Lexapro Withdrawals

A Girl · #1 02-19-2007, 11:10 AM

Has anyone ever gone through them?

Chyia · #2 02-21-2007, 10:09 AM

Not I, sorry. How long have you been on it? What's your dose?

I am meant to be on it but after the first 6-8 weeks I kept forgetting to take it (I think subconsciously I didn't want it cause I was convinced it gave me headaches and I already have migraines ffs). It was 20 mgs every night...until I just quit taking it! lol(sorta)

I didn't notice any difference between taking & not taking it, which further reinforced my not continuing with it. I told my Neurodoc and he has gone right on prescribing it. Haha. I just don't take it.

Otoh hand I already take such a lot of medication that it may have blunted the effects of coming off it? Idk.

I do better without it. And I am not going back on anything else (anti-depressant) for awhile. If I don't need that crap in my body, I see no reason to put it there.

Are you having symptoms? Headaches, etc? Does your doc know?

Luck!

Chyia, med rebel

drivelBABY · #3 02-21-2007, 12:59 PM

ive only been on sertraline so it might be different, but when i stopped taking it i got headaches for a while & i found it kinda difficult because when i was on it i just felt kinda numb so it was weird to have all the emotions start coming back.but i came off it really gradually (like from 1 pill a day to half a pill, then half a pill every other day) and that helped.

go mammals · #4 02-23-2007, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drivelBABY

but i came off it really gradually (like from 1 pill a day to half a pill, then half a pill every other day) and that helped.

Coming down gradually like that is a really good thing to do.

A Girl, here are the details on quitting Lexapro from a website. I hope they are in some way useful:

Quote:

How Long Lexapro Takes to Clear Out of Your System: On average Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) is out of your system in 6-8 days. It has a couple of marginally active metabolites, so especially sensitive people may have it lingering around for a day or two longer.

How to Stop Taking Lexapro: Your doctor should be recommending that you reduce your dosage by 5mg a day every 6-8 days if you need to stop taking it, if not more slowly than that.

Because of it's super-selectivity Lexapro is more of a coin-toss when it comes to SSRI discontinuation syndrome. Somewhat fewer people than average are subject to it, but there is a symptom that is especially bad with Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) - the sensation of electric shocks. Sometimes felt in your body, or sometimes the standard brain shocks & shivers of SSRI discontinuation. At least Forest & Lundbeck included warnings specifically about this in the PI sheet. I don't know who spanked them into that, but I'm glad it happened.

If you've worked your way up to a particular dosage, it's usually best to spend this many days at the next lowest dosage before going down the next lowest dosage before that and so forth. This is the least sucky way to avoid problems when stopping any psychiatric medication. Presuming you have the option of slowly tapering off them.

Lil' Witch · #5 05-24-2009, 11:56 AM

ive gone off of them several times, for months and i never had any withdrawls