[Ambra]

Hi, I'm not new to the therapy forum but I am in this section. I'd like an opinion on what I've been going through. I've seen a therapist for about 2 years and while i've healed from what brought me to start (a food problem) everything happened and in the end I'm still there. This is the most difficult period of my life so far. My therapist was against meds but in the summer my gp prescribed me Lexapro 10mg and xanax. After being tired and sleepy it seemed like Lexapro was starting to work a little bit. Then I had a breakdown and my therapist wanted me to also go to a pdoc.
So i went and this pdoc whom diagnosed me with severe depression doubled Lexapro to 20mg. after the adjustmet I felt no benefit this time. I go from dumbness to wanting to hang myself to despair. This is not me, the effect is totally different this time. I want to stop it and go back to only therapy. Is it possible? do you think I might suffer from stopping it? It's torture. Anyone been there? Help. Thanks.

[Blue_Bird]

There are other meds out there, you could see about switching, or ask to be tapered off the lexapro and just do therapy if that's what you want

[Moogieotter]

Hi,

Sorry you are struggling. How much Xanax are you taking? How long on 20 mg Lexapro?

moogs

[Ambra]

Hi, thanks forthe replies.
For Moogieotter, I've been on 20mg Lexapro for about 10 days while I stopped xanax after I used a whole bottle (together with about 60mg lexapro) i a panick attack and ended up to er. Xanax for me was supposed to cure insomnia but why, if it's for anxiety? So I was given felison that is specifically to sleep and it's much better.

[Moogieotter]

Xanax withdrawals are a nightmare.

[jbuttz]

I was on 10mg for a month and moved up to 20mg because it wasn't working. I felt in limbo on 20mg for a while. Kinda like my days are just floating by, irritability, sleep issues. I do feel a bit better from when I first started.

One day I would think it's working, the next day I wouldn't. If you feel like you don't need it and your T is really helpful then of course you can get off meds. It's your decision.

I've had bad experiences with antidepressants but my life was in shambles before the lexapro so I wanna ride this train out and see where it gets me.

[Ambra]

Oh yes, Xanax withdrawal is a granted ticket to hell. At least it has been for me.

Well I think they would like to keep me on meds at the moment, but I want less Lexapro or try something else.. I could benefit a little bit from it the first time, then I'd like to try that again or change it if it doesn't work.. I really have no idea why more of the same meds cause the opposite effect than before.

[Disorder7]

It's probably not advisable, but I'm able to just stop lexapro, celexa, Zoloft, or Prozac cold turkey. Paxil takes a little more effort.
One day I woke up and decided I wasn't going to take lexapro anymore, so I didn't. But I know some people can have discontinuation syndrome so you should probably talk to a doctor about it.

For me, nothing in this world compares to Xanax withdrawal. It's a special kind of hell and if you don't do it right it can kill you.