Lexapro withdrawal perhaps? Or ANY med withdrawal?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:28 am

Now I'M anxious! I love my Lexapro [10 mg] but hate being on meds. I wanted to cut down to every other day eventually, but maybe a year from now. Currently, the only side effect I'm having is VIVID CRAZY BELIEVABLE dreams. Then I spend 1/2 of the morning deciphering what I actually experienced or not. It's trippy.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:49 am

PLEASE DO NOT SKIP days when weaning off Lexapro. That is the worst thing you can do.
It will yo-yo your brains ability to produce seratonan.
We off very slowly, but keep taking it every day. Work your way all the way down to 2.5 mg/day or lower. Spread it out over many months. If you've been on it a year or more you may need 6 months or longer to wean off safely.
Yes, brain zaps are a normal part of coming off SSRIs, especially if you do it too fast.
Good Luck to you and God Bless.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 16, 2008 8:59 am

I have to say without a doubt that the withdrawal symptoms from the anti-anxiety med Ativan they gave me in the emergency room the second time I thought I was having a heart attack, and that my regular doc was so supportive of, has caused me WAY more problems than the anxiety, heart palpitations and other symptoms I had been experiencing to begin with.

Once I had the echocardiogram in June 08 that cleared me of any physical ailments, I thought: "Oh, okay, so I really don't need this Ativan after all...I now know I'm not physically sick, I just need to get it together."

So, I naively thought I could wean myself off the Ativan in less than a week! Omigod, what a nightmare that was! I was literally thinking I was going to die when my girlfriend who'd taken six weeks to wean off of Klonopin years ago, ordered me to go take .25 mg of the Ativan just to regain control of the withdrawal symptoms.

Feeling better, I quickly realized my mistake (which my doctor was useless in warning me or advising me about, and who just wanted to put me on Klonopin or Cymbalta when all I wanted was to be OFF meds, period).

I set about a three week schedule of weaning off the Ativan and expected to shift over to very low doses of Xanax to finish it out.

Well, I did clear off the Ativan, and even after going a week without the Xanax, I find I still have symptoms of withdrawal.

The funny thing is, I no longer have any of the original anxiety symptoms...I'm just fighting the battle of getting off the meds. How I wish I had never taken that first Ativan now...

Oh, and someone else mentioned it in another thread: taking magnesium, specifically "Natural Calm" powdered form, has been tremendously helpful. I'd recommend it to anyone without reservation. Read up on the magnesium/calcium balance and you'll understand why.

Here's wishing much success to EVERYONE!

We can do it!

Lew · Post by **Lew** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:45 am

Okay, I must interject here. You are talking about stopping a medication that you needed in the first place, whether you needed it physically or mentally, you had symptoms. I find it hard to believe that no one thinks their "withdrawals" are actually a return full force of the original symptoms. There is NOTHING wrong with taking a medication. This program is not going to CURE you, it will give you alternate ways to deal with your problems and symptoms, but they will not just disappear. We obviously are ALL anxious people, and when I read posts like this, my first thought is.....you weren't ready to stop your med. Just my opinion, for what its worth.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:57 am

Okay, so it turns out your were right, much to my dismay, my night palpitations (which had gone away under the meds) have reoccurred as well.

The thing is, I now know and understand the cause of my original emotional stress, and even though it's pretty much been eliminated, I just want to be normal again so badly I don't even want to take any meds. I don't want to add depression to my list of ailments, so I keep thinking I can do this on my own...

(whimper...)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:00 pm

Originally posted by jchick:
Yeah....I was on Lexapro for a while and just got off of it about 2 months ago....I still wonder if I have done the right thing....but I know that the pills are not going to change how I think and react to the world around me....just started this program this week and it has already helped me to hear from others who are in the same boat....just very tired emotionally today......thanks to all of you for your words.....
JChick

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:09 am

I have to agree WITHWANT2FEELGOOD. I dont love that I have to take my 10mg of Lex everyday, but I do love that it has taken away my obsessive worry, stressing, and severe PMS. I am not saying I will be on it forever, but I feel my quality of life is better on it, rather than off of it. Some of us just need meds, CBT helps also, but alot of the symptoms we feel going off the meds are in fact the old symptoms creeping back. When and if I decide to wean I will do so very slowly and when I feel I can handle things without meds.

cowgirl · Post by **cowgirl** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:41 am

Nole, you are right! As I have discovered in the last week and my pdoc pointed out to me!

I've started back on my meds....5mgs and gonna see if that is enough to cut it. If not, I have come to terms that I have absolutely no problem going back up to 10mgs. If that's what I need at this point in my life, that's what I need and I am not going to fight it anymore but instead be thankful it's there for us and to work on getting to the root of my problem instead of constantly sweeping it under the rug.

epa · Post by **epa** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:13 am

Originally posted by Keeping the Faith:
Nole, you are right! As I have discovered in the last week and my pdoc pointed out to me!

I've started back on my meds....5mgs and gonna see if that is enough to cut it. If not, I have come to terms that I have absolutely no problem going back up to 10mgs. If that's what I need at this point in my life, that's what I need and I am not going to fight it anymore but instead be thankful it's there for us and to work on getting to the root of my problem instead of constantly sweeping it under the rug.

Glad you are feeling better about the situation. Dont EVER feel ashamed of taking meds to help you. Be THANKFUL that they are there to help you live the life you deserve to live. I fought for years taking meds and have just recently come to terms that if the meds make me feel normal and like myself than isnt that better than living a life of constant worry and anxiety. Lexapro has given me the quietness I need to focus on what bothers me and has allowed me to work on healing, without the worry and anxiety. Do I still have some bad days, sure, but they are short lived and I remind myself that everyone has bad days in life, the meds wont cure everything but they sure do help ease the mind so you can think clearly.

I wish you lots of luck and hope you feel well soon.