I've been having severe withdrawal symptoms after my doctor made me ween off of Lexapro recently. These symptoms are severe restless leg syndrome all throughout the day, being jittery, uneasiness, and being overall restless. I'm also sleeping a lot less, waking up during the night, and I've been smoking a lot more, and I mean a lot. Has anyone else experienced these types of withdrawal symptoms from Lexapro?
Lexapro withdrawal symptoms?
Question posted by sfsyed on 10 Aug 2006
116 Answers Page 3
So, I have been on Lexapro for almost three years now. I started taking it after hurrican Katrina's devestation here in New Orleans for anxiety and depression. Well, I realize now that most of that could very well have been intensified by the alcohol & drugs I was playing with at the time. Long story short I don't use drugs or alcohol anymore, and I want off this *!! I am 5'2 and weigh around 130lbs. This is more than i've EVER weighed in my entire life!! I steadily gained weight through the last few years while my Dr. kept increasing the Lexapro. I have weaned from 30 mg to 20 mg in the last two weeks and now I'm trying to decide when to knock it down to 10mg?? Should i do it slowly or just give it a shot? I am very indecisive, but the weight is killing me.
I have had the side effects of brain zaps,insomnia, RESTLESS LEG SYNDROMEE(THAT DRIVES ME INSANE),irritability, etc., but i just want off of it so bad that i feel like i really want to just deal with it! The one thing that scares the hell outta me is all this talk about suicide! I haven't had any thoughts, but i'm worried that may happen if i decrease quickly. Any advice?? Can anyone tell me when they were able to start noticing any weight loss or metabolism returning to normal??Any advice i could get from ya'll would be helpful!
[I have been taking Lexapro for 4 years. I was put on this medication for anxiety. I was taking 10mg a day. I weaned my self to 5 mg a day for 2 weeks. I took half a pill for 2 weeks. Now, it has been 4 days since I have not taken my Lexapro. The side affects I have noticed is mood swings, dizziness and being tired. I go walking on a daily basis to help me out. I noticed this helps out tremendously!! I will keep in touch to let you all know the out come. :)
In my late 20s I was exercising every day, had a fantastic, high paying job, had great family support and had no history of any abuse of any sort.
So why did I leave work one day and try to kill myself?
Several years of severe depression and multiple suicide attempts ensued. Nothing seemed to help. I saw multiple psychiatrists and psychologists and underwent various treatments... virtually every SSRI, a couple of the MAOIs, light therapy, exercise, Electroconvulsive therapy, diet changes, sleep deprivation, and cognitive behavioral therapy were some of them.
The one thing that finally worked and has kept me stable for several years is a mix of talk therapy, Lexapro, and abilify. I am a happy, functioning human being thanks to Lexapro, Abilify, and my psychologist.
Finding the right treatment for depression is unique to every person. Different medications work differently on each person. The important thing is to give the medication a few weeks before you give up on it. The side effects often wear off after a few weeks if you can tolerate them that long.
And for those of you that seem to think depressed people should just go exercise... well, it is clear that you don't understand depression and treatments and how they vary in different people. What works for you may not work for someone else.
I was on 10 of Lexapro for 3 1/2 years, and am weaning 1/8 every 10 days. But I've had diarrhea for four days, now--has anyone else had this? How long does it last? For the entire weaning process? It certainly doesn't help my anxiety.
I have been on Lexapro (10 mg) a dayfor 5 months and have started to wean. I have never been on a antidepressant before and can not wait to get this stuff out of my system. I have gained 15 lbs and can not get it to budge. I work out 5 days a week and do cardio. I am looking for a weaning schedule and would like to know how long it takes to see the metabolism stable back out??
I was diagnosed with anxiety/depression about three years ago and was put on Lexapro 10mg for about a year. I had problems with anxiety and depression before hand. Tried zoloft and it made me so drowsy all the time that I couldn't work or study. I ended up on lexapro without too many side effects except the withdrawal symptoms of brain zaps. I also noticed when I was on the lexapro I developed a nervous tick in my left should/arm which would bother me a bit when I was trying to sleep.
Now I have been off for two years!! I slowly weened myself off. Only... this past year I noticed when I feel stressed but am in an environment where I'm not able to move around, my nervous tick comes back.
And more disturbing I have experienced a couple of "brain zaps" -- the first episode since going through withdrawal two years ago! I thought maybe it was brought on by a detox tea I was drinking, but I still seem to be experiencing them although much more mildly and intermittent.
I've been trying to comb through the forum but there's a lot. I want to know if anyone else has experienced withdrawal effects after such a long period of being off the medication.
Go to the lexapro withdrawl thread started by auntybiotic. We can help you with the weaning/tapering process. It will take some time and patience but, you can do it successfully. You are likely tappering too quickly and dropping your doses to much per reduction. There are many supplements that you should take that can help ease side effects from discontinuing lexapro. The people who post on that thread are all experienced in this process and offer a great deal of support. Good luck... Erin
Doctor's are soo misinformed... If you had sexual disinterest with celexa then it will only be worse with lexapro. Celexa is the pre-curser or parent drug to lexapro. The big difference between them is that lexapro is stronger, more selective and more potent. Anyone who has difficulties whith celexa should NOT take lexapro... it is far more potent, doctor's are so uneducated about these med's. They think that because a med is a newer, supposed improved version of an older one that it is therefor safer and better... WRONG! My advice to you is to switch back to celexa (if you only recently switched) and then gradually taper off the antidepressant. Check out the lexapro withdrawl thread started by auntybiotic and you will find ALOT of info on how to taper off correctly and what supplements can help you with the process... Good luck to you. If you have any questions feel free to ask... Erin
Thank goodness someone to help me through this time of withdrawl.
I have been on Lexapro 10mg for 5 1/2 yrs. for post traumatic stress.
It has helped with the anxiety & mind racing BUT... I have tried to wean off
Lexapro at least 5 times since I started it and end up back to square one everytime!!
The dizziness is unbelievable and it goes on for days. Even when I miss a dose, I have always taken in the evenings, I start to feel the withdrawl symptoms. Of course I also get very short tempered and irritable, kind of like PMS. I have not gained any weight but have not been able to loose the 10-12lbs. I have been trying to get off since I was only 9months post-partum when
I got on Lexapro 10mg.
Anyway I want to be off this medication!! I have healed from the PTSD but
I need to know that the diziness will not last or to know how long the diziness may last.
Thanks for your input.
I started Lexapro nearly a year ago. I had just weaned off Celexa 40 mg that I had been taking for almost 6 years. Just as I had weaned off the first time with no problem, I began to feel I had "a motor running inside". I had, I thought, many symptoms of ADHD with attention deficit and distractabillity, things I have many supports in place to deal with. My doctor thought going back on antidepressants would help, especially as I was also going through menopause, and Celexa helped ease those symptoms. Anyway, the new prescription was for Lexapro, a derivative. It was supposed to avoid the sexual disinterest associated with Celexa. It didn't. Anyway, I am now weaning off Lexapro and am getting the light-headedness I read about in this forum and experienced when I had "forgotten" pills for a couple of days. Hopefully, within the next week, I'll be drug-free.
I wish my doctor never had me go on Lexapro for anxiety. I got off it cause I had no sex drive and I thought maybe it was causing me to be forgetful/absent minded. Please, someone tell me does the dizzyness stop? So far it has been a week and not better. My doctor is suprised since I was only on a low dose (10 mg).
I am one of the person who have severly suffered from lexapro.I suffered from symptoms like Headache,Insomnia,Diarrhea,Fatigue .I got weakened and stopped using that.
I feel for us all as I also have my own story. However, I feel a need to remind us ALL of a very important perspective. Yes, our bodies are under fire or purhaps slightly tweaked or even changed forever and yes ,we are all acutely aware of this in ourselves and that there are many of us going through this BUT and this is a big important but, there is nothing wronge with taking a break from concentrating on what is happening TO us but rather keeping in mind what is in our control to make happen FOR us. Example, I find myself so focused on the fact that I have been under fire with this lexapro junk that I forget little things like "I really do need to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day" Seems small and trivial, I know but we must take care of ourselves.
I am in a "victims of violent rape" forum (yes, it's that blunt) and one of the mottoes is "Save yourself or you will not be saved." Nobody is going to appoligize to us for introducing us to the drug that was supposed to take all of our troubles away. We aren't even going to get a "oh, thats too bad" The only thing we can do now is support eachother in each of our endeavors to save ourselves. Remember to take care of your bodies. This will only benefit our way of thinking. Get up! Take that shower! Do your hair. Put a little make up on and put a load in the wash. The rest will come, for you did not stay in bed. You did not lay down and stay down. One day at a time. One task at a time. One victory at a time. Time really does heal all wounds but not if we lay down and bleed to death. The only way to beat it is to out live it. Corny post,I know but food for thought to anyone thats hungry. Love, Thykingswife
Ever consider not taking any of this *? Reading through these descriptions of withdraw symptoms and side effects of these anti-anxiety and anti-depressants is alarming. 9 out of ten people who were treated with animal therapy (as in simply playing with animals), rigorous exorcise, and counseling showed LONG TERM positive results over 300 times as often as those treated by drugs alone. Life is tough people, sack up and deal with it. Drugs are not the answer to life's problems. How many heart attacks, murders, suicides, serious sleep disorders, increased anxiety at time of withdrawal, moodiness, pain, etc, etc, etc, is worth chasing the dream that drugs are the answer to life's problems. Get up off the couch and get outside, find activities, make friends, get exorcise, get your body in shape and your mind will follow. Take a class or two to stimulate your brain.
Just stop listening to drug companies telling you they have the answer in a pill, they don't and more often than not have gone to great lengths to cover up the serious side effects you will encounter. For those of you who say I don't understand, I do. I was put on some of the very first anti anxiety/depressants to combat what was described to me as serious ADD when I was young. I had nausea, dizziness, detachment from my friends, and went through hell when I stopped taking them. The makers of Lexapro are being sued by about ten different entities right now over side effects of its products. Take responsibility for yourself and stop asking drug companies to provide you with secret elixirs to make you feel happy and comfortable. The truth is that life is not always happy or comfortable. Life is hard, not just for you, but for everyone.
I took it for 3 years, 1 mg twice daily. And I didn't mean to play down anything I simply expressed what I experienced.
Maybe I wasn't clear when I talked about this but my doctor told me I would not experience withdrawl, and I was shocked because two other doctors told me I would. He was right.
And I'm not being deceptive what so ever. I'm just sharing my experience. Saying I'm "deceptive" is the equivalent of calling me a liar.
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Further information
- Lexapro uses and safety info
- Lexapro prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lexapro (detailed)
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