Please share some of your thoughts, The doctors seem to think tapering off by 5 I can off in two weeks after being on for a year. I do not see in any way how this is possible. The withdrawals i have are, headaches, extreme tiredness, dizzy spells, shocks, stomach cramps.. and that just the withdrawal part, never mind all the fun weight gain I had from this drug. I wish I never started. It did help but will i be on this forever?
What is the best way to taper off Lexapro?
Question posted by j1091 on 26 Jan 2012
Last updated on 29 July 2022
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
33 Answers Page 3
Inactive
26 Jan 2012
Hi J, how much are you on now? I took Celexa and sister drug Lexapro, and know the withdrawals are really hard. Also why were you put on it in the first place and why going off? I agree with the folks who already answered, slowly at YOUR pace period. Let us know how much and when you take it and maybe I can be of some more help, mindy
babyr0423
26 Jan 2012
Dear j1091,
I completely agree with Pledge %100 on this. A slow taper definately. I wish you the best of luck best wishes to you. Ruth
jm21mm
28 Sep 2014
I've been on antidepressant 10 mg lexapro for 16 weeks now and want to stop slowey by tapering off to half a mg for 36 days and 1/4 mg for the next 36 days. Is this a good strategy?
Saragirl555
9 March 2017
I have been on lexapro for about 3 years. I have always had anxiety, but after my mom passed suddenly it worsened. I now want to get off the drug.
I have tried a few times before to go from 10mg to 5mg but always felt so terrible that I just took my regular dose after a few days. This time, as I taper off, I am making sure to eat healthy. I have gotten rid of dairy, gluten and alcohol in my diet. It has only been a little over a week and I actually feel okay.
Remember that if you are stopping a drug, you need to support your body in other healthy ways. I have done a lot of research the past few weeks about eating habits/stomach health/brain health and how they are all linked together. If you want to be off your medication, you have to support your body to do so!!
I hope this is helpful to you. Good luck!
MaggieMae123
31 March 2017
Saragirl555 - Could you share what you have been reading about? I am getting off lexapro and would love to know how you are doing. My withdrawal has been pretty challenging. Thanks!
Saragirl555
31 March 2017
I did a cleanse for a week that I had gotten from Whole Foods. I also gave up dairy and gluten during that time and I felt great. At that time I was taking the Lexapro 5mg. Now I have started taking it every third day, but you can start every other day. I have been experiencing the dizziness. I find if I am hungry or dehydrated it gets worse, so make sure you are drinking lots of water and eating full meals. I hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any other questions!
MaggieMae123
31 March 2017
Thanks for the advice. Why did you go off gluten and dairy and why do you think that helped? Are you planning to stay off of it or just while you wean off the drug? I have been completely off Lexapro for a week now and am feeling pretty bad. I get dizzy and nauseous (mostly in the evenings), and last night I even threw up. So, I am looking for anything that could help me through this process.
Saragirl555
31 March 2017
Ugh that is terrible! Sorry to hear. I keep telling myself it's temporary. I just find that eating as clean as possible (fresh fruits/veggies/quinoa/beans) really helps me to feel my best. I find that as I do eat dairy and gluten I feel like crap. It's really hard but it's worth a try :)
Saragirl555
31 March 2017
I will
Also tell you that laying off of dairy and gluten helped me to lose a few pounds. I know one of your previous posts talked about weight gain!
bold_be2uty
3 Oct 2017
This is how my doctor tapers me. It is very slow but works indefinitely. I wish I could add a photo, it would be easier to draw it out than to explain but here it goes.
First week
Day 1. 5mg then rest of week you go back to 10mg
second week
Day 1 and 2 you take 5mg. Rest of week you take 10mg
Third week
Day 1, 2 and 3, You take 5mg. Rest of week 10mg.
Fourth Week
Day1-4: You take 5mg then 10mg rest of week
Fifth week
Day 1-5. You take 5mg then 10mg rest of week
sixth week
day1-6 5mg then 10mg rest of week
7th week
all week take 5mg
You probably want to stay on 5 mg for about 1-2 weeks then taper again.
Then you can do the same however you can either decide to half the 5mg with a pill cutter or if you are comfortable you take nothing the first day then 5mg for the rest of the week, then you dont take for 2 days then you take a 5mg for the rest of the week and so on.
If you experience discontinuation symptoms after a particular dose reduction, you may want to add back half the dose — or all of it — and continue from there with smaller dose reductions. There are no hard and fast rules for getting off antidepressants, other than that the approach should be individualized! Some people can taper off an antidepressant in a matter of weeks, while others may take months.
Hope this helps! :)
Jerrilynne Primm
2 Jan 2018
I just started to ween myself off 20mg
Inactive
26 Jan 2012
Hello j1091. Welcome to the site. Its amazing how a drug can effect us in such a different way. You'll probably hear from several other members. My suggestion is a very, and I use the word very, gradual taper. If you're at say 15mg, as an example, cut the dose but ever so slightly. take 5mg, slice it in to two, and stay on the 12.5 mg dose for several weeks. Then drop another 2.5 mg or the other half. That will leave you at 10mg. By dropping it only so slightly, your brains chemistry is learning to reboot and learn teach itself to work without its fix which in this case is lexapro. So, having said that, you are the boss, not your doctor. If you feel strongt and think a faster taper is possible, go for it. Its your body, your side effects and at the moment, your misery. Why feel the need to feel bad or ail? When its really not necessary. A major bonus is you can do it from the home. And why not? Good healt, along with wishes to you,pledge
Related topics
lexapro, depression, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, withdrawal, doctor, tapering
Further information
- Lexapro uses and safety info
- Lexapro prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lexapro (detailed)
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.