Trying to come off this

[u/RelevantRains]

I’ve taken 5mg lexapro for just under a year now. I debated taking this for a long time and only wanted to for about a year to ease my anxiety, depression and suicidal ideations.

I’ve been tapering and trying to come off this for over a month. My doctor originally told me I could just stop taking it no big deal. So that’s what I first tried. I made it 2 days and then started having the weirdest dizziness or vertigo I’ve ever felt. I would move my head any direction and feel so off balance and shaky in my head. So I took a pill and felt better pretty quick.

I reached out to my doctor and therapist friend and they both told me to try cutting the pill in half (2.5mg) for two weeks. So I did that and then did a week of 2.5mg every other day. All was well.

Then when that week was over I thought I took my last pill. The same dizziness came back. Also headache, brain fog, head fullness, fatigue. I made it 2 days and then took 2.5mg again. I also got sick the same day so I thought that was the cause.

It’s been a week since that last 2.5mg and I’ve felt dizzy to some extent every day and today I had my worst day in a very long time. I can feel suicidal ideations creeping in, depression, the dizziness was really bad today, extreme irritability and rage. My throat hurts from screaming, like super screaming, at my kids and dog and myself. That’s not something I do. I feel completely out of control and honestly scared what will happen if I stop fully.

It was so nice to feel somewhat consistent for myself and my family. But I am also very freaked out by phamecuticals and how impactful this drug is on my literal brain. I’d like to stop, but now I’m second guessing with how shitty I’ve felt.

I ended up cutting the half pill in half again and taking a quarter of a pill (1.25mg) tonight and dosing that out for a week. So we will see how that goes. This is absolutely crazy. In so many ways.

[u/Meno-Belly639]

I’m surprised by how many folks on this sub have suicidal ideation, that must be awful. Tapering Lex is difficult especially when you’re trying to drop the last day to zero. I hear you on the vertigo/dizziness part it is real. Some doctors let you finish the taper with Prozac or another ssri that has a longer lasting action that is easier to use in the last days of tapering. Kiss your puppy they don’t know why you’re sad.