Lexapro Withdrawal Unwanted Side Effects (Page 10) (Top voted first)

I have been taking Lexapro 10mg once a day for about a year. I have had many unwanted side effects which according to my doctor there are very few side effects from Lexapro. He says it is a clean drug. Wrong. It did nothing to help me and I want off. My doctor refused to give me anti-anxiety meds to help with the withdrawals from Lexapro because once again, there are no withdrawals from Lexapro. Why do doctors lie about this. Why do pharmaceutical companies lie about this? I have read so much about people just losing it while trying to stop taking Lexapro. I have not taken it in about ten days after weaning off for about two months from 10mg to 2 mg a day. My nerves are a wreck, I am extremely irratable, and have slight headaches. This is a horrible drug with many long lasting withdrawal symptoms. The makers of Lexapro, Forrest Pharmaceutical, should be ashamed of themselves. Do not lie to so many people just to increase the market strength of your company.

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I was on generic 10mg Lexapro for approx 6 months before coming off about a week ago..tried to go down to 5mg then decided to quit cold turkey. irritable, SO OBNOXIOUSLY TIRED, and, oddly enough, having incredibly vivid dreams that feel like De ja vu (which I also experienced while taking the drug). I've always experienced these traits, but now they all just seem much more.. intense, I suppose. I don't have a primary physician.. I'm actually not quite sure how I've legally been able to consume this without psychiatric guidance but I've been getting my rx filled just fine.. I'm just feeling loose and confused. your daughter seems to have the most similar symptoms to me.. how is she doing now?

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What a relief to read that so many people share so many of my side-effects.
I put on 45kg since taking Lexapro. That's about 7 stone. I have, successfully, lost 30 kg but an struggling to lose the last 15kg.

I didn't know Lexapro was causing the weight gain.

Two months ago, I cut out all grains and all dairy products from my diet.

I can't begin to describe how settled, happy and sane I, now, feel!

Many people experience mental problems as a result of eating grains and dairy. There is so much information on the internet about it.

Now that I feel so wonderful, I would like to go off Lexapro so see how I'll feel.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.

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I would think three days isn't long enough to cause too much of a withdrawal, as your body is actually not used to having the drug. Probably more symptoms from starting to take it than from stopping. As with most questions like this I would ask your prescribing Dr though.

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I have been taking 5 mg of lexapro for a little over a year now. I started lexapro because of a sudden on set of SEVERE anxiety and moderate panic attacks that were occurring on a daily basis. Now, I am trying to come off of it. What I did was start taking it every other day about a week ago and now I have started taking it every three days. I was going to go cold turkey after doing the every other day regimen but I felt really weird, almost panicy so I took one and the symptoms stopped. I am assuming that this is part of the with draw symptoms. I am going to the doctor tomorrow and see what he says to do as far as coming completely off of it and how to taper from here.

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I myself am weaning from 10 mg. as well after being on it for 8 years. Down now to 4 mg.afteralmost a year. I have been toying with just stopping due to these horrible side effects...no appetite, insomnia and nausea and fatigue! Horrible way to live.

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I have been taking Lexapro 5yrs+. I recently stopped taking it. I have since had bad headaches, heart palpations, sweats, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea. It's awful. I refilled my rx. I've been reading all these posts and im so scared now.

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Totally agree....horrible drug...withdrawing from 10mg for over a year now. Just down to 2 now with the most horrible side effects ever. Determined to be free and work on my anxiety without it ever again. Try yoga, accupuncture and prayers. It's helped me!

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I'm sorry this is so long. Is Lexapro to blame? or Lo-Loestrin? In doing some research on Lexapro and reading forums where people have posted, I came across a post from a woman who finally found out that Lexapro was not her culprit. It was her birth control pill.
Chelsea had been on Loestrin birth control bill for 4 years and was fine on it, except had some bad headaches and over the last 6 months she was on it, they became more frequent. When Chelsea went to her GYN for her yearly checkup in Sept 2011, she talked to the DR, discussed the headaches, so they changed her to Lo-Loestrin FE. She started these new pills at the end of Sept/ beginning of Oct 2011. She got the ovarian cancer vaccine and went back around the beginning of Nov for the second shot. During the first month taking the Lo-Loestrin, she had started having some crying spells, panic attacks, strong anxiety, stomach aches, concentration issues, inability to complete tasks. We all attributed it to grad school and because a lot of her friends and support group had graduated and left, boyfriend was back in Atlanta, no more Delta Zeta sorority, which had been a big part of her life – all of her “campus” activities ended when Chelsea graduated from under-grad – year book, television and radio station work… grad school was hard, Chelsea was taking 3 classes and assisting/teaching 3 classes, working part time. We all thought this was happening because it was a lot of changes and adjusting to grad life was just more stressful. Although she never had any issues adjusting to being away at college as a Freshman. When she went back in for this follow up appointment, she saw a PA and started talking about what she was experiencing. The PA suggested Chelsea go on Lexapro for the anxiety. She said it was a mild pill, and she would be on a low dose and it would help ease the anxiety of the transition. So, Chelsea went on Lexapro and did feel better.

Jump forward a year and a half. Chelsea graduate from grad school, decides she doesn’t need Lexapro anymore, was told by her GYN to wean- as it turned out - incorrectly, had a bunch of physical withdrawal issues for a month, then went through a bunch of bad depression about 2 months later. Same type issues as she had before – irritability, followed by a really bad depression and it continued to get worse. (all this time, Chelsea is still on Lo-Loestrin). At that point none of us knew what was wrong, as Chelsea had never gone through anything like that, but we attributed it to going off the Lexapro. Chelsea was crying constantly – like 6-8 hours a day, literally could not get out of the bed, and wound up having to quit her job. She had never been like that before. We decided that a GYN should NOT be issuing her an anti- anxiety drug, so went to a psychiatrist and started seeing a therapist. Figured it was due to another big round of changes in her life. Ending college, starting life in the real world, coming off a high of grad school/college, took a job she hated, a co-worker was pressuring me to move in with her, … and other stuff. The psychiatrist put her back on Lexapro, said for her to take it for at least 6 months and stabilize, then wean off correctly – VERY slowly. This spring she weaned off pretty slowly. Did start having a little irritation, but not as bad as last time. Brain shocks weren’t too bad, so much easier weaning than last time, since she was weaning correctly. But, two months later, we’re back to anxiety / panic attacks, lots of crying, feeling down, bad fatigue, helplessness… the same kind of feelings that put her on Lexapro the first time… and similar to what she went through when she went off Lexapro after she graduated.

After reading a few forums of people who went on Lo-Loestrin FE and starting having issues within a few weeks – we think her problems stem from the birth control pill. From what I have read, Lo-LoEstrin has high hormones and inhibits production of estrogen, so lowers your estrogen –so you don’t release an egg, don’t build up a uterine lining and don’t have a period. And, this pill only puts a low amount of Estrogen back into your system. (that is why it called Lo Loestrin). Estrogen helps to produce serotonin, which affects your emotional balance. (lower serotonin.. more emotional issues). And, when Chelsea went on Lexapro – which maintains serotonin longer in your brain by blocking the serotonin receptors (Keeps serotonin longer in your brain and keeps more of it) - it masked that low estrogen/serotonin problem caused by the birth control pill, because the Lexapro maintains a higher serotonin level for you. Then you go off Lexapro, over the next couple of months, the serotonin levels drop to normal for a brief time, then the LoLoestrin is keeping you at a lower estrogen level, which in turn re-affects your serotonin level (making it low), causing anxiety, depression and crying and concentration issues. It also hits you when your body stops producing much estrogen when you go through menopause. Same symptoms - BAD irritability to the point of rages, depression, bad memory issues, and inability to make yourself do the things you used to like to do, extreme fatigue.

Once she goes off the Lexapro and it gets out of her system and starts letting her body use serotonin, it depletes what she has stored, and the birth control pill is not supplying estrogen, which in turn makes her not produce serotonin. It’s like you are stuck in a perpetual second day of your period! Low hormones, low serotonin. This is probably what happened last time. But, not realizing that, the doctor put her back on Lexapro then, because we didn’t know what was wrong and didn’t know what else to do. Granted, Chelsea weaned off Lex completely wrong last time, and with that negative stress she had on her then , it probably had something to do with what all happened. After reading some Lo-Loestrin forums, it sounds like it starts causing issues in some women immediately –within a week or two – or the first month they start taking it. I found an article about estrogen levels during the month for a woman – Your Hormone Horoscope: As estrogen plunges during this premenstrual week, it can trigger moodiness, the blues, muscle aches, insomnia, headaches, fatigue and a wide variety of other PMS-related symptoms. As estrogen plunges, it depletes your brain of mood-boosting chemicals (serotonin) , leading to irritability and negativity. But, when you take a bubble bath, watch a much-loved movie, go for a walk or do anything else you enjoy , it gives a temporary boost to these happiness-triggering brain chemicals, making you calmer and more upbeat. So, she went back to her GYN yesterday – had to see a different doctor in order to get a quick appointment, and she said it was definitely probably the pill, as it does have that effect on a lot of women. So, she said to stop it immediately. She suggested Chelsea wait a couple of months and come back and try something else. But, she decided to go back on Loestrin, which she took and was fine for 4 years during undergrad.

But, we are not sure how long it will take for this new birth control pill to get her hormones back to normal. And, she cannot continue the way she is. She has a great job, just got a big promotion and raise in July, got engaged in June and we are planning a wedding. She should be on top of the world, but is a depressed crying mess. So, does anyone think this is Lexapro? Or a birth control issue? And, any idea how long her recovery is going to take? She wants to go back on Lexapro. I’m about to agree with her.

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Does anyone know if a blood test shows if you are taking lexapro?

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I have had this down there symptom over the years and I have contributed it to underlying health anxiety. My anxiety issues have caused many urological symptoms but primarily the feeling you describe plus diffuse pelvic pain not attributable to any other cause such as prostate or urinary tract etc.

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Hi , I have been off Lexapro for 6 months now, I am still feeling unbalance when I walk, stomach problem. I cry alot , saying to my self when are these feeling going away

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Can any one please help me! I have been on Lexapro for 1.5years 10mg since i switched from Zoloft 100mg. It was working good for my anxiety and running thoughts. however, after tress of my work, i feel little worrying feeling and doctor straight away put me on 20mg of Lexapro. I felt heart palpitation when wake up and didn't care of it, and after 7 weeks my heart started to beating faster and faster, went to 125 bpm for whole day! That was worse than my original Anxiety! Also i experienced some bowel movement, usually i have constipation problem. Then i went to see doctor, he wants me to reduce back to 10mg, I don't even know what happened to me! I after couple research on the web I noticed it is quite simular to Serotonin Syndrome, but i don't know I am right or not, anyone can tell me? that feeling was awful! Now it has been 2.5 month after i dropped back to 10mg, for the first month i went back to 10mg, the race heart was slowly calms down to 68bpm but still feel very strange and anxiety. the second month palpitation feeling was totally gone but still have anxiety feeling and stomach starts to feeling nausia, full and indigestive that makes me more anxious I was worrying my stomach too much now. I am still not well now and do anyone think i am still suffering from a kind of withdrawal syndrome? I am so worrying and don't know if the symptom will still exists or I should keep waiting till its getting stabilized? I have lost my job and I really want this feeling go away soon...

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Tasha very sorry your also going through this. Your symptoms seem alot like mine.

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You need to very slowly taper the drug 10%per month. Its an awful drug. You may need to go back on a low dose and taper very slow

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Many many thanks Stitch! I feel bit relax after I knew whats going on with me. I was on 10mg for a year and then doctor want me to go for 20mg straight away due to i told him about my work stress. However 20mg made me much worse than 10mg, I do not know why but just made me couldn't sleep and heart beat went to 100bpm+! It has been 2.5 months after I dropped back to 10mg now, the feeling is changing per month, for the first month the heart beat getting slower and second month I dont feel any uncomfortable with my heart beat. However my stomach starts to feel nausea and indigestive. my anxiety feeling still not go away and its not stable. Anyway, I quit my job since I started palpitation problem when I was on 20mg...Now I just hope I will be back to normal soon!

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I started at 10th but my Dr put upto 20th after 2 and a half weeks.
I thought I was getting these symptoms because I wasn't ready to go down doses.
But I've been forgetting to take it as well I went 4 days without it but I felt fine mentally only sick physically.

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Ya Becs you need to stabilize on the med. You were started at 20 mg? Not 5mg? Cause even starting at 5mg is very strong. Lexapro per mg is the strongest ssri on the market. So 20 was likely much too high to start and than dropping 10mg back to 10 is another shock to your system. I would probably stay at 10mg for a while to stabilize.

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I startes on 10mg and after 2 weeks I was put onto 20mg. I've been on 20mg for almost 6 months and then 3 weeks ago dr told me to break my pills in half and start taking 10mg again.

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hi stitch, many thanks, today is the 2.5 month of dropping down to 10mg from 20mg, i am suffering from very bad Nausea feeling and no appetite at all, I went to see doctor 3 days before he gave me a medicine called Nexium(20mg), I took once and I felt more uncomfortable and indigestive, this morning I woke up and vomitt... So today my anxiety is worse and stomach is worse, too. It's been 2.5 month, what is really going on with me? Will that getting better if i keep waiting? Is it still the symptoms that I dropped Lexapro to 10mg?

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Hi Stitch, sorry to hear that your stomach is upset too! After have one tablet of Nexium I started feeling extreme nausea and I have to stop it because I guess it has opposite effect to my stomach. I went to my local GP doctor because of my stomach couldn't digest well and what he said is I have acid reflux so he gave me the Nexium for reducing the acid. But I think maybe our stomach acid level is lower than normal so if switched off the production of acid, we may have more nausea feeling and indigestive.

Also I rang my doctor last night to tell him about my awful feeling, he said he is thinking to give me some add-on medicines to improve my anxiety feeling, do you suggest me to take that? Thanks!

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