:( well this is my first and hopefully not last post. a little run down of my meds ; Lexapro 20mg (for approx. 1 1/2 yrs), Zyprexa (Same).
i basically came to this site in hopes of some advice and mutual understandings from people that have already been there and swiped a tee shirt. i have finally decided to ween myself off of Lexapro, after the way that i always feel and the medical journals and websites that i have read.

my symptoms (weight gain, zombieness, always, always, always tired, no emotions what so ever, no desire to do anything, erectile dysfunction, and so forth)

i have not taken Lexapro in about 5 days and already am feeling the hard-core manic depressive nature of the body ridding itself of this drug. my mind is starting and i do mean starting to awaken from a cloud, but i am scared of the effects to come. i have never been suicidal basically b/c of what it would do to my family and my religion. it just the other aspects that bother me, not wanting to go outside, to work, angry, sad, loosing my friends b/c they dont understand, ect. i would just like to become myself before this wretched medication.
well after the long introduction, my question is, what can i do to expidite the process of detoxifying my system and what can i do to alleviate the symptoms of depression. i really do not want to be a slave to this drug anymore and would like to know some homeopathic types of medication and relief.
thank you for listening and for the help:)

I weened myself off of lexapro a while back ...you can read about it here...
http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8932

Basically, I just had to ride out the withdrawl, and I was fine afterward. I'm not really sure whatelse to tell you, as we may have differing reasons for quitting the med. Personally, I just felt like I didn't NEED it anymore...that my ability to stay positive and whatnot shouldn't have to come from a medication....that the lexapro did it's job while I was on it, but it was time to move on.

I guess the one thing I can tell you is to drink plenty of water to flush it out of your system....plus you'll feel better regardless ;)

Hello Ukantcme, and welcome to the ADD Forums.

Given that you're already experiencing some of the symptoms of depression, and you're weaning yourself off Lexapro...I'm wondering if you're doing this under the supervision of your doctor? Coming off of depression meds on your own can be challenging at best, and dangerous at worst.

I had an issues a few months ago with my health insurance and ended up restopping Lexapro cold turkey. I didn't seem to have many problems stopping but I knew it wasn't a goo idea to stop taking it on my own.

When I had my appointment with my Nurse Pracitioner I told her about my situation. She was really surprised that I didn't get sick when I stopped taking them. She told me I could have called her about things and she probably could have given we a coupon for a free sample until I got my insurance situation fixed.

Like Big said, coming off of an SSRI is very serious. This is something that should be discussed with a medical professional.

I really do agree with Big and Living about quiting cold turkey without discussing it with your doctor. It's one thing if you are taking an anti-depressant like lexapro alone for dysthemia (mild depression) or seasonal depression and such and quite another when it's in combination for something more serious like "hard-core manic depression". You may not be able to predict what will happen - you may know how you felt and acted before you started taking the medication and you may know how you feel and act now, but unless you've done it before, you won't know how the CHANGE will make you feel or act! It's not wise to make decisions of this seriousness - it's your health, after all - without full knowledge of what to expect will happen. Your doctor is trained to know this kind of stuff and he's probably seen it before, so you should talk to him about it!
I know that sometimes people don't want to be honest with their doctors, or are afraid of bad news an such, but my point of view is that if there is only one person in the world I was honest with, it would be my doctor because his sworn duty is to help me live as long as possible with as good a quality of life as he can - and I really really want him to do a good job - and for that, he needs to know everything that pertains to my health.
Regards,
Greg

I do sleep more during the day with the Lexapro...but it is better than blowing up or having all the anxity that you get....why don't you lower your dose (ask you doctor about lowering it) If I miss a couple of days I get those brain quake things...I would not quit it cold turkey...and you may feel well for awhile..then when it is totally out of your system...you have a pit fall...really ask a doctor about it...Good luck!

I have no idea why pharmacuitical companies would want to make a drug that only elevates serotonin exclusively, and at the expense of Dopamine and Norepinephrine.

I don't think people realize that all SSRI's decrease Dopamine and Norepinephrine. Dopamine is needed for concentration, passion, alertness, and sexuality. Norepinephrine is involved in drive, planning, focus, alertness and vigilance. After losing concentration, libido, alertness, focus and drive who wouldn' be depressed?

I do realize there are some people who have too high dopamine and norepinephrine, and who the SSRI's are a miracle come true, but most people don't fit that profile.

The drug companies are realizing that all three neurotransmitters need to be balanced, and are seeking out chemicals which will elevate serotonin, yet keep them all balanced in the process.

It's not so much that they want to make drugs that exclusively target seratonin. They want to avoid drugs that are "dirty" like tricyclic antidepressants and have some pretty significant side effects.

Hmm....I never thought of Dopamine and Norepinephrine at "Dirty." Actually, the reason that there are not more duel and triple inhibitors is that they are very difficult to engineer. Effexor is a good example. It is a duel inhibitor, but to get the full effect of Norepinephrine you have to increase the dosage to above 200mgs. At that dosage nearly all the serotonin receptors are saturated, causing the worst of the side-effects you see with SSRIs. To hit the Dopamine you have to go up to 300mgs, and by that time the side effects are unbearable to most people.

I decided I wanted to just drop Lexapro last year. Bipolar Disorder, gotta love it!

Dr. told me to taper SLOWLY over two to four weeks. I thought I knew better since I had taken pretty much every SSRI in existence trying to get control of this.

I tapered over four days last July from about the first to the fourth. On the fourth of July I left the party because I felt sick, went home, got so dizzy I had to lay on the floor and couldn't negotiate the stairs.

I wound up in the emergency room. They were scratching their heads and I never really thought about the Lexapro but then I mentioned it offhand and the doc immediately knew what it was.

I was discharged, went home and took my usual dose and over the next couple of days I was feeling a LOT better.

Lesson learned: Maybe my psychiatrist has a medical degree for something after all.