JLex1981: Hello!

[JLex1981]

Has anyone ran into issues while switching from Pill to liquid (absorption patterns different)? 

 

Along with cutting by 20% I believe the switch to liquid sent me into a brick wall. 

 

Also, has anyone got lexapro in a compounded pill form?

 

I ask because now i'm not too keen on switching to the liquid... any tips?

 

Thanks All

[JLex1981]

Has anyone heard from Fightingawar? 

[MiguelFreeman]

@JLex1981 how have you been doing 

I read that you had difficulty switching to liquid Lexapro 

I know how it feels we must be patient and I believe we can all do this

one of my motivations if to fight and survive this in memory of those you could not  go on 

like the warriors of old-time would carry their injured and their dead 

i feel we are the  same 

we fighting for ourselves and for the memories of those you died to this horrible drugs 

Right now I am switching from homemade liquid Lexapro to Brand Lexapro straight from the original maker 

let's hope I don't have a bad reaction.

[JLex1981]

Hey! What's going on Miguel !

 

Yeah, I switched from 5MG pill Lexapro to 4ML liquid Lexapro and it did not go that well. I upped to 4.4 one week and then 4.8ML the next week and my Dr. thought that maybe the difference in absorption from the liquid was messing with me. I switched back to the 5MG pill and no more issues for the most part. I wonder if I had switched and done 5ML instead of 4ML if I would've been alright. A 20% drop was too much for me I think, or maybe the Dr. was right and the absorption was too different. Either way I went back to the pill and was fine. It stinks because I wanted to stay on the liquid for tapering purposes but I feel a MILLION times better now. I was thinking of making homemade liquid in the future but I'm kind of just happy to be stable now and don't want to think about tapering for awhile. :-) 

 

JLEX. 

[JLex1981]

How long do people usually wait to increase dosage of reinstatement if they are still feeling funky? I get hit with waves every now and then and it's been a month since reinstatement. Was wondering if a slight increase could stop those waves. 

 

John. 

[Happy2Heal]

you'll be hit with waves normally so I wouldn't increase based on that alone

 

if you are able to tolerate them then I would stay the course, going up and down in dose is not good for your brain

 

hope that helps

[JLex1981]

@Altostrata    I would be interested in your advice here. 4 weeks since I've been on 5MG pill... Felt good most of the time, physical symptons abbated, emotional, not quite... definitely things were projecting upward... Now yesterday and today have been getting allot of physical symptoms again... loss of appetite, tingly anxiety, dry mouth... not so much insomnia though.... Do you think this is a wave, or an effect from the medicine kicking in ? I went from 15MG to 5MG very slowly (at least a month before progressing to a lower amount), 2MG at a time.... I wonder if it could be withdrawal that snowballed from going from 15 to 5 ? I also think the liquid didn't absorb well with me (if at all). I was fine on the 5MG pill... once I went to 4ML / MG all the withdrawal started to happen. 

 

Be interested in knowing your advice. 

 

Thanks !

JOhn. 

[Altostrata]

Probably a wave.

 

Did you get a new prescription? Did you skip any doses or take at an odd time? It's important to be very regular in dosing when you're coming back from withdrawal symptoms.

[JLex1981]

@Altostrata  Hi, Altostrata ! Thanks for taking your time out to answer my question.

 

Nope,,, I'm a very punctual person,,, Have been taking the 5MG 3 month supply that the Dr. gave me a month ago everyday at the same time. I feel just as bad as I did when I went completely off of Zoloft many years ago... I thought I was doing it smart this time,,, I guess you can't play around with medicine that's been in you for so long... Is there any chance the liquid just don't work at all in my system and caused this? It's really the only thing I can think of. I was on the 5MG pill for like 3 months and was stable, no issues... Is there a chance the cut just snowballed from the 15MG cuts even though I took it that slow? If i'm still having withdrawal symptoms should i updose a little ?

 

Thanks much.

John. 

 

 

[Altostrata]

I thought you were taking a 5mg tablet? Are you also taking liquid? Check the expiration date on the liquid, it will get weaker when it gets old.

[JLex1981]

@Altostrata I was taking a 5MG tablet for like 3 months... I had tapered all the way from 15MG down to this 5MG tablet (in like a year and a half) month at a time decreases (around 1 or 2MG a decrease). Then I switched to the liquid, wanted to get down to 4ML/ MG... this is when the problems started... bad withdrawal symptoms (not that any are good), insomnia, akathisia, dry mouth. I went back to the pill at my Dr's advice as he thought the liquid absorption is what threw me off. So I went back on the pill a month ago, same 5MG... the physical symptoms abbated within a week or two... the akathisia went away and the insomnia got better... although there were days I got a little, but in general a big improvements... Sunday got hit with a bout of bad depression and now slight akathisia and loss of appetite again... Got some good sleep though last night but the depression was pretty unbearable today... I'm hoping this was just the medicine kicking in as I remember last time waves like this until I got better. 

[Altostrata]

Sounds like a wave. Hang in there.

[JLex1981]

Will do, today was a little better than yesterday so I’m hoping this wave breaks soon. Do you think a slight updose will help? As always, thanks for the advice. 

 

-John. 

[Altostrata]

Too early to worry about updose.

[JLex1981]

I agree, just needed to hear it from others. Thanks @Altostrata and @Happy2Heal . Maybe in a couple more weeks I’ll reasses. But man, some of these weeks are hard to get through. I guess if there’s general improvement is what counts. 

[manymoretodays]

Hi JLex,

In regard to:

Hi ManyMore! 

Hi John, 

I thought I would just answer your PM here on your introduction/journal.

 

I was very interested in your comment about how you mucked up your crossover to liquid @ 5MG. I think I did the same thing. I went from 5MG tablet to 4ML liquid (20% drop) and got all types of withdrawal. How did you stabilize from that? I went back to the 5MG pill and have been on it for 4 and 1/2 weeks. Most of the symptoms have gone but I am left with this crushing depression now. I was thinking of holding for another at least week and a half before considering up dosing slightly .

 

Best,

John

 

Unfortunately I went inpatient as I was so scrambled at the time.  That was in October of 2014.  They, not surprisingly, knew nothing about W/D and took me completely off of it(I even had brought my own liquid and pills with me there).  I came out of the hospital on a generic for Aderall and Trileptal/oxcarbazepine.  Although the hospital psychiatrist wanted me on 30mg/day of Aderall........I found that just the 2.5mg dose was enough to keep me for the most part functional.   I also had to ask for help from neighbors, relatives, and friends for awhile after the hospitalization.   I took the  winter and then the summer of 2015 fairly easy as well........just focusing on recovery and learning more about W/D here on site.  So far........I feel like a miracle.  Lot's of progress.  A day at a time. 

 

And so.......I think it's great that you haven't resorted to that route.  The horsespittal.  I know, I know all about depression and neuroemotions during W/D and even post zero.   What seems to have resolved the most for me is the "anxiety/fears" and those darn "cortisol rushes".  Some mornings I wake up pretty happy.   If not happy......at least peaceful. 

 

I got off the Adderall the following Spring, May of 2015.......shortly after my arrival here at surviving.  Then I also got myself down to a lower dosage of the oxcarbazepine and tapered down 10% every month and then every 2 weeks.........coming off it completely in December of 2016.

 

I would not ever in good conscience recommend my method!

It appears that you did a really fast taper down from 15 mg over the past year..........some of your symptoms certainly can be attributed to that.  Take a look again at some of the links Gridley gave you for better understanding, as well as those from Happy2Heal.  I'm hoping that the 5 mg dose will be your sweet spot and if so.........please consider holding for at least 3-6 mos before any further tapers. 

 

You still may stabilize on the 5 mg dose.  If Alto says not to updose yet.......don't!   If it weren't for experts like Alto........well........I'm sure glad I found my way here.  

If I were you I would give it 6 weeks to 2 months at your present dose.  And  if you find you need to updose,  you might consider a pill cutter with which you could quarter your 5 mg tablets with.  That way you could do just a 1.25 mg updose.  Or get some more liquid and you could even do just a 1 mg updose that way.

 

In the meantime use some non-drug coping skills:

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1112-non-drug-techniques-to-cope-with-emotional-symptoms/

See if you find anything helpful.  Theres a whole index as well in the last pinned topic in Symptoms.  Have at it all.  That's what I did on arrival here.  And it looks like you've found lot's of others to support and interact with already as well.  That's great too.

 

Also take a look at the magnesium and omega 3 topics that we have, and you could add one of those supplements at a time.  We don't recommend more than one change in anything at a time.  I still use both supplements daily. 

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/?tab=comments#comment-44

 

I hope appeases your interest, and gives you a bit more to go on.  I'm generally a good encourager.  Go John ..........you can do this thing!  Time and patience are of the essence.    And happy to help you avoid further snafus.

 

One other site that I love and still follow:

https://beyondmeds.com/about/

There's a wealth of information there, use the top drop down menus to read about just about anything W/D related from one who knows a lot.  It's currently being updated again too. A true W/D warrior, with just the best attitude about it all.

 

If you do a switch to liquid in the future sometime.  Please use this formula to cross over:

• When changing from tablet to liquid we suggest you keep taking your current dose (in other words do not reduce your dose) and cross over by:
• taking 3/4 tablet dose + 1/4 liquid dose for about 3 days,
• 1/2 tablet dose + 1/2 liquid dose for 3 days,
• 1/4 tablet dose + 3/4 liquid dose for 3 days, then all liquid.
• After changing over to liquid it would be better to hold at that dose for at least 2 months. 

 

Love, peace, healing/inrecovery, and growth,

mmt

 

? longest post ever.......out loud laugh......thanks John

 

 

Edited June 8, 2018 by manymoretodays

[JLex1981]

Had a good day today , I’ll take it 🙂 

wishing us all to soak up those good days 

[Fightingawar]

@JLex1981 I’m not underweight in fact I was very overweight but I’m 150 now and have lost 80 pounds in 10 months and that just scares me 

[JLex1981]

That’s allot of weight loss, I lost about 20 pounds when I had a relapse. Went from 210 to 180. Couldn’t eat much or sleep.