Lexapro withdrawal?? Scared

Kat1984

hello, I'm wondering if any one has experience with coming of Lexapro (Escitalopram)? I've been taking 10mg daily for several months to help with cancer induced anxiety. My prescription ran out and I forgot to renew it and being a public holiday weekend here I can't get to my dr until tomorrow. It's been a week since my last dose. After day 3 I started getting dizzy and my vision blurred now my lips and left hand are tingling. The dizziness is making me feel nauseous also. It's been quite horrible and I've been very concerned it's something more sinister (brain mets specifically), but I know that's very unlikely. I know I shouldn't have just stopped taking it but by the time I realised that that could be causing these symptoms my dr was closed for the long weekend. Has anyone else experienced symptoms like these, or other symptoms when coming off Lexapro? I'm awfully scared!! Thank you

ChiSandy

I know this advice is like locking the garage after the car has been stolen, but next time, never let yourself run out of your meds—especially antidepressants. Make sure you have enough on hand that you can cover the gap between one Rx expiring and the next refill kicking in. Can’t speak to the NHS (are you in the UK?) or other countries’ health systems. But here in the States you can get your doc to write you an extra few days’ worth, or your insurer will okay what’s called an emergency “vacation refill” if you expect to run out while traveling to somewhere without a branch of your pharmacy chain.

As to why you’re on Lexapro, there is a difference between antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. The former can take weeks to kick in and you might have to experiment with different ones to see which ones work for you (no rhyme or reason to it—everyone’s brain chemistry is unique). You need to be closely monitored (at least bimonthly) by a primary care doc (better yet, a shrink) to check for side effects and effectiveness—titrating the dose or switching to another drug in the same category. Depression is a form of psychosis—metaphorically, “a hardware problem,” a disease that is biochemical in origin. Whatever class of antidepressant you’re on—SSRI, SNRI, SDRI, tricyclics, MAO inhibitors, etc.—withdrawing must be very, very gradual and preferably medically supervised (at least daily phone calls to assess your mood changes).

Anxiety is quite different, no matter what induces it. It is a neurosis—a “software problem,” an impairment in the ability to cope with various stressors. It is a disease not of biochemical imbalance (well, except for panic disorder which while technically a neurosis does cause physical symptoms) but of emotional responses to stressful situations. That is what benzodiazepines—i.e., Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Valium—are for, but preferably along with cognitive talk therapy to recognize the real and valid stressors & fears and come up with coping strategies to deal with them (and make the benzos work more effectively). Like analgesics, they, at least in low doses, can be taken occasionally as the need arises. But antidepressants are “maintenance meds,” just like statins, insulin, blood pressure drugs, and long-acting combo inhalers for asthma or COPD—you need to maintain consistent blood levels of them.

Often, it is possible to be clinically depressed with an anxiety overlay—which is why simultaneous medical and psychological management are so important.

Kat1984

Thank you for your reply. I'm in New Zealand, so the systems are a bit different here. Lexapro is a publicly funded drug (we don't pay for it) used to treat generalised anxiety disorder and depression. It's reasonably common from what I've seen in treating anxiety with cancer patients here. I'm well aware I shouldn't have stopped taking it, I was supposed to follow up with my doctor every 2 months. I've just been very concerned about the physical symptoms I've been having and whether it's Lexapro withdrawal that I'm experiencing or something more sinister. Doctors here seem to shy aware of prescribing anxiety drugs I am unsure why. I'm concerned I have been on the wrong medication and I was hoping someone might have some other suggestions I could give my doctor when I see him tomorrow. I'm quite certain now that Lexapro is not the right one for me

JoniB

My daughter was on Lexapro for anxiety and had no problems when she went off of it cold turkey (she did so with her doctor's approval). Other drugs she had taken are Prozac, Wellbutrin, and Zoloft. Lexapro made her nauseous while she was on it. We all react to drugs differently. Your doctor can help you find one that is better for you.