SSRI Discontinuation - struggling
I'm definitely not a doctor but I think you're supposed to taper off Lexapro more slowly than that. I'd find another doctor.
I don't work there so I'm not under legal obligation to say this (or do it myself)....but please report this to the Forest drug safety hotline.
1-800-678-1605
I think she thought (as do I) that the lexapro itself was causing the extreme anxiety. After just a few months on a low dose, I think she thought it best for me to just get off of it. I can't disagree with that thinking.
But I am irritated that she thought the best thing to help me was to just try another ssri. I think that she forgot, and I reminded her several times, that I did not have any of this intense anxiety before the lexapro. It is not my nature to be this miserable.
Thanks. Will look into this.
I think you'll get the best help from your doctor. We could guess all day, but we can't know all the relevant information all at once.
Tom_Reingold said:
I think you'll get the best help from your doctor. We could guess all day, but we can't know all the relevant information all at once.
That's the thing - my doctor isn't being all that helpful. I don't know where to turn, as I'm not looking for more meds. I just want help/counsel/understanding. If anyone knows a psych MD who could help me get through this, I'd appreciate it.
How long did you take half a dose? That should have been at least a week. If your pill was a controlled or sustained release, it couldn't be split into a lower dose. If you did split one of those pills, that could explain what caused the problem. You might have actually gotten a high short term dose instead of a low long term dose.
I wonder why they didn't try other anxiety medications first (unless you already tried them). There are a couple medications that are not in the benzodiazopine class or antidepressant class. Look into Buspar or Vistril. But something like xanax might be okay just for the next couple weeks.
Any doctor that doesn't believe in discontinuation symptoms is an idiot and wanting to try another very similar med is very concerning. They do in fact exist. I would try to find a new doctor, but most are just as bad-not just psychiatrists, but all specialties. The only reason I am not a millionaire from malpractice suits is because malpractice seems to be the standard of care and you can only succeed in a malpractice suit if the doctor deviates from the standard of care.
Jmitw, thanks so much for taking the time to write this out. I really appreciate it! Now I can talk to a doctor with some information in hand. Thank you! I do think I have to find a new psych.
If anyone knows of a good listener, who is compassionate, and also happens to be an MD in psychiatry, and also takes Aetna, I'd appreciate it!
Sadly, it seems that these medications (both the SSRIs and the benzos) can be both helpful and hurtful for those who need them. And it is hard (if even possible) to get your body back to pre-med normal after having used them.
sac said:
Sadly, it seems that these medications (both the SSRIs and the benzos) can be both helpful and hurtful in for those who need them. And it is hard (if even possible) to get your body back to pre-med normal after having used them.
You're scaring me, @sac . You think that after having taken them for only 3 months, maybe 3 and a half, that it may not be possible to get back to normal?
We have been through a lot of medications over the years for my daughter. One of the hardest things to do was to accept the change of a medicine to another of the same category, including one time going back to something she had had a bad reaction to earlier. It is up to you, of course, but her recommending a different SSRI is probably the best recommendation. Just because you have a bad reaction to one, does not mean you will have the same reaction to another. SSRI's are considered the over all most effective with fewest side effects for anxiety.
Compared to how I feel now, I was fine before the SSRI. I don't want to take something I don't need, especially when withdrawal is so unpleasant.
gerryl said:
We have been through a lot of medications over the years for my daughter. One of the hardest things to do was to accept the change of a medicine to another of the same category, including one time going back to something she had had a bad reaction to earlier. It is up to you, of course, but her recommending a different SSRI is probably the best recommendation. Just because you have a bad reaction to one, does not mean you will have the same reaction to another. SSRI's are considered the over all most effective with fewest side effects for anxiety.
Maybe I'm not being clear: I don't have depression and my anxiety level (before all of this) did not really warrant medication. This was only to help me cope with the side effects of ADHD meds, which I'm not even taking now.
orzabelle said:
sac said:You're scaring me, @sac . You think that after having taken them for only 3 months, maybe 3 and a half, that it may not be possible to get back to normal?
Sadly, it seems that these medications (both the SSRIs and the benzos) can be both helpful and hurtful for those who need them. And it is hard (if even possible) to get your body back to pre-med normal after having used them.
I don't know. I would hope that's not the case. But I know of people who have had these kinds of issues from using these meds for a year or more. I really don't know if there is a threshold or what it is.
I wish Bikefixed would chime in here, he is a pharmacist, I think, and always adds useful information.
It's hard to get a good psychiatrist who is actually helpful, and once you find one, it's hard to get an appointment. But I can recommend Charles Park in West Orange. He served me well when I lived in NJ. If you're interested in someone in Manhattan, I have an excellent recommendation.
I want to know if anyone here has gone through the same, and if they came out the other side intact. Just very fearful and uncertain right now. I don't feel like myself, and it has gone on longer than I thought it would.
I know of a very good psychiatrist in Springfield - Hayley Cohen - but she is not taking new patients for the rest of the summer. You could call now and book an appt for early September and then cancel it if you no longer need it.
Just want to say I sympathize. I took a low dose of Lexapro for a year for mild depression, and it was a godsend. It helped me feel calm and centered when I had been just the opposite. When life calmed down, and I felt recalibrated, I went off it slowly (over the course of 3-4 weeks). I had weird side effects while coming off it, and can't say I feel completely myself even now after 2 months of being off of it. Plus, I'm still sitting on the 8-10 lbs I gained while on it, but that's not the end of the world. I'm 100% grateful for the help the meds gave me, but it makes me realize just how much these drugs impact our body/ mind.
Thank you! If it had continued helping me beyond those few weeks, I would have happily stayed on it. Thanks for responding, everyone. And thanks for the PMs!
Since you seem all set and really just seeking someone who can validate your experience and that they got back to normal -sounds like all set. A couple points to make or reiterate, if you do have ongoing symptoms or issues. All meds, even those in the same class, can behave differently for people. Understand a bad experience with 1, can lead to not wanting to try. Its always a trade off to use medications. Also, many medications have a long half life (how long before the drugs are entirely out of your system). It does sound like you can benefit from trying another doctor that you can connect with better or feel is adequately addressing or probing to understand your concerns. Last, only as a suggestion, a friend mentioned she used a hypnotherapist recently to address a depressive situation she had been going through, and she has never been depressed before. She has found its provided some relief. She was literally not taking calls, and withdrawn, etc. The reason I finally heard from her after leaving her emails and calls for 2 months, was trying this approach. Not providing any medical advice, just sharing something I heard in case worth exploring any value for you. Good Luck, I know a close family member struggles with issues like this.
I was on Lexapro for a year after a traumatic event and found the withdrawal uncomfortable, although I reduced slowly. I can't describe it exactly, I just felt weird. Kind of pins and needles and a bit jumpy with sudden outbursts of unexpected crying. It took awhile, but I eventually felt better. I was glad to feel something though, even discomfort, because the Lexapro made me feel numb.
From what I understand, the worst one of these drugs to get off of is Effexor XR. That's what I took for many years. I don't want to take that stuff ever again. Some people call it Side Effexor. Even just missing a day can be pretty unpleasant.
Tom_Reingold said:
From what I understand, the worst one of these drugs to get off of is Effexor XR. That's what I took for many years. I don't want to take that stuff ever again. Some people call it Side Effexor. Even just missing a day can be pretty unpleasant.
That's what I take now, and while it's more effective than other antidepressants I've taken, missing more than a day makes me irritable and puts me on edge, and missing a few days sends me into a horrible tailspin.
I hate being at the mercy of antidepressants, but for me, they're an unfortunate necessity. I really feel for the OP, though, who has been left worse off than if she'd never taken them. orzabelle, you're not the first person I've heard about who's had something like this happen. I hope it passes quickly
With as severe as the reaction was, I would NOT want to try another SSRI or SNRI unless you have tried other things first and have no other options....these meds aren't great for anxiety as it is..they don't work for many people....only a few of the SSRIs are recommended for anxiety...and Lexapro and Paxil I beleive are 2 of them and Paxil is said to be a precursor to Lexapro, but have worse side effects.
Also 'beta blockers' are used for anxiety. It makes much more sense to try a different class 1st.
maybe in the antidepressant class, SSRIs are the most effective, but they are not the most effective of all classes.
It may be helpful to have regular anxiety meds until you stop feeling the withdrawal from the SSRI..
and yes, Effexor is said to be HORRIBLE in term of withdrawal..i know someone who takes it and gets very sick if she misses a dose.
You should be able to return to 'normal' soon..I would think it takes at LEAST 3 weeks...as these meds take a few weeks to reach their therapeutic level so it would make sense that it would take a few weeks to detox from them.
I know someone that tried Charles Park and found him to be very inappropriate.
Thanks again, all.
Years ago, we had bedbugs in our apartment and building, and I went on Effexor because the situational anxiety was difficult. I was o. Effexor for about 9 months, and though withdrawal was difficult, my Lexapro experience is much worse
orzabelle, nothing but ignorance from me about your questions, but hugs from afar for your distress. I hope you're feeling better soon.
jmitw--are you a mental health professional? Your comments are not what I have been told by 3 or 4 psychiatrists.
I have been off my fairly low dose (10mg) of Lexapro for about 6 weeks. I was only on it for about 3-4 months.
I took it because I was starting ADHD meds. Doctor said that ADHD meds could ramp up anxiety, which is something I struggle with, but it was nothing I couldn't control with lots of exercise.
I started the lexapro and everything seemed great. I was definitely calmer. I took it for several weeks before adding ritalin. I only used ritalin intermittently - a very low dose of the short acting medicines. I didn't take it on weekends, or even throughout the day. Just when I had meetings, work to do, etc.
Then, I started developing a nervous throat clearing tic. And soon after that, a panic attack. I should note here that I never had panic attacks before in my life. I saw the psych MD, who told me to up the dosage of Lexapro, and to stop taking the ritalin for a while.
Unfortunately, the panic attacks increased. I had one every few days. It was awful. I called her and she told me to taper off of Lexapro, cutting the dose in half, then taking it only every other day, and after a week of that, to stop. I hadn't been on it that long, so she didn't think I needed to taper any more slowly. The panic attacks continued, though happening less frequently. About three weeks off the lexapro, though, I had daily anxiety and agitation that was so much worse than anything I ever experienced before medication. Not feeling like I could get a full breath (though when running, I was and am totally fine), not being able to relax, my neck and shoulder muscles locked with tension.
After that, I started to get hit with depression, intermittently. This is something I never ever have had in my life, and going back and forth from this awful anxiety to this just-as-bad depression was, well, depression. I should say here that my psych MD really doesn't believe in discontinuation symptoms, so other than an RX for benzos, which I try to only take when completely necessary, she isn't much help. She wanted me to try another SSRI, but I refused. I don't need an SSRI, I am certain.
I just want to get back to my normal. I'll have a few days where I feel like myself, and then, boom. Hit with the agitation from the moment I wake up (though I'm sleeping fine, because it is exhausting feeling this way). It's like my adrenaline gets kicked up dealing with just basic daily tasks, like getting breakfast for my kids.
I'll say that it is getting better in that it doesn't feel as awful and frightening, and it has been a couple of weeks without a panic attack. I just feel alone. I am not getting validation from the MD. Yoga and meditation work only for the moments I'm doing them. It feels very physical, as though my body is anxious when my mind is really not. Has anyone gone through this? Sorry for the novella. I am just trying to believe that this will end at some point. Thanks for reading.