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Mental Health  (Expert Forum)
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Withdrawl symptoms of Lexapro
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
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MedHelp Member's Question

Withdrawl symptoms of Lexapro

by dncnbear, Aug 06, 2004 12:00AM
I have been asked by my dr for over 2 years to start taking celexa due to chronic anxiety which I have dealt with since I was 2. I always said no but then finally agreed. I took it for 2 days and felt like the inside of my brain was rearranging, I couldn't sleep and had restless legs. I felt psychotic like I was going to jump out of my skin, so I immediately stopped. A couple of months later I was placed on Lexapro (although they are made from the same companies and are essentilly the same drug) Anyway, I took the Lexapro and felt great (except for the 15 lb weight gain) I really wanted to be a better mom to my kids.I hated that I had absolutely no patience with them and they deserve better than that! About 2 months into it I slowly started getting those side effects to a lesser degree and I also was having urinary hesitency like I had to go but couldn't. I am a female and since I don't have a prostate haha. One day I woke up and literally couldn't move all my joints hurt and I really couldn't close my fists I was that stiff. I was in excruciating pain so I called the dr and he told me to stop Lexapro and start effexor. I took the effexor and immediately had the same effects initially as the celexa (trust me I know why some people go wacko on these kinds of drugs)Well I had had it I didn't want to feel like that  anymore so I stopped. I knew better to just stop but I figured with all the side effects I was having I didn't want to try another one out. I would much rather face my nerves without the extra help from my ssri friends.

My question is this... It has been about 2 weeks since I stopped taking anything. Besides feeling like I am a complete terror to my children still I feel slightly dizzy and extremely nauseated. I actually have taken 3 pregnancy tests thinking/hoping that was the problem but to no avail. Besides concentrating on all the things that could be wromg with me as I am convinced I am slowly dying. I have narrowed it to ssri withdrawal. Could the effects of withdrawl still be going stong after 2 weeks? My joints still hurt a bit too.

Thanks
Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D., Aug 09, 2004 12:00AM
Yes, the withdrawal side effects can go on for up to a month in sensitive people.  But instead of taking medications, why don't you spend some time with a therapist?
Member Comments (30)

by Sees, Aug 14, 2004 12:00AM
To: dncnbear
Perhaps you should see a therapist AND a psychiatrist for the "right" medication for you. When our son first began showing signs of ADD and depression, among other emotional symptons, he put on medications by our family physician. That was a disaster after following the doctor's recommendation to increase the medication or decrease it. We decided that since our family doctor did not specialize in this area, we thought we had better get help from a psychiatrist. Our son is doing much, much better now that he is on the right meds. for him...PLUS he sees a therapist one a week. It has been a long road where he was first diagnosed as "only" having ADD...it went on to OCD, anxiety, major depression and being bipolar. Is the doctor you see a psychiatrist?  If not, that might be a move in the right direction.



I do have a question for you...I too stopped taking Lexapro a month ago. I gained 10 pounds while on Lexapro and cannot seem to lose any of it. Have you noticed that your weight has returned to what you had weighed before taking Lexapro?  I am a small framed woman, so 10 pounds is a lot for me. I'm wondering if getting the Lexapro out of my system completely will take a while and the weight gain to go down soon.  Thanks for sharing your info.

by Lexa, Sep 04, 2004 12:00AM
I started with Celexa as well, had little tremors in my hands and legs...problems sleeping and constant headaches.  Then I switched to Paxil.  Loved it except that I gained 10 pounds and wanted to sleep all of the time so I switched to Lexapro.  I gained another five pounds and I am only 5'2" and small boned so I was unhappy about that but Lexapro really helped me with my anxiety and even social phobias!



I have recently decided to taper off the drug...ever so slowly.  It has been 10 days since I have been completely off and I have many withdrawal symptoms:

1) when I turn my head I get a strange feeling in my head and eyes.

2) extremely nausiated (keep getting pregnancy tests as well thinking I could be pregnant)

3) sore muscles and joints

4) completely dissoriented, having trouble focussing (ADD)

5) panic attacks and high anxiety

6) highly emotional,crying a lot.

7) brief moments where I have feelings of hoplessness.

8) aggitated and angry

9) can't seem to lose my weight that I gained on the meds

10)PUFFY FACE, body feels swollen, brain feels swolen

11)My IBS is back...extremely swollen abdomen.



I would love to hear from other people about this.

I am very concerned about my weight gain and panic attacks.



good luck to everyone going through similar withdrawals.



LEXA

by SEESTER, Sep 10, 2004 12:00AM
I found out I was pregnant four days ago and immediately stopped taking my 10 mg doses of lexapro. I feel dizzy and foggy and my limbs feel tingley. Was worried that something is wrong with the pregnancy but then remembered the lexapro and am wondering if that could be from withdrawls?

by Aliceellen, Sep 23, 2004 12:00AM
I just found this forum and am extremely happy about it.  I have not done the research I should have done 6 months ago when I started on my meds.  Just knowing I am not alone and there are other people out there with similar problems helps me a great deal.



I am also weaning myself off Lexapro.  My doctor put me on 30 mg. which I find now to be above the recommended dosage.  I have myself down to 20 and so far so good, although I feel a lot of the same symptoms as the other people that posted.  What REALLY bothers me is that in six months I put on 40 pounds!  I cannot believe myself and I hate it.  I have always been small and I feel awful about myself.  I do not eat a lot and I could not figure out what was causing it - NOW I KNOW.  That in itself is enough to make someone depressed.



I noticed that a previous poster said that they were having trouble taking off the weight.  I wonder if that is still happening?  Does anyone out there have experience with this?  I do not want the stress of a diet along with the weaning of Lexapro.



Thanks everyone.



Alice

by sheree1982, Oct 09, 2004 12:00AM
Hi,



For two in a half years I have been taking antidepressants. For a while I was taking Zoloft then I changed to Celexa. They were prescribed to me by my family doctor. After doing some research I have found out that I shouldn't be taking them. I had problems with stress from my job at the time and antidepressants was his solution for it.  I have seen a psychologist (before I started taking medication), and she has never recommend that I see a psychiatrist for evaluation. She didn't find anything serious enough that I needed to do that. I am trying to stop taking them and it has been very hard. When I don't take them I get very tired, emotional, light headed and I feel electrical shocks on the right side of my head and my body. I've tried to slowly lower the dosage, but that doesn't seem to stop the withdrawal affects. It's been a week since I have taken my last small dosage and I feel terrible. A friend of mine have spoken to some psychiatrist in Boston, MA, and they tell me that this doctor (who is really just a PA) that prescribe this medicine to me should be sued. I live in Texas and many family doctors here are known to prescribe antidepressants without giving the patient a referral to see a psychiatrist first. I tried calling and emailing my doctor about this problem and he won't reply to my email. When I have a question about other things that has nothing to do with mental health problems, he answers. Now that it's been a week since I haven't taken the drug, how long will the withdraw symptoms continue?



                                                           ~Sheree'~

by GetmeoffLexapro, Oct 10, 2004 12:00AM
Thank GOD I found this place. I am experiencing SO many of the problems that I've read in the last couple of posts. The reason I decided to go off of lexapro is that I felt like it was no longer doing anything for me. I was on 20mgs. I started bruising for NO reason and my hair started falling out.



I called the Dr who put me on it who in turn told me those things had nothing to do with lexapro. Someone please tell me why I read it on the lexapro site?! *smh*



I've tried so many different things, all of them eventually stop working. Yesterday I started getting really light headed, today my whole body aches like I have the flu (No temp or other flu like symptoms), I feel like I could throw up if I turn my head or even so much as move my eyes.



I'm worried about what is going to happen with my anxitey and panic attacks. I have an appointment with a homeopathic Dr next week. I guess I can only home that she will have something that can REALLY help me and these lexapro symptoms end quickly.Good luck to everyone.

by Sarah Lee, Oct 12, 2004 12:00AM
My doctor put me on Lexapro (10 mg) in April 2003 - "a very small dose to get you through this difficult time", as he put it. I was deeply grieving over the death of a close friend and was bursting into floods of tears even at work.



To its credit, the medication really helped with the overwhelming sadness I had been experience. In fact, I discovered feelings of deep happiness and inner calm that I realized I had not actually experienced since early childhood. When I told this to the doctor, he said that I had probably been depressed without realizing it, and for much longer than anyone had realized. He advised me to continue taking Lexapro, since it had no known side-effects.



The medication certianly relaxed me considerably. I had always been a bit of an over-achiever, but I stopped doing unnecessary overtime at work, started to pamper myself a bit and really began to appreciate my leisure time. I no longer felt so horrendously upset about being single, and my generally happy and newly confident state no doubt helped me feel attractive to men, and finally to fall head over heels in love, some eight months after beginning the pills. Ten months later, I was married, and I must say it has been the most blissful year of my life. Everyone has commented on my altered state, and although I know deep down that it is due almost entirely to having met my husband, I am aware that the medication helped push me in the right direction at a time when I had been going through unbearably sad feelings.



Despite the benefits, I was aware, however, that Lexapro might be responsible for all or some of the following, NONE of which I had experienced before taking the medication, and all of which I have experienced consistently since April 2002:



- Need for at LEAST nine hours sleep