what are the symptoms of coming off of lexapro. i need to know

1 ANSWERS

1. amomipais82
   

   Hi,
   Lexapro Withdrawal
   
   Severe withdrawal symptoms occur in high frequency in the first 2-14 days after the medication is stopped. However, SSRI withdrawal is a syndrome, and has been known to keep people abed for several weeks.
   
   There are a lot of support sites for SSRI withdrawal syndrome which probably would be beneficial to visit if you're experiencing severe symptoms.
   More input from Contributors:
   LEXAPRO withdrawal is simply disastrous. Last year, I tried to taper off. Spent three months to taper off. As an anti-depressant, it worked great for my depression. I did not experiece some side effects like some people mention. When my husband and I have decided to try to have a baby, my OB/GYN told me to stop taking it so I tapered off. I had absolutely no withdrawal other than my depression's return. After a few months of being extremely depressed, dealing with my depression was far more important than having a baby, so I went back on LEXAPRO immediately. After being on six months, I had personal problems and started to have an anxiety attack which has not happened for many years. The doctor told me to switch from LEXAPRO to WELLBUTRIN. She said I don't need to taper off, because I wouldn't have withdrawal. WRONG!!!!! After two days without being on LEXAPRO. My brain was about to explode. Some people describe it as a brain freeze. To me, it was more like my brain has become SPONGE, which was squeezed every 5 seconds. This symptom happened later in the day for the first three days. Then started to happen in the afternoon on Day 4. Then it became almost every half hour on/after Day 5. I also experience occasional brain zap. I thought I had a memory loss. I couldn't even hear what my husband was just saying to me... I can hear my brain being squeezed or being in shock or shivering. However you call it, it is simply unbearable. According to some websites and advices I see, it's supposed to stop after a few weeks. I am not sure if I can handle this torment. I thought I would never say it but I'd rather be depressed than going through these LEXAPRO withdrawal. I also have vivid dreams and nightmares. Having hard time falling asleep because of brain shivering/squeezing. Medications are a terrifying thing. That little pill does all these mean tricks on your brain. I wish I could live anti-depressant free.
   
   I want to add a positive experience about Lexapro withdrawal. I took 10 mg a day for 8 months. I was ready to come off -- I felt better. And I wasn't thrilled with the weight gain (there's no doubt in my mind, based on my own experience and that of others, that Lexapro affects one's metabolism and leads to weight gain). I didn't experience the withdrawal symptoms others have -- not at all. Those symptoms sound terrible, so I feel very fortunate. I wanted to post my experience so others out there don't assume it will necessarily be bad for them. In case you're curious, I tapered off over about 4 weeks: Week one: I reduced to 10 mg about 5-6 times a week. Week two: I reduced to 10 mg every other day. Week three: I reduced to 10 mg every third day. Week four: I reduced to 5 mg every third day. I didn't experience any brain zaps, dizziness, or other symptoms. And it's now been 2 weeks since my last dose, and I feel great. I wish others felt the same way! I wish you all the best and am sorry to hear so many horror stories.
   I am 31, Female. Put on Focalin XR and Ritalin. A while back my ADHD was misdiagnosed as depression and I was prescribed Lexapro 20 mgs. While I was just on the Lexapro my Depression did get better however the other ADHD symptoms were still present. Now that I am on the correct meds for my ADHD the Lexapro withdrawals are so annoying. I have the worse brain sagging headache ALL Day long. I have only gone from 20 mgs to 15mgs for 3 days and its terrible. I almost want to just keep taking the LEX. WHEN WHILL THIS END?
   I am a 35 year old male who has been diagnosed with severe depression and bi-polar disorder. Unfortunately, it runs in the family - my dad and brother have it bad, and my grandfather committed suicide. My experience with Lexapro withdrawal is slightly different than all of the others I have read. I was taking 20 mg for...I don't even know how many years. I switched doctors and he suggested I stop taking it. I weaned myself off in 3 days. Bad idea. I have experienced the "brain buzzing" often and everyday. I have not been physically sick (some have mentioned vomiting, extreme headaches, etc.), but have experienced emotional effects that few people (at least there were a few!) listed. Anger. Almost rage. I wouldn't hurt anybody, but I can hardly watch a football game that doesn't go my way. Literally, I get that angry. The buzzing and dizziness are annoying but not debilitating. I also (off the subject) have a s*x drive again, and am able to ejaculate. Having the "superman" effect during s*x (going for extended periods of time without being able to "finishing") was frustrating to me and my wife - frustrating to say the least. I would say this was the worst side effect of taking the drug - otherwise it helped stabilize things quite a bit.
   If you get off Lexapro, wean yourself slowly, as I did not. The strange thing is that many people weaned themselves off over a process of TWO to THREE months, and still had terrible withdrawal symptoms. Mine are not as bad...I suppose I should list them all: Anger/rage, increased depression, crying more often, extreme buzzing in the brain/dizziness, and as many others wrote, feeling the need to sleep ALL DAY and as much as I can at night. I suppose that's an escape mechanism...maybe it's medical - I don't know.
   IN MY EXPERIENCE I STOPPED TAKING LEXAPRO/10 MG DAILY ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO AND THE WITHDRAW SYMPTOMS ARE STILL VERY MUCH THERE,SOME DAYS ARE WORSE THAN OTHERS.I WAS ON LEXAPRO FOR PPD FOR TH LAST 20 MONTHS I TAPERED OFF BY TAKING 5MG/DAILY FOR 2 WEEKS
   I just quit taking Lexapro about a week ago. I took 10 mg, then cut down to 5mg for about 5 days, then I took none. My brain feels like its going to explode and my eyes hurt. If noises are too loud, or I turn my head too fast, then my brain seems to jitter. I am crying more and cant concentrate and don't want to concentrate on anything. I have heard symptoms can last 3 months or more. I hope not.
   I was taking lexapro 10mg daily for approxamately 5 or 6 months and then starting taking lexapro 20mg for a month. I began noticing the amount of weight I was gaining and didn't like how it was making me feel. I tapered of of the drug slowly by cutting it down to 10mg for a week, then 5mg for a week and then stopped. I started to get extremely bad migrane and began feeling extremely dizzy, kind of like a zombie for the passed six days. I am still feeling the same, and my doctors refuse to acknowledge my symptoms. I hope this feeling goes away really soon, because I am finding hard to function.
   I was on Zoloft for 3 years, then lexapro recently for only three weeks. It made me very manic and I think pipolar. Was using it for Anxiety disorder, but it seemed to increase my symptoms. I tapered down to 2.5 mg for the last week then stopped. Had vertigo 2 days in and had to leave work.It's going on 6 days without lexapro and I'm still squirming. It have loud swishing in my ears and ringing. Vivid dreams, and it feels as if someone is shooting icewater into the back of my brain. Not comfortable at all. I also took a small dose of xanax a couple of times and that helped a bit. So,it's been 6 days and I still feel Ahhhhhhh!
   Withdrawal was nonexistent, for me. Well, no, I take that back; I ended up sweating a lot for about 2-3 days after I stopped it. But other than that, nothing.
   I just came off of Lexapro after being on it for 8 months. I was on 10mg the entire time and then when I decided to get off of it, under advisement of my nurse practicioner, I weaned off of it slowly. I did 2 weeks at every other day 10, every other day 5, then 2 weeks at just 5 a day, and then 10 days at 5 every other day and then that was it. I just finished that process a few days ago and ever since then have been extremely dizzy.
   I've been on Lexapro 20mg for about 7 months now. Decided to taper off/stop altogether due to the very obvious sexual side-effects this drug has. I consulted my psychiatrist about withdrawal symptoms, and told not to worry - there really aren't any. After going cold-turkey for about 3 days, I realized "bzzzzzz" ... not true .. the electrical "shock" sensations that I was receiving were a direct result of lack of this drug. It felt like a "reboot" every 5 seconds or so. I'd be walking down an aisle at a grocery store, turn my head to look at something, and wham....I'd get 3-4 sensations of "resetting" or "rebooting" .. very annoying and very disconcerting. Since then I've entered a taper-down program of my own creation...cutting doses by 1/2 every week. I am now down to 5mg or less, and experiencing very very strong symptoms minute by minute. I don't know how long this will last, but am encouraged by the fact that others say that this is all temporary. I have no complaints about Lexapro's ability to combat GAD, but I wanted to get off and see if I still needed it. UGHH! Be sure you need this drug (or any other SSRI) before getting on, and then getting off. The withdrawal symptoms so far have been extremely annoying at least, and debilitating at their worst. In fact, I have experienced the "reset" or electrical pulse sensation 9 times since writing this comment.. My best to all of you out there struggling with getting off!

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