[paul_s]

oooh oooh. I'm glad I found this place. [:0]

I've been on Lexapro about 3 years. My depression has subsided and I'm now trying to get off them. Weened for a couple weeks at half dose, and now totally off. I see someone coined the term "brain zap". Yes, that's it! I remember telling my shrink that I would get these "surges" in my head that felt electrical. I felt okay the first couple weeks, but now it's hard to sleep at night, and the "brain zaps" get worse, especially at night. It's been 4 weeks now off them, the last two weeks hell. I'm getting about 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night. Good thing I had this week off work. Anyway, I'm hoping it's not too much longer before the withdrawel subsides. Good luck to everyone else here struggling too. Hang in there!

Paul

[lexaho1]

Along with the dizziness and brain zaps, I have been incredibly angry and highly irritable. They seem to be worse with PMS. Does anyone know if the symptoms are related to the anti-anxiety effects of lexapro (like ativan or xanax withdrawal) verses SSRI withdrawal?

[eissa321]

I have been on every SSRI you could imagine. I have quit all of them at some point or another. Until Lexapro I thought Zoloft had the worse withdrawal symptoms but I was wrong. Lexapro is definitely a dangerous drug. The dizziness and balance issues associated with its withdrawal remind me of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome. I don't believe the risks associated with withdrawing from Lexapro could ever justify its use. It is my hope that Lexapro be taken off the market and that the FDA reexamines the so called benefits of these SSRIs. In my professional opinion I believe SSRIs actually worsen pre-existing symptoms as well as create new symptoms whether you are weaned off the drug or not. In fact this is exactly what the pharmaceuticals want, to make you come back for more, a vicious cycle.

[sexysue]

hiya everyone . i have been having these really severe tingling burning sensations with numbness in my face , hands and feet for the last couple of days now . it is getting much more worse now . told my so called psychatrist about this and he told me that it is in my head like everything else . i was and still am very upset about it all . don't know what to do . it has been nearly 5 weeks now that i stopped it very adruptly and i am still suffering . think that i have done some serious damage to myself . don't think that i am gong to get thru this . one of my childres is dead , the two remaining children is being looked after by my sister , my boyfriend is in prison , my parents are too old and probably die very soon , the social services are involed , i have done some seriuos damage to myself by stopping the lexopra very adruptly and my so called psychatrist don't want to know about it . what is there is live for . nothing at all . and it is all because of the lexopra . i thought that it was going to help me bit it didn't . it has made everything more worse . before my so called psychatrist put me on the lexopra , he put me zopiclone which is a sleeping pill and left me on it for 3 whole months without any medical reviews about it at all until i had to stop that very adruptly as well because that also worsened my depression as well . the moral of my story is don't ever take lexopra at all because it ****s up your life for good [xx(][V]

[sexysue]

it is me again . forgot to tell you . went to a very different hospital yesterday to see if they can do something about the severe tingling burning sensations and numbness that i am having , was saw by a doctor and she told that i am definitely withdrawing and should speak to my psychatrist about it which i did today . i was totally fob off by him . so i decided to go back to the hospital today again which i did after seeing my so called psychatrist and saw the doctor that i saw the previous day and she told me that i should take piriton allergy tablets ( chlorphenamie ) and make an appointment with my own doctor next week which i am going to do . feel so let down by my psychatrist who i trusted with my life . instead of helping me , he blamed it all on me . have been crying nearly all day today because of that bastard . am thinking of making an serious complaint about him and his unprofessional conduct of behaviour towards me . these so called psychatrists do not care for any of us at all . they are only in it for the money . so be very beware of them . [xx(][V]

[sarita]

Hi all,

Yes. Brain zaps seem to be very common. Sue, the burning, i don't know about. I haven't heard that much about it on this website. The dizziness subsides after a couple weeks and the withdrawals subside too. I'm only going by all these e-mails people write about.

Me? I have been cutting down so so so so slowly and haven't had any withdrawals at all. But i'm sure if i went fast like ya'll i'd be going through the same problems. I'm down to 1.5 mg. and my next cut will be 5% maybe 10%. you may all think, wow only 1.5 just get off by the answer is HELL NO>>>>>>>> after what i've read, the only way off these things is slowly.

I've been taking omega 3's, and power barely and meditating with yoga and deep breathing and anti-anxiety techniques.

[luney toon]

May I suggest that you shave the pills. No joke intended if you reduce the dose by less than a mg at a time the withdrawl is far less. Your daughter's body has most doubt adjusted to the drug and has now developed a chemical inbalance of sorts and will need to go through the slow, long process of re-adjusting. Also at age 15 she is probably having major PMS issues as well as other hormonal changes that most normal teenagers have to deal with. Although the drug was prescribed for the jaw clenching thing, it may well be hiding normal mood (teenager from hell) symptoms as her body changes and it is in fact this process that is agrivating the withdrawl of the drug.

While weaning her off the drug, you should keep a record of the dates and times that she suffers the most. You will no doubt soon track a trend and be able to pre-empt the onset of the symptoms - most likely the worst symptoms will be around day 13 (ovulation) and day 23 (pre-bleed) of her menstral cycle. During this stage she should take large doses of b6 and b12 vitamins. In our country you can buy a vitamin branded as PMS especially to help with the symptoms that you are describing that your daughter suffers from. As I reduce my Luvox (SSRI) dose I immediatly take the vitamins until I stabalise. Then I take a break from the vitamins for a week or two, reduce the dose again and start up with the vitamins. Following this approach, I have reduced from 100mgs to 50mgs. I still have a long way to go but then I have been on the meds for 12 years! The trick - take it slowly. Your daughters system is broken and it will take time to heal.

PS. Use a sharp knife to s****e a small amount off the tablet. One s****e for two months, then two s****es for 1,5 months, three s****es for 1 month. The trick is to stay on the reduced dose for as long as it takes to stabilise at that dosage before reducing again.

Good Luck.

[Dizzy101]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the game here but not new to lexapro. I moved away from family and friends and a great job when my husband was transfered. Within 8 weeks I was diagnosed as depressed. Dr said lexapro, I don't take any presciptions so I was leary but I thought anything was better than sitting in front of the tv all day with no energy. Two weeks after being on the drug I felt like a million bucks. I was only on it for four months and decided I did not need it any longer. My dr said to just take the rest and don't refill, that's what I did. Thought everything was ok until two weeks later, and bam! the side effects hit like a ton of bricks. I felt like a rag doll some one was shaking . The dizziness, etc lasted about 2 weeks and went away as fast as it came. I thought all was right with the world. Let me also say that I was lucky and had no side effects while on the drug, never felt better. BUT, every 6-8 weeks the same side effect comes back, much milder than the last but why should this still be bothering me after 2 years????!!!
Anyone else out there still having effects this long? Of course the dr says there are thousands of things that could be causing this but didn't get this until after lexapro. Exercise and fresh air seem to make it better so I don't think I have a brain tumor.
Any feed back would be appreciated.

Thanks

[watercolorluvr]

To everyone here: YOU ARE NOT CRAZY!

What you are feeling is as real as the flu or a cavity! There is nothing more frustrating than when your doctor writes-off your symptoms hasn't ever heard of them.

The "brain zaps" or "brain shivers" are real. They ARE a very frequent and horrible symptom of Lexapro withdrawal, but take comfort in that all indications are that they are temporary. Maybe 4-6 weeks before they go away, but once they do, they are gone.

In the medical community, here's some of the terms used to describe these brain zaps (in case you want to do some research):
-Paresthesia
-"Electric shock sensation"
-"Electric shock sensory disturbances"

Everyone has their own way of describing this symptom. For me, I read the following description which I agree with: "It felt like a "reboot" every 5 seconds or so. I'd be walking down an aisle at a grocery store, turn my head to look at something, and wham....I'd get 3-4 sensations of "resetting" or "rebooting" ..."

I am getting off Lexapro after being on it for years and am going through the withdrawal right now. I have hope though because this is the second time I've withdrawn from Lexapro. I had all these symptoms the first time I got off it, but I was stupid enough to get back on it later (I felt depressed again and knew Lexapro worked for me). Now I'm off again, suffering temporarily from brain zaps. I hope I don't get depressed again and have to go back on it. I DON'T WANT TO GET BACK ON IT!

You might say, "why did you stop taking Lexapro in the first place?" For me, it was because it made me SO drowsy. The fatigue was too much. Lexapro stopped my panic attacks altogether, but it doesn't seem like it helped with my mild but ever-present depression.

Please just know that you are not alone. As you can see, this topic has hundreds of pages. SO MANY PEOPLE are going through the exact same thing as you and I right now. Hang in there and ask questions or offer your own advice if you have it!

[sexysue]

to watercolorluvr . you saved my life . thought that i was going mad . told my so called psychatrist about the symptoms i was getting and he told me that it was all in my head , like everything else . was thinking of making an offical complaint about him . this is nearly end of my fifth week now and the withdrawal symptoms are still going strong . it seems to drag on forever . what gets to me the most is the the extremely dry eyes and sudden tension in your head , neck and body which appears anytime of the day . went to hospital today cos i actually thought that i had a brain tumor cos the tingling burning sensations and the tension in my head and body was that bad . really thought the nerves in my body was damaged , especially in my back . saw the doctor in charge . tried to convince her to give me a brain scan but she said no . so to put my mind at rest , she did her own special little test on me . she told me to cover my eyes with one hand to not to see what she was doing and to put the other hand down on the table which i did and then she pricked the back of it with a very sharp thing 9 or 10 times . don't know what it was but it was really sharp ! after that , she told me if my nerves was really damaged , i would not felt what she did to my hand at all . plus she told that i would not be walking around at all either . thought about what she said after that . she has got a point . it is not me . it the withdrawal . i would not normally act like that . i was calling my dad so many nasty names during a phone conversation we had a couple of days ago . i would not normally do that . i respect him so much . this withdrawal really scares me alot . i did not know that i had so much rage in me . hopefully i will make this . been thru so many antidepressant drug withdrawals in the past but this one has been the toughtest and longest . good luck to my fellow withdrawees . [xx(][V]

[sexysue]

to dizzy101 . we have got no brain tumors . to put your mind at rest , just read my very last entry before this one . i was the same as you thinking that i had a brain tumor and that there was something very seriously wrong with me but i went to hospital , saw the doctor in charge and she put my mind at rest by doing her very simple test on me which did not cost me a thing . it is not you . it is the withdrawal from lexopra . what also helps me alot is being in this forum with guys like you who are going thru the very same thing as me . if i did not know about this forum , i would definitely go mad . all of us will get thru this . i know it is very hard sometimes but try to hang in there . am trying to . this is one experience that i will never forget in a hurry . hope this helps you and also helps other people out there who is also withdrawing from this terrible drug which i will never ever touch again as long as i live . boo to all drugs [xx(][V]

[sarita]

dizzy,
did you have the dizzy symptoms before you got on? i had dizzy before i got on, and then it stopped. i'm alittle dizzy withdrawaing
but not much.

[QuitLexColdTurkey]

Hi everyone! I need some advice! I was on Lexapro 20 mg for two years. I quit cold turkey three weeks ago. Was doing fine for the first two weeks but then my stiff necks returned, (stiff neck was the reason for lex in the first place). I quit the lexapro because of the sexual side effects. So after the first two weeks my doctor put me on effexor xr, said the sexual side effects were less with this. Took the effexor for 5 days, then stopped, couldn't handle the fast heart beat, anxiety, etc. with the effexor. Now I am talking wellbutrin, this is my second day of taking it. The Withdrawal from the Lexapro is too much. My hands, face and feet are numb and tingling, dizziness, moodiness, very emotional and feel sick to my stomach most of the time. What should I do? Just deal with the withdrawal? Go back to Lexapro? Any advice will be appreciated.

[sarita]

quitlex.
i recommend from the 100's of previous emails i read, that you should get back on lexipro and then taper slowly. going cold turkey is the most dangerous thing you can do. i know whaqt you're going through. i had terrible neck pain before i went on too. i also had blurry vision. if you don't mind being on pills, my doc recommended wellbutrin. it's supposed to help with the sexual side effects and weight gain. people take it w/the lexipro. you can defienlty lower your lexipro dose. they wanted me on 20 mg too, but i only took 5 mg and was fine. ask your doc about wellbutrin/ but remember you can't take it if you've ever had eating disorders.
otherwise, go back on the lex......and taper slowly.

[QuitLexColdTurkey]

Sarita--My doctor started me on Wellbutrin yesterday. I had bulimia 25 years ago. I was bulimic for about one year. Since it was so long ago is it safe to take Wellbutrin? I called the doctors nurse, she said it was ok but I have never talked to my doctor about the bulimia. I had buried it until now. Should I go back to the full 20mg of Lexapro? I am so confused and sick.

[notsonuts]

OMG! I'm so happy I now realize I'm not going completely bananas after reading all of theses postings! I'm a 45 year old man and was prescribed Lexapro about 7 months ago because I was depressed about the sudden death of my mother. The therapist I was referred to immediately started giving me free samples of Lexapro. I decided to take it. I never liked having to be dependant on a drug but the therapist convinced me to take the Lexapro and that it would help. Now I'm so angry he gave it to me. I recently decided to go off and started weaning because I was weaned on. I was up to 10mg a day for about the first two weeks and decided that might be too much and then therapist said I could go down to 5mgs a day which doesn't seem to be like a large doseage comparitively. I can't really say if this drug has helped me. A week ago I wanted off and went down to 2.5mgs a day then stopped completely. I Then started to feel "loopy" and "swimmy" in the head. I didn't link these sensations to withdrawal symptoms from the Lexapro at first until a light turned on and I found this forum. I HATE Lexapro and will NEVER go on any type of psycho drug again for the long term. I am relieved to read from all of the generous postings that these withdrawal side effects are temporary. I can't wait until these feelings of having constant electric "blips", headaches, moods and light headedness are gone!!!!!!!!!

[vmv702]

hey all, this is my first post and to be honest I feel like crying right now lol.

I'm 29 now and at age 22 I was put on Paxil because I had mild depression. After a few years I mentioned to my Doc that there were some sexual side effects and he put me on Lexapro. True, these drugs helped mellow me out, but I went from being 125 pounds at 22 (a little underweight but I'm only 5'7) to currently 200 pounds. Recently I have thought about getting off of Lexapro but the "zaps" made me think otherwise. I had NO idea there were others with the same problems. I HATE my appearance right now. It sucks that my "20's" haven't been enjoyable. I am ALWAYS tired, have NO libido and have gained ALOT of weight. I need OFF this stuff. Tonite just out of nowhere I decided to google "quitting lexapro" and this was the first page that came up. I'm gonna try weening myself off and bookmark this page for support.

just wanted to say "thank you" to all of you. Reading these posts have helped me more than you could know because I realize I am not alone. I WILL beat this!

Thanks and Talk To Ya Soon,
Mark

[sexysue]

to sarita . you told quitcoldturkey that he should go back on the lexapro and to taper off it very slowly . what about if you can't go back on the lexopra again and taper off it very slowly because it was too potent for you or you had a allergic reaction to it . had to quit lexopra 10mg cold turkey nearly 6 weeks ago because i had a serious reaction to it . even tried going back on 5mg once and i still had a reaction to it . was only on it for a month . am not having a go at you but there is people like me out here too who had a serious reaction to lexopra and has to do it cold turkey , not by their own choice . i wish that i could go back on lexopra and taper it off very slowly that way but i can't . [xx(][V]

[sexysue]

hiya all . has been nearly 6 weeks now since i took my last dose of lexopra . the withdrawals are still going strong . they include severe muscle tension , extreme pressure in my head and neck , insomnia , weakness and stiffness in body , aches and pains , extremely dry eyes , extreme fatigue , mood swings , tingling burning sensations all over my body and numbness in my face and both of my hands and feet . still feels like that my head has been kicked in . was only on it for a month . had to quit it cold turkey , not by my choice at all . i really need to know IF this will stop and how long it usually takes . i hear that it can take up to 4 months or even longer for the withdrawals to die down . hope this is not true ! i don't know how long i will be able to deal with this . it is so disheartening , i just want to scream . really feels like that i am going mad sometimes . so please , can anyone give me a estimation of how long these things will last and these flucations are normal ? i had just assumed that they would get better gradually . not one day okay , one day debilitating , the next day a little better , etc , etc . really don't feel like that i am getting better at all . feels like that this drug lexopra has done some very serious damage to my brain and body . and also is there anything else out there to ease this never ending pain in the meantime ? [xx(][V]

[sexysue]

can someone just help me . written so many times on this forum and i am just being ignored . i am a fellow sufferer just like yourselves as well . thankyou . [xx(][V]

[sexysue]

FOR WOMEN ONLY ! plus also since stopping the lexopra 5 weeks ago , my pmt has gotten much more worse as well . am nearly at the end of my period now but before it stared , i felt like that i was going to actually kill someone . never got that bad before . my moods was everywhere .i felt tense most of the time . it was my first period since being off the lexopra . it really scared me alot . was also calling my dad lots of horrible names down the telephone nearly everyday before i came on . would not normally do that . has any other female withdrawee had the same experience or any similar problems as me after quitting the dreaded lexopra ? if so , start typing . also please let me know if the raging hormones calm down as time went by ? don't fancy going thru this hell every month for the rest of my life . hope it was only a one off . [xx(][V]

[sarita]

quit,
i'm no doctor but i will only tell you from what i read here........

i'd do more research on the wellbutrin as far as bulimia goes. if it was really only one year or on and off....etc..be honest because this could cause strokes.

2nd, if you want to come off pills completly, then i'd stay away from anything you didn't take before you quit cold turkey, i.e. wellbutrin.......go back on whatever u were taking(was it only lexipro?)then go back to up slowly, maybe take 10 mg of lex...but quit, i'm not sure what you're feeling....

if you want to stay on, then some doctors switch over and it takes a couple weeks to adjust (nauseau, moody, etc..)...i think that's what your doc was trying to do...so be patient...

i know you're all messed up, but try to think of what you want to do and then make a decision, and stick with it. please don't ever go cold turkey again. the most you should taper is 10%.

SEXY sue,
i'm sorry we've been ignoring you. first of all, my periods are awful. i yell at my husband terribly and my moods are awful and i get anxiety. my gyno recommended i take anti-depressant, a very very light dose during pms week. but now that i know what it is (pms) i am better knowing that i know what it is (if that makes sense)......i know when i get an anziety attack, it's pms.......or that i'm tired...or hungry...and that's it...

what kind of allergic reaction did you have? are you sure it wasn't side effects?? how were u before lexipro? r u taking anything else? and social drugs? smoking? drinking? this can all effect you negatively.

ALSO, i can almost swear by b6, b12 (power barley), and omega 3's. i've been taking supplements (www.theroadback.org) will help with the tapering program and thy're supplements are magic...

[flagator]

Hi,

As many others have said, this thread has been quite helpful.

I started Lexapro in April 2006 after having what was diagnosed as a panic attack. I thought I was having a stroke or something horrible and eneded up in the er. CT scan was negative but I couldn't shake the fact that I had some kind of lfe threatening illness. Basically had health related anxiety I believe. Would work myself up so much that I would bring on an anxiety attack.

Doc sent me to psychcologist and that helped but he thought lexapro would help even more.

Was put on 10 mg of free samples and sent out the door. Was told Lex had fewer side effects than the others. Was NEVER told that the Lex may cause some of its own effects.

Three days into the 10mg I had symptoms worse than the actual panic/anxiety attack that started the whole thing in the first place.

Called the doc on Sunday morning and he said it was probably just the underlying anxiety and that we should up my dose to 20mg.

So I went along with that and took 20mg until about mid August. At that time I had had enough of the yawning, weight gain, lethargy and lack of labido that I could take.

I had a bunch of medical tests run and realized I wasn't dying of some horrible illness and it was time to get off the pills.

I went from 20mg to 15mg for about a week. Then 10mg for 2 weeks. Then 5 for 2 weeks. Then did 2.5mg for 2 weeks. I am now off the drug and have been so for 9 days.

During my tapering I never had any real bad side effects. I did have headaches that were more annoying than anything. My worst effect was being very edgy. No patience at all.

I felt I was lucky however, because these were not bad side effects compared to what I have read here.

For the last 2 days things have gotten a bit worse. I have experienced some dizziness and I guess that brain zapping thing. For me it is almost like a startling sensation when you are dozing off and get woken up. But it happens at any time.

My question is, has anyone else gotten these symptoms so late in the weaning off period? I was doing great 7 days with no Lex and would have thought I was in the free and clear.

Is it "normal" for these brain zaps/dizziness to come this late in the game?

I am doing so much better with my healthcare anxiety but this causes me to worry about my health and can start the vicious cycle over again.

Thanks,

[QuitLexColdTurkey]

flagator--I took lex for 2 yrs, 20mg. I quit cold turkey and was just fine for two weeks. The third and fourth week were hell and now I am back on the stuff. Will never quit cold turkey again!! I will taper very slowly next time.

[sexysue]

to QUITLEXCOLDTURKEY . you tell us that quit lexopra cold turkey . you also told us the first 2 weeks was just fine but the third and fourth week was hell . am glad that you came to your senses and went back on the lexopra and taper off that way because i went thru what you went thru and i know that doing cold turkey is pure hell . unlike you , i am still going thru my cold turkey lexopra withdrawal . it will be 6 weeks tomorrow . as i told you before , i can't ever go back on it ever again due to having a serious reaction to it while i was on it . so wish me luck . will keep you and the rest of the forum posted with my not so very steady progress [xx(][V]

[sexysue]

TO SARITA . thankyou for your reply . really thought that everybody was ignoring me back there for a while . this serious allergic reaction i had while i was taking lexopra was it was making me really suicidal and also making me much more depressed as well . felt a 100 times more worse everytime i took it . sorry don't do social drugs . never did . so it can't be that . everything points to the lexopra . my body was fine before i was put on the lexopra . going to the doctors about it this coming tuesday . hope they find something . i found that lexopra was way too strong for me . it is a very potent ssri antidepressant drug . much more potent than the other ssri's which is also on the market today as well . it claims to work much more faster than the other ssri's and it also claims to have less side effects as well . if you believe that , you are a fool . as you can see by this forum , there are loads of people who are struggling with this drug which i believe should be banned for good . it is not bringing happiness into our lifes . it bringing more trouble into our lifes . this drug has done a lot damage to people like me and you ........ and the drug companies , the so called psychatrist and our family doctors are completely just ignoring it . they are looking for more unsuspecting guniea pigs to try their dangerous drugs on . will keep you posted [xx(][V][V]

[QuitLexColdTurkey]

sexysue--wish I had an answer for you. I can't imagine going through withdrawals for six weeks, after two I thought I was losing my mind. I hope I can get off this drug someday soon. But for now I have taken 20mg of lexapro for two days and I am feeling soo much better. Not 100% yet, but much much better. All the tingling and numbness are almost gone. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

[sarita]

sexy sue,
you are very brave. i wish you all the luck in the world. do some deep breathing through your nose. try yoga. maybe some b6 b12 and omega 3's.

quit,
thank gosh you went back on it!! now, go to www.theroadback.org and they will tell you exactly how to taper correctly. the way i did it was make lines, like 5 mg., make 5 lines. each line is 1 mg. cut only 5 to 10% from the 20 mg.. do one taper for at least a couple weeks, stabilize before you move on to the next taper. i recommend supplements.

flaggator,
doctor's have no idea about this new drug. 20 mg is SO high. whatever they say, i do half. always have and it's always worked for me. actually, they told me to take 20 mg too but i only took 5 mg and it worked great.
they told me all kinds of ****. didn't listen. nhst did a lot of research.

if you're not in a hurry to get off or not pregnant or whatever; then take your time; be patient with yourself and tell your spouse to be patient.

btw, i'm down to 1.5 mg. tomorrow i start 1 mg!!! yiieepie!! maybbe 1.25 depending how i feel.

[itchinglikecrazy]

I have taken Lexapro 20 since 2002. I was supposed to be on for 6 months. Haven't been able to get off. Dr. said I would be on for life. I was always sleeping. In severe funk and not wanting to do anythig. I would clean for 20 min. sleep for 3 days. I can't stand being like that. I stopped cold turkey 1 1/2 weeks ago and felt like a new person again. Now I am having itching from the inside out head to toe and itched my scalp raw. That is the main thing is anyone heard of anything like this and how long are withdrawals?

[QuitLexColdTurkey]

Sarita--just wondering how the tapering is going? Have you had many withdrawals symptoms? I am going to start tapering in a month or two, after I move. I don't want to have to go through anything even close to what I was experiencing when I quit cold turkey!