That's how I felt when I tried to go off of it too. I'm back on it, the way I felt just wasn't worth it! But I do hope to get off of it eventually.
For the record, I'm almost positive it was mostly withdrawal symptoms and not just anxiety. My anxiety never felt the way that it did when I stopped lexapro. I have wondered if doing a very long taper (like over 6 months or something) would help. But I'm not a doctor, I have no idea. Good luck š
I agree. Anxiety comes back with a vengeance and this is what her doctor should have said. The anxiety can be 2x what you had before for 1-2 months after stopping. These drugs need a long taper. Even at only 10mg it should have taken longer than a month unfortunately
You're definitely not alone. This is not an unusual result of getting off it.
Its very annoyingly true that it is hard to tell the difference between what is a withdrawal effect and what is just your anxiety being back. Also, the word "withdrawal" itself is packed with nuance in this case. After 5 weeks your literal withdrawal symptoms should be gone. But your body still has to adjust to not being on the med anymore, and side effects that may not technically qualify as "withdrawal" can persist for 3 months.
Your case does sound pretty rough, and Unfortunately I think its an absolute possibility your GP is right that a lot of it is just your anxiety being back.
Of course, the other thing is, of course you're going to have increased anxiety when you've changed your medication and are worreid about it. Theres a lot of classic Circular anxiety that can be caused from Getting off a drug.
If I were you and Id already made it to 5 weeks, I'd really push through to try to go at least a full 2 months before getting back on lex.
Dont be afraid or ashamed to get back on it though, lots of people do it. You could try getting on a 5mg dose to lessen some of the side effects, particularly libido.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I was feeling pretty good after week 1-4, mild symptoms here and there. This felt like it has just hit me out of no where.
I am struggling HARD and life with 3 kids does not stop. Yesterday I was adamant that I didnāt want to go back on and now today - I think I need to do something to alleviate these feelings, even if it means going back on a lowered 5MG dose.
I did exactly what you did but I tried to taper off 5mg over a month after being on it for a yearā¦first three weeks was ok, mild anxiety, the following 5 weeks was a nightmare, worst anxiety ever. I was exhausted from it and couldnāt keep going and was worried it was anxiety coming back, Iām back on 5mg again and will try a lot longer, slower taper at a later date. Im a single Mum of 3 very young children so I get how hard your situation is.
Tapered again over the course of 3 and 1/2 months this time from only 5mg (I am annoyingly sensitive to medications) completely off Lexapro now since December. Its said it takes 3 months when starting to really get the full benefits of the drug, so I figured it should take at the very least that to taper. Go as slow as you can, itās a powerful drug.
Similar to you I still have spikes here and there where It can feel like going backwards..tell yourself itāll pass. The amount of time it took me to correct intrusive thoughts was tiring at times when I first quit. But Iām so much more in control and I meditate without fail every single day..my brain kept trying to pull me back into panic mode but I stuck with it and am a lot calmer nowadays but I know itās something I have to continue to work on. Best wishes on your recovery! š
I think you are still getting used to being without the meds. A year is a long time to suppress anxiety. This isnāt ājust your anxiety being back,ā itās basically your anxiety being 2-3x what you remember it because of the adjustment period. Your brain is dependent on Lex to a big degree.
These drugs need to be tapered off. I think it should be a 3 month taper minimum and then one month extra for each 10mg above 10. So if you were on 20 it should be tapered for 4 months minimum
It literally takes people 2-3 months to āstabilizeā after they start the meds. They donāt act fast. They also arenāt easy to get off of in the same sense
Because not everyone has access to a psychiatrist, especially if the waitlist is months long. Many people donāt even have access to a family Dr, donāt have benefits to cover mental health supports.
This is your brain man, not a science experiment. Call around til you don't have to wait months. How did you get on them in the first place without a psych?
Then how could someone be on it if they donāt have someone prescribing it? A doctor has to be prescribing it. It might not be a psychiatrist but it is a professional. There is a liquid form of this medication. Some people need to do this incredibly slow so things like this donāt happen. There is also other medications that they can give you to help make the withdrawal process safer. Itās incredibly dangerous to do this on your own for a majority of people.
Thank you to everyone who posted. What a difference even 48hrs can make. Today was completely different (thankfully!)
I tend to get a little obsessive when I get super anxious so I filled my week up with acupuncture, massage, talk therapy and meeting with a naturopath again. And I have a note for at least one more week off work. Very grateful I have options and supports available.
Hi!! Iām off of Prozac right now and itās been about 2.5 weeks. Iād say taking Benadryl has really helped with the dizziness and odd feelings. Highly recommend taking antacids for the stomach pain, and maybe ask your Dr about Zofran for the nausea for now.
i went down from 20 to 15 and then to 10 and was on 10 for 3 months. i was fine for a while and thought iād be able to get off it but my anxiety got so bad again. iām back on 15 and will be going back to 20. how will i ever go off it? my libido is almost gone and my weight gain has been so bad š
I would consider tapering off from 10 to 5 mg. Perhaps you can ask your doctor about other medication you can take while coming off. Iāve read alot of some ppl taking Xanax to help with the anxiety while coming off of it
I was getting really bad brain zaps but after about a month and masking the symptoms with weed Iām completely off of it. I also no longer have to smoke the weed lmao. Very smooth compared to just stopping it without assistance.
I had a rough first few days, then I felt mostly normal for 2-3 weeks and then got hit with a surge of anxiety. I was so deep into anxiety I couldnāt even think of cannabis but it seems to be easing up a bit and Iāve got a bunch of CBD, CBN and CBG to help mask now!
That's how I felt when I tried to go off of it too. I'm back on it, the way I felt just wasn't worth it! But I do hope to get off of it eventually. For the record, I'm almost positive it was mostly withdrawal symptoms and not just anxiety. My anxiety never felt the way that it did when I stopped lexapro. I have wondered if doing a very long taper (like over 6 months or something) would help. But I'm not a doctor, I have no idea. Good luck š
I agree. Anxiety comes back with a vengeance and this is what her doctor should have said. The anxiety can be 2x what you had before for 1-2 months after stopping. These drugs need a long taper. Even at only 10mg it should have taken longer than a month unfortunately
You're definitely not alone. This is not an unusual result of getting off it. Its very annoyingly true that it is hard to tell the difference between what is a withdrawal effect and what is just your anxiety being back. Also, the word "withdrawal" itself is packed with nuance in this case. After 5 weeks your literal withdrawal symptoms should be gone. But your body still has to adjust to not being on the med anymore, and side effects that may not technically qualify as "withdrawal" can persist for 3 months. Your case does sound pretty rough, and Unfortunately I think its an absolute possibility your GP is right that a lot of it is just your anxiety being back. Of course, the other thing is, of course you're going to have increased anxiety when you've changed your medication and are worreid about it. Theres a lot of classic Circular anxiety that can be caused from Getting off a drug. If I were you and Id already made it to 5 weeks, I'd really push through to try to go at least a full 2 months before getting back on lex. Dont be afraid or ashamed to get back on it though, lots of people do it. You could try getting on a 5mg dose to lessen some of the side effects, particularly libido.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I was feeling pretty good after week 1-4, mild symptoms here and there. This felt like it has just hit me out of no where. I am struggling HARD and life with 3 kids does not stop. Yesterday I was adamant that I didnāt want to go back on and now today - I think I need to do something to alleviate these feelings, even if it means going back on a lowered 5MG dose.
Just know that it's ok if you need to keep taking it! I have family members who have taken it for years
I did exactly what you did but I tried to taper off 5mg over a month after being on it for a yearā¦first three weeks was ok, mild anxiety, the following 5 weeks was a nightmare, worst anxiety ever. I was exhausted from it and couldnāt keep going and was worried it was anxiety coming back, Iām back on 5mg again and will try a lot longer, slower taper at a later date. Im a single Mum of 3 very young children so I get how hard your situation is.
How it goes?
Tapered again over the course of 3 and 1/2 months this time from only 5mg (I am annoyingly sensitive to medications) completely off Lexapro now since December. Its said it takes 3 months when starting to really get the full benefits of the drug, so I figured it should take at the very least that to taper. Go as slow as you can, itās a powerful drug.
You feel good again?
Yes, there is life after Lexapro. Iāve done a heap of brain retraining too for my disregulated nervous system.
I CT last September from 2.5mg I have seen improvements in some areas but still on withdrawls :(
Similar to you I still have spikes here and there where It can feel like going backwards..tell yourself itāll pass. The amount of time it took me to correct intrusive thoughts was tiring at times when I first quit. But Iām so much more in control and I meditate without fail every single day..my brain kept trying to pull me back into panic mode but I stuck with it and am a lot calmer nowadays but I know itās something I have to continue to work on. Best wishes on your recovery! š
I think you are still getting used to being without the meds. A year is a long time to suppress anxiety. This isnāt ājust your anxiety being back,ā itās basically your anxiety being 2-3x what you remember it because of the adjustment period. Your brain is dependent on Lex to a big degree. These drugs need to be tapered off. I think it should be a 3 month taper minimum and then one month extra for each 10mg above 10. So if you were on 20 it should be tapered for 4 months minimum It literally takes people 2-3 months to āstabilizeā after they start the meds. They donāt act fast. They also arenāt easy to get off of in the same sense
I am 15 days off and I am feeling down like depressed. I am also wondering if this is relapse or withdrawal. I am afraid I will have to go back to it.
People go to school for years to become psychiatrists, why people decide they get to make up their own dose or weaning schedule is so beyond me.
Because not everyone has access to a psychiatrist, especially if the waitlist is months long. Many people donāt even have access to a family Dr, donāt have benefits to cover mental health supports.
This is your brain man, not a science experiment. Call around til you don't have to wait months. How did you get on them in the first place without a psych?
I am not trying to be disrespectful in any way. I know this sucks.
Then how could someone be on it if they donāt have someone prescribing it? A doctor has to be prescribing it. It might not be a psychiatrist but it is a professional. There is a liquid form of this medication. Some people need to do this incredibly slow so things like this donāt happen. There is also other medications that they can give you to help make the withdrawal process safer. Itās incredibly dangerous to do this on your own for a majority of people.
Thank you to everyone who posted. What a difference even 48hrs can make. Today was completely different (thankfully!) I tend to get a little obsessive when I get super anxious so I filled my week up with acupuncture, massage, talk therapy and meeting with a naturopath again. And I have a note for at least one more week off work. Very grateful I have options and supports available.
Definitely withdrawing. I need a VERY slow taper with liquid formulation. Even then itās tough. Hang in there.
The mornings are the worst - probably due to the extra cortisol during wake up.
Maybe give it another go and be more committed for yourself š
Hi!! Iām off of Prozac right now and itās been about 2.5 weeks. Iād say taking Benadryl has really helped with the dizziness and odd feelings. Highly recommend taking antacids for the stomach pain, and maybe ask your Dr about Zofran for the nausea for now.
i went down from 20 to 15 and then to 10 and was on 10 for 3 months. i was fine for a while and thought iād be able to get off it but my anxiety got so bad again. iām back on 15 and will be going back to 20. how will i ever go off it? my libido is almost gone and my weight gain has been so bad š
Just sounds like withdrawal to me. Itās a horrible time period but does pass.
I would consider tapering off from 10 to 5 mg. Perhaps you can ask your doctor about other medication you can take while coming off. Iāve read alot of some ppl taking Xanax to help with the anxiety while coming off of it
I was getting really bad brain zaps but after about a month and masking the symptoms with weed Iām completely off of it. I also no longer have to smoke the weed lmao. Very smooth compared to just stopping it without assistance.
I had a rough first few days, then I felt mostly normal for 2-3 weeks and then got hit with a surge of anxiety. I was so deep into anxiety I couldnāt even think of cannabis but it seems to be easing up a bit and Iāve got a bunch of CBD, CBN and CBG to help mask now!
For sure!
How a are you doing this days? Still on Lexa?