Posted by 1Runningman on March 10, 2005, at 8:36:56
In reply to Re: Getting OFF Lexapro » Marietta, posted by SLS on March 8, 2005, at 11:01:19
> > 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?
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> 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.
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> - ScottI've been on 10 mg for about 6 months and decided to get off of it. The more I read, the more I think I probably should have never gone on it in the 1st place. I was in a moderate depression that I believe I was on the verge of coming out of on my own when I started to take it. I felt like hell for almost a week when I started it, also a lot of insomnia for almost a month. If I even had any idea what I would have to go thru to get on it, I probably never would have started it!
I definitely felt MUCH better after being on it for about 5 or 6 weeks and wanted to get off, but was told I should stay on it for a minimum of 4 months up to 9 months. I figured since I was feeling good, with minimal side effects, what the heck.
So finally after 6 months, I decided I wanted to get off this, especially after reading 100s of posts on withdrawals. Seems the longer someone is on this, the more chance of worse side effects. I was going to tell my Dr., but since he didn't have a clue what I was in for when he gave it to me, I don't really trust what he'll tell me to get off! I did my own research by reading everyone's personal experiences and any withdrawal tips I could find from medical sites. It definitely helps knowing what you MIGHT be in for, so you don’t get caught by surprise. If I would have done some research before I started this drug, I would have waited at least couple of more weeks before starting to take it, to see whether I REALLY needed to! I would have thought my doctor might have suggested this before prescribing it!
I cut down to 7.5 mg for a week, with minor side effects. I felt just a tad dizzy off and on for a day or two, and then I had a slight hung-over feeling after about 5-6 days which actually dissipated by the end of the day. By the 7th day, I felt basically normal again. Now I'm down to 5.0 mg on my 4th day. Yesterday, I actually felt some minor anxiousness, slight dizziness, and minor tingling in my left arm and face that I often feel when I get nervous. After I ate my lunch and took my vitamins the symptoms seemed to have backed off quite a bit. By the evening I was only feeling mild dizziness and minor fatigue. It hasn’t effected my sleeping at all, I’ve been sleeping very good, so far.
I'm hoping to go to 3.75 for a week, then 2.5 for a week, then 1.25 for a week, then stretch out a 1.25 dose until I'm only taking it once every 3-4 days and then stop. I think you can get the pills into 1/8s, I'm actually breaking them into quarters just using my fingers. I'll use an Exacto knife to get it into 1/8s though.
You can put the 1/4 tablet into a small container and cut it with the knife. That way if it ends up getting semi-crushed, just divide the piles into equal halves and you won't lose any of the powder.
I'm definitely not getting on any more medication unless it's a LAST resort after this!
poster:1Runningman
thread:459551
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050228/msgs/469150.html