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how to quit lexapro after 3 weeks


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I think I made a mistake listening to the doctor and started taking lexapro 5mg for 3 weeks.

I would like to try other things like acupuncture and supplements for calming my anxiety and body being in fight or flight mode.

I would like to stop taking it considering the side effects it has and afraid it might make me depressed and hard to stop it later.

 

Any recommendation on how to do it?

 

I am thinking to try 3.75mg for a week, 2.5 mg for another week and 1.25 for the last week.

Too long, to short or just average?

 

Note that I stopped lorazepam one week ago.

 

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I took 10 mg's of Lexapro for three weeks, decided to stop, and tapered down by 25% a week for three weeks. There's really not much else that short-term users like us can do.  I also stopped Klonapin semi-CT while taking Lexapro.  I probably should have tapered the Klonapin slower. 
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Thank you for your recommendation.

I talked to the psychiatrist who recommended 1 week at 2.5mg and then another week at 1.25mg and then stop.

I already did one week at 2.5mg, so starting tomorrow I am going to try the 1.25mg. KInd of hard since lexapro pills seems to break easily in tiny pieces.

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Thank you for your recommendation.

I talked to the psychiatrist who recommended 1 week at 2.5mg and then another week at 1.25mg and then stop.

I already did one week at 2.5mg, so starting tomorrow I am going to try the 1.25mg. KInd of hard since lexapro pills seems to break easily in tiny pieces.

I used a pill splitter.  If I messed one up, I just tried again with another pill.  You only took a small dose for a few weeks, I don't know if you really need to taper down to 1.25 mg.  Listen to your doctor, of course, but I was using 10 mg's, and stopped at 2.5 mg.  I'm now off the Lexapro for four weeks, and it's been about eight weeks since taking Klonapin.  I'm not recovered 100%, but getting there. 

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Do not worry about getting things exact. You will be FINE once you stop.  You may notice an intensifying of anxiety, or some other things, but it will be short-lived and it's normal.  You also may notice nothing, so don't rule that out.  Regardless, I took SSRI's for over 20 years and got off of them successfully.  You've barely been on it, you can definitely stop without looking back.
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  • 2 weeks later...

Do not worry about getting things exact. You will be FINE once you stop.  You may notice an intensifying of anxiety, or some other things, but it will be short-lived and it's normal.  You also may notice nothing, so don't rule that out.  Regardless, I took SSRI's for over 20 years and got off of them successfully.  You've barely been on it, you can definitely stop without looking back.

 

20 years and no withdrawal? Count yourself very lucky :)

Peoples lives have been destroyed by SSRI's, see www.survivingantidepressants.com

 

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I want to give you an update.

Been 3 weeks on lexapro 5mg per day. Taper for one week to 2.5mg and then (almost) another week for 1.25mg.

 

First two weeks were fine with headaches but not too bad. I also felt sweating on the back of the head and some hot/cold sensation.

After two weeks I started getting some mild to moderate anxiety, and a bit of shaking. Kind of annoying but manageable.

 

Sleep is impacted by the anxiety.

I went to store and bought teas with valerian, 20 mg valerian extracts and holy basil. And continue to take ashwaganda every day. Also looking for St Johns Wort tea. Didn't find it yet in the store, still looking for it.

Feel low on the energy side but I try to compensate with physical activities, making extra efforts to interact with other people and hopefully this will pass at some point.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

I want to give you an update.

Been 3 weeks on lexapro 5mg per day. Taper for one week to 2.5mg and then (almost) another week for 1.25mg.

 

First two weeks were fine with headaches but not too bad. I also felt sweating on the back of the head and some hot/cold sensation.

After two weeks I started getting some mild to moderate anxiety, and a bit of shaking. Kind of annoying but manageable.

 

Sleep is impacted by the anxiety.

I went to store and bought teas with valerian, 20 mg valerian extracts and holy basil. And continue to take ashwaganda every day. Also looking for St Johns Wort tea. Didn't find it yet in the store, still looking for it.

Feel low on the energy side but I try to compensate with physical activities, making extra efforts to interact with other people and hopefully this will pass at some point.

How are you doing now?

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so its been 2 months and a half since I finished tapering the lexapro.

First two weeks were fairly good, I thought I was done, slept was OK. After these two weeks I started having anxiety. Not to bad but kind of annoying and without a particular reason. Now, 2 and half month later I still have some really mild anxiety during the day and it does seems that is getting milder and milder.

 

Went to other doctor and did more blood tests. Turns out I have most important mineral and vitamins in the lowest range. D3 deficiency, B12 very low, Magnesium seems to be low, and getting lower, Potasium is low. Didnt check for Iron but I think is low too. And I found I have H.pylori on a upper endoscopy.

GI doctor told me that he thinks that H.pylori that I had from childhood was triggered by some other bacteria and started to colonize and creating these deficiencies by reducing the gastric acid.

 

So now I am supplementing daily and I am half way on a second antibiotic treatment for pylori (14 days). The first one (pylera for 10 days) did not eradicate h.pylori. I feel better how during the pylori treatment.

 

Sleep is still not back to before, I manage between 5 and 5 1/2 hours per night. I take vitamin C 1 hour before sleep, a cup of sage tea and 200 mg magnesium before bed. I experimented with Nightly Night tea with valerian and also St John worth. Both gave me better sleep than sage, but I read somewhere that st john worth can interact with pylori treatment, as for valerian I keep it as last resort.

 

I need to wait another month to test again for h,pylori. Hopefully it will be gone. If not, then 3rd round of antibiotics, :(

 

I am very happy I got off psychotropic drugs. And now I am afraid to see another primary care doctor or psychiatrist.

I think both types of doctors should be forced to be a month on ativan 1mg daily and an SSRI before being allowed to prescribe it, since seems to me, on my limited interaction that have no idea how much discomfort it can create. I do not plan to go on it again unless my life depends on it.

 

I also make an effort to get out often, bike, walk, eat out and talk with people as much as I can.

My life is not perfect right now, but it is so much better now then it was when I took ativan or lexapro.

 

ONe last note, I noticed that I started obsessing about health and medicines. I spent countless hours on benzo-buddies, surviving antidepressants and helico.com. From my experience, is kind of not good for your recovery to become obsessed with the topic since it will keep you in a stressful mindset.

Seems to me that people in recovery should limit stress as much as possible to allow the recovery. Every little positive action helps.

And two pieces of Lindt chocolate 85 or 90% really does help improve the mood.

 

There is light at the end of the tunnel. It might take months, there might be some setbacks but eventually people do recover from these awful drugs.

 

 

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