Lexapro and benzos withdrawal. I´m feeling a lot of fear.

Hi! I have been for 12 weeks off benzos and I started to taper Lexapro. My doctor gave me this because I was diagnosed with OCD. Right now I´m just taking a little bit less than I pill of Lexapro  (10mg) but I been experiencing a lot of fear, fear of my thoughts, of going crazy, feeling depressed, confused and exhausted. I feel like I can´t think clearly and I get scared easily. Is this normal during the taper of these drugs? Or am I letting the OCD do this to me? Is this just benzo withdrawal? I´m really scared of having hallucinations and many other crazy thoughts and I don´t know why. Is this going to pass soon? Has somebody else gone through this? Please help! 

Hi! I have been for 12 weeks off benzos and I started to taper Lexapro. My doctor gave me this because I was diagnosed with OCD. Right now I´m just taking a little bit less than I pill of Lexapro  (10mg) but I been experiencing a lot of fear, fear of my thoughts, of going crazy, feeling depressed, confused and exhausted. I feel like I can´t think clearly and I get scared easily. Is this normal during the taper of these drugs? Or am I letting the OCD do this to me? Is this just benzo withdrawal? I´m really scared of having hallucinations and many other crazy thoughts and I don´t know why. Is this going to pass soon? Has somebody else gone through this? Please help! 

 

Maybe you started to taper escitalopram too early. 10 mg is a low dose. Twelve weeks off the BZD is a very short period of time. Maybe it would make sense to hold the escitalopram till you stabilize.

Absolutely

10 is mid dose uk wise, but for ocd 30 has been used for my son.

Best wishes

Dick

Hi, I thought nobody answered to this post. Yes, I realized I was tapering Lexapro way too fast. Now, I ´ve been holding the dose for 5 weeks and I´m feeling a bit better.

I wasn´t taking a mid dose. My original dose of Lexapro was 20 mg but like a year before I started my tapering from benzos, I started taking only 15 mg. (Why? Ignorance. I didn´t know I had to be careful and taper it ). So I started tapering 15 mg, but when I reached a bit less than 10 mg I started feeling that terrible fear, so I stopped reducing the dose. I don´t know when to start tapering it again, and honestly, I´m scared to do that. I think I´m going to wait more time because I don´t want to feel like that ever again. It´s too much for me to have benzos withdrawal and SSRI withdrawal... Although, my family wants me to quit Lexapro, they say it is causing all of my anxiety. I don´t know what to do. Any advice? 

Hi again Honey Lemon,

I am not allowed to give firm advice but I have withdrawn dozens of patients from escitalopram and citalopram. I have to be honest and say it’s not that nice. The main things are anxiety, nausea and head zaps.

I have also withdrawn from it myself ten years ago.  I was on ten mg while looking after my wife. 

I went 5/10alternate then 5 /5/10 for some weeks then 5 a day then 2.5/ 5  etc. I had foul zaps and some panics on the motorway. They tried sertraline without success instead.

So they thumped me on Seroquel ——very bad decision.

I think you are right to go really slowly on the escitaloptam even if it takes 6 months.

I applaud you getting off the the benzos but perhaps wait a bit longer as Estee said.

Escitalopram is vey safe at that dose Imho

Best wishes

Dick

 

I am also taking lexapro (10 mgs). After I stop the valium, I will continue with the lexapro for another 3-6 months before I attempt a slow taper. :-)

Data guy sent me a link re ADWithdrawal, and I think my suggested withdrawal above my be too fast now we know more about it. He posted it on my post on akathisia today D

Dickie