i cut my lexapro/cipralex dosage in half (to 2.5mg) 7w ago and have been experiencing paresthesia (prickling, burning, cold, puns-and-needles feelings) on my scalp. i was on this ssri for 10y, and i am aware that i am going to have a tough time coming off. i am wondering if anyone else has had experience with antidepressant withdrawal syndrome and if you have also experienced paresthesia. if so, how did you cope? & how long did it take to resolve itself? thanks ?

NarrowNoise

Date posted: 5y

When I suddenly cut off Prozac, I felt emotional numbness for about 6 months until I went back to normal.

Anonymous

Date posted: 5y

6mo?! that’s so long. how long were you on prozac?

pureolife

Date posted: 5y

Why did you cut it in half? Was that the dosage reduction recommended by your doctor? Dropping by half can actually be too much too fast for a lot of people. Especially when you’ve been on your meds for a long time. I’ve found the following help with discontinuation syndrome: fish oil, niacin (time release), a daily vitamin, extra sleep (+1 hour of what you normally sleep), healthy diet with healthy fats, daily exercise (especially yoga for the meditative quality,) and a daily mindfulness practice. Also, reduce or remove alcohol for awhile.

pureolife

Date posted: 5y

Also, this website is incredibly helpful: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/ And they provide a lot of info on tapering: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

Anonymous

Date posted: 5y

i have been flip flopping between 5mg and 10mg for 10y! last january i decided to go off because i felt too numb. everything was fine by the time i tapered off in june. my energy was back, and i was happy for the first time in years! by september i was having a lot of physical symptoms that i could not control, but anxiety was not one of them. i was still happy too, but the physical sensations became too distracting. my doctor put me back on 5mg in september, but we decided to go back down to 2.5mg in december because i became numb again. now i’m starting to feel some physical sensations again, but i’ve read that they can take months to go away. this time, i’d like to power through it, but i’d like to ease the symptoms until they clear up. thank you for the recommendations! i’m going to cut out alcohol, add sleep, and add supplements. i already excercise 4h/w but i’ll try to do 6h/w.

synesthetic

Date posted: 5y

Hey there, I have had some really intense withdrawals from various medications. I would say all in all the time it takes for your body chemistry to reestablish a kind of equilibrium seems to really vary person to person. Most of my withdrawal periods have taken around two months to start feeling like I was experiencing fewer symptoms. SSRIs are really tough. I had a lot of fever-like symptoms. Shaking, pins and needles, sweating, nausea. I was easily winded and quick to panic. Couldn’t seem to regulate my body temperature. Burning and cold, to use your words. I drank a lot of water, tried to stay mentally active, go outside frequently, and record my symptoms so that I could easily track my wellness. Do you journal?

Be a part of the largest OCD Community

Share your thoughts so the Community can respond