Lexapro Withdrawal Symptoms and How To Cope with It – Lexapro is an antidepressant containing escitalopram that belongs to a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). How escitalopram works has not been fully understood yet. However, this drug is believed to be beneficial tp treat anxiety problems in adults and also to treat severe depression disorders in older people and adolescents. But, before taking the medication, you should know that the consumption of this drug cannot be stopped recklessly, due to various effects that may occur after the withdrawal. You can find more information about Lexapro withdrawal symptoms in this article.
The side effects during the treatment
You need to know that antidepressant drugs can not work in an instant. To experience positive improvement and change, patients usually need to consume the drug at least one month after starting treatment. After that, you are not recommended to immediately stop the treatment without consulting your doctor. You may be required to continue the treatment with antidepressants for one to two years, depending on the condition and the level of your depression. In addition to the length of time required, there are also Lexapro withdrawal symptoms that you may experience.
More than 30% of people taking antidepressant treatment reported to experience some side effects in the early weeks. The most common side effects are nausea, dizziness, shaking, and sweating. However, these effects usually go away within a few days. Besides, there are also some side effects which are quite disturbing, such as insomnia, anxiety, panic, loss of sexual desire, and weight gain. In some very rare cases, antidepressant drugs can even encourage negative thoughts like suicide.
How to stop the medication
- First, you need to identify the drug you are using. Ask your doctor what psychiatric medication you are taking and how long it takes before starting to stop using it.
- Ask your doctor if your therapy has been successfully done. If it has, ask your doctor whether or not discontinuing medication will be more beneficial to you than to continue it.
- Try to use a lower dose. Before deciding to reduce the dose, you should firstly ask if you can split the medicine tablets in half. Find out whether or not dividing it into two can cause some disturbing effects.
- Understand the withdrawal symptoms. You should be prepared to experience some types of symptoms or side effects of the drug discontinuation process. That is why, you should make sure what kind of drug withdrawal is most likely to occur based on the diagnosis and the type of psychiatric medication you want to stop.
- Observe your own progress. Sometimes, Lexapro withdrawal symptoms appear after weeks or even months. So, as long as you try to stop taking medication, you need to check with your doctor regularly.
Read also: Antidepressants that Cause Weight Loss: Here’s to Know.
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