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Lexapro discontinuation not prozac side effects?

Posted , 4 users are following.

jenna93888
jenna93888

Hi all,

Starting October 14th I weaned off of 40mg lexapro that I had been on for 13 years. Following my doctors orders I was completely off lexapro and on 60mgs of Prozac on November 5th. A week after that I came down to 40mgs prozac and got knocked over by flu like symptoms and nausea. I'm talking completely stuck in bed, chills, diarrhea, anxiety, body aches, hot flashes, weakness. My doctor says it could be serotonin toxicity but since I'm not having the motor agitation she thinks it's probably lexapro discontinuation symptoms. She does not think these are prozac side effects. Does anyone have experiences of withdrawal symptoms? I'm starting to believe this is going to go on forever.

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • rosie2828
    rosie2828 jenna93888

    Posted

    wow--i feel so bad fro you--sounds horrid--i hope someone can help you out here--wondering why u went off the lex, did it no longer work for you ????????
    • jenna93888
      jenna93888 rosie2828

      Posted

      Thank you, it did stop working. It was very unfortunate because it had worked so well for so long.
  • rosie2828
    rosie2828 jenna93888

    Posted

    all may find this interesting--i have started prozac 2 weeks ago at only 5 mg, still with side efects ! agitation, palpitations--for like 3 hrs after taking pill-hated to take pill as i knew the side effects would kick in-called doc today to see if this sounds normal to him-he told me to stop taking them, apparently not for me--come in and we would discuss other options!  hmmmmmm--so no pill for 2 days now and all side effects stopped, and i feel well !  interesting, huh !?
    • jenna93888
      jenna93888 rosie2828

      Posted

      That is interesting Rosie! I'm surprised he didn't want you to give it even the typical 4-6 weeks that SSRIs tend to take. He didn't think you should be experiencing side effects after only 2 weeks? Or was it that your dose was so low it shouldn't cause side effects?
    • rosie2828
      rosie2828 jenna93888

      Posted

      i guess cause such a low dose should not have had such side effects--plus, prozac was not his drug of choice--he said newer ones just as effective with less side effects--i was the one who said, no, i wanted to try prozac !
    • nana401
      nana401 rosie2828

      Posted

      Were you on anything before prozac. Score getting off it

  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 jenna93888

    Posted

    Hi Jenna,

    How fast did you come off the Lexapro, and were you experiencing withdrawal symptoms from Lexapro before the Prozac was added?   A Prozac bridge is often used as is what your doc was trying to do, but Lexapro has a reputation for being horrible to get off. I think your doc blew it by putting you on such a HIGH dose of Prozac from the get-go and it very well may be part of the problem!  I think you are experiencing a double whammy of a Lexapro withdrawal plus side effects from going on too high a dose of Prozac.

    Prozac lowest therapeutic dosage is 20 mg, which is I think what your doc should have started you with.  I'm going to send you a link or two privately that should help you out.  

    • jenna93888
      jenna93888 betsy0603

      Posted

      Thank you so much betsy! I came off lexapro 40mg in 2 and a half weeks. She started prozac at the same time I was weaning from lexapro. I wasn't hit super hard with withdrawal symptoms until I had been100% off lexapro for a week. I'm no longer seeing my psychiatrist because I just don't think she knows what she's doing. I have an appointment with a new psychiatrist next Wednesday. I'm currently down to 40mg prozac and it has definitely helped with the brain fog.
    • jenna93888
      jenna93888 betsy0603

      Posted

      Betsy, I'm kind of new here and I can't figure out how to access my personal messages.
    • rosie2828
      rosie2828 jenna93888

      Posted

      betsy--good for you for taking control of yourself--u know yourself and your body---i have found some psychs to be not as compassionate or caring as thye should be--find one who ;fits; you!  good luck
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 jenna93888

      Posted

      No problem!  At the upper right hand corner of your page there will be your user name and next to it a message icon.
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 rosie2828

      Posted

      Thank you, Rosie.  I am tapering off two meds, one at a time, and am currently at 45% of my highest Remeron dose, and 76% of my reinstatement dose of 37.5 mg Effexor, and I have to say I feel better now than when I was at the highet doses!  I am looking forward to discovering who the real me is off drugs after 19 years!

      I went on Prozac for a crisis 19 years ago, one that I'm sure I could have come through without drugs had I learned what I have now about cognitive behavior methods of changing aberrant thinking patterns, meditation/mindfulness, and Buddhist type teachings.  Never in any contact with any doctor who refilled my scripts did anyone discuss whether or not I should remain on them so I just kept on taking them.  All I can say is that I did the best I could for where I was at at the time, otherwise I'd be stuck mourning the last 19 years, wondering how life could have been different had I figured it out!

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