lexapro to avoid LONG periods of pain.

[auntybiotic]

Originally Posted by friendly mom

WF, 47, 5'5" on 20 mg of Lexapro for 18 months.

Tapering off this medication is a nightmare. The brain buzzing or "zaps" just won't quit. I have been slowly tapering for six weeks now and am now on 5 mg . . . I wish I'd never started this drug. It helped my depression, no doubt about it, but the price I paid was too high.

Like many of the others here, I gained weight without a change in eating habits. I'd weighed between 125-130 for 25 years, and after a year on Lexapro now weigh 145. Most of the weight is around my waist, which is very, very odd for me.

The people who make Lexapro, Forest Pharmaceuticals, are doing a bang-up job hiding the side effects of Lexapro from the public. And why wouldn't they? If your doctor had told you that Lexapro could make you fat and have weeks and weeks of misery when it was time to go off the drug, would you have taken it? I sure wouldn't have.

INCREDIBLY, my doctor (and other doctors, I'm told) still insist that clinical evidence shows that Lexapro is non-addictive and that weight gain is rare. Ha!

In six weeks you say you "slowly tapered" from 20 to 5 Mg of lexapro. That is almost like cold turkeying.

In six weeks your actual taper off lexapro should of been from 20 to 18 Mg for two to three weeks, then from 18 mg to 17.2 Mg for another two to three weeks. So instead of being at the suggested taper of 17.2 Mg of lexapro....you are at 5 MG. Do you see why you are having withdrawals and the ZAPS. Those that taper correctly WILL NEVER experience the zaps because that is the first sign that you are tapering too fast and causing the neurotransmitters to misfire.

Again I will remind everyone here that I am NOt a doctor, please check with a physician before following any advice or suggestion read on the internet.

[salomome]

When I tapered off, I went from the 10mg to 5mg for not even a week, then I cut the pill into quarters for a few days. Now I understand that it wa too fast. I am still working back on these posts, but exercise isn't really helping me to overcome this. I was okay again this morning, but now I am sweating and so sick to my stomach again. Plus loose stools now. Will it get worse or better? I have been off for over a week now. I can tell you, NEVER again will I go on an antidepressant!!

[Ohwell]

Congratulations! I didn't realize you were finally off. I know you have tapered right! Please keep us informed about your withdrawals. Maybe you won't have any!

Friendlymom, are you doing ok? Hope you are great today.

I like reading everyones stories and am glad I found this site.

I am still feeling a bit tired, and still have the weird sensation in the back of my throat. My appitite is still gone, but do force myself to eat and feel better because of eatting. I have only lost about 6 lbs. in almost 2 months since getting off Lex. I go to the cancer center Tues. for a check-up...(I am a cancer survivor) Please pray all will be well. I do covet prayers!:

[Ohwell]

I also had loose stools for weeks. I believe it is withdrawal. I also "tapered" from 10 mg. to 0 mg. in about 3 weeks. (had been on Lex. 1.6 years)
I had MANY withdrawals including...

Sweating, feeling dizzy, mild headaches, tiredness, loose stools, zaps in my right foot, hot/flushed feeling in my face, fever feeling, insomina, 2 panic attacks, flu feeling (esp. at the start), weird feeling in back of my throat, no appitite. No sex drive. Swollen glands.
and sinus drainage.

am now almost 2 months off. and still having fatigue, throat issues, and low appitite. Also have hypothryoidism.

THings that have helped me include.... rest, quiet, slow pace of life, no or little t.v. no violence, no stress, juices, Omega-3 fish oil, my supportive husband, prayer, and this site! Good Luck! oh well.

[Blanca Maria]

I was on lexapro for about 7 months and I couln't deal with the waight gain( which my doctor assured me would not happen when he first prescribed it).I went from 20mg. to 10mg. in about 5 days and then every other day for about 1 week. Today is my third day off Lexapro and I feel like I am going to have a heart attack. I don't think I would go back on it to try to go off slowly but I can't believe how going off a drug that is not supposed to be addictive can make you feel so horrible. I have had ulcerative colitis for about 91/2 years( Lexapro was not prescribed for that) Anyway, since I stopped my stomache has been acting up again, I am bleeding and it scares me to think what is going to happen tomorrow. I think I can handle the feeling that my heart is going to jump out of my chest and the dizziness and feeling like I am going to vomit constantly but I had no idea this would affect my stomache too I asked my doctor over and over if this was addictive, he said no. I asked him if it would make me gain waight, he also said no to that. WHAT IS GOING ON? After being on Lexapro for about 4 months I went back to see him because I had gained waight and he made me feel like I was crazy! he said Lexapro is a "waight Neutral" drug and that he really did not think that was the reason for my weight gain. 21/2 months after that I went back because I had gained MORE weight and he was shocked!!! he had no idea what was going on with me. So when I decided to go off of it I never even called him. I called my pharmacist and asked him what I should do.
After reading all your stories at least I know I am not crazy and I just hope that this doesn't last too much longer.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by NorthernLad

I appreciate all that Aunty has done here, and this is my first post, and the first time I have seen the site.

I am a 30 year-old male who has been on Lexapro (10 mg daily) since about the end of March. My psychiatrist advised taking 1/2 pill for a week and then just stopping, and I forgot to take any for a couple days and figured I might as well just quit cold turkey (the doc said this would probably be OK).

For the first week or so I was fine, but lately I am experiencing an increasingly pronounced fuzziness, for lack of a better word. Basically my head feels kind of woozy and lightheaded a lot of the time, much more noticeable when I am moving it seems, like when I stand up or turn my head quickly... it's almost as if my brain is processing things slower or something, my perception of the physical action of moving my head lags behind the action itself, if that makes any sense.

It's not so intense that i can't function normally or anything, but I do feel a bit more fatigued than usual and just not as focused. It's almost like coming out of general anesthesia (the tail end), that sort of haze. I thought the symptoms would lessen, but they seem to be more noticeable as the days go by.

I've read lots of posts so far about tapering off, but does it matter that I have only been on lexapro for about 6 months at a low dosage (10 mg)? I am tempted to just ride this out and see what happens, but am concerned now that things will get worse.

Logically I'd expect that the lower your dosage was, and the shorter the duration that you took Lexapro, that the easier it should be to stop... is there any truth to this assumption?

What nutrtional changes can I make to alleviate these effects? Is there good anecdotal or scientific support in their favor?

Many thanks to everyone here who shares advice and their experiences.

I hope you'll read this. I am a healthy 29-year old female who had been on 2.5 mg of Lex for 7 months and then decided to taper my own way since I didn't know any better. In the beginning I felt 'zaps', nausea, sleeplessness, just to mention a few. But because my pain and sickness tolerance threshold is obviously high, I didn't suffer much. But I didn't know it was the tip of an iceberg... when months 4 hits you WILL regret , I promise you. I am saying this because you are already going through stage 1, and once you're over you will naively think it's all over. But month four it's when almost all the physical symptoms subside and the emotional part starts. I personally am depressed ( I wasn't before Lex, lol), so this is a new issue to deal with, have crying spells, angry for no good reason, have extreme heart palps which sometimes make me think about driving to an emergency room, disoriented in the morning and very, very tired. I also get euphoric at times... I don't mean to scare you, I am just sharing my story.
You might think as I and my GP thought that this is initial illness creeping up back, but that is not it. It feels at times as if a lamp is turned on in your head and you just feel normal for some time, but then - baaaaam, another something hits you on the head.
I am naturally a very calm and placid person who exercises and eats healthy. I hope to get back to myself one day.

I am writing all this to warn you to learn from other people's misery. All those symptoms can go on and off for 12-18 months... you still can reinstate your dose and taper slowly.. 5-10% at a taper is what your brain can handle.

If you want people to help you taper, please let us know on this forum. There are lots of people who can help you do so.Also, are you taking any supplements?

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by Blanca Maria

I was on lexapro for about 7 months and I couln't deal with the waight gain( which my doctor assured me would not happen when he first prescribed it).I went from 20mg. to 10mg. in about 5 days and then every other day for about 1 week. Today is my third day off Lexapro and I feel like I am going to have a heart attack. I don't think I would go back on it to try to go off slowly but I can't believe how going off a drug that is not supposed to be addictive can make you feel so horrible. I have had ulcerative colitis for about 91/2 years( Lexapro was not prescribed for that) Anyway, since I stopped my stomache has been acting up again, I am bleeding and it scares me to think what is going to happen tomorrow. I think I can handle the feeling that my heart is going to jump out of my chest and the dizziness and feeling like I am going to vomit constantly but I had no idea this would affect my stomache too I asked my doctor over and over if this was addictive, he said no. I asked him if it would make me gain waight, he also said no to that. WHAT IS GOING ON? After being on Lexapro for about 4 months I went back to see him because I had gained waight and he made me feel like I was crazy! he said Lexapro is a "waight Neutral" drug and that he really did not think that was the reason for my weight gain. 21/2 months after that I went back because I had gained MORE weight and he was shocked!!! he had no idea what was going on with me. So when I decided to go off of it I never even called him. I called my pharmacist and asked him what I should do.
After reading all your stories at least I know I am not crazy and I just hope that this doesn't last too much longer.

Lexapro is VERY addictive and it DOES cause weight gain. I was the one who was watching what I was eating, exercising, walking and swimming and I gained 20 pounds on it. But don't worry, you will lose all that weight because you will through horrible withdrawals because of the way you tapered.
This kind of drug is never to quit cold turkey. I am pretty sure you will get through a harsh time because you are already into stage 1 - physical sickness. Stage 2 will be emotional - anxiety, depression, depersonalization and all other 'pleasant' things. Then it will go on and off for 12-18 months.

Please do not do it for yourself. How long have you been off? If it's been less then 6 weeks, you can reinstate and go down slowly 5-10% at a time. This is the dose your brain can handle with almost no or little side effects. You taper off by getting liquid Lex or getting it from your pharmacy. It's a process that takes months. Your way you will be sick on and off for 12-18 months.

* I am talking from mine and others' personal experience. I am not a doctor*

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by auntybiotic

Hi,

Julia since it has been three months since you were at 2.5 Mg, I cannot say if reinstating would help you stabalize. If it were me, I would try reinstating 2.5 Mg and see if I felt better.

Since you have not felt better the last 25 days, the withdrawals are NOT from your most recent taper but from tapering too fast several months ago. Unfortnately these waves can go on for 18 months.

My daughter has tapered about 75% of her original 20 Mg dose and is down to 6 Mg but it has not been an easy road and the road ahead is long.

The Road Back supplements certainly will not hurt you and have helped many. I know many say you can duplicate these medications at a local Vitamin Store for a lot less then charged by The Road Back but the choice is yours.

Loss of appetite is a withdrawal symptom. My daughter has had this for months.

Thanks Aunty, I really can't thank you enough. I bet they are from the previous taper because today guess what I've felt - a brain zap. We went out to dine and everything was pretty much as in a dream and fog.
I am not going back since I am not sure it will help. My experience with Lex had been that it caused quite severe depression when I reinstated.
I thank God every day that I am not losing my ability to do work and study - I do both. I am still sane to do things in life.
My head is shaking and I've got muffled ears.
I am also hoping at month 5 it will get better. I want to read the Road Back and see what they suggest there, as soon as I feel better I will get them from a local health store.
Good luck to your daughter. 6 mg is quite impressive, but from what I know it gets tougher when closer to the end.

[Julia77]

Originally Posted by Ohwell

Congratulations! I didn't realize you were finally off. I know you have tapered right! Please keep us informed about your withdrawals. Maybe you won't have any!

Friendlymom, are you doing ok? Hope you are great today.

I like reading everyones stories and am glad I found this site.

I am still feeling a bit tired, and still have the weird sensation in the back of my throat. My appitite is still gone, but do force myself to eat and feel better because of eatting. I have only lost about 6 lbs. in almost 2 months since getting off Lex. I go to the cancer center Tues. for a check-up...(I am a cancer survivor) Please pray all will be well. I do covet prayers!:

I wish you well on Tuesday.

[Blanca Maria]

Thank you Julia77, I have been off Lexapro for 3 days now and I don't want to start taking it again and may be go through this again. I understand it won't be as harsh but I don't want to take any chances. I think I can handle the physical things that are happening to my body, it is the emotional symptoms that really scare me. I have 3 small children and like so many parents I am extremely busy and I just don't want to do anything that may harm my children ( physically or emotionally). I tell my husband I finally understand why people have such a hard time getting off drugs. As I said before it helps to know I am not the only one going through this, I just wish I had found this web-site before I started taking Lexapro. I really thought I asked all the right questions to my doctor.

[Julia77]

[QUOTE=Blanca Maria;189106]**Thank you Julia77, I have been off Lexapro for 3 days now and I don't want to start taking it again and may be go through this again. I understand it won't be as harsh but I don't want to take any chances. I think I can handle the physical things that are happening to my body, it is the emotional symptoms that really scare me. I have 3 small children and like so many parents I am extremely busy and I just don't want to do anything that may harm my children ( physically or emotionally). I tell my husband I finally understand why people have such a hard time getting off drugs. As I said before it helps to know I am not the only one going through this, I just wish I had found this web-site before I started taking Lexapro. I really thought I asked all the right questions to my doctor. **


It sure is your own choice. Nonetheless you WILL get serious emotional issues. What you are feeling now is only the start. Get ready for them, start to exercise, eat healthy and start to take supplements. They may be so strong you will be bed ridden for some time and not able to go to work. 20 mg was quite a dose and you got to nothing in no time at all.

When I cold turkied 10 mg a year ago I experienced frequent memory loss and disorientation and had to reinstate to 2.5 mg. It took me 3-4 months to start to feel better and now I am having a hard time to taper off that little dose.

Anyways, stick it out if you decided you want to do this and check in frequently when you need support.