[lblue]

Hi, I am new to this. I am looking for other people getting off of lexapro.
I went cold turkey about four weeks ago and I am absolutely miserable.
I feel so out of it. I feel like crying all of the time,I feel like eveything is fuzzy,I feel the "zapps" everyone is talking about. I feel like I am about to loose it. I quit taking it because of the sexual side affects. I probably shouldn't of went cold turkey. I haven't even told my Dr. that I quit taking it, I'm afraid she will be mad at me. Should I start taking a small dose then cut back slowly(like I should of in the first place?) I'm glad I found this site. I hope I can be of help to someone else too.
lblue

[ZAPPER]

I took lexapro 10mg for four weeks and went off cold turkey due to it giving me terrible headaches. The first three weeks my headache got worse and three weeks later I still have headaches and numbness in my head. How long did you take lexapro? and how much?

Originally Posted by lblue

Hi, I am new to this. I am looking for other people getting off of lexapro.
I went cold turkey about four weeks ago and I am absolutely miserable.
I feel so out of it. I feel like crying all of the time,I feel like eveything is fuzzy,I feel the "zapps" everyone is talking about. I feel like I am about to loose it. I quit taking it because of the sexual side affects. I probably shouldn't of went cold turkey. I haven't even told my Dr. that I quit taking it, I'm afraid she will be mad at me. Should I start taking a small dose then cut back slowly(like I should of in the first place?) I'm glad I found this site. I hope I can be of help to someone else too.
lblue

[realitedious]

Hi,

I too went off of Lexapro cold turkey! First off all congratulations that you have come this far. Although, if you are experiencing side effects of this magnitude I would suggest you immediately tell your doctor. Your doctor is not your friend they are your health care provider and your health is in jeopardy. It doesn't matter whether they would be "upset" with you. If you don't want to tell your doctor right out I suggest saying that the lexapro has stopped working for you and you are seeing a resurgence of previous symptoms and that you want to try a new medication. Tell ur doc EXACTLY what you want in a medication. There are drugs that do not have sexual side effects such as Wellbutrin (and in some cases actually increased libido).
Any new medication may take some time to start working just as the lexapro did.
If you are considering going back on the lexapro try taking 5mg. and see if that helps appease some of your symptoms while you wait to talk to your doctor.
Take Care of Yourself Your the Only You on the Planet!

[butchy yost]

recently went off lexapro cold turkey too. it was the worst!!!!!! but I couldnt stand the daily headache anymore either, it would start about 1-2 hours after taking the lex and last for hours without taking advil which they tell you not to take with lexapro!! ughhh.
on prozac now, feel better, not incredible. at least no headaches, and no more super angry or emotional crying and my temper was crazy for the three weeks I was off...
I would definitely not recommend quitting lex cold turkey...taper down or switch to a new med first and then taper...good luck to all

[mcdoweld]

First I would like to say that I was diagnosed with Chronic depression 6 months ago. I, too, tried to quit Lexapro cold turkey. The first time I tried to quite which was a month ago. I had terrible withdrawals from severe depression & hopelessness feelings & suicidal thoughts. At that time I quite for three days to only having to go back on them. I was frustrated because even though I was taking them I was still depressed (it was only being suppressed than relived) for me I felt like I was doing more damage to my organs than controlling my depression. I went on the web to do some research on a natural product called "VILIFT" it is 100% guaranteed or your money back. So I felt I had nothing to lose. So I made the decision to try to quite Lexapro cold turkey (again) when I received my product. I am on my 6th day of taking this product with fantastic results. I have not had any withdrawals due to quitting Lexapro & I feel more like my old self, happy & joyful & loving life & myself again. I feel a lot better knowing that the ingredients are vitamins & a couple of herbs. I now don't have to worry about what the long term effects will be since it is not a prescription drug. Which all antidepressants have side effects.

[aedelglass30]

Originally Posted by lblue

Hi, I am new to this. I am looking for other people getting off of lexapro.
I went cold turkey about four weeks ago and I am absolutely miserable.
I feel so out of it. I feel like crying all of the time,I feel like eveything is fuzzy,I feel the "zapps" everyone is talking about. I feel like I am about to loose it. I quit taking it because of the sexual side affects. I probably shouldn't of went cold turkey. I haven't even told my Dr. that I quit taking it, I'm afraid she will be mad at me. Should I start taking a small dose then cut back slowly(like I should of in the first place?) I'm glad I found this site. I hope I can be of help to someone else too.
lblue

Did you feel sort of out of it the first day you tried it?

[queenmomamanda]

I also went cold turkey because of the sexual side effects. My main withdrawal side effect is headaches. I was wondering how long the withdrawal side effects last? No zaps or nausea, just bad headaches, which I never had before. I am on Wellbutrin now, and overall feel better off the Lexapro.

[queenmomamanda]

Update - I have been off the Lexapro for about a month now. No more headaches or dizziness and the sex part is much better. Hooray!! Wellbutrin rocks!

[Margaret S. Modena]

I started cutting back on 10 mg of Lexapro about a month ago and immediately started itching (tingling sensation all over my body). Can anyone tell me when this will stop or if it is related to cessation of the Lexapro.mmodena2@aol.com

[Lowride015]

Six months ago I started Lexapro for an anxiety disorder. A month into the medicine I had alot of headaches, so my dr. gave me Wellbutrin (Buspar). The headaches did not stop and I was withdrawaling from the Lexapro, lightheaded, blurred vision, migraines. So six months later I am still dealing with the lightheaded and blurred vision, I feel as if everyday is like a dream. I have had an MRI and it came back clear, I am currently seeing a Neurologist and hadn't told him about Lexapro so he has put me on Nortriptolyne for which he believes that I have a migraine problem. The medicine only clears up some of the pressure not the vision and lighthead. I have an appointment in two weeks and I am going to discuss the belief that Lexapro withdrawal has altered my mind for six months. I am going to ask him if an SSRI medication can have a withdrawal affect even six months later and what could clear it up. If anyone has any information please let me know!!!

[tmbklyn29]

I recently stopped taking lexapro 10mg too im a 29 yr old female I couldn't take da weight gain yes it calmed me down a lil! Loss of interest in sex! So anyway I have a constant headache n yeah I have been acting kinda manic though I don't have bipolar disorder I also have not wanted to interact with ppl too much! I was wondering when does this pass like how long will this be in my system n do the headaches go away?thnx

[MissLaneyJ]

Hi. I'm not sure I can be of any help to anybody about this, but I'm glad I found other people trying to stop taking this drug. I have been taking Lexapro 20mg for a couple years now. I have a daughter at home and want to "feel" again, get excited about things, and enjoy life. Taking Lexapro I was just going through the motions of life and felt like an outsider looking in. I took my last 20mg pill on 7/1/09. I have NOT told my doctor about my plans to stop this drug (she never listens to anything I say anyhow). I, so far, have had no withdrawl symptoms besides a bit of dizziness which could also be from a pain killer I started taking the same day. After reading all these horrible things, I am terrified. It's been a pretty mellow week. I seem to be in good spirits, have more energy and a better attitude about myself than I did while taking Lexapro (it caused weight gain for me -made me even more depressed). I hope I didn't speak too soon. Keep posting please. It helps when your not alone!!!!!!

[BAGBOY]

I have been taking Lexapro for 7 years so all i can tell u please dont try going cold turkey anymore just try a less of a dose.The reason i say this is because i tried doing the same thing three times and each time i would think of killing myself more every time so each time u try to do that it makes your mind play tricks on u.I know its hard but my sex drive was the same has yours it does change so dont give up.Please tell your doc they will help and i hope i have also.

[klopper22]

Here's my antidepressant history.

1999: Got off alcohol & began taking prozac. I took 10 mg of prozac for about 8 months while taking phentermine. I lost 75 pounds of fat while continuing weight training and got ripped - six pack abs and all. My wife wanted me to quit using prozac to improve our sex life again. So I did and went to ice cream for my comfort. Gained a lot of weight back.

End of 2002: Got back on prozac.

A few months later: got on Paxil and gained a bunch more weight.

2004: began 40 mg daily of Lexapro

2007: began Effexor because Lexapro felt like it wasn't working well anymore.

First of 2008 until a month ago: Took Lexapro 40 mg daily. I decided to switch to prozac because Lexapro is $40 a month/prozac is $5 a month. Also, I don't feel like I need a strong antidepressant now.

I went from 40 to 20 mg Lexapro and began taking 20 mg prozac. Did that for a couple of weeks & went down to 10 mg Lexapro and 40 mg prozac. After 2 weeks of that, I am totally off Lexapro and taking 60 mg prozac.

Doing it this way, I didnt have any zaps or brain shivers. I will stabilize on prozac for a while at this dose (60 mg daily) and in a couple of months, slowly decrease my dose to 30 - 40 mg a day while taking phentermine again. Lose the weight i have to lose and stay at 20 - 30 mg prozac. I have been thru the cycle before of gaining all the weight back so I am wiser now to keep it off.

My benefits are: spending less money and using a far easier to deal with antidepressant.

I would NEVER suggest cold turkey for drugs like Lexapro, Effexor, Paxil, etc. They are just too strong.