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Hello everyone! Forty+ male from Germany here. As you can see in my signature, I've been on psychiatric medications, i.e. antidepressants, for most of my adult life. It all started in 2004 (maybe a lot earlier, but more on that probably later) when I was no longer able to sleep, felt like a piece of sh*t and could no longer go to university to finish my studies. Went to a psychiatrist after an amount of nagging by my girlfriend and was put on a low dose of amitryptiline, which actually helped with sleep for a while, but did not seem to do anything besides. Finally quit university after a while and sacked the shrink and amitryptiline on my own in early 2007. Until that no other therapy except meds. Fast forward to the summer of 2007 where I got into another crisis concerning my education and my future in general. Suicidal. Went to my GP who referred me to a different psychiatrist who ordered a course of mirtazapine and CBT. The mirtazapine helped me sleep (a lot) and made me gain weight (a lot). CBT was interesting and, in the beginning, helpful. When my therapist got pregnant at after about a year, I decided I'd had enough of therapy for the moment. Life went on, rough at times, and as the mirtazapine lost its effect, it was time to try Fluoxetine, as this was supposed to be more effective at lifting my mood (or so I was told). As I could not sleep without the mirtazapine, my doc added Trimipramine to the Fluoxetin. The fluoxetine regularly gave me diarrhea and after another (deeper, I'd say the absolute worst until then) crisis in 2012 which had quetiapine added to my cocktail, I ended up with clomipramine and quetiapine. The clomipramine was terrible during the first weeks to months: I was sweating like a river and short of breath at even the smallest exertion, could not have an orgasm, but at least my anxiety was gone. Quetiapine was discontinued quickly in 2015 after blood tests showed it affected my liver function. (And I blame it for my type 2 diabetes which was discovered in 2016, but try telling that a doctor...) After that my doctor recommended a switch to escitalopram as its side effect profile was supposed to be more tolerable compared to clomipramine. Pregebaline was added as escitaloprame was not as effective as clomipramine in killing my anxiety. Stopped the pregabaline for a while after I weighed over 90kg (about 198 lbs) at ca. 170cm height (about 5 feet 7 inches if I am not mistaken). To make a long story short: In 2021, when I was stuck at home due to the pandemic, I decided I'd had enough of those meds and started a, retrospectively, very quick taper: if I remember correctly I went from 20mg escitalopram to 0mg in about four weeks. I cannot say that I felt really bad during that time -- I was more energetic, but unfortunately also a lot more aggressive (my poor wife... now I know it was probably withdrawal) and as summer was approaching, my anxiety and mood swings kept returning. I discontinued the doxepin as well, but more slowly. I do not remember how exactly, to be honest. In July, as I desperately wanted to enjoy my summer holidays and not battle with anxiety, sleepless nights and mood swings, I went up from 0mg to 20mg abruptly. Nausea for one or two days, then I felt als I had always felt while taking escitalopram. Indifferent to anything and everything. For me, escitalopram is a real I-don't-care-at-all-pill. But I could function and sleep. Ok, now am I here in spring 2022 and want to get rid of my psych meds for good. I started tapering in autumn '21 and am currently at 7,5mg escitalopram. My current schedule is reduction by 2,5mg on a monthly basis. I often feel reasonably well, but unfortunately am experiencing some mood swings on a day to day basis. Sometimes I just long for the day to be over so I can go to bed. As today is a day that could be a lot better 😆, I am not sure if I will take the next step to 5mg which would be due on the next friday. Thanks for reading that far and I'd be glad to hear from you! N.

I'm so glad I found this page. I've already read so much my brain feels overloaded but in a good way so I can only share a little bit here at the moment. I'm 62 years old have been on antidepressants for I'd say 25 odd years with very few breaks at all. Where I am at the moment is coming to the realization I don't want to spend the rest of my life feeling "comfortably numb" but being also afraid of who I may become without Lexapro. I've taken the plunge about 4 months ago tapering off my 10mg dose by half over a period of 2 months approximately. I then went on an overseas holiday so stopped talking them totally from there. I've been through the brain zaps which was pretty much the only physical symptom I've had. All in all I feel reasonably good apart from an occasional angry outburst and like I've read from others elsewhere questioning who the real me is. Will I like who I am when my emotions are not being controlled by the medication. This is all I can write for now.

Hello, I've read this forum for a while and it has helped me much. I've been putting off creating my own thread as getting my thoughts straight has been quite difficult. I will attempt to be as accurate as possible but some dates are estimates. I am a 24 year old male. To be brief, as a young teenager I had some trouble fitting in and this presented me with emotional difficulties, Due to prevelence of the idea in the culture, online especially I was led to believe this was something called 'depression' and the treatment was pharmaceutical drugs. At around 15 years old when school was becoming difficult I presented to mental health services seeking allieviation of my struggles. I believed I had ADHD due to difficulty concentrating and this was a popular meme online when researching difficulty with applying yourself to schoolwork and studying. Naturally I pursued medication for this also. After some tests I was diagnosed as having this condition. I was prescribed 100mg sertraline and 50mg vyvanse after some medication trials. This kind of quieted down my negative emotions for sure and it did help me concentrate somewhat on schoolwork. I took these drugs for 7-8 years. I did take a year off sertraline when going to university, but reinstated due to severe difficulties a year later. I switched this to 15mg escitalopram shortly after this reinstatement. this was roughly 2020 I think? I was on the escitalopram for a year or two but it's foggy. And I came to the conclusion it was harming my ability to feel emotions and have meaning in my life so I discontinued after a short taper. For 9 months there were tolerable symptoms such as simple low mood. Something changed at around 9 months in and I started to experience severe distortion of my cognitive functions. I was hence unable to perform but the most simple daily tasks. This was In april 2023 (this year) I believe. I found this forum and related to many of your experiences. This gave me hope for improvement. I am posting here because I am hopeful to one day find the cause of this disease and promote awareness to doctors and the public alike to the systemic changes these drugs can induce. Afterall serotonin mediates processes throughout the entire body, it is not simply the happiness switch but a key player in keeping all the systems of the body functioning properly. One idea I have had is some of these symptoms could be the result of an alteration of blood flow. Serotonin influences blood vessel tone. Reduced blood flow in the brain could explain reduced cognitive ability many experience and potentially reduced blood flow would also result in reduced erection function and PSSD. My blood vessels for example have adapted to a certain serotonin signalling over 7-8 years so it seems feasible to me. I also struggle with exercise, becoming light headed after a simple walk. My reaction time is substantially slower in video games also for example. My hands and feet are constantly cold. I can go into details with symptoms but really they are very much in common with those details by most people who are brought to this website. Anxiety and head pressure, over stimulation etc. I hope this is reasonably coherent, it is difficult! Thank you.

Hi all, new to forums. Not new to meds, 11 years and counting on Lexapro. So about 6 weeks ago I dropped dose. I probably went down too fast I realise now having read on these forums now that I should use the hyperbolic model, and drop less an less at a time the lower I go, but since the same percentage taper last time was completely smooth it didn't. cross my mind. So I went from 10mg escitalopram to 5 mg aprox one year ago. I at that point had no thought of ever tapering off the meds, I just wanted to see if I could do on less since I had been on them for so many years and felt more stable and ready to handle my GAD with other methods. . Only side effects of being on meds I've had is weight gain and the need to nap daily and they have helped me immensely I have to say. Since that taper a year ago I've noticed I'm less tired in the daytime and I've finally started being able to lose weight. Had zero issues going from 10 to 5 mg. Since I was doing really well on 5mg for en entire year (I had planned to stay on that dose for the foreseeable future), I went down by half again 6 weeks back. So to 2,5mg about. First weeks have been fine, zero difference for 5 weeks. But now the past week I've developed burning feet. My feet ache and burn all the time, day and night. I've never had this ever before. This is my only symptom. I have no brain zaps, nightmares etc, slightly more night sweats possibly but minimal. Perhaps slightly more emotional but this is mostly a good thing. Only feet burning, no other body parts have the same symptom. This is a really uncomfortable symptom. Obviously it could be from something else, I know it's a common thing for people also not on meds. So I can't be sure it's due to taper. But IF it is temporary (weeks or so) I think I can put up with it with the help of ibuprofen etc but now I'm starting to get scared that I've damaged myself permanently? Do I go up a bit to say 3mg? or do I stick it out? which is safer? 2011-Escitalopram 10mg for Severe GAD 2013- tried to start tapering off (slowly) but started having anxiety regularly on a lower dose. Tapered back up, stabilised again. 2016- Escitalopram 15mg for 6 months during rough patch in life (family death) Late 2016 tapered back to 10mg - zero issues with taper Mid 2021 tapered to Escitalopram 5mg - zero issues with taper July 2022 tapered to 2,5mg Sept 2022 started having burning feet. Started supplementing with Magnesium a couple of days ago. No other meds.

I was on 40 mgs Lexapro. started on 20 mgs then increased over 5 years. Have been on various antidepressants for over 20 years. Seeing a Homeopath and trialing remedies. Told by Psychiatrist reduce 20 mgs a week. Frightened by all withdrawal horror stories. Have to work to pay mortgage. Suffering from discontinuation Syndrome. -suicidal thoughts - brain fog - anxiety - panic attacks -stomach upsets - debilitating lack of concentration - constant fear of living My family are supporting me Dont want to go back on meds but scared this may continue for years. Any advice welcome.

Hello, my name is Dylan. In 2013 I was prescribed 10mg Lexapro for anxiety and depression. I never felt better on it but not worse either so I stuck with it. Year 3 on the drug I decided I need to get over my fear of WD and dropped down to 5mg on my own. Just cut my pills in half. Felt the same still. Went on like this for almost 2 years. I asked 2 doctors about getting off Lexapro and they both said you don't get withdrawal and I can stop whenever. This seemed hard to believe. I decided to cut my 5mg pills in half. So for about 2 months I was on 2.5mg. Sometimes skipping a day. Felt no difference still. So one day I just stopped. I mean, that's what 2 doctors told me to do. It's been almost 3 months since my last dose and I'm suffering. 3 weeks ago the symptoms started. I randomly would feel off and weak. Then I would get rushes of anxiety at work and on the road. Causing huge panic attacks. The fatigue shortly set in. My head feels heavy and off. I sense of hopelessness and sadness has fallen over me. One day I would randomly cry. I have been out of work for almost 2 weeks using all my vacation. Monday I must return, as a mess. I have had less anxiety lately but I feel that's because I've been basically housebound. Also, my Dr prescribed me 20mg capsules of Prozac yesterday and I'm terrified to take it. I don't know what to do. I have to go to work Monday. Guys. This is the most miserable I've been in my life. I need support. My family is giving up on me because I won't take Prozac. I'm starting to think about taking it...

Good Day, I wish I could say that my withdrawal symptoms from quitting Lexapro are the worst, but quitting Xanax takes that title. I have been off Xanax for two years and six months. The first day was the worst, the first year was the worst, and I am not feeling any Xanax issues now except waking up in a cold sweat every night since 2014. Anyway, I have not looked back or taken Xanax ever again. During that entire ordeal, I was still on Lexapro. I didn't quit it also because I didn't want to do too much at once. I finally quit Lexapro on the 25th of Dec 2016. Side note: To help me quit Xanax, I was put on Seroquel and Neurontin at rehab, and I gained 20kgs in 6 months which I am still trying to lose. I have lost half of it, but for some reason, my metabolism is no longer the same. I can't lose weight after rehab. I quit Seroquel cold turkey and tapered off Nuerontin. I took it for about six months and stopped when the weight piled on. Back to why I am here: The first month after quitting Lexapro was alright. Just brain zaps and nothing else really. I thought, "Wow! Quitting these antidepressants is very easy! I should have done it earlier." I was basing my experience on Xanax, which is harder at the beginning and easier with time. I didn't expect things to begin falling apart later, and boy are they falling apart. Month two drug free was also not too bad, but it was filled with episodes of sadness. Month three became worse than month two, and I felt withdrawn and my lust for life started disappearing again. Month four was worse than month three and I felt myself losing more joy, being darker than I have ever been. Month five, my current situation, is a hot mess! My anxiety is back, my depression is back, and actually they are back and worse than ever. My obsessive thoughts are back. Oh, and my sexual urges are back, after years of thinking that I might be asexual. The problem is, my sexual urges are disconnected from my emotions, so as horny as I am, I still don't feel like having sex with my husband, and the whole thing is making me panic for several reasons. My insomnia is back. I am weepy and frustrated. My pessimism is back. I hate life right now. My face is braking out and for this last week, I have been unable to eat so I also feel awful due to that, I am sure. I could go on for days about how awful I feel right now. I have not left bed for a week! I have made music though. Actually, I started having the urge and will to create music around month 3 of quitting. Before that, I though I would never make music again. So, there are pros and cons to this quitting, more cons than pros though, currently. I was thinking of going back on Lexapro when I happened on this website. I have now changed my mind. I thought I was just getting worse and worse until I end up committing suicide, however from the posts I have read, it gets better apparently, and none of my torture is unusual. I was suppose to start a family this year but now I have doubts. I would wait a year but I am 35 in three months so... I am taking, and have been for over a year, Magnesium (a high dose), Iron Fumarate (I have severe anemia), Vitamin C (a very high dose), Probiotics, L-Theanine, Vitamin B Complex and Vitamin B12 on top, 5HTP and Valerian, camomile tea when I have the strength to make it. Mood: Very Blue. Like in the pic.

Hey guys, ive been lurking on this forum for a while but decided to sign up and join in with the discussions and be a part of this community that I'm both grateful and resentful of (only resentful because none of us should have ever been put on these drugs in the first place). i was on lexapro for 4 years from the age of 21 - 25 and like all of you I've never been the same since. i won't bore you with the symptoms because you all have been through them yourselves. I'm pleased to say that I am seriously noticing improvements. March 2018 will be the 3 year mark of antidepressant withdrawal for me. Through the help of neurofeedback I've been able to regain some cognitive function and am so much more stable than I was 2 - 3 years ago. I've been able to work full time without a significant amount of sick days, I've gotten back into the gym and lost 12 kilos and The emotional lows and crying spells are happening less and less often. I've also been able to self motivate some online study which I struggled to do even before ever touching ssri's. my main concern now is persisting pssd and anhedonia. I have read on these forums that these are usually the last things to recover. I guess I just need some reassurance that I'll one day be back to normal emotionally. Being a young single woman who can't orgasm brings about many challenges especially in today's hook up culture. Ive had some improvements in my sexual functioning. I can feel my muscles contracting when I orgasm but there's no pleasure there. I still have the desire and arousal but the arousal sensation is not as strong either. Im hoping for my recovery story someday...as I hope all of you get yours too.

Hi everyone, I am glad I found this web-site. I did read some of the topics similar to mine, still it seems each case is unique. Thank you for reading my post. I was on 10 mg of Lexapro from July 2017-July 2018 for anxiety and mild depression. Felt good right from the start, no side effects from taking it. From July 2018- June 2020 I was on 5 mg of Lexapro. Felt good too. I started tappering in June 2020 with very little knowledge as I can see now. I was impulsive and wanted to get it over with. So, over the course of the next 3 months ( or little less since I can’t say for sure) I would take 5 mg every second day for a couple of weeks, then 5 mg twice a week for a couple of weeks, and lastly once a week until I stopped August 1st 2020. First 2 weeks after I stopped were emotionally hard since all the fears that I haven’t had before, like losing people I love, to getting dying old in matter of seconds, to just being scared for no reason. Next 2 weeks were physically horrible, from the constant trips to the restroom, nausea, my whole body tingling, chills and just wanting to reap my skin off. I survived it. I must mention that during this time I visited homeopath and was given some kind of remedy that possibly made it worse for me as remedies of this type tend to do. Next 5 weeks has been just mix of everything, with physical sympthoms lessening but also changing. Like my body doesn’t tingle anymore ( hands from time to time) but back of my head feel tight and I feel chill there too. Emotionally, it just seems that I can’t shake off some of the fears I mentioned at the begining of my post and sometimes I think they make my body feel worse. It feels like I am getting better but it feels like micro mini steps. I need to be patient I realise. I am still wondering, do I just continue like this with no drugs OR should I try to go back on a smaller dose then tapper much more slowly??? 10 mg Lexapro from July 2017–July 2018 5 mg Lexapro from July 2018– June 2020 Tappering from June—August with 5 mg August 1st 2020– drug free

Hi everyone, Well, i tried, and it worked. A little bit over 3 months CT on Lexapro, 4 months Clonazepan . Just for info -i was on 10mg Escitalopram and 4mg Clonazepan, for years. It has not been easy, i have to say. I did experience withdrawal symptoms. -Extreme anxiety -Insomnia -Slight akathesia I do not recommend this unless you have a plan and are completely aware of the symptoms youll have to tolerate. What worked for me? -Reiki: restablished the balance of my chi (fundamental life force) - i actually thought it was BS, but it couldnt hurt, so i took 3 sessions. You have to go regularly, unless youre some kinda Zen master and can do that yourself. -Meditation (this takes time and effort, you will feel anxious and unable to reach alpha, but with practice, you will) - the whole point, try to understand and actually believe that good things come from within, you cant let outside events or people affect you. -Tai Chi Chuan (its believed to be meditation in motion) - besides the spiritual part, Tai Chi is a great entry exercise for us, most of us are not in shape due to our condition, we dont feel like jogging or doing squats, so we get lazy. Tai Chi is gentle, im pretty sure it would be good for anyone. Besides you go out and probably meet new people if you feel like it. -Found myself something to do... to keep busy. Thats just me, i dont have a regular job, i kinda just work when i need to or i want to. But besides money, i needed to work to keep my head busy. -In that something to do, i spent some time researching to set up a dietary plan that would suit my needs. I gained 15 pounds since all this started, and got back to my normal weight after a month or so. I do recommend this because it gives you extra confidence to look fit, o maybe lose a few pounds when you go back to normal life. -Insomnia was awful, maybe the worst part of this... Id be up for 48 hours sometimes, then fell asleep due to exhaustion... i almost got back to clonazepan, but the combination of not having money to pay for it and the doctor being on vacation, helped me a lot. Word of advice, if you have insomnia, try to maintain your schedules, do not just sleep anytime you can... you feel like sleeping at 3 pm? well try not to... youd wake up in the middle of the night with nothing productive to do... thats a good time for your head to start messing around with you again and conspiring against the plan. -Anxiety... this one was a tough one too, add it to insomnia and its a molotov cocktail. During this past 3 months, i think ive seen over 100 movies, the whole "breaking bad", "heroes" and "dexter" shows... it kinda kept my head busy during those long nights awake. -Sex Drive: i was not being able to reach orgasms while on the drug, that got me pretty upset. Well, it got back to normal about a month or so... i did start to feel horny about 3 weeks after this CT thing started, way too horny maybe, but its now ok, it just goes away with intercourse. Well, i´ll keep posting just in case i have any other delayed symptoms, i hope not. As i said, if youre to go CT on lexapro, be 100% committed to this and be aware of symptoms, i have done this before, and they do happen. What im trying to say here, is be prepared... do not wait to go get movies, or hire netflix, or buy camomile tea or whatever works for you... if you like company, try not to be alone too much... well, this is very personal, noone knows you better than you yourself, be prepared for whats to come. It is possible, there is a way out.

Hey everyone! Feel blessed to be here and You guys are extremely helpful. Here’s my story. I was on 10mg Escitalopram for 1 years, started feeling better with no anxiety after 3 weeks of stating Escitalopram 10 mg but would suffer with horrible side effects like head ache all day, Nasal congestion, blurred vision and. I did my Pill check (DNA testing) and found out that Escitalopram is not suitable and considered as dangerous drug for possible many side effects. Dr. advised me to tapper dose to zero and be off of it. Only if needed to go for suitable Anti-anxiety drug. I started feeling all my symptoms go worst after week of not talking escitalopram. are these really side effects that worst after stopping and how long does it take normally to feel better again? Heavy head (Migraine) double vision Shakes Dizziness ear ringing Nasal Congestion (Feels like difficulty breathing) numbness, tingling and weakness in my hand, legs Back and neck pain Dry mouth and dry and painful eyes Brain Zap The list goes on! Any support or guidance would be appreciated

Link to Introduction topic: ☼-dan998-cold-turkey-reinstatement-and-tapering-citalopram I never got around to writing a success story because I never really considered myself a success. Sure, I got off the drugs, but it always felt like I had some residual brain damage. Presumably caused by 14 years of taking SSRIs and then the subsequent traumatic experience of stubbornly trying to force my way through a cold-turkey withdrawal, reluctantly reinstating and then rushing my taper. However, I recently had a realisation that has made me reconsider this point of view. I got a bit bored during the pandemic. Instead of filling the void by getting drunk and watching Netflix in my underpants. I decided to be proactive. I’d learn a new skill. Designing websites was something that looked interesting and would fill the long hours of lockdown. So, I enthusiastically threw myself at this task. Immersing myself to the point of becoming totally obsessed by it. After months and months and months of perseverance, I managed to teach myself how to put together a half decent website. However, the most important thing that I actually learnt was that my mind wasn’t as badly damaged as I’d incorrectly assumed it was. Thinking back to the debilitating cog-fog of those early days of withdrawal, where I couldn’t even process a few simple sentences, I came to realise just how much I have healed and grown over the last 7 years. It’s amazing the extent to which my brain has recovered. It's gone from being a completely useless drug dependent mess to a fully functional wonder of nature that is able to think, reason and learn. Creativity, concentration, logical thinking, problem solving and memory. All these abilities had returned and I didn’t even realise until I pushed myself beyond what I thought I was capable of achieving. Time has truly worked its magic in slow, imperceptible increments. It feels like I am almost back to how I was before an antidepressant had ever passed my lips. A lot older, fatter and with more grey hair than I’d like. But, finally glimpsing the version of me that I expected to see when I first came here all those years ago. Of course there are scars. There will always be scars. I don’t think it is possible to go through such an extreme experience and not be fundamentally changed by it. I still occasionally have flashbacks and I get anxious sometimes. But, I try to not let it bother me and I get on with my day. Withdrawal no longer defines my identity. It has become just another chapter in the story of my life and, thanks to this forum, there are now many blank pages eagerly waiting to be written. Thank you Alto and all the moderators for your hard work and tireless dedication. My withdrawal journey can be found here - ☼-dan998-cold-turkey-reinstatement-and-tapering-citalopram

Hi all, I am looking for a bit of support as I am now three weeks off of lexapro. I had been on it for about 2 years and felt it was not working for me anymore. I was tired, bloated, unmotivated and absolutely obsessed with my weight. My husband and I also want to start a family, so, I decided to taper. My dr suggested 15 and 10 EOD, then 10 every day for two weeks, then 10/5 EOD for two weeks, then 5 every day for two weeks and then 5/0 alternating. I then went to 0 and have been without it for 3 weeks. My symptoms have included panic attacks, fatigue, crying, lack of appetite, fog and vertigo. The increase in anxiety has been debilitating. I read on other platforms that getting off SSRI is just impossible- and most go back. How do I know if this is just part of the process? Do I give up? Continue on? some positives of getting off of lexapro: I have my libido again! My husband also said I am so much more like myself- he felt I was distant. any advice is so appreciated- you all are amazing.

Hello everyone glad I found somewhere to find good information and support . I'll just give a little introduction. I've been off Ciprelex 30mg for 6 months now after being on the ssri for 7 years.The side effects were far out weighing the benefits. My doctors seemed clueless when it came to the tapering, from what I know now as well as the withdrawal I am currently feeling . I tapered fairly fast from what I read on this forum.My main symptom at first was abdominal pain,panic, discomfort and very poor digestion. I lost 30 lbs in the first month and I know for some people that's good but for my build, not so good. Most of my symptoms at first were digestive related and my doctors didn't suggest withdrawal. Has anyone in here experienced horrible digestive issues right away ? So I had a million tests run, which came with months of worrying about every disease in the book. My tests came back clean which was good. However I am still feeling alot of discomfort, sensitivity in the stomach(feels like I'm bruised) coupled with fatigue, vivid dreams and insomnia. I have been experiencing all this while working a Fulltime job, which I love. I have missed more days than I wanted to for the obvious reasons. However I've decided to ask for time off because my body hasn't recovered and I feel the only way for a better recovery is to get away from my schedule and take extra time for myself. I see two different doctors. The one I saw today wants me to start a pain med and believes my stomach pain is related to migraines I used to get, which at times still show up. I am so scared of all medication but want this stomach pain to go away. I have improved over the 6 months so I'm leaning towards staying the natural course. Does 5HTP help for withdrawal?? After all the suffering I have gone through in the last 6 months you would think my doctor would give a note to go on sick leave,but apparently that's like pulling teeth. They just see a healthy young man complaining . Either way I need time for myself and recovery and sorry if I'm ranting. I'm glad to be hear in this forum and look forward to have a place for support and information because I feel my doctors are out too lunch on this topic. Mort

Hi I'm 3 months from cold turkey lexapro 10mg, I have read many people going on years with withdrawl from cold turkey, would it be advised to reinstate liquid lexapro at 1mg? Or ride this out. I think I'm getting windows already, but symptoms are still debilitating, I was hit withdrawls basically day one of stopping or my body just refused the drug. I ended up in hospital from mistakenly taking 20 mg over 2 days instead of 10mg heart went into SVT major panic attack, violent diarheah and intense shaking fever etc persisted for a full week 10 minutes or so after taking my normal 10mg until I cold turkey stopped.

Hello - I attempted a direct switch from a high dose of lexapro to Sertraline under doctor guidance - I now realise from reading this website that I may have kindled my nervous system. I subsequently increased the lexapro dose and have reduced it again, probably making matters worse. The biggest effect I have had is a noticeable cognitive impact, my brain literally can't solve complex problems the way it could only a few months ago and I have had to step back from a senior executive role. I really don't know what to do - I stupidly halved my lexapro dose 4 days ago and think I should updose - but by how much? Have I done permanent brain damage because it feels like I have? My memory is shaky and complex math that was easy to me is now beyond me, almost like i've had a stroke or something.

Hi I am currently on lexapro and olanzapine. The olanzapine was used to augment my ssri. I've been feeling flat for a while now. I am not sure if it is the depression or the medication. I am somewhat stable (albeit perhaps lower/flatter mood than most) but am considering waiting a month or longer to check if I am stable enough to start tapering. I have read a lot of stuff here and the tips to taper olanzapine (which I will do first) and will do it liquid based and perhaps 5% of current dose every two weeks and speed up if things are ok, and see if anything improves. May lessen lexapro after a break after tapering olanzapine perhaps or see how I feel post taper of olanzapine. I feel right now it is a big balance of becoming more stable/healthy before tapering as well weighing it up against the side effects of the medication (some cognitive/memory decline and fatty liver/high cholesterol). I guess if things don't go well I can reinstate the olanzapine so that's a possibility. I just worry I don't have the motivation each day to measure the dosages but once I start it probably won't be a big deal I hope. If anyone has any tips or insights I appreciate them? I'll keep posting on my journey once I start it. Thanks.

In lexapro withdrawal for 7 months. Having high anxiety and negative thoughts and ruminations Never had this before coming off of lexapro. I want to be me again. I got on lexapro because when I would get angry with my kids when they were small my head felt like it would blow off. Got advice from some people that told me it was a chemical imbalance and that Paxil would help so I went and asked my dr for it. Took it for 4 or 5 years and then thought maybe it was the reason I was so sleepy all the time. Dr switched me to lexapro. Was feeling horrible a lot and went to the Dr on and off through the years but nothing was ever found so I just pushed through. In 2015 I started noticing I was feeling a lot worse and all the time and it was hard to do things and then I started acting different and reacting to people differently. I was 46 and thought it was the change and it was causing me to act that way. I got off lexapro to see if that would help but it evidently sent me into withdrawal.

I just found your forum and joined, have yet to add to my signature (do I not add lexapro since I am now off of it?) - I am excited to read more of your success stories and ask questions. thank you!

Admin note: link to benzo forum thread - Pattypan: Benzo Taper when it's only PRN Hello, I am new here. I have a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive DIsorder- I have had this for as long as I can remember. I was first medicated for it ( in my teens) 20+ years ago. I was on and off meds throughout my teens/20's. In 2015- I had an OCD "episode" that scared me to death and back on medications I went. After a few trial and errors I was stable on Lexapro for 4.5 years. I recently took myself down from 30mg to 20mg ( over the course of 1 week- yes- i had headaches, involuntary movements and brain zaps). As of yesterday I tapered to 15mg. I am feeling pretty bad today... and I understand I should be decreasing by 10% but for some reason that seems unreasonable to me.... ( in the past I have successfully tapered off of prozac, wellbutrin, celexa, zoloft and don't recall any of those being notable- I DO remember tapering off of Luvox was terrible) Any supplements or advice you may have to ease these taper symptoms? My goal is to be completely off of Lexapro in 1 month. Too soon? also- No i am not involving my doctors in this decision or this taper... I just don't trust that they know enough in regards to how to taper and they wont respect my decision to taper. Thanks in advance!

A lifelong amateur student of natural health and healing, I have little experience with allopathic medicine and its medications. A decade ago when I was hospitalized by my psychotherapist because I was talking suicide, I was given the anxiolytic Lorazepam. Which I later had to get off on my own, by tapering (found information online). Fortunately it went okay, with few problems, but I really don't want to get into that situation again. I am still struggling with the same anxiety and depression, which have dominated my life for the last decade with both psychological and physical distresses. Recently I joined a medical plan, to see if its resources could help me. A doctor prescribed the SSRI Escitalopram/Lexapro. I started taking it. When I began researching it, however, I became alarmed; I did not know that SSRIs also require complicated procedures to discontinue. I asked the doctor about this; his response was: "If and when you decide to stop the medicine you do not have to taper it off via a schedule. The medicine tapers itself when you stop it." I have not found anybody else who says anything similar, only numerous websites offering complicated procedures and dire warnings about "withdrawal symptoms". Has anybody here been told they could just quit the drug and it would work itself out? Or seen such advice anywhere? I've decided I want to stop taking the medication. Haven't taken it so far today; something in me just won't. It's supposed to help with both anxiety & depression, but in my case it's only aggravating the anxiety. Fortunately, I've been taking 10mg daily for only 8 days, so maybe the doctor will be correct in my case. (My heart aches for all the folks I see here who are struggling for years with this stuff. I wish you success.) Thoughts, anybody?

Hi guys! Its been almost 7 months since I ct Lexapro, having only used it in 1 month om 5 mg. Its only now for the last weeks that the zaps, vertigo, flu-sympthoms and burning are starting, and becoming more severe by each day.. And I have a constant low fever since one month. (No virus.) Im burning all over my body, not sensitive to touch really.. Just feels like im on fire. And feels like breathing.. Sulfur. Not a refluxprob. (Also kinda blushing in face) All worse in my belly. Having attacks where it kinda knocks me with burning nerves all over and then goes back to constant medium-burning.. My cold sheets in bed is a blessing to naked skin! Also, notice aches and getting weaker in all my muscles.. 😕 Im so afraid! Whats going on! Have someone felt like this?

Violets Escitalopram Lexapro Cipralex Protracted Withdrawal Hello everyone, I have been thinking of posting a success story for a while, and after some questions in my private messages, I have decided to return here to give some hope to the ones that are suffering with PSSD. Here is an excerpt from my original post about my experience back in 2019: "I started on 2,5mg escitalopram in december 2018 for GAD and severe depression by my GP. I gradually increased the dose up to 7,5mg and was on this dose for a couple of weeks (until january 7th) I then decided to taper down again, as the drug made me careless, emotionally numb, impaired my cognition and significantly decreased my libido. So I stopped it after 2 months (last 2,5mg pill taken 8th of february). Since stopping I suffered two weeks of acute physical withdrawal (flu-like symptoms, nausea, dizziness etc) but I thought that it would be over and I would go back to «normal», but now it is clear to me that I also suffer from protracted withdrawal and the symptoms are scary and debilitating. I suffer from parasthesia, brain zaps, tinnitus, severe derealization, emotional numbness and extreme apathy to a point where I can’t force myself to get up and eat. I feel completely braindead and my cognition is ruined, the past month has gone by in a haze and I can’t remember or recollect much of it. This is extremely terrifying and almost worse than the original depression. I feel dead, even though I’m alive." ______________________ I am happy to share that since then, I have pretty much recovered. From the very long list of symptoms that I suffered (anhedonia, complete apathy/avolition, complete emotional numbness (NO emotions at all), no feelings of hunger, no libido, full genital and nipple anesthesia, severe cognitive disfunction, muscle aches/wastage, changed hair structure, dry skin, no sweating, tinnitus, visual disturbances (some visual snow/unclear vision/focus), gum health issues, high pulse/breathing issues leading up to a week long hospital stay), I now only have one or two of those symptoms left, which are pretty minor anyways. That is some decrease in libido, as well as permanent tinnitus (barely noticeable), which are pretty insignificant at a greater scale of things. It took me about three months after cessation to start experience tiny improvements and it took me almost a year to start feeling somewhat like myself emotionally. The first thing to improve was my cognition, which started improving after about 3 months, then the anhedonia started to lift around the 6 month-mark, together with some of the physical symptoms. The emotional and the sexual dysfunctions were the last to go and improved majorly at the 1-1,5 year mark. I must note that I haven't taken any medications or specific supplements (other than some B-vitamins and Omega 3) ever since my horror experience with Lexapro and I am not planning on doing so either. Therefore, I do consider my "recovery" natural. Anyways, now, after three years, I think it is safe to say that I am fully recovered and I am mostly back to my "old" self. I have since graduated at my university, gotten to experience amazing new things and places and also managed to find a loving partner. Even though life still gets hard at times (like it does for the most of us), and I still have days where the depression rears its ugly head, I now have found ways to deal with it, knowing it's only temporary. I also feel like this entire PSSD-experience has made me a lot more resilient and I want people in a similar situation to know, that there is definitely hope, no matter how many symptoms they experience and how hopeless it might feel at the moment. Best, Violets

Hi everyone, It's been awhile. I made a post here back in Dec. 2017 and thought to give everyone an update on my situation. Really didn't think I'd visit here again and post in this section, but here we are! To give you a brief summary of my situation (linked my post/story for more details), I was on Lexapro/Cipralex/Escitalopram for over 9 years; dose ranging between 5mg-20mg. At the time of my post, I thought it was a hopeless situation and was never going to recover. Seeing how few success stories there were, I thought there were little-to-no-chance of me recovering considering how long I was on the medication + marijuana usage. My main issues at the time (7 months into cold-turkey quitting) was the deterioration of my brain functions. I wasn't only feeling "depressed" because of the drug and my environmental situation, but was feeling "chemically broken" from the ground up. All my bodily functions were seemingly failing. It forgot how to operate; basic functions, thought processes, emotional and stress control seemed impossible to manage. I had couple options to choose from at the time: 1) Give up all hope, rot away, waste my life until I eventually take my own life. 2) Go back on the medication OR go on another medication (like my family doctor recommended) 3) Stick it out, sacrifice these months/years to hopefully recover. I can't tell you how close I was to choosing option 2), I even took ~2 pills of my medication before throwing it out and sticking it out with 3). But there was one post here in THIS section specifically that ultimately gave me the courage to try and beat this thing: the recovery story from pug. (link below as well) After reading his story, I told myself, "Ethan, 2 years, sacrifice 2 years, you might still hate yourself, you might never recover but you never know until you try. Quit and stick it out for 2 years, and see what happens." I did just that and after ~1.5 years of stopping escitalopram, I slowly started feeling human again. I was able to slowly get my life together. I have more ambition and drive than ever. Maybe due to the fact knowing this drug wasted so many years, and that I HAVE to catch up. I can actually feel sadness, happiness; not needing marijuana to feel genuine emotions and not needing the SSRI to feel functional again. It made me realize the source of my marijuana addiction was to counter-act the numbness Cipralex brought on. Long story short, a part of me thought this journey was nonrecoverable; but I was wrong. I don't think I'm fully healed yet, and honestly don't think I'll ever be (Sorry, always been a cup-half-empty kind of guy). But there is hope in getting better, and I believe in that. I'll go on to say that quitting cold-turkey might not be the most appropriate way; but I was fortunate enough to have my parents help me out at the time. I'll even go on to say that maybe the medication short term isn't that bad for you per say; maybe it can save some people from the brink of killing themselves, but I genuinely think these drugs hurt you more the longer you take them. If I had a choice, I wish to have never touched this drug. I wish all of you on this journey nothing but the best; and hope one day, you will join pug and myself to tell this side of the story. Sincere regards, Ethan

Wanted to introduce myself and ask for some help. So 3 months ago I had a couple of panic attacks and was feeling in dire need of help. Doc offered Xanax and asked if I wanted to start an ssri. In my desperation I said yes. Well for 5-6 weeks just felt terrible. Eventually I was able to mostly live normally apart from needing to use the bathroom upon waking and waking up early and wired (6am). Went back to doc for refill appointment. Said I wasn't interested in continuing and want to get back to drugless before considering anything else. He wasn't even planning on giving me a refill to taper with. I had to ask since I had some work travel "oh 3 months isn't that much deal with withdrawal" So I got a month of 5mg. Used 5mg for a week and honestly felt pretty great. No more morning stress and found myself sleeping in longer (catch 22 if you ask me). For the next week, using mark harrowitz 7week schedule (3ng dose) I cut the pill roughly in half and would take the bigger peice. Looks like 3mg to me. Well day 2 of that rolls around and I wake with uncomfortable dreams and anxiety early in the morning. A couple hours later I took the other half of tablet and was feeling better within an hour. I repeated the same thing last night and this morning. I'm feeling a little unsure at this point whether to continue or to ask for more pills. What is the general experience with 3months usage of Lexapro.