# Coming off Lexapro/Cipralex/Escitalopram



## LostProphet (Apr 4, 2010)

I've been taking Cipralex for a year and ten months now. I started out on 10mg, then over the course of the treatment I was bumped up to 15mg and then finally 20mg which I have been on for probably around a year. 

At this stage, I feel like my issues are mostly due to my thought processes/outlook/conditioning rather than a chemical imbalance. So I've decided I want to start tapering off this drug as I don't want to be on it forever. I decreased my dosage for the first time today (took 15mg vs 20mg... the pills don't cut that well though). I did speak to my doctor about this during my last visit and he told me to taper off like this and spend a couple of weeks at each dosage level. My plan is to go 20mg -> 15mg -> 10mg -> 5mg then perhaps take 5mg every 2 days. I'm undecided as to how long I will spend at each dosage (it depends on how bad the symptoms are, I'm thinking of spending a month at each level).

The thing is, I've heard of all the withdrawal symptoms possible with this drug and to be honest it scares the hell out of me. Insomnia, migraines, nausea, anger and anxiety outbursts, sadness, brain zaps, tingling all seem to be widespread symptoms. I feel like if I experience all of those it will mess me up and send me spiraling down the black hole and that really worries me. But like I said, I don't want to be dependent on this drug for the rest of my life.

Can anyone share their experiences with coming off this SSRI? Any tips with weaning/tapering off? How long did you spend coming off it? Was it bad? Sorry for the wall of text.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

SSRI withdrawal will most certainly send some people back into a depression. You just have to wait it out and let your brain readjust. I suggest once you get off the SSRI, get you some 5htp or l-tryptophan to help with the withdrawals.

I'm on my 3rd or 4th week being off of SSRI's after 4-5 years of use. The withdrawals are a pain in the *** and will probably last a longer time if your taper is gradual. However, they won't be as intense as if you cold turkey'd. I cold turkey'd Prozac. It has a long half life so I didn't need to taper. It really wasn't all that painful for too long. 5htp helped me tremendously with the withdrawals.


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## LostProphet (Apr 4, 2010)

Thanks for your response bazinga. Where can I get 5gtp or l-tryptophan from? Are they supposed to be prescribed or are they over the counter supplements? Have your side effects gone after 3-4 weeks now?


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Use a 1L water bottle. Shake it up and dump out a cup to get 15mg. Use this method to drop it to slower low doses.

Supplements that might maybe useful 5htp Sam-E and inositol.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

You can find 5htp at the pharmacy. L-tryptophan you might have to order. The withdrawals are over for me. I feel fine.


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## Lasair (Jan 25, 2010)

I never felt any withdrawals, apart from pressure headache - B12 and 6 vitamins I found very helpful - keep an eye on your mood two - 4 weeks after you finish tapering.


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## LostProphet (Apr 4, 2010)

Thanks for all the helpful responses everyone 



GotAnxiety said:


> Use a 1L water bottle. Shake it up and dump out a cup to get 15mg. Use this method to drop it to slower low doses.
> 
> Supplements that might maybe useful 5htp Sam-E and inositol.


That's a smart method, I had never thought of doing that. Do people do this?



bazinga said:


> You can find 5htp at the pharmacy. L-tryptophan you might have to order. The withdrawals are over for me. I feel fine.


Thanks again!



Lasair said:


> I never felt any withdrawals, apart from pressure headache - B12 and 6 vitamins I found very helpful - keep an eye on your mood two - 4 weeks after you finish tapering.


Did you come off Lexapro/Cipralex too or was it something else?


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

@LostProphet

Yes water taper is the best method... Hopefully this will help you come off smooth.


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## LostProphet (Apr 4, 2010)

GotAnxiety said:


> @LostProphet
> 
> Yes water taper is the best method... Hopefully this will help you come off smooth.


Thank you very much for letting me know about this method. I did some research on it and it seems like a very viable path for me to take since I don't have easy access to my prescribing doctor right now to give me a new prescription for different dosages. Thanks again.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

Good luck with your taper.


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## LostProphet (Apr 4, 2010)

Thank you bazinga.


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## LostProphet (Apr 4, 2010)

It's my 6th day of going from 20mg to 15mg... And I feel like hell. I can't focus, am "out of it", groggy, lethargic, tired. It's ridiculously hard to wake up and get out of bed... even after sleeping for 14 hours. And I space out all the time. I hate this feeling... I know it's the meds and my body has to adjust to this but I feel like giving up and going back to 20mg so I can feel normal again... I need to stick with it.

Any tips for dealing with this?


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

^Wellbutrin? Or Caffeine maybe?

Augmenting might be a good idea. A super slow taper maybe more nesscary. Maybe go down by 2.5mg at a time that should reduce sypmtoms by 50%.


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## bazinga (Jun 9, 2010)

Just keep going until you get your dose down very low or to nothing. Then hop on some 5htp or l-tryptophan. It should help you.


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