Frequently Asked Lexapro Questions

Can you just stop taking Lexapro?

Just stopping Lexapro abruptly is not advisable. You probably have a 99.99 percent chance of having withdrawal side effects and some of those will likely be severe. Going back on the Lexapro does not always work out as before. It is common for the Lexapro to no longer work the same as it did before, and you wind up with lingering side effects. This is the thing that gets most people in trouble.

You want a nice slow gradual withdrawal from Lexapro.

A 10 percent reduction of Lexapro every 2 weeks works best. If you are having side effects with a 10 percent reduction, then you need to reduce the Lexapro slower.

Does Lexapro cause withdrawal symptoms?

It is very rare if Lexapro does not have some withdrawal side effect. Flu like symptoms you should count on. Other side effects will depend on your makeup and how fast you come off the Lexapro.

What are the side effects of stopping Lexapro?

Brain zaps tend to be the most debilitating of all the withdrawal. Brain zaps, dizziness and other head symptoms can be eliminated by taking the right omega 3 fish oil. Headaches and other side effects can normally be reduced if you slow down the taper.

When do withdrawal symptoms start after stopping Lexapro?

If you came off the Lexapro correctly, you could avoid Lexapro withdrawal side effects. They do not need to happen. If you did not withdrawal from the Lexapro correctly, you can expect several months of feeling the negative effects of the withdrawal.

How long do Lexapro withdrawal symptoms last?

To expand more on the question above; there is no way to tell how long the Lexapro withdrawal side effects will remain, after your last dosage. It could be a few days, a week, a month and in some cases your body and mind never feel normal again. This is why doing the correct Lexapro withdrawal is so important.

Is there a Lexapro withdrawal treatment?

There is Lexapro withdrawal treatment. A slow and gradual withdrawal from Lexapro is recommended. Slow and gradual means; a 10 percent reduction of Lexapro every 2 weeks. Never skipping days and taking the Lexapro at the same time each day.

If withdrawal side effects are too extreme, go back up to the last dosage you were feeling good at and remain there until stable again for 2 full weeks. When you resume the Lexapro withdrawal try and reduce by 5 percent for the next reduction.

Sometimes, there will be one dosage during the withdrawal that is more difficult to get past. Reducing slower at that dosage amount usually does the trick and then you can proceed again at the 10 percent reduction pace.

In 1999, it was found that roughly 50 percent of the people doing a withdrawal could successfully make it off their antidepressant with the above approach. The 50 percent that were successful still suffered from withdrawal during the tapering process and many went back on their antidepressant due to prolonged withdrawal. That is not good news for anyone and unfortunately it is still the withdrawal approach used by many in 2023.

You can use a few select supplements to help with the withdrawal side effects and, in most cases, you can eliminate the side effects from even starting.

Take omega 3 fish oil that is high in EPA to stop the brain zaps and most head symptoms. This is too simple for most physicians to even grasp. The right fish oil, at the right strength, with taking the right amount, will stop the brain zaps from even starting. If you have withdrawal brain zaps, it gets rid of them in a couple of hours in most cases.

Other supplements have been formulated to help get the JNK gene silenced again. These formulations help with the other potential side effects and again, in most cases the side effects will not even start if you begin taking them before the first reduction. If you are currently in Lexapro withdrawal, take them now and you will most likely experience a lessening or complete removal of existing withdrawal side effects.

How to survive Lexapro withdrawal?

You can survive Lexapro withdrawal. Take a deep breath and know you can survive. There is Hope and There is a Solution. If you are married, let your spouse know what you are going through. If you have children, let them know. Let your friends know as well.

Have a direction or a path you are going to follow.

Your physician may want to make an abrupt switch to a different antidepressant in the hope the new antidepressant will mask the side effects of Lexapro. That may seem like it is worth it with the hope you will somehow feel better. You need to look at the risk benefit.

If switching to a different antidepressant works and the Lexapro withdrawal subsides, you had a benefit. You are now on a different antidepressant and eventually you will need to withdrawal from it as well.

The downside or risks: The new antidepressant may make things worse.

Do you then go back on the Lexapro?

When you try to withdrawal from the new antidepressant will you run into the same thing you ran into with Lexapro?

Over the years we have found this scenario is the most difficult to overcome and often leads to a third drug being prescribed to help with anxiety and or insomnia.

How to wean yourself off Lexapro?

Instead of sharing with you the common approaches to wean off Lexapro, we are providing you a link that details how to wean off Lexapro. This is the most successful approach. Click here

What are the Lexapro side effects when stopping?

Click here and you will be taken to a list of potential Lexapro side effects. Any of these side effects can start when taking Lexapro as prescribed or during a withdrawal off Lexapro. There is no way to tell which ones may begin.

Unless you are taking the right supplements you should expect, brain zaps and flu like symptoms. The brain zaps are the most debilitating and the flu-like symptoms may be like the common flu on steroids.

How to stop dizziness from Lexapro withdrawal?

You need to take omega 3 fish oil. Nothing else will work and we do mean nothing. All the talk therapy in the world will do nothing, medication will not work, and the list goes on with all the treatments that will not stop the brain zaps. Click here to read more about brain zaps and what to do.

Weight loss after Lexapro withdrawal?

The chances are improved that you will lose weight gain caused by Lexapro, once you are off the medication. You should not expect any weight loss for at least 45 days after your last dosage of Lexapro. Two genes need to have the chance to quiet down and once that happens, insulin resistance may normalize, the metabolic disorder may balance, and weight loss can take place then with diet and exercise.

If weight loss will not start within 45 days after the last Lexapro dosage, then you still have an overly activated FTO gene and JNK gene and you need to do something different.

If you have been using this Lexapro Recovery program to get off Lexapro, and you were overweight due to the Lexapro, you most likely began to lose some weight during the Lexapro withdrawal process. The weight loss will increase once you are fully off the Lexapro.

I am gaining weight on Lexapro, what can I do?

You can take the supplements we recommend. Try diet and exercise first and if that does not work, you have no other option remaining. Click here for instructions.

How should I reduce Lexapro?

We have answered that in above questions and if you have missed those sections you can click here for a step by step method to reduce Lexapro.

Lexapro Dosages Click here
Lexapro Sex Drive

Let’s break this down into parts.

Before taking Lexapro, if you were gaining weight and you could not stop the weight gain; how was your sex drive? With 22 percent of those taking Lexapro experiencing uncontrolled weight gain, due to the Lexapro, that could explain why 22 percent of those taking Lexapro lose their sex drive.

“Not tonight dear, I have a headache” may be used in jokes but with Lexapro it is all too common.

Here is a suggestion; click here and read through the Lexapro side effects list and think of having sex if you have that side effect. Would you want to?

How to reduce Lexapro from 20mg dosage a day. Click here

How to reduce Lexapro from 10mg dosage a day. Click here. How to reduce Lexapro from 5mg dosage. Click here. Do you have a Lexapro Question? Send us an email info@lexaprorecovery.com