Tapering off of Lexapro

[heidimp]

I went on Lexapro for anxiety back 2 months ago to get through a very rough time in my life.  I was starting student teaching, preparing my professional portfolio for graduation, preparing for graduation itself, my car had been broken down for a few months so was having to walk a mile at 5am to get to the bus stop and take an hour bus ride to student teach for 8 hours, then take the bus to work and work 4 or 5 hours everyday and then working weekends all without a day off.  

Now that things are going well; I have been seeing a counselor to talk about my anxiety and now that I have a handle on the problem, I have been permission to start going off of the Lexapro. I am seeing my counselor every two weeks now instead of the twice a week I needed back in early February.

My doctor told me to take half for a few weeks and then every other day.  Upon doing  some research about the withdraw symptoms I have decided to go off very slowly.  So I went from 10 mg to 5mg for 3 weeks and now am taking 2.5mg for 2 weeks and then 2.5mg every other day for about a week or two.  

Is this safe?  Or reasonable?

I am very nervous about the withdraw symptoms since my impending graduation depends on me being a good teacher for these next few weeks and getting a good enough grade to graduate.

[tanns]

I was on for about 9 months.  I went from 10mg to 7.5mg for two weeks, 5.0mg for two weeks and finally 2.5mg for two weeks.  I would get headaches for the first couple days of the week I reduced the dosage but it was just more irritating than anything else.  I felt fine when I was done with the 2.5mg until 3 weeks later.  I had a huge surge of anxiety and panic.  I was completely taken off guard.  I talked to my pharmacist, who is also a family friend, and he said that Lexapro takes about 3 weeks to leave your system.  I guess that is why it happened, I never thought it was helping though, until that happened.

Anyway, that being said, I have a friend who was on 40mg (YES, 40mg--when she changed docs the new one almost keeled over that someone had put her on that dosage!!).  She tapered down 10mg every month and never had a problem after the last month at 10mg.  I guess, as with side effects, everyone can react differently.  

Good luck!!