[sarita]

brandi,

the last paragraph you wrote about the tapering, are you talking about now or when you first started the taper? i'm SO glad to hear you got your libido back. yyyeeeieppiee............i started taking some protein powder designed by theroadback to lose fat and i bought csome cla from them too for weight loss which i haven't started yet. i want to wait on that. i started dieting though and i think i lost a few pounds. the worst part was the belly fat. ug!!!!!!! i'm size 9/10 now and i was a 3/4 before i got on it. the only WITHDRAWALS i feel is dizziness sometimes. but after i take the supplements it helps alot. i'm so glad i have the money to buy this stuff. question: what was your last taper? from how many mg. to what?

tavee,
you sound much better. how r u feeling?

ME???? i'm great. i finally have sex with my husband and it actually went well!!!! i'm alittle dizzy and shaky(well, we know why! ha) but doing great on my taper to 3/4 of a milligram. i know it sounds like such a small amount, but going down 1/4 of a milligram is a big drop especially at the end. hopefully , in another week i'll be down to 1/2 of a milligram!!! i'm SO excited. and happy. you guys will get there. it was a long 7 months of tapering but worth it. you will feel alive again, you will notice the green in the trees, you will feel love like you should. i promise. be patient, don't blame yourself, it's not your fault, and be strong and keep saying, "YOU CAN DO THIS".

helpme,
i never heard of prozac for tapering off lexipro nor was i interested after my psych..told me to cold turkey she obviously knows nothing. i feel so bad for you suffering through so much emotional issues in your life. that's got to be the hardest things while tapering. you are very strong. if there's no reason to taper fast, then i suggest staying on 5 mg until you feel completely okay with yourself physically and mentally. then go to the next taper. i hope you are explaining to your son the reason you are screaming at him.

[brandi]

Sarita:

My last taper was from 1mg down to none (you're doing it even more carefully, which is smart.) I didn't gain wait on any others until the Lexapro, and it sounds like you and I gained the exact same way... I went from a 3/4 or a 5/6 to (currently) about a 9/10, and it's all around the middle, belly and back. BLECH! I'm getting married in July, so I've got some time to take it off, but I'm afraid if I don't start losing now July will be here before I know it! One of the other supplements I'm taking to lose weight is called Glucomannan. It's only a fiber supplement, but it really keeps you feeling full. I've lost a couple of pounds already and just started taking it a few days ago.

Helpme: that's really interesting about the Prozac. I hadn't heard doctors recommending that, but it probably works since it's so much easier to get off Prozac (the half-life is quite a bit longer, so it's not as drastic.) I didn't like Prozac when I was on it (it was the first one I was put on, 11 years ago) and compared to the more advanced drugs it feels like the difference between a sledghammer and a pair of tweezers. I had far more side-effects on Prozac, but it is easier to get off of.

[tavee]

brandi

how did u taper?

can u give me a breakdown?


tavee

[bodyelectric]

Hey kids -- just wanted to check in.

How is everybody?

I've had a rough few months... ended up back on meds -- Lamictal, which did wonders. Made me believe that I probably can't control this all on my own. Then I had the dreaded reaction to it and had to go off. Lucky me, I'm the one in one thousand who has trouble on Lamictal. I always am one to overreact.

So now I'm taking a bunch of fish oil and waiting to go on lithium once the Lamictal clears completely.

In the meantime, I did a whole bunch of research on omega-3. Did you know that grassfed beef has just as much omega-3 as fish? Most meat here is grainfed and not that good for you.

Here's a site where you can find a grassfed cow to put in your freezer: http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html

Wild game like deer and elk also have lots of omega-3. I guess when you eat what you're supposed to eat, you have omega-3. When you eat the engineered stuff, you get unhealthy. I've given up vegetarianism for good -- but I won't be eating any meat from the grocery store, either. I'm getting in touch with my inner Neanderthal.

Please pass me my club.

I also put a chart online to compare different natural antidepressant formulas. Not a single one of them is good for you if you're still taking Lexapro or another prescription antidepressant so I expect you won't want to buy any of them, but you might find some of their ingredients interesting -- haven't seen them mentioned here. Here's the link: http://www.davesdepression.com/depre...epressant.html

Sorry I've kinda let my withdrawal symptoms web site slide. Too many unfinished projects. Guess I can't much argue with the bipolar diagnosis.

The Lexapro withdrawal symptoms go away eventually one way or another, so take heart that it's a temporary condition. You will get better.

Take care,
BE

[sarita]

brandi,
so, basically you are saying once you were off, which has been about a month, you are still dizzy? that's ruff. god, i hope i don't go through that. that's my concern too. i called the roadback with my concern and they seem to think as long as i continue the supplements 45 days after i finish the taper (it lasts in your system that long so maybe you'll stop dizziness after that?) that most people are okay. wow....you and i have the same weight gain in the same stomach area. ug...i used to have killer abs.

[bodyelectric]

Just a quickie --

The weight gain is almost definitely caused by cortisol. It may have nothing at all to do with your diet or exercise. Some will come off when your brain functions get back to normal, the rest you may need to help go away.

When Lexapro keeps serotonin from being re-uptaken, the artificially elevated serotonin level triggers elevated cortisol. It's what your body SHOULD do when serotonin is high.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work to get the serotonin down because of the Lexapro, so your body produces more cortisol. This puts a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands.

Besides making you fat, too much cortisol can erode the insides of your blood vessels, too.

Good thing you're getting off Lexapro...

[HelpMe58]

Sarita, It was not me screaming at my son, I think that was Tavee.lol
I may stay on the 5 mg for awhile and then taper off. From what milligrams did you start tapering 1/4 at a time and for how long? I was hoping the weightloss would start when I went from 10 to 5.

[sarita]

helpme,
oops. sorry. my bad. it was tavee. going from 10 mg to 5 mg. is pretty big.

my taper story: i starting tapering about 7 months ago. first i started on the supplements power barley and omega 3. i didn't that for about a month. then i began the taper 5% at a time. since i was on 5 mg, the first taper would go to 4.75 mg. i stayed at 4.75 until i felt "normal". then i began another 5% which brought me to 4.50%. and so on and so on. for me, i didn't lose any weight while tapering but i stopped gaining. now that i'm down to 3/4 of a milligram, i think i lost a few pounds. i feel great and i hope all people will taper slowly not that all people are like me. but because this drug is new and not alot of doctors don't know what to say. i feel blessed (knock on wood) so far so good.

[HelpMe58]

Did you use the liquid to taper this slowly? How long was it between decreases until you felt normal and could decrease again?

[tavee]

SARITA AND HELP ME

IM DOING BETTER. I GOT MY PERIOD SO I THINK IT WAS BAD PMS!!

I HOPE THAT IS THE ONLY THING I HAVE TO DEAL WITH WHEN IM TAPERING.

SARITA, I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS YELLING AT MY 3YR OLD SON!!
IM BETTER NOW. ITS AMAZING WHAT HORMONES DO!!! LOL

I DID READ ON THE ROAD BACK THAT IF U INCREASE URE OMEGA 3 IT HELPS WITH MOODS AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF.

SARITA, I WILL HAVE TO ASK U WHAT ELSE URE TAKING WHEN I GET DOWN TO THE LOWER NUMBERS. NEXT TUESDAY IS 5.6ML. IM SCARED SARITA!!

DID U SAY THAT IT STAYS IN URE BODY 45 DAYS AFTER U ARE COMPLETELY OFF IT???

HOW ARE U DOING??? HOWS THE SEX??LOLOLOL

TAVEE

[brandi]

Hi Tavee and Sarita,

I started the first week of May, at 20mg/day. I wasn't actually planning to go off entirely, that came later after I was doing so well with the step-downs.

The first drops were pretty drastic, I went from 20mg down to 15mg and stayed there for about a month. Some dizziness the first week, but other than that not a big deal. Same thing for the next drop, from 15 to 10, a bit more dizziness but not a huge change in my mood, except during the few days before my period (I was weapier than normal.) I stuck at 10mg for about two months, then dropped down to 7.5 mg.

Stayed there for a month, then went down to 5mg. From August through October I gradually dropped down, first alternating 5mg days and 2.5 mg days, then going down to 2.5 mg days and then altering 2.5 mg days with zero days, and finally stopping entirely. It's so strange how such a tiny amount can make such a difference, but the last stages were definitely the worst when it came to side effects.

As mentioned, the vertigo/dizziness/zaps were pretty horrible the first week. I also had (sorry for the graphic) diahhrea (sp?) for the first four or five days, which I saw (on this site) is a fairly common side effect when you get off completely.

Sarita, yeah, I'm still having some dizziness even after a month. It's nothing close to how it was however, and it's entirely manageable, if a little annoying. There's also no reason to think that your side effects will stick around for as long as mine have... I was on SSRIs without a break for eleven years, and it makes sense that your brain takes time to 're-adjust' itself off the drugs. If it wasn't getting better I'd be concerned, but for now a little bit of dizziness is tolerable.

When I decided to go off the meds entirely, my fiance made me agree that eventually I may have to go on them again at some point in the future, particularly if we move to a place where it isn't always 72 and sunny (I'm pretty affected by the seasonal thing.) After experiencing how uncomfortable it is to get off them however, I'm gonna have to be in a seriously bad place to go back on anything in the near future.

[sarita]

Tavee,

I TOLD YOU IT WSS YOUR PERIOD!!!!!You are funny! The sex was really good the other day. Whew. And i have been more horny lately. I'm SO excited but not nearly as excited as my very patient husband. Sounds like you're doing great. To answer your questions: I was told it takes 45 days to really feel normal and for it to complete leave the organs in your body. So, the roadback recommends staying on supplements for that time. Yes, increase omega when you feel bad. i'm doing great. 3/4 of a milligram and next week it's 1/2 a milligram. definetly go slower towards the end. don't be scared. it 'll be fine. i only added protein powder to the mix. not sure if that is helping but it sure makes me feel amazing.

HELPME,
I didn't use the liquid because i called the pharmacutical company and they said it could cause side effects switching so i said "oh hell no". i cut the pills by crushing them into powder form. then i made lines. like a 10 mg pill, i cut into half. then took that 5 mg. half, made powder, and made 5 even lines . then each line was 1 mg....and so on and so on.

Brandi,
I'm sorry you are still dizzy. Hopefully a couple more weeks and it'll stop. I hope youre right about me not feeling effects after i stop. that will be scary. but you were on drugs for such a long time. me only one year.

[brandi]

Yes Sarita, you are very fortunate on that.

sooo, on that note I'm signing off. as originaly said, I just wanted to post in to let folks know that even though getting off this stuff is bad, it's absolutely okay after some time.

good luck to all.

[winniewoo2]

Hi, it's been a while since I've been to the site but I just thought I'd share my experience with you since I've really appreciated everything I've read, it helped me to know what I was experiencing however minor was real.

I've been on Lexapro for almost 2 years now and have been trying to get off it for almost 18 months. I'm finally at the end of the weening off process. What I discovered was detoxing helped me. I have been doing the Colonix program DrNatura.com. Up until I did this I wasn't able to ween myself off without lots of side effects. But since I've been doing the complete cleanse I've only had about 1-1/2 weeks of minor side effects each time I lowered my dose, foggyness, lack of concentration, minor muscle and joint pain, sleep interruption. Other than that not too much else.

Again, thanks to all of you who share your stories, they really help, just wanted to share what I've been able to do to get of Lexapro.

I wish you all the best and try to keep your spirits up!

[gwartney]

Hello, I've been lurking for a long time and have read most of this thread. I have been on SSRIs for probably 12 years, the last 3 or 4 on Lexapro. I have been tapering for about a year. I started at 30 mg, went to 20 mg, then to 10, then 5. I am currently at 2.5 mg and am cutting a 20mg tablet into 8 pieces which, I am sure, is not very accurate at all. The pieces are very inconsistent in size. I was going to stop at 2.5 but I am reading that some folks go even smaller and I am willing to do that if it helps prevent withdrawal. I have had very few withdrawal problems up to this point. My question: Has anyone found an effective way to accuratly cut these pills? I use a pill slicer right now and cutting the 2.5 in half will result in a pile of dust. I might add that my GP told me that he thought I'd never get off of the pills so I am doing it on my own. Getting a smaller dose prescribed is pretty much out of the question and I am really not in a place where I want to try to find a new pdoc that will help. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[sarita]

Gwart,
You said you can't get the 10 mg pill. That's too bad. Do you have a family doctor who you've known for years that may have a sample pack in their office? I'd call your psych. doctor and demand 10 mg pill!!! It's not his decision. It's yours!!!!!!

Anyway, i'm down to 3/4 of a milligram. What i do is crush the pill into powder form. and then make lines (like how people make cocaine lines). So, if you can get your 20 mg. into half w/a pill cutter, than crush the 10 mg. pill, make 10 lines. each line will be 1 mg. and you can figure it out from there.

Good luck to you!!! I was only on 5 mg. My doc wanted me on 20 mg. I said hell no to her and that i was fine on 5 mg. she said good for you. and i stayed there for one year. i started tapering about 7 months ago. i feel great emotionally and physically except for some dizziness. I think the lasts bits are the hardest unless i'm just alittle anxious about how i'll feel when i actually take my last dose. WOW..........

[mrigdon]

Hey Guys & Gals....I've slowly weened myself off of 10mg down to zero...zero including the last three days..but unlike trying to stop before I have some numbness in my right arm and thumb..is this something related to the lack of the medicine in my system or withdrawals....any suggestions, this only started on day 2 ? any help would be appreciated...Thanks

[kdkd81]

Ok this is not a withdrawal issue but since all of you on this forum has used lexapro i figured id give it a shot. I have just recently stoped taking perks for my chronic back condition and since then i have had extreme anxiety and some depression. I have always had anxiety but never got it treated. I started yesterday and today took a pill in the morning and all day I have had the worst headach, more anxiety then ever, depression cause i feel like **** and my head is cloudy and my eyes feel weird also i am clenching down on my jaw like no other. Are these side effects really normal, or should I stop. I talked to the dr and he told me stick it out a few more days but this really sucks and its making me worst and a nervous reck. If you need to know im on 10 mg pill once a day.

[tavee]

help me

how are u?

i havent heard from u.

are u feeling better?how is work going?
keep me posted.

i am doing ok so far. i had bad pms and i hope that is the only thing that will be bad. ill let u know what happens on my next dose!!

take care
tavee

ps ill try to reach u again.

[HelpMe58]

Tavee,
Today is the anniversary of my husband's death and it is so hard. I think I am still in withdrawal from the 10 mg to nothing and then back on 5. I still have those inside jittery feelings and some anxiety..mostly in the form of a strange claustrophobia. I really want to wean off the rest of the way but I will wait until I feel ok with this. I am not sure the best time periods to wean off these last 5 mg. Is it a quarter of a mg every 2 weeks?
How are you feeling?
HelpMe

[tavee]

help me
im sorry that u are not feeling well, and i cant imagine how u are feeling today. try to keep busy. do something that ure husband would have wanted today.

regarding the weaning. i would stay on the 5mg for another week or so (3weeks total)before u go down. ure next taper should be about 4.75. remember to go very slow. no more than 5 or 10%. stay on that till u feel comfortable again. sarita can tell u how to taper with the tablets cuz im not sure how u would go to 4.75 with the tablets.

do not rush it whatever u do because u want to get off them.
its ok for u to stay on them now to feel better. remember that.

im doing ok so far.

keep me posted.

tavee

[tavee]

help me

i forgot to add that those jittery feelings are those brain zaps u are feeling. do u feel them more when u turn ure head. how often do u feel it?

tavee

[Skywalk]

HelpMe:

I know you had a hard day yesterday and I only hope things will improve for you from here on out. I sure have that claustrophobic feeling...I have to avoid bad traffic right now or else I go into the worst state of panic because I feel trapped...even if I'm a passenger. But I think my desire to socialize is getting better. I also haven't had neck pain for a few days now.

I'm really looking forward to my appointment with a naturopathic doctor. I want to see if the Lexapro has messed up my cortisol and adrenalin levels, blood sugar and perhaps my thyroid. I really feel it has. I have a lot of fatigue and panic. The daily anxiety is almost gone, though...what a relief.

kdkd: Most people do pretty well while on Lexapro, but I got worse on it. I've had anxiety for years and did well on Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. When I started all those drugs I went uphill right away, but Lexapro sent me downhill. I was told that might be the case for a few weeks and to stick it out. I stayed on it for almost seven weeks and it never helped and now I've been off of it for seven weeks and am still trying to get back to normal. I had the same side effects as you. I started at 10mg and I think that may have been part of the problem. It's very high and I don't think most doctor's realize that. Some of us are slow metabolizers like myself. It may help you, so I don't want to discourage it, but if I were to do it again I would have taken Prozac instead. Paxil is too harsh. I always started these meds on a very low dose and did not realize 10mg was high until it was too late. You are experienceing side effects and I went through it, but should not have. No other drug made me that sick in the beginning.

[Donica]

JAB1975--It sounds like you are experiencing EXACTLY what I am, including the worrying about if there is something seriously wrong. I tapered from 20 to 10mg back in September and felt hideous. All the symptoms you describe, I had. I went back to the 20mg a few weeks later and immediately felt better. BUT, it's now Nov. 16 and I STILL feel the lingering problems I thought had gone away, including some chills and my irritable bowel syndrome. Apparently, the drug was keeping my IBS in check, so when I tapered, it came back. I too went to the doctor and had a colonoscopy only to find everything is normal inside. I think withdrawal/tapering symptoms can last a very long time, depending on the individual. On Wikipedia.com, I even found a name for it SSRI Withdrawal Syndrome. Who knew?

[HelpMe58]

I'm not sure how to go about the weaning with the pills..i am so confused and upset about this whole Lexapro thing.

[legalrn]

Hi everyone......

Well it has been nearly a week since the first drop in lex from 20 to 17.5 for my spouse. He is on the road with his boss this week, so if there was going to be stress, now would have been it. Happily, he has not reported any adverse effects of this first drop. Remember, he continues with the tapering program recommended at www.theroadback.org I highly recommend it. He has reported better sleeping with the cherry supplement. While he reports better and deeper sleep, he has yet to stop kicking and yelling while sleeping. I really look forward to this adverse effect to go away!!!

Gwart.....
When you go to get your RX filled, ask the pharmacist to convert the RX to 2 ten mg tablets, instead of the one 20 mg. I advised the pharmacist that I was weaning my husband off of lex and the pharmacist was more than happy to oblige with the request. Your RX does NOT have to be written in a lesser dose in order for the pharmacist to convert. You have the right to ask for the RX in any form you wish. It is much easier to cut a 5 mg 4 ways (1.25 mg) than the 20 -- 8 ways. My intention is when my husband gets down to the 1.25 mg that the wean will not go in smaller doses, but in spreading over days. Like 1.25 mg every day for a week, every other day for a week, every two days for a two weeks, and so on ... until he is completely free. I have a written schedule and if everything goes as planned, he will be off lex somewhere around the beginning of March 07. This is a loooonnnnnnnggggg process.

[tavee]

help me

i wrote to u above.

tavee

[HelpMe58]

Tavee,
Thank you. I have been so stressed out. I'm sorry I did not see where you wrote until now. I am cutting my 10 mg in half now so I am not sure how to get the half pill separated correctly. I know Sarita said to crush them but it would be hard to deal with all that powder. I hope you are still doing well.
HelpMe

[bodyelectric]

kdkd -- Am I understanding you correctly... you just stopped taking percocet and started taking Lexapro within a few days?

If so, then you're experiencing a double whammy -- withdrawal from percocet (it will go away) and side effects of starting lexapro (most of this should subside in a few days, but not all).

By the way, anxiety after coming off a pain med is totally normal.

Coming off percocet cold turkey can be very dangerous, as it is physically addictive. You might ask about medical detox. Go straight to the hospital if you have seizures or shakes. How long have you been off?

The lexapro effects should go away mostly -- the jaw thing, for me, never completely went away but certainly abated somewhat. The good news is, there are plenty of other anxiety meds out there if the side effects of this one prove too uncomfortable.

I hope that helps.

[bodyelectric]

P.S. If you can find one, walking or swimming in a heated pool will do your chronic pain wonders. So will gentle yoga.

And I just re-read your post. About your untreated anxiety -- good for you for seeking treatment. I bet the pain meds masked the anxiety pretty well, and now you can find a non-addictive way to deal with it. Don't let the talk here scare you off of medication -- SSRIs help a lot of people. Some do have bad experiences, though, and that's what we come here to talk about.