Decreasing Dose/Quitting Lexapro

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I've been taking Lexapro (for depression and anxiety) for the past couple of weeks and one of the possible side effects is the intensifying of suicidal thoughts, which I've been experiencing. I'm thinking of halving my dose or quitting it altogether as it's begun to really worry me.

I will be asking my doctor about this anyway but I'm just wondering if anyone here has had any similar experiences. If you did quit it, did you get any nasty withdrawal symptoms from it? Thanks for any helpful answers.

A couple of weeks is not long enough to settle onto any SSRI - ideally you need to be looking at over a month.

But if suicidal thoughts are increasing, maybe you can't wait another couple of weeks. Or don't want to.
Increased suicidal ideation in the first few weeks of taking any AD is moderately common.

I've not taken lexapro, but have taken citalopram which is virtually identical. Stopping (after 6 to 9 months) was easy for me with no ill effects. My experience is that stopping SSRI's (except seroxat) is easy.

Advice? Reduce the dose and see how you feel in a couple of weeks.

Okay, first and foremost, you're a valued person and we care about you.

I have struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide.  I have not yet tried antidepressants.  What I have read is that tapering the medication instead of stopping abruptly is important.

Maybe you could go down to 2/3s or 1/2 on your own and then move your appointment forward?  Now, the thing is, if you call to change the appointment, the person could see be as big a bureaucratic idiot as any other time, and the fact that you have intensifying of suicidal thoughts doesn't phase them in the least.  Try and take a deep zen breath.  Now, they are technically right, in that my internist told me that it's suicidal thoughts combined with a present plan which constitutes a medical emergency.  But they're not likely to know this either.

There's one other area where zen may help you.  Don't give the thought extra power by trying to push it out of your mind, nor try and hold onto it.  Of course this can be easier said than down.  

I've never had a good experience with any psych med. The side effects are too unpleasant.
Anyway, there is great evil behind the propagation of psych meds. Don't trust big pharma!

You wouldn't be saying that if you have actually had anti-depressant medication save your life. If it weren't for me getting on medication, I doubt I would be here right now. It's not a happy pill like uninformed people think, you don't take it and feel like your on ecstasy, you feel nothing. I still have thoughts about ending my life occasionally because of how bad things are going and how hopeless they may seem, but being on meds can actually help me prevent and think about anything before it happens.

As to the thread starter, you need to give your medication at least 6-8 weeks before getting off. When I first got on my meds I wanted to get off so bad because the side effects felt crappy like they would last forever, but then they just went away and now I feel absolutely no side effects. I take 40 mg of Celexa and 300 mg of Wellbutrin. Good luck.

Last edited by jcq126 on 10 Dec 2013, 2:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Having suicidal thoughts in response to an antidepressant is a very rare side effect, but it can happen. If you're having them, you need to call your doctor right now, today. Either they're because of the antidepressant, in which case you need to stop or switch; or they're because you have depression, in which case you need the antidepressant and an appointment ASAP. To tell the difference, you're going to need a doctor.

Two weeks isn't enough to find out if an antidepressant will work for you. But if you have unacceptable side effects, your doctor can try another one that probably won't have that effect on you.

I agree that it's a good move to call them as soon as possible. Now, the funny thing is, they may be helpful, and they may not. Try not to let it throw you if they're not.

The rest of you can believe what you want.
I had a family member who once worked at Pfizer, trust me, they are scum.
There have also been many whistle blowers and insiders who have revealed just how corrupt that industry is.
But, go ahead folks, love your zombie pills.

I have been on antidepressants for a long time. I did thinks the wrong way and I did things the right way.

One wrong thing was being passive and assuming the doctor knew everything. I did not communicate problems in a timely manner. He upped my meds until I was a zombie. I had suicidal ideation and even ended up getting committed, and my depression symptoms still did no go away.

The other wrong thing I did was blame my doctor for my poor experience with anti-depressants, stop taking them, and refused to take them for about 5 years. My depression got worse.

Finally, I did the right thing. I was proactive with my psychiatrist about the effects of the medication. I reports any side effects (mania, suicidal/self-harm thoughts) immediately. The doctor responded to this information and changed my medicine until my symptoms resolved. I have a comfortable relationship to my psychiatrist and my psychiatric medication now.

It is also important to get a psychiatrist who listens to your concerns. If the doctor doesn't listen to you, find another doctor.

I just came home after picking up another refill of Citalopram. I have been
on it for over a decade, I find if I go with out it for four or five days
I start to feel funny. My head sort of tingles or something and the world
does not seem right.
I for one am glad this drug exists. I would have stood a good chance of
killing myself. I also feel it lets me think clearer.
I know I am fully addicted too it and will be taking it till I die.
Be sure you need it before starting.
I have tried stopping, did not take for about six months or, so
and started be really aggresive to the point I was worried about killing
somebody or myself.
It almost seems I have been rewired.