Question bout getting off meds cold turkey?

Question

hey my girlfriend has been taking lexapro, buspar, and zanax. She thought that she could just cut all her medication off cold turkey. I was just wondering what are possible consequeses reprucutions and side effets that this can bring on?


A boy friend that has been dealing with crazy mood swings

Answer 1

Possible seizures, extreme anxiety, variations in b/p,palpations She should gradually decrease and not go cold turkey.

Answer 2

I am an anesthesiologist which means I put people to sleep before surgeries. I also am taught what the possible withdrawal symptoms are from narcotics and benzodiazepenes.

It is okay to stop the Lexapro and the Buspar and it shouldn't cause any problems. BUT, Lexapro is an anti-depressant and some people have claimed to have anxiety when they taper down or quit that medication cold turkey. Buspar could cause problems when discontinued. I'm not quite sure as we don't use that medication often in my country.

Now, the Xanax, is a PROBLEM. Your girlfriend could DIE from Xanax withdrawal. It is a benzodiazepene which is ADDICTIVE and if she stops taking these, it will precipitate withdrawal and could and will cause: HALLUCINATION, PSYCHOSIS, SEIZURES, DEATH.

PLEASE, your girlfriend has to a slow TAPER which means she has to slowly cut down on the amounts she is taking over a lengthy period of time. You cannot stop taking ANY benzodiazepene such as Valium, Klonopin, or XANAX without tapering down first, unless you want to turn into a total butt naked raging psychopath and kill yourself and your entire family?

I've seen quite a few people whacked out in benzo withdrawal in the ER and it's not pretty. They see things, hear things, and feel things that ARE NOT THERE. And the only way to calm them down is with, MORE BENZOS

Go to this website, it's easy to navigate and the information is more or less correct. It will tell you how to do a taper and to save your girlfriends life! Do not have her quit taking the medications! She must TAPER slowly!!!!!!

www.benzo.org.uk

Answer 3

Well the mood swings will happen from going cold turkey off these meds. She can also potentially suffer much worse side effects like seizures. Xanax is pretty safe because it can actually be used as needed...it doesn't stay in your system long but Lexapro and Buspar are not meds you should mess with. She could have very nasty side effects - sleep disturbances, mood swings, rage, suicidal feelings...I worry most about seizures.

I was on antidepressant meds and I ended up with a seizure disorder. She needs to wean herself off carefully because these meds affect brain chemistry. If she causes too great an imbalance she could cause the neurons to misfire thus causing a seizure...make her go to a doctor ASAP....

Answer 4

They say that you should never quit any pills cold turkey but i don't agree with that because i have done it and nothing has happened. I don't know what lexapro and buspar is but i do know that quitting xanix cold turkey could make her have withdrawls. She should talk to her doctor about it before she does anything. If she stopped cold turkey she probably doesn't think that the pills are working and she should see her doctor to get new ones.

Answer 5

Hello, I think we are being forced into agreeing with you here, - I think the full list of possibilities should be, "should i just cut it out, or should I cut down slowly, or should I talk to my doctor about stopping them?" :) 4 years is a long time to grieve, and although I am very sympathetic, I wonder if you shouldn't discuss stopping with your doctor first? If you are determined to stop, Prozac has a relatively long half-life in the body, so stopping them with a bump is less dangerous than with some of the shorter-lived relatives of Prozac. But after 4 years I really feel that you should stop them gradually, and keep some in for if you get a flare-up of your depression. Hope this is of some help. Best wishes. Belliger (retired UK GP)

Answer 6

I know for sure she has to go off the Lexapro by weaning herself off in small doses. My DIL quit taking her Lexapro and ended up in the hospital

That is a lot of meds. She needs to keep taking them under a doctor's supervision and then when the doctor say to cut down on the drugs he can give her a plan to do so.

Answer 7

A gradual reduction, over some weeks, as advised by her doctor, is a much better solution. She will need rechniques that help her deal with her problems, such as those to be found at: http://www.relax7.com/7.php and either or both of those in the last 6 blogs of Shan Eris at: www.myspace.com The following websites are worth looking at: http://www.com.emedicinehealth.com/script/ and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/ and http://health.discovery.com/ You can help her, by being supportive as she goes through several bad weeks, and join her in the relaxation technique, or techniques she selects, at least for a while. It will be worthwhile. Ensure she gets good nutrition and regular exercise (ask her to come for a 20 - 30 min. walk with you every day).

Answer 8

Frankly, if she is having bad mood swings on the present regimen I think she should change psychiatrists or bring it firmly to the attentention of her present MD. Psychiatrists are hard to come by so look for a psychologist that teaches at a nearby college. He will make recommendations to her family Dr. or to a psychiatrist who can not only assess the psychologists impressions and recommendations but perhaps improve upon them.

Answer 9

You can DIE if you go Cold Turkey with Xanax. And if you live(going Cold Turkey with Xanax); the Withdrawal symptoms are worse than Coming off of Heroin. The DIFFERENCE IS that Heroin is mostly Physical Suffering; Whereas coming off of Xanax cold Turkey is mostly MENTAL suffering. Either way you feel like you're going to die.

It's WICKED ! ! !

BE CAREFUL !

Answer 10

DON"T STOP ON YOUR OWN ! a week after missing my meds(lexapro) i started getting irratated,angry , and just antsy . i felt like everything had to get done right now and i put it on myself to do it all,hating everyone for not even bothering to help me.man was i messed up.i didn't know how bad til i was back on them again and i couldfeel the difference.i hope to stay on them right this time.there is a way for her to stop but she has to let the doc help.good luck to you both and there is no shame in being on the meds.