Withdrawl from escitalopram (lexapro)

[etsuuko]

Has anyone else experienced withdrawal symptoms from lexapro? I guess i'm in need of some reassurance as this is stressing me out.

I've been on lexapro for a year and was tapering from 10mg to 0 in a few months. I've not taken the pill for a week now.

I get a few moderate withdrawal symptoms like light headedness, nausea and feeling weak.

But the most concerning one for me is this electric shock like sensation. I 've read up that a lot of people are getting "brain zaps" which i haven't experienced thankfully but this sensation is throughout my whole body.

It feels like this is permanent damage. Has anyone else experienced this?
Does anyone have any advice i could use to help me get through this?

[.Poppy.]

I've yet to go off of Lexapro, so I can't provide much guidance there, but I have gone days without taking it and have experienced that same "zapping" feeling. Both in my brain and full-body. Obviously, it goes away once I take my meds again.

I know it's scary, but try to breathe through it. Is there a way you could ask your doctor/psych about it?

It's very unlikely it's permanent damage. There are a lot of scare stories out there about SSRIs, but really, how many people have taken them and been just fine? TONS. 10 mg isn't even a very high dose to start with.

I take Lexapro, but I also did a course of Accutane. You should read the scare stories about that medication! I was absolutely terrified, but you know what, nothing bad happened. My therapist told me that the people who post scare stories online often don't have a legit frame of reference, as their "problems" can really have any cause, they just factor in on one thing and post about it. Plus, those who have no problems often don't post at all.

There are going to be side effects coming off, unfortunately that's just the way it is. Take it easy for a few weeks and you should be just fine.

[Fishmanpa]

There's a sub-forum on meds that may help.

Positive thoughts

[KeeKee]

etsuuko I'm no med expert but decided to quit antidepressants when I gained more weight even after being told I wouldn't on Paroxetine. I was on 20mg, then30mg for a short while. Once my weight hit 146lbs I decided to just quit cold turkey as that put my BMI at 24.7 (sorry for the life story).

I had zero ill effects. That's not to say you will be the same, but not everybody gets all these side effects from quitting either like the scare stories you read online.