Weaning down advice please?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi everyone.
I'm wanting to wean down from 10mg lexapro. I've read some great advice on here about how slow to go but I can't find the thread. So I've been on 10mg for 14 months (with a temporary increase to 15mg, which was too strong for me) been back down to 10mg for 8 months. I now feel ready to taper down. I'm planning on taking 2.5mg off my dose every month. Is that too quick? i.e 7.5 mg for a month, 5mg for a month (maybe stick here for a while and reassess how I'm doing) and then hopefully go 2.5 for a month and then stop? Should the final step from 2.5 to 0 be done even slower? I'm very sensitive to medication and usually get all side effects and withdrawls going. Any advice would be great here, thank you all in advance 😁
2 likes, 10 replies
Kittykitty LinzS
Edited
hi please give an update on progress i want to do the same
LinzS Kittykitty
Edited
Hi Kitty.
I've joined a Facebook page for withdrawing lex. I cut 10mg to 7.5 and had the most horrendous withdrawls lasting months. So as per advice on the Facebook page I began to taper even slower. its recommended there to cut 5% each time. I can't even do 5%, the withdrawls are so bad. I'm cutting 2% every month and am almost down to mg. It's been a tough slog. would highly recommended joining the group. hope this helps.
Kittykitty LinzS
Posted
hi thank you so much for this advice. please what is the name of the group
Kittykitty LinzS
Posted
also are you using liquid form? because im using 10mg pill?
LinzS Kittykitty
Edited
The group is 'Lexapro should be illegal' don't let the name put you off, it put me off joining until the group was recommended through comments on a paxil withdrawal group I had first joined. it is essentially a withdrawl group and gives great advice on tapering slowly and how to manage withdrawl. this group recommends doing 5% cuts but I find it too big for me.
I can't get liquid form where I live so I'm using tablets also. I use a jewellers precision scale and use a nail file to reduce the pill to the weight I need. I find weighing the tablet and taking the percentage off the weight easier than trying to work out how much 2% is off say a 10mg tablet and then working out how much the pill should weigh at 9.8mg etc. I also found it easier (once I was down to 7mg) to get my dose split into 2x 5mg tablets (I take one tablet and I cut/file the 2nd) my personal preference.
its going to be very tricky reducing once the pill is too small so I'm hoping to make my own liquid using the tablets and using a micro syringe to get the very small doses. the Facebook.page gives advice into making this also. if you can get liquid I'd recommend it. but the fillers in the pills also cause disruption so swapping brands etc can cause withdrawl too. if I were swapping from a pill to liquid I would cross taper. so take half the pill and half the dose of liquid, then 25% and 75% etc to gently get your body used to any changes in the fillers used etc.
it's important that if you are doing a slow taper that you don't work out all the % cuts from 10mg. take the % off your current dose. so say you're doing 10% cuts, the first cut would be 10% off 10mg which you ate left with 9mg. but the second cut would be 10% off 9mg and so on. hope this helps! 🙏
Kittykitty LinzS
Posted
wow this is a lot but very useful thank you. x
LinzS Kittykitty
Edited
You're welcome 😃 wishing you all the best.
Ps the withdrawl community estimate 50% of people suffer hard withdrawl. Some withdrawl groups recommend cutting 10% a month and a lot of people do this with absolutely no withdrawl. Don't be put off by my tough experience. You could fly through it with no issues 😃
Kittykitty LinzS
Posted
thank you so much. i have spoken with a health professional so we are starting a treatment programme next month where i will be prescribed liquid drops and will do 10mg one day 9mg the next day for 2 weeks and then 9mg for 2 weeks and review after 4 weeks. if all goes well i will do 9mg then 8mg and so forth. xxx
Skooter1st LinzS
Edited
Hi Linz
That sounds like a good plan! I took Lexapro for three years and tried to quit cold turkey. Ouch! I ended up tapering almost exactly like you are planning to do. I am now completely off Lexapro. My last dose was three weeks ago. After my last dose I still have some depression for sure, so I started taking fish oil and vitamins and doing a little exercise. I am slowly feeling better. I have also been taking trazodone to help me sleep for three years as well. My goal is to be completely drug free instead of swapping one drug for another. Now that the Lexapro is out of my system I am becoming more confident in reaching my goals. I have started to taper off the trazodone and will have to cut back in even smaller amounts than I did with the Lexapro to try and avoid feeling so awful. After this experience it will be hard for me to ever take another prescription again. I was not informed how hard it is to quit these meds. I fired my doctor for not warning me about the hell of withdrawal.
LinzS Skooter1st
Posted
Oh well done for getting off!! That's a huge accomplishment. It's been such a tough journey. It's taken me 2 years to get from 15mg to 5mg. Yes there are thousands of people in the withdrawl community the same as you, mad as hell at their doctors for lack of information surrounding this drug, and lack of correct advice when it comes to taping. My doctor said to drop 2.5mg every 2 weeks!! I'm managing 2% cuts any bigger and any the WD is horrific. doctors were trained from the pharmaceutical companies back in the 70's. they're so badly misinformed. my doctor humours my slow taper but I can see the amusement in her eyes. I've read alot of people don't even tell their doctors they're tapering. so happy you're off them. I've read there may be waves of WD come in once you're off completely, it can scare some people into going back on, but just hang tight. I'm on it for anxiety, I've read L-theanine or ashwaganha is a good natural alternative. so will try one of these when it's completely out of my system. I'm finding Omega 3 fish oils really good and vits too especially magnesium.