Posted by jilldawg82 on October 10, 2004, at 21:46:09
I started taking 10 mg of Lexapro for depression about 5 or 6 months ago and was soon thereafter moved up to 20 mg. I eventually decided the medication was proving to be too expensive for me ($70 a month!) to continue taking & it never seemed to help me all that much anyway, so I quit cold turkey about a week ago without a second thought (my pills ran out - no big deal, right?). I had never been warned about any huge withdrawal symptoms from not taking the pills anymore & thought I would be fine. I didn't notice anything for about the first 3 days, then it hit me like a ton of bricks. As everyone else has said, the withdrawal is unbearable - extreme dizziness & nausea all the time. It's only relieved by the few hours of sleep I'm able to get each night when I'm not having hot/cold flashes. Every second of my day I'm reminded of how crappy I feel. I describe it to others as a combination of feeling extremely seasick & hungover at the same time. My body feels numb & I can't exert more then a little energy or I almost fall over. I don't remember ever feeling like this in my life & I hardly have the strength to do anything. I'm going to see a doctor tomorrow & did not realize until I found this site & others that what I'm feeling is obviously from the side-effects of withdrawal. I'm worried from what I've read because these symptoms may go on for quite awhile & I don't know how I'm going to survive it...what a nightmare. Anyone have any advice for how to get through this a little easier or how long it will last?
**PLEASE be careful...if you are currently taking Lexapro & ever decide to stop, see a doctor first and do it slowly (same applies to most other SSRI's I've heard). I wasn't warned & now I'm dealing with the hell-like after-effects - I wish someone had told me**
poster:jilldawg82
thread:401332
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041007/msgs/401332.html