Discontinuing SSRI's

[Jems11]

Hi, i've read a lot of forums and personal experiences from people trying to taper off SSRI's and what I haven't been able to find is any timeframes that the symptoms last.  I have been tapering off Lexapro and after being on 1/8 of a tablet decided to cease taking.  I have been suffering from the worst vertigo/dizziness I can imagine and instead of getting better, a week later i'm getting worse.  I am hesitant to take a tablet in fear i'll have to keep going through this everytime I try and stop.  Have their been any clinical trials on cessation of these drugs or has anyone been through this and have some time frames to share?
Many Thanks

[amanda77rainbow]

When I tapered off of Zoloft I had the same sort of experience. About 10 days after my last dose, my dizziness/vertigo had gotten so bad that I was bumping into walls and doors. My experience sort of went like this: I felt 'weird' the entire time I was tapering. Once I had completely discontinued the Zolot my symptoms worsened (though they were never bad enough that I *seriously* considered restarting Zoloft). My worst day was about 2 1/2 weeks after I had stopped, and then every day I started to feel a little better. I've been off of Zoloft for just over 3 weeks now and the withdrawal symptoms are nearly gone. The only good part about the last few weeks is that even as my physical symptoms worsened my emotional state improved. I could definitely see the difference in my cognitive abilities and my emotional resilience.

The whole time I just ket reminding myself that if I restart taking Zoloft, the past week/10 days/2 weeks was a waste and I'd have to go through the withdrawal again. The worst part was that no one could tell me when it would be over.

I don't know how Lexapro compares to Zoloft in terms of time frames. Talk to your doctor if you can or try posting on the Expert Forum here.

Good Luck.

[xanweaner]

First off, I hope that you are working with your Dr. on the right tapering schedule. Trying to wean off too quickly many times results in no success for those people who are trying to stop their SSRI's completely.

Second, post a question in  the medical expert forum. Dr. Gould is the psychiatrist here under mental health.

Thirdly, google everything that you can possibly find under Lexapro withdrawal symptoms, etc. That has been my salvation as I wean off of xanax....reading what other experts have said about tapering off this drug. The more I know, the more the info. has helped me - during those really difficult times.

Good luck...

[nasha]

I just posted a question concerning this issue on this forum.  I was on Lexapro for 8 months and have been having a horrible time since I discontinued it one month ago.  I'll look for answers as well.  If I find an answer for you, I will let you know.  Hang in there.

[Jems11]

Thanks everyone for your advice, information and support, it really helped.

I experienced the worst of it only for 2 weeks after completely stopping (and a week before when tappered down to 2.5mg).  At the time I thought I couldn't cope but now I am so glad I did.  I wake up in the morning and i'm awake!  I feel so much better, less naps and more energy to work on losing the weight i'm sure is the result of lexapro.

Anyone who is going through this, just hang in there and the side effects will go away!

[creston1966]

Yep, had the same experience(s).  It's tough to avoid some level of symptoms when stopping SSRIs.  Even with a slow tapper.  Maybe try an ever slower tapper.  

I had some success by tappering slowly and adding Prozac.  Prozac stays in your system for a lot longer than the other SSRIs.  Adding it will help minimize some of the effects of discontinuing another SSRI.  Then when you are off the other drug, Prozac generally is not as hard to stop taking since it stays in your system for a lot longer and slowly gets out of your system.  I took 30 days to then get off Prozac and had no side effects.  

Good luck---you can get through this.  Just know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[suzanna1]

well i got off of lexapro and felt the same way.. extremely dizzy.. but instead of getting mad.. i just tried to laugh at it... you know .. like when you were a kid and spun around.. but it did annoy me at first.. and it only took a couple of days for me..