# Taking a benzo while on withdrawal from Lexapro?



## FerociousFleur (Oct 30, 2012)

...is it a bad idea? I'm really, REALLY stressed out... just found out my childhood dog has a heart tumor and will probably die in the next couple days, and I have five hour classes for the next few days that I can't miss.

I stopped taking Lexapro last Thursday, and have been experiencing dizziness and brain zaps. Walking around feels weird, so I've mostly been laying down the past few days, and have been sleeping a lot.

Anyone have advice, thoughts, or similar experiences? Is there anything else I can take/do to lessen the stress? I really appreciate your input... <3


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## IllusionalFate (Sep 10, 2008)

Have you had experience with benzos at all in the past? I think benzos would help quite a bit during this period of withdrawal and stress, but would only be a good idea if you're familiar with the effects. If you're not, you could find yourself caught off guard by the cognitive impairment while in class, which is a risk that's not worth taking in my opinion.


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## FerociousFleur (Oct 30, 2012)

IllusionalFate said:


> Have you had experience with benzos at all in the past? I think benzos would help quite a bit during this period of withdrawal and stress, but would only be a good idea if you're familiar with the effects. If you're not, you could find yourself caught off guard by the cognitive impairment while in class, which is a risk that's not worth taking in my opinion.


Yeah, I've taken Xanax and Ativan many times before, but only when I was on Lexapro. The withdrawal symptoms & not being on an antidepressant are new variables, so I wasn't sure if it would make the dizziness/electric sensations worse... :\

Maybe I'm just worrying for no reason, lol... will probably take a small dose of Ativan before class. Then hopefully it will wear off before the drive home.


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## IllusionalFate (Sep 10, 2008)

FerociousFleur said:


> Yeah, I've taken Xanax and Ativan many times before, but only when I was on Lexapro. The withdrawal symptoms & not being on an antidepressant are new variables, so I wasn't sure if it would make the dizziness/electric sensations worse... :\


Didn't think about the possibility of it exacerbating the dizziness. During my SSRI/SNRI withdrawals (Lexapro being one of the SSRIs), I had always continued to take clonazepam and there was never an issue... but I never experienced dizziness or brain zaps either.


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

What your reason for stopping the lex? It might be best to continue taking it. The withdrawal might effect your grades. 

What dosage did you stop from?


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## FerociousFleur (Oct 30, 2012)

GotAnxiety said:


> What your reason for stopping the lex? It might be best to continue taking it. The withdrawal might effect your grades.
> 
> What dosage did you stop from?


I was originally taking 5mg, then tapered down to 2.5 mg for a week, and stopped altogether after that. It was a combination of not wanting to get my prescription renewed (didn't want to deal with going to the dr's office... lazy, I know! :roll) and just being tired of the feeling it gave me. Lexapro really helped me for the first few years I took it... but now I just want to see what life is like without it.

That's true about grades... I didn't think it would be an issue, but today I really had a rough time sitting in class. Didn't wind up taking the Ativan, was afraid of getting too tired.

Can't really continue taking it now, though, even if I wanted to... would have to wait for an appointment to get more meds, and by that time I'd probably be done withdrawing.


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## FerociousFleur (Oct 30, 2012)

IllusionalFate said:


> Didn't think about the possibility of it exacerbating the dizziness. During my SSRI/SNRI withdrawals (Lexapro being one of the SSRIs), I had always continued to take clonazepam and there was never an issue... but I never experienced dizziness or brain zaps either.


Interesting, well that makes me feel better about it  Maybe that's the reason you didn't have those symptoms? Hmm...


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## GotAnxiety (Oct 14, 2011)

Yeah i generally was more tired and less modivated well under going withdraws from lexapro it a normal responses. Taking ativan may add more tiredness, it may also calm down the withdraws there no way to know i guess. If you do get to tired maybe alittle bit of green tea or something could help.


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## Average Citizen (Jun 4, 2013)

My GP tried to switch me from a benzo to Lexapro due to "fear of addiction". I read all the side affects regarding the Lexapro and decided that I would rather stick with the benzos. I went to see a great psychologist who basically told me to stop beating myself up for taking a med that worked for me. He switched me from xanax to clonazepam which is a much smoother drug. It's half life is very long which makes it less likely you need to increase your doseage to getthe same effect. The same can not be said for xanax through. Xanax is by far the best drug for quickly stopping panic for a short period (2-3 hours max) but it half life is so short, you can build a tolerence which means you have to take more for the same effect. Maybe people also claim they feel a "crash" when it wears off. You get none of that with clonazepam, which I think is the best benzo for longer term use. 

In the end the benzos get a bad rap because junkies abuse them to get high, drink a lot of alcohol while taking them, come down from coke and other illegal drugs, etc....and end up "addicted" to them but in my opinion, if used correctly, NOTHING is better for panic and anxiety than the benzos and the side effects for SSRI/SNRIs are much worse than what you get with benzos (unless you try to quit them without a proper taper, which can cause withdrawl).

Good luck to you and feel free to message me if you want to talk more.


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## metamorphosis (Dec 18, 2008)

If you tapered down from 2.5, then you shouldn't have much trouble with w.d. If needed you could use a short acting benzo, like alprazolam or lorazepam, for a short period of time at a small dose but the side effects of coming of Lexapro at such a low dose should dissipate quickly.
There are plenty of other types of meds. to try including anxiolytics like propranolol, pregabalin, gabapentin, benzos. prn, and some people will respond well to an SNRI, mirtazapine, or augmentation with a TCA, even if strictly 5HT drugs did not work, many options to bring up to your pdoc.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

Yeah you could take a benzo if you want. I have been through SSRI withdrawal many times. Personally I found Lexapro and Celexa to be unnoticeable. But clearly you are having a hard time. You will find that 5-htp, it's a cheap supplement that you can buy anywhere, will help you a lot, Take 100 mg of that before bed and it will help you sleep as well as help you qall day long until the SSRI withdrawal is over. If a benzo helps comfort you, there is no shame in taking that. Alos Fish oil, 1000 mg of of essential fatty acids. Note, that is not 1000 mg of fish oil, but see how many mg of essential fatty acids are in each pill. Vitamin D3, 2000 IU/per day. And Magnesium Citrate, chelate, Tauarte, etc, etc... NOT Magnesium oxide because it only acts as a laxative. Go ahead and take double the recommended dose. 
Those supplements really do help to ease the discomfort. Best wishes.


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## FerociousFleur (Oct 30, 2012)

Average Citizen said:


> My GP tried to switch me from a benzo to Lexapro due to "fear of addiction". I read all the side affects regarding the Lexapro and decided that I would rather stick with the benzos. I went to see a great psychologist who basically told me to stop beating myself up for taking a med that worked for me. He switched me from xanax to clonazepam which is a much smoother drug. It's half life is very long which makes it less likely you need to increase your doseage to getthe same effect. The same can not be said for xanax through. Xanax is by far the best drug for quickly stopping panic for a short period (2-3 hours max) but it half life is so short, you can build a tolerence which means you have to take more for the same effect. Maybe people also claim they feel a "crash" when it wears off. You get none of that with clonazepam, which I think is the best benzo for longer term use.
> 
> In the end the benzos get a bad rap because junkies abuse them to get high, drink a lot of alcohol while taking them, come down from coke and other illegal drugs, etc....and end up "addicted" to them but in my opinion, if used correctly, NOTHING is better for panic and anxiety than the benzos and the side effects for SSRI/SNRIs are much worse than what you get with benzos (unless you try to quit them without a proper taper, which can cause withdrawl).
> 
> Good luck to you and feel free to message me if you want to talk more.


Thanks for this  I was kind of torn about using benzos in the future, while being off the Lexapro... but it's true that they're not really "unsafe" unless you make them that way. I agree about benzos with a long half-life being better overall... never tried Clonazapam, but the Ativan sounds similar.


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## Average Citizen (Jun 4, 2013)

Good luck to you and sorry to hear about your dog....I'm sure you will get through this. Just don't let the nah sayers and fear mongers bring you down.

Have a great day...


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## FerociousFleur (Oct 30, 2012)

istayhome said:


> Yeah you could take a benzo if you want. I have been through SSRI withdrawal many times. Personally I found Lexapro and Celexa to be unnoticeable. But clearly you are having a hard time. You will find that 5-htp, it's a cheap supplement that you can buy anywhere, will help you a lot, Take 100 mg of that before bed and it will help you sleep as well as help you qall day long until the SSRI withdrawal is over. If a benzo helps comfort you, there is no shame in taking that. Alos Fish oil, 1000 mg of of essential fatty acids. Note, that is not 1000 mg of fish oil, but see how many mg of essential fatty acids are in each pill. Vitamin D3, 2000 IU/per day. And Magnesium Citrate, chelate, Tauarte, etc, etc... NOT Magnesium oxide because it only acts as a laxative. Go ahead and take double the recommended dose.
> Those supplements really do help to ease the discomfort. Best wishes.


So many supplements!! I was looking for info on this, thanks!  Does the 5htp make you tired at all during the day? & is it okay to take all those other supplements at the same time? Right now I just take a vitamin B complex and flax oil capsules.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

No, 5-HTP doesn't make you tired during the day. For some reason though, during the SSRI Withdrawal it helps you sleep. As for the supplements, I am not a big supplement proponent. Primarily I believe in Eating a nutritious diet. But I do not have access to wild salmon, tuna, etc. for meals everyday. I've been trained by naturopaths and as long as enough fish oil is taken, it truly does actually help to heal many diseases including depression and anxiety, insomnia, etc. Magnesium is very important for mental illness and most people do not get enough unless you eat a diet very high in whole grains and beans. Also, again, taking higher doses of Magnesium in the right form does help relieve mental illness. Magnesium is actually the only supplement that I feel a very strong good effect from. Vitamin D3, taking twice the recommended dose is also supposed to help according to many reliable studies. I can't say that I notice a huge difference though.

Whatever works. The 5 htp is extremely helpful though though and it is cheap. In my opinion, it works better than any ssri, without any side effects and without any withdrawal effects.


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## Average Citizen (Jun 4, 2013)

*Just checking in*

FerociousFleur - How's it going? Hope all is well. As I said before, don't let these fear mongers scare you from taking a med that helps make YOUR life better.

Good luck...


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## Average Citizen (Jun 4, 2013)

Average Citizen said:


> FerociousFleur - How's it going? Hope all is well. As I said before, don't let these fear mongers scare you from taking a med that helps make YOUR life better.
> 
> Good luck...


PS- You are welcome for my good wishes and seeing how you are doing with your problem especially after you attacked me in another thread. No good deed goes unpunished I guess.

Man, I'm out of here. The majority here can enjoy complaining about everything in the world...I'm moving on to a more POSITIVE board. Hopefully my words on benzos educated at least one person who will use that knowledge to help themselves.

Peace.


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## FerociousFleur (Oct 30, 2012)

Average Citizen said:


> PS- You are welcome for my good wishes and seeing how you are doing with your problem especially after you attacked me in another thread. No good deed goes unpunished I guess.
> 
> Man, I'm out of here. The majority here can enjoy complaining about everything in the world...I'm moving on to a more POSITIVE board. Hopefully my words on benzos educated at least one person who will use that knowledge to help themselves.
> 
> Peace.


Look, I honestly appreciate your comment here, and I think it's good that you're supporting benzos when they frequently are frowned upon. But in that other thread (and well, many of your posts), you've been calling people junkies and fear-mongers for simply sharing their experiences. I wasn't trying to attack you, but I felt that you were being very condescending and judgmental of others.

This board has a lot of positivity, if you take the time to look around and get to know people. I hope you won't leave just because of a few heated conversations on this board... All the best to you.

To update this thread: I wound up taking a small dose of Lorazepam yesterday before class, and it really helped. We had to work in groups to develop a skit, which we're performing today. I had gone to see my dog, was crying my eyes out on the drive to school, and then by the time the Lorazepam kicked in, I was able to keep it under control. So thanks for the advice, you guys! <3


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## Average Citizen (Jun 4, 2013)

FerociousFleur said:


> Look, I honestly appreciate your comment here, and I think it's good that you're supporting benzos when they frequently are frowned upon. But in that other thread (and well, many of your posts), you've been calling people junkies and fear-mongers for simply sharing their experiences. I wasn't trying to attack you, but I felt that you were being very condescending and judgmental of others.
> 
> This board has a lot of positivity, if you take the time to look around and get to know people. I hope you won't leave just because of a few heated conversations on this board... All the best to you.
> 
> To update this thread: I wound up taking a small dose of Lorazepam yesterday before class, and it really helped. We had to work in groups to develop a skit, which we're performing today. I had gone to see my dog, was crying my eyes out on the drive to school, and then by the time the Lorazepam kicked in, I was able to keep it under control. So thanks for the advice, you guys! <3


Sorry but I see it the other way around....I felt that people were being very condescending and judgmental of me due to me speaking up for responsible benzo use and yes many of the people that had issues with benzo thus spew horror stories about them online trying to scares other off them did ABUSE them along with use them with other illegal drugs and therefore are "junkies" in my opinion.

I'm glad the benzo worked for you yesterday and wish you all the best. You are living proof that benzos can be very effective when used properly.

Good day to you.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

I've been reading these forums for years now. It is very unfortunate that whenever Benzodiazepines are mentioned, even in an unrelated thread, it turns into a malicious argument about a rather benign medication. Perhaps it would be wise of us to prevent these heated arguments in the future. Maybe whenever Benzodiazepines are mentioned in the future we simply stick to discussing them strictly clinically . In addition let's stick to the known medical literature regarding Benzodiazepines; Such as using them long-term **may* *lead to physical tolerance. Prolonged use does cause cause a chemical dependency and it is dangerous to quit using these drugs cold turkey. A new patient should discuss such issues withe their health care provider. Also, all **possible side effects** should be discussed just as they are in the PI sheet that comes along with the medication from the pharmacy. Remember that not every patient who uses these Medications experiences side effects. Lets collectively take a long, slow and relaxing deep breath and remember that this is a support forum heated and personal debates only create a lot of anxety in the end which we are all working to free ourselves from.

Thanks you all. I enjoy the great help and support tast these forums provide. I hope that this post makes sense and that we will last peacefully for many years to come.

Sincerely,
-Clay


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## Average Citizen (Jun 4, 2013)

istayhome said:


> I've been reading these forums for years now. It is very unfortunate that whenever Benzodiazepines are mentioned, even in an unrelated thread, it turns into a malicious argument about a rather benign medication. Perhaps it would be wise of us to prevent these heated arguments in the future. Maybe whenever Benzodiazepines are mentioned in the future we simply stick to discussing them strictly clinically . In addition let's stick to the known medical literature regarding Benzodiazepines; Such as using them long-term **may* *lead to physical tolerance. Prolonged use does cause cause a chemical dependency and it is dangerous to quit using these drugs cold turkey. A new patient should discuss such issues withe their health care provider. Also, all **possible side effects** should be discussed just as they are in the PI sheet that comes along with the medication from the pharmacy. Remember that not every patient who uses these Medications experiences side effects. Lets collectively take a long, slow and relaxing deep breath and remember that this is a support forum heated and personal debates only create a lot of anxety in the end which we are all working to free ourselves from.
> 
> Thanks you all. I enjoy the great help and support tast these forums provide. I hope that this post makes sense and that we will last peacefully for many years to come.
> 
> ...


You don't have to worry about cross posting this thoughtful comment because someone had my main benzo thread that started this whole discussion deleted (I think it's pretty clear who got "offended and complained" - some people can dish it out but can't take a reply in the same tone.

Have a good weekend. I'm about to roll up out of here....


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