Has anyone ever gotten off Escitalopram / Lexapro / Cipralex ????

[Dee01]

Hey there,

I've searched and searched, but I can't seem to find any stories of anyone who has gotten off Lexapro. Anyone out there who's gotten off it?? And if so, HOW??!!!:doh:

[Lucky07]

I've been on and off twice. I don't seem to have as hard of a time with it as others though. I only take 5 mg so that may be a reason. The first time I just quit cold turky and I had a really bad week of head zaps, dizziness, etc. By 2-3 weeks off I was fine. The 2nd time I weaned down to 2.5 mg for a week then quit. It was an easier transition but I still had the head zaps, headaches, nausea, etc. for a week or two.

[shotokansho]

Hi there. I was taking paroxetine and Cipralex at certain points of my life. Both of them i went cold turkey from them. The paroxetine was harder and more unpleasent but the cipralex i still had the dizziness and stuff.

[Panic33]

I took 10mg cipralex for 4weeks then cut down to every other day for 2 weeks - I was fine afterwards.

[Tracy43]

Hi
I have been on citalopram then Cipralex for the last 8 months. I have wanted to come off for ages. Anyway about 6 weeks ago I started by dropping 2.5mg every week or so until I got used ot the new dose.
And now this is my 3rd day without anything, and you know what I feel good. I stayed on 2.5 until I felt fine on it then took it one night and left it the next and as I said dropped it totally 3 days ago.
Well happy to be off of it

[Dee01]

thanks for the replys! Its a tough road, thats for sure! I'm on 5mg for over a year now at this stage and the odd 10mg when I feel bad. I'll post updates if i'm successful!!!

[Tracy43]

Hi All
Well I have been off them now for over three weeks, no pills at all :)
'yes i felt terrible but its pretty much gone now.
I do get anxious etc but I think thats just me getting used to feeling things again. Best thing I could have done as I feel like me again.

Good luck to you if you are on it or coming off it

:hugs:

Tracy

[Dee01]

Booooooooooo!!! I am down to 5mg every 2nd day, but had a horrible horrible weekend. Panic attacks all sunday and monday night. However, in the past, that has made me jump back up on the tablets. I'm still on 5mg every 2nd day. I feel bad, but am still in control - barely!! I'm going to stick it out for as long as I can and see if I can keep the dose down.

[daisy232627]

From what I have been told, when you wean down off these meds taking them every other day is not a good idea, it will only make the side effects worse. You should still be taking them everyday and slowly tappering the mg's....this is what I have been told, I have been weaning from Paxil for about 3mo. now. I am down to 15mg, from 20mg.

[Lavonda_love]

I was on lexapro for 2 weeks and I did not like it at all
so I stopped taking them cold turkey. I felt bad for
about a week but I feel better now than on the med.
I have had anxiety for about 5 or 6 years after my bro
got shot but he made it though and it perfectly fine.
I don't just don't know what to do to make that
something bad is going to happen go away. If anyone
can help please do I need something that is natural.

[carlos678]

From what I have been told, when you wean down off these meds taking them every other day is not a good idea, it will only make the side effects worse. You should still be taking them everyday and slowly tappering the mg's....this is what I have been told, I have been weaning from Paxil for about 3mo. now. I am down to 15mg, from 20mg.


I agree with this approach. Taking them every other day seems counter productive; it deprives the brain of a chemical it has become accustomed too then feeds it again, resulting in the levels of the AD dropping then fluctuating. I'm no expert on AD's, but with many other drugs this results in side effects due to unstable plasma levels of the given drug.

I have tapered from 20mg to 5mg over the last few months with few withdrawal symptoms. I will eventually drop to 2.5, then 1mg - then stop. TBH I'm expecting side effects when i completely stop, although they will be nowhere near as severe as going cold turkey.

My GP recommended the every other day method, but after reading personal experiences i believe daily dosing/slow tapering method is the way to go.

[Dee01]

its so annoying. My GP recommended the every other day approch aswell. Why advise something that is proven wrong. I'll have to invest in a pill cutter - LOL!!

[keleb0709]

I was on Cipramil for 2 years and came off cold turkey! Apart from the nausea and drunk feelings, it was totally easy! I guess i was younger back then and realise now that ignorance is a blessing! I didn't know much about it and therefore didn't create issues due to fear!
It can be done :)

[Dee01]

you're totally right. If I was unaware of the side effects, i wouldn't be afraid of them and would be less afraid at how they were going to effect me!! Fair play for getting off the meds. Well done!

[magpie girl]

dee the best way to cut down,is to cut the tablet in half,dont deprive your body every other day or you will feel an increase in anxiety.Just reduce the amount but take it every day and slowly taper it off. MY gp took me off cold turkey and i had head shocks nausea dizzy spells the lot

[Dee01]

how long did it last magpie? I have awful dizzyness at the moment. I'm on 5mg each day again for the moment. I need a pill cutter to get the tablet quartered.

[Worrier]

Dee,

I wanted to let you know that I weaned off of Lexapro by myself without any advice. I was on 10mg per day so I just went to every other day, then just did like Wednesday and Saturday and then stopped, probably over a course of a month or so. I had no ill effects at all and I have to say that Lexapro for me was a lifesaver.

Hope this helps.
Natalie x

[magpie girl]

the head shocks lasted 8 weeks and the nausea and dizzy spells 6 weeks.If your on 5mg now do 5mg for 2 weeks then drop to 2.5 for a few weeks.then drop to 2.5 every other day untill you no longer need it

[neptune]

I was on lexapro for a few months before I started to wean off because my body couldn't tolerate this drug and I had a lot of side effects. (Shame though cause it worked better than I expected it to.) I was on 7.5mg because any more made me quite ill, and cut down by 2.5mg once a month until I came off it. I had severe mood swings, depression, suicidal thoughts, brain zaps, dizziness, upset tummy. When I finally came off I was in bed for a few days and vomited with it, but the physical withdrawal effects only lasted about 2 weeks. I was then left with severe depresion, suicidal thoughts, anger, rage, paranoia and crying spells for about 2-3 months. However, I had read a lot online that this could happen occasionally, so I knew it was the withdrawal and I just got through it really. However, I am not working and if I'd had a job I don't think I'd have been able to come off this medication - because I was not working I was able to stay in bed a lot. I did have some extreme reactions to this drug though, and realise that my experience was perhaps the exception as opposed to the rule :)

[Dee01]

Thanks to everyone for the reply's. I've had a chat with my doctor and he has reduced my dose to 5mg (i had been splitting the 10mg tablets). I'm due back with him in a month and a half and we're going to reduce it again and hopefully finish up then. I'll be 6 years on them at that stage, so I think thats enough for anyone!!!!! I'll keep you up to date on how I get on.
Deexxxx

[gemmaw]

Hi Im new here but im so glad i found this forum, ive been on cipralex for just under a year on 10mg and i thought i was ready to come off because i started to hate the idea of being on them. My gp told me to do few days of 10 then 5 then 10mg but i just went straight down to 5mg. The first 3 days of just 5mg i thought i was losing my mind, headache pins and needles shakes and alot of crying and snapping at people but then it seemed to just stop for about 4 days then i started getting muscle ache in my arms and legs n back kind of like flu. That night i woke up soaked in sweat and feeling crap then a few hours later woke up absolutely freezing i couldnt get warm even with 3 covers over me and all my muscles were tensed up i had to takethe next day off work. since then ive had the shakes headaches tummy upsets anxiety had been sky high feeling sick emotional its HORRIBLE!! i have been on cipralex before and came off cold turkey purely because i for got to take them but this time is another story.
Half of me is thinking go back up to 10mg its really nto worth all this suffering but the other half is saying its just side effects ul be fine soon but it really does make u feel you still have the depression back! I cant tell if its me or the side effects i really cant n i dont want to push myself through the withdrawals to find its the depression thats come back and end up back on 10mg again.

Do people find that they need to come off at an unstressful time to be successful. Its just my luck when i start to wean myself off my life turns into one big stressful mess. i dont know what to do, i would love to be able to just stop working and get away from everything but i have bills to pay and no time to relax. ive jut started a new job so if i needed a long period of tim eoff theyd just sack me.

Do i push through this stressful time and beat withdrawal or up my dose just for now til my life becomes less stressful??

thanks

gemma x

[pants]

Hi everyone. I've been on Cipralex for almost 6 months. at first it was the greatest thing in the world! I had side effects but they were nothing when compared against the severe anxiety I was experiencing without them. I'm on 10mg per day and have taken them religiously. Now at the 6 month point I want out. I haven't had a sex drive in 6 months. I spend the weekends in my pajamas and don't even comb my hair. I'm tired all the time. I am in sales and my carreer of 12 years is suffering. I don't give a crap about anything! Deadlines, others expectations....and I've gained 35lbs! I was a highwire before who deffinately needed help but crap where did I go? So now I'm depressed! LOL! I'm afraid my doctor will suggest increasing my dosage which I am not going to do! I will confer with him however I'm going to start weaning at 5mgs per day then if possible just keep cutting in half. I've also found that I have an anger trigger that has develpoed over the past month. I always had the normal signs of anger and irritation that we all experience in life...only now I have no problem just telling people to FO if they don't like it! I've NEVER been this way! I'm an extremely diplomatic work things out individual....or I was. Now I could care less! I don't seem to care about anything anymore....except sleeping and eating and not being issed off by any demands or requests from others.
Thank you for this space to unload this because it's difficult to tell your family these things. Unless people are experiencing these effects...they don't understand.
Take good care everyone.

[Dee01]

Please don't go off them - you really don't seem to be ready. I would go to your Doc and have a very frank chat. Don't be afraid to increase your dose. I was devestated when I was originally put on a higher dose, but looking back, this was exactally what I needed. My doc was a great one for saying if I had broken my leg, I would use a crutch. Cliché I know, but true also! This is what will help you. When you are really ready to come off them or if you need to change the meds ur on, your doc will know and be able to offer you advice. Let me know if you want to chat or need someone to vent to. Good luck x

[Dee01]

Well, this is really an old thread that I'm resurrecting. I'm back again and its 4 years later..................... I would really love to say that I came off the tablets as I thought I would above and that all went great, but thats not really how life really works I guess.

I have eventually bitten the bullet and QUIT LEXAPRO. I actually can't believe I am saying this, but I am off them about 2 or 3 weeks now.

No matter where I searched, I found it very hard to find any success stories about quitting this drug and I swore that when I came off it, I would detail how I did it. I'm not saying its easy. Its a bloody tough time, but I seem to finally be able to take the withdrawal.

Fingers CROSSED I can keep it this way. I WAS (!) on lexapro for ten massive years. It is too long. I want to be off them. I want to not be afraid to travel if I forget them.... I want to have babies!!!!! Keep your fingers crossed that I can keep this up xxx

[Barbarydove4]

Well done to those who are off the meds!I'm wondering about why I've started to have anxiety flashes again after being off Escitalopram for 3weeks.... Is it side effects or returning to same old story? I've been on them for 2 years, successfully, after suffering panic attacks & a complex phobia for over 12 years. Did the tapering off thing as my GP suggested and that took 6 months, then when I stopped my life took a bit of a downturn, stress with moving house, my pet died, and what do you know -started feeling unwell again!! I would love to know if anyone thinks its the side effects of withdrawing from meds..I was only on them 2 years? Or do I need to reevaluate and perhaps go back on them till the storm dies down? (Moving house in 4 weeks now!)
Undecided ....