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Hi everyone I have been on Lexapro ten milligrams for the last fifteen years and now I want to get off it. My doctor suggested five mil every other day not working took on friday night ok then on tues I had a bad headache and spacey feeling any idea how to do this with minimal effects
Try taking 10 for two days, and 5 every third day for a couple weeks.
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I was on 10mg for 5 yrs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Totallyphobic
I went against all advice and went cold turkey.
Had head zaps for 2 weeks then all OK.
This worked for me but it doesn't mean it will work for everyone.
I would taper off slowly if you are getting side effects from reducing too quickly.
Honestly, doctors recite the guidelines for med withdrawal, but the guidelines aren't written by people who actually take the medications...taper off slowly as mentioned above, so that could be 10mg for 2 days and 5mg for the third day, or something like that. In my view, do that for as long as you feel no ill effects. That may be a few weeks. Then you could go 10mg for 1 day and 5mg for 2 days or another few weeks, and so on.
SSRI's etc are brain altering drugs and if taken for many years are best reduced more gradually than manufacturers recommend. All in my opinion of course.
Good luck with it. :)
I have found the only way to stop taking ADs is very gradually. I would not take one dose one day and a different one the next. Take the same amount every day, but drop the dose by a very small amount every two weeks or when side-effects settle. I believe escitalopram is available in liquid form, which makes it very easy to manage in this way. This is how I came off paroxetine. Get a syringe and cut down slowly.
I gradually came off from 5mg a few years ago and had head zaps for about 6 weeks.
I'm back on them and have been for 2 years. I dropped from 10mg to 5mg recently and it's been an eye opener as I'm not ready to come off. Increased panic disorder and general anxiety.
Wouldn't recommend cold turkey unless you are 100% sure. You may end up feeling worse.