Coming off Lexapro, Cold Turkey?

I would get back on it. I did the same thing after being on lexapro for 3 years cause I thought I was cured. The withdraw symptoms went away after 2 weeks or so. Well, everything went well for 3 months, now I'm pannicing all the time I'm obsessing about my health thinking I'm going to die stuff like that, SO, now I'm taking it again but now I'm experiencing a lot of side effects of starting it. There's a reason you where on it in the first place and your symptoms will only come back if you stop taking it ! Stay healthy.

I was on Lexapro for over a year when I started seeing major weight gain so I quit cold Turkey this pass July not knowing that it can have side effects. I resotred back to being moody, which of course I do not like. Anyway, after 3 months I am still feeling dizzy and my blood pressure is spiking. Can anyone tell me if the high blood pressure have anything to do with the withdrawal? I just want to feel well, I can't understand after quitting in the middle of July I am still having issues with the dizziness and high blood pressure.

This is my second time I am stopping my lexapro. I will say I think as an antidepressant it did a great job, but coming off of it feels terrible. For me I experience that dizziness and all together tired zombie like feeling. The worst is that feeling when you sleep that you cannot wake up, and your dreams are vivid and real. I'm already down to 5mg, I've been cutting 10mg in half. Going cold turkey wouldn't even be an option for me I would feel like I was dying. Anyway I too had told my doctor about these symptoms and he had never heard about it before. I'm happy to see here that I am not alone. I feel like a drug addict who can't get off this drug. Hopefully I'll get there soon and never have to do this again. Good luck to all of you who are in the same boat!

I stopped taking 15mg of Lexapro last week when I forgot to take my meds with me on vacation. I have thought about going off of it b/c of the cost and figured this might be the time to do it--- however, I am feeling extremely dizzy and have had a few bouts of nausea. That being said, I'm still going to discontinue use and try to manage my anxiety without meds. Does anyone know how long the side effects will last?

Hello, call your doctor, after all you are paying for his/her services, and inform that you abruptly stopped the Lexapro. Lexapro, should, generally be titrated downward, then discontinued. What you are experiencing is something called the "Serotonin Flu," which can happen when one of these medications is abruptly stopped. Hope that you feel better and best wishes.

I agree with Itsmetoo. These drugs alter your neurochemistry and it takes time for your brain to the way it worked pre-medication. That is why you are having headaches and dizziness. The best thing to do would be to reinstate it - at the 15mg dose - and go back to your Dr. Lexapro is a very powerful drug, moreso than many of the other antidepressants and 15mg is actually quite a high dose. You will probably need to taper off at maybe 5mg at a time. Your body will tell you when you are able to drop down as you will no longer be feeling withdrawal symptoms. Also, be aware that many people have to taper a lot more slowly than Drs tell them.

Good luck :)
Junior

Did your Doctor, that I know you must trust otherwise you would not go to him, take you off the Lexapro "Cold Turkey"? Or was this your idea?
Call your doctor and fess up and make your wishes known. You may have to go back on the medication at a lower dose and then your headaches and cold sweats will go away. Your doctor will help you. Then you can taper from there. You are going through withdrawls, from going cold turkey. You say withdrawls; some blood pressure drugs can even give you withdrawls if your don't follow directions of prescribed withdrawl.
So call first thing in the morning I know you will start to feel better.

Best Wishes