How long do the withdrawals from Lexapro last? - Anxiety Message Board

teacher2be · 01-12-2007, 08:29 PM

i have been on 10 mg of lexapro for 3months and then weaned down to 5 mg for the last month. then i totally quit 3 days ago. my dr. said" you should not have any withdrawal symptoms because this is not a habit forming drug." it has not been too bad i guess because i weaned slowly. but the only thing is my head feels strange. sometimes i feel like i am moving in slow motion when i turn my head, and i have that funny headache. i feel at time like i am having those "brain zaps" you hear everyone talk about. how long should this last now that i am totally off the drug? i was only taking 5 mg. this is crazy. anyways, my ? is how long does it take to for these withdrawal symptoms to go away?

j2006 · 01-13-2007, 04:54 AM

I had they same thing from ending Lexapro. Mine lasted about a wee. They feelings wouls come and go. It will go away.

Why did you stop the Lexapro?

teacher2be · 01-13-2007, 07:23 AM

i stopped the lexapro because i was still having anxiety while on it, i tried zoloft and that was awful. i decided to stop the lexapro to see how i felt without all these drugs. the lexapro was wonderful the first month or so and then just did not do it for me. i did not want to increase it because i was already sluggish from the 10 mg. so i am just going to try to do without it. i am glad to know i will feel better. yes it is a come and go feeling in my head too. thank you for your input.

Timber · 01-13-2007, 08:00 AM

It upsets me that doctors are still telling patients that they won't have withdrawals coming off of SSRIs.

Anyway, I've withdrawn from them several times and my brain zaps and other symptoms usually go away within a week, maybe two, but I usually taper down more slowly than you did.

ocdengineer · 01-13-2007, 08:36 AM

SSRI's in many ways are more dependancy forming than Benzo's, but Benzo's get the bad name because of a couple previous addicts taking fistfulls, catch a buzz, and end up in the hospital. I am convinced and so is my psychiatrist, that the Benzo is the best drug for anxiety, hands down! No side effects at all in 6 months of taking it just Xanax. If you are diagnosed with clinical depression then that is what antidepressants are for, not anxiety.

Later,
OE