Lexapro in protracted benzo withdrawal

Hi everyone. I haven’t been on here in probably about five months. I’m still struggling with protracted withdrawal, and have read some things about Lexapro helping with obsessive thoughts and panic. I’m not as bad as I was six months ago, but I do have days that are absolutely horrific full of paranoia, terror, and just extreme anxiety. It has now been 2 1/2 years since I took my last dose of Klonopin. I tapered over about a year and a half.

My psychiatrist, who I do not think believes in protracted withdrawal, agreed to prescribe me a low-dose of Lexapro today. I’m terrified to take it. I want to know if anyone else has had experience with it in protracted withdrawal and if it helped or hurt their healing.

I took it back in 2012 when I was on Klonopin , and I didn’t have any problem with it. However, when I was first trying to get off Klonopin, in 2015, I tried Celexa and then Paxil and had a horrible reaction and ended up in the psych ward.

I know I’m probably going to get a lot of differing opinions on here, but I just need to hear what people with experience have to say.

Thank you.

Anyone?

Hello…

Hi,

 

I don't think anyone can answer this for you really as everyone is so different. Some people get help from AD's, and some don't. There's no way to know how you are going to react. I would personally try supplements before ever putting another prescription drug in my body, but that's me.

 

All I would say is to start small, tiny small. I've seen people mention 1/16 of the dose. It's easier to increase the dose, than take too much and have a setback to deal with.

 

 

have a friend who tapered off k  and was really really bad with ocd  and was put on zoloft and he swares by it but he never went into protracted  i think because he was put on gabapention  in acute

Hi,

 

I don't think anyone can answer this for you really as everyone is so different. Some people get help from AD's, and some don't. There's no way to know how you are going to react. I would personally try supplements before ever putting another prescription drug in my body, but that's me.

 

All I would say is to start small, tiny small. I've seen people mention 1/16 of the dose. It's easier to increase the dose, than take too much and have a setback to deal with.

Ok. Thank you. I took half of the dose yesterday. May try 1/4 today. I’m so sick of this anxiety and terror. I started tapering in February of 2018. I just feel that I need some kind of help with the ocd thoughts and rumination. I’ve read that Lexapro can help with that.

Thanks for responding.

have a friend who tapered off k  and was really really bad with ocd  and was put on zoloft and he swares by it but he never went into protracted  i think because he was put on gabapention  in acute

Oh wow. Yeah I was really careful not to take anything when I was going through my taper. Initially my psychiatrist put me on a couple of different meds, but that I only took them for like a day. So your friend was never in protracted?

Lexapro seems to be one of the SSRIs that is easier to tolerate.  All SSRIs can be very stimulating initially as they work in the nervous system so going slow when beginning to take one is a good idea.  You probably know this but it can take several weeks to get the full effect of any SSRI and getting beyond the initial jitters they can cause (and I think this can be particularly difficult for those who are anxious anyway) is really challenging.  So staring low and going slow is you best bet here.

Hi,

 

I was put on Lexapro a while ago (beginning of November). 5 days 5 mg and 10 mg after. Went up to 20 mg a month later. I For me it had both positive and negative parts. As with any ssri, it will take 4 to 6 weeks to feel most results.

 

First weeks are pretty tough. Panic and fatigue where my worst symptoms. It also made my insomnia worse during the night while I was unable to keep my eyes open during the day. After taking a nap, waking up with huge chemical anxiety. And a lot of nasty adrenaline rushes

 

After a while, the pills prevented me going into that black anxiety hole. They prevented me from making a small issue into a huge one I did before. I was more sociable and nicer to other people around me and I worried less about what other people thought about me. Some days I was even feeling euforic.

 

I ended up quitting the pills cold turkey after a little more then 2 months. I could not handle the daytime fattegue anymore, especially when having to work during the day. Also, I somehow had the feeling in the back of my mind that Lexapro prevented me from healing, or at least slowed the process. Please do not quit cold turkey because I had brain zaps for like a month after with depression symptoms.

 

In my case however, I think I made the right decision quiting Lexapro because i feel more myself.

 

Everyone is different, so if you made the decision to try it, you should do it for sure. Don't be afraid, worse thing that can happen is that you decide to quite (plz don't do it cold turkey). At least you know you tried.

 

 

 

Small addition. On Lexapro, I did not have intrusive thoughts anymore. After quiting, they came back.

Lexapro seems to be one of the SSRIs that is easier to tolerate.  All SSRIs can be very stimulating initially as they work in the nervous system so going slow when beginning to take one is a good idea.  You probably know this but it can take several weeks to get the full effect of any SSRI and getting beyond the initial jitters they can cause (and I think this can be particularly difficult for those who are anxious anyway) is really challenging.  So staring low and going slow is you best bet here.

Yeah I’ve read that it can really help people with the OCD intrusive thoughts which are really my main symptom. That, and anxiety that drives me to paranoia. I’ve been on a lot of antidepressants in the past, but I’ve always been on them in conjunction with clonazepam. This will be the first time that I am taking an antidepressant and I am not also taking clonazepam or any other benzodiazepine. I started off with half of the dose which is about 5 mg. My psychiatrist wanted to start me on the lowest dose, and I took it even lower. I’ve been on it now for three days and what I am noticing is increasing some anxiety and a lot of jitters. I really want to write it out to see if it can really help me. 2 1/2 years out from my last dose, and still experiencing horrific symptoms, and I just wanna see if maybe this can help.

Hi,

 

I was put on Lexapro a while ago (beginning of November). 5 days 5 mg and 10 mg after. Went up to 20 mg a month later. I For me it had both positive and negative parts. As with any ssri, it will take 4 to 6 weeks to feel most results.

 

First weeks are pretty tough. Panic and fatigue where my worst symptoms. It also made my insomnia worse during the night while I was unable to keep my eyes open during the day. After taking a nap, waking up with huge chemical anxiety. And a lot of nasty adrenaline rushes

 

After a while, the pills prevented me going into that black anxiety hole. They prevented me from making a small issue into a huge one I did before. I was more sociable and nicer to other people around me and I worried less about what other people thought about me. Some days I was even feeling euforic.

 

I ended up quitting the pills cold turkey after a little more then 2 months. I could not handle the daytime fattegue anymore, especially when having to work during the day. Also, I somehow had the feeling in the back of my mind that Lexapro prevented me from healing, or at least slowed the process. Please do not quit cold turkey because I had brain zaps for like a month after with depression symptoms.

 

In my case however, I think I made the right decision quiting Lexapro because i feel more myself.

 

Everyone is different, so if you made the decision to try it, you should do it for sure. Don't be afraid, worse thing that can happen is that you decide to quite (plz don't do it cold turkey). At least you know you tried.

Did it help significantly with the extreme anxiety? That, intrusive thoughts, and paranoia are me most dehabilitating symptoms, but I actually had really bad panic and anxiety 25 years ago when I was initially put on clonazepam.

Small addition. On Lexapro, I did not have intrusive thoughts anymore. After quiting, they came back.

Why did you quit it?

I am right here with you and a step away from going on Remeron.  31 months off my ct but the restlessness ocd crap is to freakin much!  Mine hits hardest in the mornings. I sleep fine but wake up with the restless agitation.  I am hoping the old timers gives some advice as they may have been here. 

I wonder why docs always prescribe the new SSRI's, etc?  I took a tricyclic, imipramine, and then norpramin, for years and had no problems with them at all.  I tried some of the newer AD's like Celexa, Zoloft and Paxil and they made me feel very very bad with even one dose.   

Probably cheaper

I wonder why docs always prescribe the new SSRI's, etc?  I took a tricyclic, imipramine, and then norpramin, for years and had no problems with them at all.  I tried some of the newer AD's like Celexa, Zoloft and Paxil and they made me feel very very bad with even one dose. 

 

Less side effects, and considered safer

Thanks for everyone’s responses. I just wanted to give an update. Today is day number four. Yesterday was horrible. I had to work, and just didn’t think I could finish my tasks, but I pulled it off. My sister came over later and she sat with me and we ate pizza and watched Ozark. This morning I woke up and I feel pretty much does normal protracted withdrawal. I don’t feel any of the symptoms that I was feeling that I can definitely connect to taking the Lexapro. I am only taking 2.5 mg. The “therapeutic“ dose is 10 mg. So I’m taking it really slow.  Fingers crossed this will help with my non-benzo withdrawal symptoms.

Overall you see some relief?  I sure hope so.

Not yet. I’m not expecting any yet. I’m only on 2.5 mg.

Not yet. I’m not expecting any yet. I’m only on 2.5 mg.

 

Good on you for going slow initially with the Lexapro.  For me, going slow is the only way I stand a chance of tolerating any new med!   

I took imipramine and norpramin for many years and had no side effects, no tolerance w/d, and did a fast taper of only about a month and had no w/d symptoms either. 

It feels like my depression and anxiety are getting significantly worse. Today is day number five. I’ve read that this is normal? I’m only taking a half of the dose my doctor started me with. I’m only taking 2.5 as opposed to 5 mg. Does anyone know if it’s normal for me to be feeling this much of an increase in depression and anxiety? Has anyone had that experience? It’s really bad, but I wanna stick it out to see if I can push through it. The physical symptoms aren’t really bad anymore. The physical symptoms were  headache stomach pain and diarrhea.

I hope it’s working. Any updates? You and I sound the same and I’m in a similar spot right now. Considering Lexapro.

Hi. I am getting a little better. My doctor added Bbuspar, but I decided to stop taking that after a couple of days. You are currently on Lexapro?