Stress Center Peer Support

It has now been over a month since I completely weaned off Lexapro. I am doing just fine, I feel like my old self again. What a relief it is to be free of this and all medications!

To anyone looking to get off Lexapro; please do so very slowly. It took me 3 months to completely wean myself off it. I had a few minor side effects like dizziness, leg twitches and some strange sensations in my head but because I weaned off slowly, they were not severe so I was able to manage it ok.

To anyone looking to start using Lexapro;
Please make sure you REALLY need it before you get involved with this powerful mind altering drug. You will be much better off if you can complete the CBT training and learn the skills necessary to handle your condition without using this medication.
However, if your condition really is too overwhelming to handle and it's impacting your job and home life severely, you should consider taking it. Just remember that when you first start taking it, you should start in very small doses for the first week (2.5mg/day) and take it with food. Then up to 5mg/day for the second week and so on. Work your way up slowly so your body has a chance to get used to it. Otherwise you will experience some very nasty side effects which only serve to increase your anxiety/panic/depression.
Also, don't forget, it will take 3 to 6 weeks for it to take full effect. So hang in there and keep working on your CBT skills during that time.

No matter what you decide to do, just know that the answers to your problems are contained in StressCenter CBT course. (No I don’t work for them ) I know the course is long and it's hard to find time to do it but when you are at a crossroad in your life with this condition, if you want to get well, you have to make some life changing decisions and move forward in a new direction. There is no magic pill that will fix this problem for you. Drugs only mask the symptoms; it’s up to you to make the actual changes in your thought processes that will eventually free you from this condition.
God Bless and Peace be with you.

how long were you on lexapro? I have been on it for about 4 or 5 years, and I want to get off it, I have tried to get off of it one time and i had really bad withdraws, so it kinda scares me to get off again, b ut i think i should.

I was only on Lexapro a short time, but it was so hard on my system.I finally found the thing I am scard of more than the panic attacks. Feeling crappy on meds.

I am really trying to work through the program with no meds, but I still think they are important for those who need them.

Living,
I was only on Lexapro for about 2 months solid before I started tapering off.
If you've been on it for a long time (year or more) you will need to taper off extremely slowly. Especially if you are taking higher doses (20mg or more).
I did a lot of research about this and other SSRI drugs and found that most Dr.s over prescribe them and don't give you the correct information about how to start or stop taking them. This is really sad because normally, a person would expect to get the correct information from their Dr.
Regardless, if you want to get off it, and you have been on it for years, plan on taking a year or more (if necessary) to wean off it.
Stair step your dose down by very small amounts. Then pause at each step for a month and give your body time to adjust. This is a long process but necessary in order to 'successfully' get off this med.
How much are you taking now?

Congratulations Don on being drug free!

It sounds like the program really worked for you. I'm still having problems calming myself down when I get worked up. The what if's really get me. I hope I can apply the program as well as you have.

See that's what I am talking about. Congrats! Thanks for this post.. I am going to stop taking my Lexapro soon. I am only on 10mg for about 4 months now. I am building up the courage to stop with Gods hand of course. I think most of my anxiety is because of the drug actually..

Thanks Don56

I don't know about lexapro but I was on another ssri called Paxil for about 10 years. I weaned off and was fine for about 6 months....then the anxiety, panic attacks, depression all came back worse than ever before.
This is why I started this program because I heard that once you go off and then come back on an ssri that 50% of the time the ssri doesn't work the same as it did before !!!

Luckily, I am regaining control through the combination of this program and Paxil.

Good luck everyone.

what is the CBT program?
am I missing something else that StressCenter is offering?
thanks,
Mary

M4 - CBT is cognitive behavior therapy which is what this program is based on. Sometimes people will post about other CBT groups and programs they've used other than StressCenter's.

Don,

Thanks so much for sharing. This information is very helpful. I just started taking Lexapro this week mainly to get a handle on depression that I've been dealing with. I've been dealing with anxiety for about 8 years now. I wish that I knew of the program when my condition first started so I could have avoided taking meds. I started on Paxil when my aniety first began and made my way through various mediacations trying to find something that wouldn't give me that "on meds" feeling. I was able to get off meds about 2 years ago by eventually weaning myself off. Recent life changes (a move, different job, death of a friend) have brought back my anxiety accompanied by some rough depression. My plan is to use the Lexapro to improve my quality of life, get on my feet "emotionally", and be able to grow confortable with the CBT skills.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions.