How long does it take for Lexapro to be totally out of your system and feel normal again?

I still have a long way to go but I know that as I lose weight and improve my physical self my mental health will improve.
I still have moments when my chest gets heavy and I feel anxious but instead of dwelling on that feeling of doom I have the the energy now to keep busy and it passes... I have read that star jumps can help to... re-calibrate (?) your system if an attack comes on..

I didn't take it the next day. I decided to give Lexapro one more try so on the fourth day, I took another 5mg. That was the biggest mistake. I had all of the symptoms I previously listed. I also developed terrible shaking. My whole body was shaking. I was a New Year's Eve party with my husband and we had to leave early because I felt so bad. I ended up passing out in front of my children. The ER doctor told me I had a very bad reaction to Lexapro and to not take it anymore. I lost 7 pounds over those 4 days because of the diarrhea and nauseousness. Because I was drinking a lot of water but not able to tolerate food, it dropped my sodium level drastically and my blood pressure ended up dropping to 80/70 which is why I passed out. I am on day 2 of not taking it and am feeling a little better. Still have dry mouth, clenched jaw, Sinus pressure, and shaking but not as bad as it was. I am hoping to feel back to normal soon. I empathize with anyone going through these terrible side effects. I would rather live with my anxiety than feel like this.

She suggested I cut the dosage down to 2.5mg for a few days, stay home, and see if things get better. I had already cut down to 2.5mg that morning, but decided that it wasn't worth it, and that I'd be more comfortable just trying to see my way through the anxiety without all these nasty (and potentially harmful) side effects. This is day two of not taking the pill and I still feel awful, although the effects are definitely less acute. It's great to know that I'm not alone, as a friend of mine told me after I started taking it that the drug basically had no effect on him! I think another poster in this thread had it right - if you don't fall into the large group of people for whom this drug is harmless, it can be a real horror show. Hang in there.

(P.S. I had a similar but more potent reaction after a single dose of Zoloft two weeks before starting this drug, and discontinued that immediately. In the past I have had success with Wellbutrin in managing symptoms of anxiety/depression. Currently I carry two .5mg tablets of Ativan on me at all times, as an escape hatch - although I try to not take them, because they're so addictive.)

Originally I’ve been to the Dr. because I was very stressed and had some anxiety, she told to take lexapro after 30 min conversation. On the 5th day of taking it I called the Dr. saying that I thought this medicine was not right for me because of the bad side effects, she told me that was not the side effects of the medicine and should continue taking it. No way, I stopped that same say.
By far the Lexapro has been the worst episode in my entire life!
I’m here as well to ensure every one that it gets better! Takes long but gets better, you need to be patient. My last pill was 24 days ago and only yesterday I could sleep for 6 hours and wake only once. I still have mild depression and anxiety much worst than I had before but every day gets better.
Soooo scaring that even in a such short time and small dose got into the horrible withdrawal. Also can’t understand why the Drs. prescribe this kind of drug and dont mention the bad side affects and the withdrawal.
Recently started therapie that is already helping me, some multi vitamins and work out.
Banned from my life any kind of medecine that mess with brain.
Hang in there, it gets better.

Called pharmacist to get their opinion; they responded with "Huh, weird". Called nurse line and she had a similar response but said to keep an eye out for hives, vomiting, swelling and to stop taking Lexapro. Eventually the burning did go away but it took a solid 12-14 days from just one 5mg dose and one 10mg dose. After this I got a pcp and he said that chances are that I would have a similar reaction to all SSRIs. Since then I have been Team No-Meds in fear of another reaction.

I tried to stick out the Lexapro for a total of 3 1/2 weeks but my symptoms were too great to bare so my doctor told me to stop it. My symtoms were: panic attacks, hypomania, weird unexplained sensations of vibrating and of being cold, under my skin, like someone had placed cold packs under there, increased fidgeting and songs stuck in my head like you would not believe. I was sad to have to stop it because there were some benefits, too. My motivation was incredible! I had almost zero prior to taking it. And I had really positive thoughts as well (despite the side effects, which I thought was pretty interesting that I could experinece both extremes at the same time).

If you’re someone who is lucky enough to avoid the bad side effects I can definitely see how this drug would work wonders for you. All that being said, it’s been a week and a half since I’ve stopped it and I’m still having panic attacks. I had to ask my doc for clonazepam to get through it. I am hopeful that they stop soon.

Lastly... Not this time thank god, but I have heard *so many times* in my life the whole “these are not normal symptoms,” or “this is not a side effect of this drug” and given that “it must just be in your head” look. So I empathize with everyone who has experienced that. It’s incredibly frustrating. I’ve also been given the “you’re on too low a dose to be really experiencing anything” look. This can all be devestating to your self-esteem and confidence. We all know our bodies. Doctors can sometimes be pretty insensitive if you’re not “dying.” It’s important to find doctors who understand that “quality of life” issues are pretty effing important. Even though we may not be dying some of us sure as hell feel like we are at times, and docs should work with us to alleviate those feelings, not make them worse.