Tapering - Urgent help required with Cipralex/Lexapro withdrawal

[DaManB]

Dear all,

I am urgently seeking some advice on my current situation with Lexapro [Escitalopram] withdrawal. Heres the story:

Before the 7th of March this year I was happy, healthy 23 year old man with everything to live for. I attended a conference in Rio, Brazil and was given the worst anti-malerial advice possible. A private doctor gave me the satanic Lariam [Mefloquine] (which everybody but myself seemed to know to avoid) - needless to say all hell broke lose.

Panic attacks, extreme insomnia, night dread, tachycardia, social fear, social phobia, paranoia, dizziness, fatigue. You name it I had it, except thankfully no hallucinations or schizophrenia.

I know that what happened was neurotoxicity because I've done the research and the way to continue recover is to detox (I've recently started taking triphala (ayuvedic detox) and it seems to be working quite well). Anyway at the time I didn't know what was happening so I went to see "the top psychiatrist in London" and the buffon put me on more drugs. Before long I was on 150mg / 300mg of Lyrica [Pregabalin] (morning/night) and 10mg of Lexapro. Between these 3 horrendous chemicals I felt like a total drugged out zombie wreck.

Since June this year, I decided enough was enough and started to taper. I could already feel that the Lariam was not affecting me then since the social phobia had lifted (no this wasn't the ADs, this was Lariam - I can feel the differene). Only 3 days ago I was doing exceedingly well. Since June I had managed to get off Lyrica completely and was down to 5mg of escitalopram.

I know that I am very sensitive to medication, so I had already planned to taper very slowly. I nick named the plan from 5mg "40 days and 40 nights" - 13 days at 5mg, 13 days at 2.5mg and 14 days at 1.25mg, at which point I could try and start the final phase of my recovered - finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel and never taking another western manufactured pharmaceutical compound again.

Unfortunately since Friday last week I had quite a major set back. On friday I accidently double dosed on Lexapro due to carelessness. I was so worried about this drug before doing this, but the results were pretty scary. I immediately experienced racing thoughts and rage, and I was restless / agitated all night. I then made another mistake and thought I should skip the dose the next day so as to even it out. Bad idea. The result was extremely bad and irrational thoughts, obsessive thoughts, harming thoughts. Things that had not entered my mind for months since I took Lariam.

I phoned the psych and the buffoon tried to pass it off as my "anxiety" again - I told him he was talking rubbish because I was fine before the double dose, and that I am simply a victim of chemical manipulation. He said if it was just chemicals, then it should even out if I remained on 5mg. Since the skipped dose I resumed on 5mg (which by tablet is the smallest that they make which is crazy since withdrawing from that would be hideous), I have felt absolutely awful. The psychological aspect has sort of normalised, but the physical aspect has not. I have had constant tachycardia (100-120bpm), extreme agitation, restlessness, fever, head-ache, head sweats, nausea, aching eyes, like my blood is boiling of toxic. Very little sleep in 4 days (still several hours, nothing compared to what Lariam can do to destroy your sleep (imagine 30 minutes in 5 days at the start), so I am coping).

My question is really how to proceed and what exactly is happening to me? My thoughts are as follows, either:

1) Inter-withdrawal syndrome - the AD level fluctuation caused all the symptoms and will take several more days to restore itself (psychs advise). At which point I should stay on 5mg for another 2 weeks and continue with the taper.

2) Serotonin syndrome - a lot of the symptoms I am experiencing could be explained by this, but then again it wouldn't make much sense to be experiencing this on 5mg since I was taking 10mg for almost 3 months, and some people have overdosed on 6000mg and recovered fine.

3) Unrelated flu-like illness - Since I feel psychologically OK (as one can do with so much messy chemicals), it could be that I am suffering from two things. Some withdrawal but also a flu like illness. I have aching eyes and a slight sore throat which would be consistent with this, in which case it hopefully should pass sooner rather than later

Can anyone advise me on how to proceed? Should I continue with 5mg? Stop? Go to 2.5mg? 2.5mg twice daily? Go to hospital and ask for tests and to be put on an IV? I had some blood tests for liver and kidney functions a little while ago and they came back normal.

Any advice would be welcome! I am determined to be off drugs and well by Christmas

Best Regards,
DaManB

DaManB added 9 Minutes and 7 Seconds later...

Seems I have a new potential explanation. My room mate came from Brazil and had a temperature and headache. Seems Brazil experiences are not my thing Perhaps I am experiencing a mixture of both? Would explain feeling so ill.

DaManB