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After 15 years of taking an SSRI daily, I woke up one November morning and decided I wanted to quit. I surprised myself because I always swore I was going to be on it forever. I never believed I would be able to live a calm, peaceful life without my 10 mg of Lexapro every morning. But one day the thought of “Do I really need this crutch anymore? What is my baseline?” popped into my head and I just couldn’t shake it without at least trying so I did. In order for me to properly write this post, let’s start from the beginning shall we?
I went on 10 mg of Prozac when I was 17 years old because I had severe panic attacks while driving. It started off when I would get stuck at a red light and felt “trapped” and then it evolved into a whole phobia. It got so bad to the point where I had to have my mom come pick me up where I pulled over 10 minutes away from home. I tried a short stint of therapy, acupuncture, the whole natural route before deciding I wanted to take an SSRI. A few weeks later, I had zero side effects and felt like a new person. No more panic attacks, yet I didn’t feel numb or emotionless. I truly feel like it turned my whole life around and I will always advocate for people to take medication if they feel like they need it.
About 10 years later in 2019 I experienced the prozac poop out where the medication kinda just stops working. I was terrified to be off of the medication because I was going through a major life change- this was the year of the major breakup. Cliff note version: I was in a 6 year relationship, engaged, deeply unhappy and decided that I actually needed to be single and move to LA and completely change my life. Definitely NOT the time to get off of my medication LOL. I switched to 10 mg of Lexapro and here’s where I started having some side effects. I became really sleepy, gained a bit of weight and just felt kind of sluggish. I can confidently say that at the peak of my anxiety and panic, I would take those side effects any day for the relief the Lexapro gave me.
All of that being said and flash forward to November 2023, I felt confident enough to try and wean off my Lexapro just to see how I felt. No expectations and I was fully ok with going back on if I needed. I just wanted to discover how I felt being off. Since I had been on an SSRI since I was 17, it was hard to tell if I even needed the medication anymore or what my baseline was. I slowly tapered off 10 mg over the course of about 6 weeks and it wasn’t the most fun experience, but I did it! I am choosing not to disclose my exact taper schedule, because that is something that needs to be discussed between you and your doctor. I will suggest taking it slow to avoid major side effects.
I think most of you are probably here to hear about the side effects of tapering off an SSRI, which I definitely scoured the web to read about as well. Google is quite daunting, so try to avoid that if you can (easier said than done especially for my anxiety girlies).
Here’s a breakdown of what I experienced after stopping Lexapro:
I also didn’t really experience any side effects until I fully tapered off (so from 0.25 mg to 0 mg). These all lasted around 2 weeks to a month.
So now that I’ve been off for almost 6 weeks I can give you a glimpse into what my life looks like on the other side. What I thought would be living in a state of constant panic and worry, is actually a lot like the life I was living while on my SSRI. I am old enough now to know that a panic attack doesn’t mean that I am dying, or that a rise in anxiety is just a temporary inconvenience and the discomfort will always pass.
Here’s some of the positives I have experienced since coming off:
Overall, I feel at peace and like I am in the right place. I don’t regret the years I spent on my SSRI’s and I think it was an absolutely necessary step to getting where I am today.
There are supplements you can take to help with the side effects and make the weaning smoother. These are what I took, and there is science to back up the positive effects, but please talk to your doctor before starting any new supplements.
Here’s a list of the supplements that helped me with my withdrawal symptoms:
None of these links are sponsored or commissionable. Just sharing what worked for me! Also, I am not recommending you take all of these supplements every single day. Talk to your doctor and figure out what will work best for you!
PLEASE know I am just sharing my personal experience and everyone is so different. Talk to your doctor before making any changes in medication and please know everybody will have different experiences with this. I would love to hear from you all in the comments if you feel comfortable sharing about your experience tapering off an SSRI, taking an SSRI or any suggestions on how to make it easier.
xx
Useful resources:
SAMHSA’s National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
I love that you shared this. And love your recipes. 🫶🏻