Coming off Anti-Depressants

Princess Peach

Hey! I've been taking Lexapro 20mgs since last November and it has been working really well for me so my doctor and I decided I should start coming off them. I redused my dose to 15mgs in June and then to 10mgs in July. I've stayed with my 10mg perscriction since then as I have been pretty up and down, and mostly down compared to how I felt on the 20mgs. I'm just wondering if this is normal when coming off anti-depressants? I've had some personal problems which may attribute to how I'm feeling but I just wanted advice before I spend E50 for the doctor to tell me it is normal to have mood swings and that I can continue to reduce my dosage.

star-pants

To be honest, if you're in any way concerned just go to your doctor, or even give him/her a ring and ask is it normal for you.
Medication affects people in different ways, lots of meds drove me mad. I've never been on lexapro so I can't advise, but if I was unsure myself, I'd give my doctor a quick ring & give myself peace of mind.

Princess Peach

My doctor will only see me in person, costs me a fortune! I only have 1 months perscription left of my 10mgs anyway so I think I'll stick with that for the next month and see what the doctor says then. Hope I dont have to increase my dose back up though!

mickman

why not?

isnt taking 20mg and feeling good a lot better than taking 10mg or 5gm and having a few down days?

Princess Peach

E80 a month is a lot to pay to feel good though!

star-pants

Well really only your doctor can advise you on whether you're ok to continue on the lower dose or not. If you can deal ok with how you're feeling, you could try waiting out the month til you go back (I don't even like saying that because it's still advice), but only you know how you feel, and if it feels anyway normal or not. If how you're feeling is driving you a bit mad, you might want to go back to your doctor to adjust the meds. The last thing you want to is to end up back at square one before you started medication, so have a think about it.

mickman

Princess Peach wrote: »

E80 a month is a lot to pay to feel good though!

u think 720 a year is a lot for mental stability, i assure you it is not

if ur not working ur medical card will cover this, if your working then you can claim tax relief on this.

Princess Peach

I work part time, so not enough for tax releif and too much for a medical card. Ugh I'm just having a hard time, I think I just needed a place to have a moan cause my friends are sick of me haha! Thanks!

LegacyUser

I'm not sure if I think the replies to this thread were helpful (apart from the first response about seeing your doctor). Although anti-depressants work fantastically for people, the main aim of anyone who uses them should be to be taken off them at some point or other (be that months or years). If you're feeling this good would you consider going into therapy for a bit to see if that helps any? I know that CBT can be just as effective, if not more effective, than anti-ds, but the cost is high enough (maybe 80E a session, and most people go to around 10-15 sessions...). I think feeling down is common in people who are being taken off them... have you read the side-effects or done a google search? Maybe give it a few weeks, get regular excercise, drink a lot of water, get up early and don't focus so much on your mood. There's some great info on depression here http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/ if that was why you were put on Lexapro. Don't listen to some people on here, it is natural to have bad days and I'd prefer to have bad days and good days than mask bad days with lexapro - it makes the good days all that better! Talk to your doctor, try not to worry and start enjoying your life, it sounds like you need a bit of fun so go have some! x

Princess Peach

I used to go to councelling but I just finished college this year so I can't go to the free councellor any more. I cant stay on the meds forever, I will try and give it a go off them. I think I just dont want to have to start on them again cause I have a lot of side affects at first. Tbh I have been kinda moping in my house cause my friends are pretty lame right now, I'll try and be a bit more pro-active with my mood. Thanks!

LegacyUser

me again,

well if your friends are bothering you this could definitely be a trigger to cause some annoyance and therefore you could misinterpret that as depression. if you don't have money try reading the Dummies Guide to CBT. I found a copy in Eason's on O'Connell st if you're in Dublin, think it's only 20 euro or so and it has a good few tips on depression (nice thing is the title of the book isn't DEPRESSION!). You could try out what they say. I've something similar to depression (Panic Disorder/ GAD), I know it's difficult but standing on your own feet will be the most challenging part, and you will be able to show yourself that you can and will be happy without meds in the near future! Stay positive, tell your annoying friends where to go, listen to some loud, nice music and organise a fun day with someone who you're comfortable around (me and a friend are planning on going on the ghost bus tour! i know it's silly, but i may as well enjoy what's left of the summer! might even have a drink or two before hand!).

Do get that book though, it's really helpful (and the writers are kinda funny too! so it's not too serious or jargon-fueled!)

KarenR1981

I haven't taken my Lexepro in two weeks because I didn't have the money for them....now I am in cloud of such depression, crying, on edge, not sleeping and no concentration. I am in hell
Does anyone know if I start back today how long will it take before I start feeling better - I would go to GP but I dont have money for GP and Lexepro this week

Princess Peach

I work in the only book shop in my town, so maybe I'll order that book online! Yeah but I should prob start doing things instead of moping, I'm going to Dublin next week but its with my annoying friends, but I'll try not to get too snappy at them and make the most of it.

My doctor warned me not to suddenly come off the Lexapro cause it has really bad withdrawls, physical and mental. Thats why i'm tapering off slowly. Dont know how long it'll take for you to feel better again, it took me 2 months when I first started but if its still in your system maybe it won't take as long?

Novella

Your low mood could be due to reducing the dosage of Lexapro, but it could also be due to other things. Are you under stress, experiencing change in your life or just going through a difficult time? I completely understand that the cost of doctors appointments and medication can be crippling, but tbh, your well-being is so important that I think it's worth the money.

If you feel badly and perhaps like you can't function, see your doctor. Nothing anyone says to you here can really change how you are feeling.

Imo, sometimes people expect so much from an anti-depressant and place too much focus on it. "Oh, I'm feeling rubbish today... that pill isn't working" etc. It is perfectly normal to feel under the weather sometimes, so unless you are feeling like you did before you began taking Lexapro, or feeling really down, I'd imagine it's perfectly normal. You're the only one who can judge how you are coping though.

Best of luck with coming off the anti-d's though.

Princess Peach

Oh I could give a long rant of all the things wrong in my life but I dont think it will do any good! I think maybe I've just been relying on my meds a lot and I have been pretty scared to come off them all together cause I dont want to get sick again, its prob just anxiety about that too. I have to go back to the doctor next month for a perscription anyway so right now I'm thinking I'll get a lower dosage, like a should have a month ago! I just havent had a bad patch last this long in a while is what worries me. But like I said, I haven't been doing much to counter act my mood, which I will try to do!

Princess Peach

Thanks! I'll have a read of it since I'm awake at 6am. I'm coming off slowly according to my doctor's instructions anyway, she lowers my dose by 5mgs every moth, except I stayed on 10mgs for 3 months there. I've been feeling much better for a couple of weeks now so I need a new perscription this week anyway, I think I'll got down to 5mgs. I know I've had a lot of mood swings but I do want to try and come off them. If it doesnt work I'll go back up to a higher dose, but its worth I try I reckon!

SparrowTown

A good thing to do when withdrawing from an anti depressant or any psychoactive drug is to look up its half life. Some info on Lexapro half life is here
NOTE this is not medical advice - be sure to discuss your plans with a doctor

Tardis

hi I've just been prescribed a months worth of Lexapro 5mg. I've read up on it and i was wondering is it true what i've read about the severe drop in libido and interest in sex?? Many thanks

RubyGirl

Imho you should be taking 20mg one day and 10mg the next for a week or so then down to 10mg one day and 5mg the next. That how I came off medication recently. The head spins are the worst.

nesf

Tardis wrote: »

hi I've just been prescribed a months worth of Lexapro 5mg. I've read up on it and i was wondering is it true what i've read about the severe drop in libido and interest in sex?? Many thanks

I was on more than 5mg and no problems in that area. Some people get sexual side effects with anti-depressants, most people don't as far as I know.

whirlpool

Tardis wrote: »

hi I've just been prescribed a months worth of Lexapro 5mg. I've read up on it and i was wondering is it true what i've read about the severe drop in libido and interest in sex?? Many thanks

I've been on between 5 and 10mg for four years now and I have never ever had that kind of problem.

echo beach

nesf wrote: »

I was on more than 5mg and no problems in that area. Some people get sexual side effects with anti-depressants, most people don't as far as I know.

For some people loss of libido is a symptom of their depression and so in trials of antidepressants it does show up as a side effect.
Like all side-effects, some people get it and most don't but there is no way of knowing who will be affected.

nesf

echo beach wrote: »

For some people loss of libido is a symptom of their depression and so in trials of antidepressants it does show up as a side effect.
Like all side-effects, some people get it and most don't but there is no way of knowing who will be affected.

Yeah but in those trials they give placebos to other people with depression and see if there's a marked increase in incidence for libido loss compared to the antidepressant.

echo beach

nesf wrote: »

Yeah but in those trials they give placebos to other people with depression and see if there's a marked increase in incidence for libido loss compared to the antidepressant.

Yes, and the trials show that those taking the placebo also report side-effects, but you are correct that those taking certain antidepressants are more likely to be affected than those on the placebo proving that it is a 'real' side-effect, caused by the drug.
My point was that you may have a problem even if you aren't on antidepressants and that not all those taking it are affected. For Lexapro it is about 5-10%, so 9 out of 10 people don't have this problem with it. It is also reversible so that if it is a problem you can stop the medication and it will go back to normal.

nesf

echo beach wrote: »

Yes, and the trials show that those taking the placebo also report side-effects, but you are correct that those taking certain antidepressants are more likely to be affected than those on the placebo proving that it is a 'real' side-effect, caused by the drug.
My point was that you may have a problem even if you aren't on antidepressants and that not all those taking it are affected. For Lexapro it is about 5-10%, so 9 out of 10 people don't have this problem with it. It is also reversible so that if it is a problem you can stop the medication and it will go back to normal.

Ah ok, I get you now. Yeah, I can see people blaming the antidepressant for the libido loss if their depression worsened whilst on it and they lost their libido.