jon stackhouse

I want to get off the medication. I've been on it for about 4 months, I
feel like it has helped my mild depression substantially, but now the
mind-numbness and ***ual side effects are really getting to me.

how do I go off the pills? Do i have to ween myself off? can I quit cold
turkey? What is to be expected when I do go off? Withdrawl symptoms?
depression?

Thanks,

-Jon Stackhouse

tg

Jon,
I'd like to know your description of "mind-numbness". I'm on the
Lexapro liquid-VERY low dose, though. As for quitting the med it
would best be handled by a dr. I really wouldn't quit cold turkey.
You have to figure all of these med take 4-8 weeks to work so you may
want to wean for a while. There was a recent article that they are
beginning to believe that AD meds stimulate some brain cell growth
which in turn help them work. As for me just when I think I'm ok and
don't need meds, I wean off have a 2 week honeymoon of happiness, then
start crashing. Everyone is different though. Maybe you could
investigate a lower dose or something else.
Tom

jon stackhouse

Tom,

I am a musician, and this is what i noticed before and after the Lexapro:

Before lexapro: - I lost interest in playing. Whereas I used to play at
least an hour a day, as I got depressed it was more like an hour a week.
But when I did play, it was still creative and original, albeit rather dark.
During lexapro - I regained my interest in playing, but I experienced a
noticable drop in "creative juices." New, original ideas just failed to
come. I didn't notice this so much in day-to-day living. i.e., I didn't
start to speak with shorter words or anything. I asked an artist friend of
mine who also used Lexapro about this, and he reported similar results.

That's all I meant about mind numbness. I've never heard of the Lexapro
liquid. What dosage is it? I'm on 10mg a day.

Thanks for the rest,
jonathan stackhouse

tg

Jon,
It's just a liquid form. Whereas I'm very sensitive to AD's I
generally have to be on smaller and more controllable doses.
The liquid does this for me. The basic starting dose is 5ml and build
from there after 2 month of building to 4ml we may have to cut back a
little. Couldn't do that with pill form.
Tom

marshall norton jr.

I'm having the same symptoms here. I'm a musician, I play piano and
organ in a regularly-gigging band, and I'm feeling totally uninspired
in my playing. I went through long periods of not playing music at all
before I started getting treatment of any kind for depression (first
CBT starting about three years ago and lasting for a year and a half,
and more recently Lexapro 10 mg) and now I'm playing again, but I'm
just not into it like I used to be.