I tried a week ago, but after suffering dizziness and passing out, I had to start back. It was not anxiety that caused these episodes, it was the damn medicine I think. I hate relying on pills, and I want to stop taking them....
2007-01-23 06:47:51 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Mental Health
It is dangerous to try to stop any medication on your own. Contact the doctor who prescribed Lexapro and inform him you wish to stop taking...he will advise you how to detox off them safely
2007-01-23 06:52:36 · answer #1 · answered by sage seeker 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all it depends on how long you have been taking it. I took it for a week and stopped because I was having dizzy spells and would get really really tired all of the sudden and just about to fall asleep doing whatever it was I was doing. But you can stop at any time as long as you do it gradually. If you have been on it for a while it would be best to talk with your doctor. But if this is a recent diagnosis, I would just gradually pull myself off.
Do not stop the medication suddenly because of severe side affects.
But I don't take anything, I hate pills too, but when I got diagnosed with an anxiety disorder I started to take 0.5mg ativan for my panic attacks and that seemed to work better than the lexapro.
2007-01-23 07:05:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I took anxiety pills when I had that disorder, and when it got better I gradually stopped taking them. As long as your sister is getting by prescription from a real doctor, you should trust that she is making an informed decision for herself. You have a negative view of the pharma industry for some reason but it isn't accurate. You you still be calling them greedy for supplying chemotherapy to someone with cancer? EDIT: when I was taking pills the doctor explained to me how they work. There is some chemical (I forget which one) that gets over produced when you have an anxiety disorder. When you have an attack in a certain situation, a similar situation can start to trigger attacks, so the problem begins to snowball. The pills stop the chemical overproduction so you can go back to living normally, but it's better to take them with counselling as well to deal with the root problem. Believe me, they really do work and can stop the vicious cycle, not just mask the problem. Sometimes anxiety is a conditioned problem but it can be just as medically based as any other physical illness.
2016-03-28 22:59:58 · answer #3 · answered by Karen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was taking lexapro for damn near 2 months and I stopped because my prescription ran out. And I sure didnt go thru none of that.Not saying I did a good thing. But wow, maybe something else is going on with you. I would go to an er, and I usally dont tell people that because I know they get tired of coming on yahoo answers asking a question and always hearing But in your case "I would go to a doctor".But in you case, I WOULD go to a dr. Something else is gooing on and it is not the lexapro. Take care!
2007-01-23 07:34:52 · answer #4 · answered by Leneki 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you've only been on it for a week, you'll suffer no side effects by quiting it completely. I had the same problem with wellbutrin and I took it for almost a month before quitting cold turkey. I hate taking pills as well and actually feel better without anything!
2007-01-23 06:53:15 · answer #5 · answered by georgiarose_01 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm glad you're getting off it!
here's what you do
you cut your dose in half and keep taking it as your normally do.
that way you're not just stopping it. your body has to adjust to it.
do that half dose for 2 weeks, than do half a dose every other day or if you're taking it twice a day, then only once a day, and then go from every other day to every 2 days and so on ontil you're not taking it anymore!
you'll know when you can actually stop tho, your body will let you know.
you're going to have withdrawl and you're going to be sick, it can take a while for it to get out of your system. I believe it's like 1 month per year you were on it. or something like that...
AND
go to the drug store and talk with a pharmasist to find out what vitamins to take, I think that's what helped my mom a lot.
2007-01-23 06:56:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would check with your doctor, step down treatment may be the ideal thing to do.
I've been on anti-anxiety meds before, and they started to have side effects that i did not want, so I stopped cold turkey b/c I had learned how to handle the anxiety w/o them, and I wanted to be able to not depend on them, in addition it was one of the lower doses, so it did not have the strength that dependency would induce.
2007-01-23 07:15:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi there, I just laugh about my past 3 years of panic now. I was not able to go anywhere without carrying xanax. Fear of having another attack was the most important subject of my days.When i first found joe barry's web site i started to cry because of my happiness.
Free audio to end anxiety and panic attacks fast?
2016-05-16 05:26:49 · answer #8 · answered by Ivette 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call your doctor or the local Pharmacist to find out the safest way to ween yourself off of it.. It is not good to do it with out knowledge of how..
2007-01-23 06:56:35 · answer #9 · answered by broekgirl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't stop ANY medication without checking with your doctor first.
Some people have to take medications whether they like to or not.
2007-01-23 07:06:15 · answer #10 · answered by diannegoodwin@sbcglobal.net 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋