Devi514 New here and scared of tapering

[Devi514]

Hi all...

 

I am new here.  What brought me to this site is my recent decision to taper off of 5 mg escitalopram. (Lexapro).  I have been on almost exactly 2 years.

 

Some background:

 

I was on Effexor 75 mg from 2004-2006.  I was a teen at the time I was prescribed the drug.  I had no idea withdrawal symptoms were even a possibility, and my doctor had me taper very quickly... I think 2 weeks.  Long story short, I had a terrible time.  Crying spells, vomiting, horrible insomnia and developed panic attacks FOR YEARS.  I ended up starting to use lorazepam too often (to cope with withdrawal) and experiencing awful rebound anxiety in between doses.  I slowly stopped taking lorazepam in 2013.

 

To deal with the residual anxiety, I ended up agreeing to go on a low dose of Lexapro, as suggested by my doctor.  He suggested 10 mg, but I refused to go any higher than 5 mg.  5 mg worked well enough for 2 years, but I am tired a lot and I gained weight.  I want to get off of it.  I have been eating well and exercising regularly in preparation for this, but I am afraid it will be awful like the Effexor withdrawal.

 

I plan to taper over 4 to 6 weeks.

 

Does anyone have any advice for me?  I appreciate it. Thank you.

[Meimeiquest]

Oh, we always have advice . It would also be 4-6 weeks...drop your dose from 5 to 4.5mg for 4-6 weeks and see what happens. You had horrible symptoms because you dropped horribly fast. The pinned topics in the Tapering forum will give you more info. Good luck!

[Hudgens]

In 2008 I tried getting off of Effexor, tapering in 8 weeks, was fine-even felt great, for exactly 2 months when I was hit by very bad withdrawal. The next time I tapered I decided to reduce no more than 10-25% each cut and then wait until I felt OK before another drop. This second taper took me just shy of 4 years. I'm now 7 months into my post-taper and doing very well. Effexor is supposed to be one of the worst to get off of, but my experience on this site tells me they're all pretty awful. There is no fast way to get off of these drugs. Your taking 4-6 weeks this time rather than 2 will probably result in the same bad withdrawal-really no different than a cold turkey.  There's also no way to get off of these drugs without some suffering, but there's a world of difference between manageable and horrific withdrawal. I think that your being young will help and the fact that you're not on Effexor anymore, too. Is there a liquid form of your antidepressant? That would be a great help also, giving you an accuracy not everyone is able to have during tapering.   Weight gain is common with antidepressants. It becomes literally impossible to lose that type of weight no matter what you do. My friend was as skinny as a stick his entire life before Effexor. He suddenly became obese maybe a tear after starting Effexor and soon developed Diabetes. I'm not absolutely sure, but, as with all antidepressant side effects, your extra weight will disappear as you taper or soon after stopping.   

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Devi.

 

As you had severe withdrawal syndrome before, you would be wise to be very cautious in going off Lexapro.

 

See Why taper by 10% of my dosage? and Tips for tapering off Lexapro (escitalopram)

 

You might consider a 5% taper rather than a 10% taper. It will take a long time to go off, much longer than 4-6 weeks, but may minimize withdrawal symptoms.

 

Is your doctor aware you had withdrawal syndrome when you went off Effexor? We'd love to hear details of your recovery from that.