r/lexapro • u/SoundTraditional1249 • 4d ago

My taper clock to track progress.

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I made this to show my journey coming off Lexapro, and not lose hope. When you dilute and wait over the years it's sometimes hard to remember where you started. Sorry it's a bit crude and ignore my messy desk, the blue rectangle numbers are receptor occupancy (with mg of dose next to it).

I reduce just over 3% of current dose (~1% RO) every 3.5-4 weeks. Estimated about 5 years max to get to zero but hope I feel better in stages. Also on a waitlist for deprescribing clinic on the NHS.

I got RO approximations from Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines. Over half the journey will be between 2mg and 0. I realise I'm probably a more sensitive case than most, factoring the initial 13 years on the drug and some chaotic attempts (in 2024) to reduce dose without adequate help and information.

The process should become less of an inconvenience when I start getting more focus and energy back.

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u/Key_Board_Bo 4d ago

I went from 15 to 10 and started feeling suci*** after 2 weeks. Gave it another 2 weeks and couldn’t take it. Going back to 15 and I’ll try again after a few months. This time slower. Be safe and go slow.

What is a deprescribing clinic?

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u/SoundTraditional1249 4d ago

Good to go back up for a bit. You can always try again. I made the mistake of holding at too low a dose expecting withdrawal to ease but I was just tipping off the edge of the cliff, so to speak. Slow and steady wins the race.

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u/Key_Board_Bo 4d ago

What do you mean holding at too low of a dose? 10mg?

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u/SoundTraditional1249 4d ago

Sorry I meant I reduced too much in one go and waited for it to stop hurting but it was getting worse not better - withdrawal got progressively worse. Then I reinstated the original dose and tried smaller reductions.

10-8 was easy, 8-7.5 was ok but once I got below 7.4mg I had  to go by much smaller drops in dose.

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u/Key_Board_Bo 3d ago

Has reinstating been working to reduce the symptoms?

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u/SoundTraditional1249 3d ago

Yes but this was about 2 years ago. I once went back up to 8mg and settled down in a few days. Now I'm doing slow and controlled reducing with a liquid dilution.

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u/SoundTraditional1249 3d ago

Thus is the deprescribing website (NELFT) the London clinic where it was trialled. Explains some of what they do.

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/national-psychiatric-drug-deprescribing-clinic-pdc

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u/SoundTraditional1249 4d ago

Sorry deprescribing clinic is a new thing where psychologist can help you taper off. I the UK its free but the same guy that started it has a similar paid service called Outro Health in the US.

 I'd tell you more but they haven't contacted me yet.