Posted by SLS on March 8, 2005, at 11:01:19
In reply to Re: Getting OFF Lexapro, posted by Marietta on March 7, 2005, at 14:44:16
> I was on 10mg for only about a yr and 4 mos. I am not a "lifer" just needed it to get thru some tragedies in my life at the time. I recently just STOPPED taking it (4 days ago) and feel fine. Will the "hell" start later? I am FINE with my life and think the Lex is a waste of my money since everything is on track??? Pls advise?
Withdrawal symptoms sometimes take 3-4 days to develop. It is certainly possible that you won't experience anything intense as a withdrawal syndrome. I wish I could predict for you whether this will happen or not. I don't think it would hurt too much to take things one day at a time. However, if the withdrawal symptoms appear and are of significant magnitude, I think you should seriously think about reintroducing the drug and tapering from there.
If it were me, I would try reintroducing the Lexapro at 5.0mg and watch to see what happens. If the withdrawal symptoms remain unabated after 8 hours, I would then take an additional 5.0mg for that day. From there I would try to continue at 7.5 for a few days to a week and hope that your system accomodates to the reduced dosage. You could then lower it to 5.0mg. However, I would consider taking these smaller amounts of Lexapro several times a day. I think it helps the brain make a smoother transition and better avoids withdrawal symptoms. Take 2.5mg three time a day. When you reduce to 5.0mg, you might be ok taking 2.5mg twice a day. Ideally, it would be nice to use doses of 1.25mg to taper lower, but I don't know how well you could split the pills into 1/8ths.
If you to really struggle discontinuing Lexaparo, there is a liquid version available to work with that would allow for a more flexible dosing schedule and taper with greater precision. You might even consider crossing over to Prozac for a few days. I doubt you'll need to do that, though. You sound like you will have an easy time of it. If nothing else, split the pills into quarters and dose 2-3 times a day.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:459551
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050228/msgs/468222.html