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

[MsBrownstone]

Sorry to hear that you're having such an awful time, Sway wishes that there was something that she could say or do to help, but she doesn't really know much about any of the meds that you're taking.. Hope you feel better, anyway, keep us posted, bueno suerte.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good supporting post for the OP.

[DaManB]

Just to keep you updated. I have been on 1.25mg for a week and have 2 more days to go before I am drug free forever! Symptoms subsided, came back again each time I lower dose, so hopefully this will happen one more time only!

[guntroll]

I can only speak from self experience. (this doesn't count as self incrimination because they're not recreational right?)

I was misdiagnosed as depressed which I was, but not for such reasons (I'm bipolar). My experience with Lexapro is love and hate. Love because it was unbelievable fun and everyone at my school knew me, hate because I did stupid things on it and was nothing short of manic.

I was lowered from 20 a day to ten and then dropped with no problems. But, I'm "mainy" as many would say and have a large tolerance for everything.

[not2legit2quit]

Hi

I can't relate to all of your post, but I used to suffer severe depression and social-anxiety. If I had to go out with a group of my best friends I'd known all my life, I'd be petrified for the 24hrs leading up to it. I analyse everything everyone says for hidden meanings, I take benign banter remarks to be personal attacks on my character, and I analyse everything I say to everyone, ever, to imagine how it may have come across.

I dwell, I worry, I doubt. I've been on Cipralex Escitalopram for a few years now and it really has turned my life around.

But to relate to your post - I've had withdrawal by mistake a few times. Being disorganised leading to periods of time off the meds. By day 4 things are usually pretty bad. Brain-shocks and body shocks with alarming regularity, increased paranoia, an overwhelming sense of something about to happen that never does.

The short version is, I think this will be cured with time. I know that's absolutely no help to you at all, but your body has had a kicking and there's chemicals battling each other all over the place. It'll take time to adjust.

The one thing I've learned from my experiences so far is - think of the worst that could happen. Accept it, then apply logic - how likely is it to happen? The answer is "not very" and you need to focus on that.

Finally, I don't think you have seratonin syndrome - problems with that kick in pretty quickly and go from bad to worse even quicker. Don't steer your thoughts in that direction, it's incredibly unlikely.

I know you can pull through it and be much much better as a result. If you need to share your thoughts or anything please feel free to PM me - you're not alone on this at all mate.

Matt

[guntroll]

LOL, I've had actual serotonon syndrome, trust me anything you think is like it is at max a very mild case. Serotonin toxicity (formal word for syndrome) leads to delusions, hallucinations and is completely unbearable. From what I understand mine was a moreof a small case too, a large case can lead to death.