![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by maggiemae on September 17, 2011, at 10:22:46
I am planning to get off 10 mg Lexapro and 15 mg Remeron so that I can start EMSAM. At my next appointment with dr. I will get his suggestion for the taper schedule. Thought I would ask here for advice.
Will I attempt to get off both at the same time, or do one at a time?
I am fearful of insomnia without the remeron, so I think he will let me take xanax XR to sleep during the taper.
I have been on this combo about 10 months. I have survived getting off effexor (found out that hell has a subbasement - it was not pretty), so I am prepared for the discontinuation syndrome, and knowing I will get to the other side eventually should get me through...
So, my main question is do I taper both or one at a time? Or do I even taper the remeron? Less is more (sleep) with remeron, I have heard.
thanks!
Posted by Phillipa on September 17, 2011, at 10:39:19
In reply to Taper schedule for Remeron and Lexapro, posted by maggiemae on September 17, 2011, at 10:22:46
Was told the same about remeron does it work for sleep for you? Didn't for me. Can as don't know take remeron with emsam? If so maybe could continue that? Phillipa
Posted by bleauberry on September 17, 2011, at 17:53:38
In reply to Taper schedule for Remeron and Lexapro, posted by maggiemae on September 17, 2011, at 10:22:46
I think in contrast to the horrible withdrawal you had from effexor the withdrawals from remeron and lexapro could be bad but not at all in the same league as effexor in that regard. Both will probably have some nausea, malaise, off balance a bit, difficulty sleeping, fogginess, and anxiety. Not for sure, but those would be the ones I would expect from those meds just based on personal experience.
The speed at which you wean off the meds will ultimately be determined by how tolerable it is to you. If it seems smooth enough and not what you expected then you can probably wean down fairly aggressively. If it seems a lot more troublesome than you expected, then you can adjust by decreasing in smaller steps (customize the pills, it's easy) and staying at each new lower step a bit longer.
I did a similar wean years ago and reduced both meds at the same time until I got to a low dose (2.5mg lex, 7.5mg rem) at which time I continued weaning off lex but kept the remeron. The remeron helped with the sleep, appetite, and anxiety. Remeron actually became more potent as a sleep med in the 7.5mg range than it was at 15mg or 30mg. I finished remeron later.
Anyway I guess you'll just have to see what fits your comfort zone and go with that. I'm sharing some things that worked for me. Nothing is painless, but I made it as smooth as I could for myself. For me lexapro wasn't that hard to get off of but remeron took some time.
Posted by Phillipa on September 17, 2011, at 21:03:36
In reply to Re: Taper schedule for Remeron and Lexapro, posted by bleauberry on September 17, 2011, at 17:53:38
I just stopped the remeron one day didn't want to pay for it. Phillipa
Posted by maggiemae on September 18, 2011, at 12:49:16
In reply to Re: Taper schedule for Remeron and Lexapro, posted by bleauberry on September 17, 2011, at 17:53:38
thank you! This is encouraging. When I went off effexor I didn't have any other meds on board to help out (like xanax or kloopin), so I suspect I may have an easier time if I can get some relief from the worst as I go along. I wonder how long the whole taper and then washout before I can start EMSAM will be? Trying to decide whether to start now or wait till after the holidays...
> I think in contrast to the horrible withdrawal you had from effexor the withdrawals from remeron and lexapro could be bad but not at all in the same league as effexor in that regard. Both will probably have some nausea, malaise, off balance a bit, difficulty sleeping, fogginess, and anxiety. Not for sure, but those would be the ones I would expect from those meds just based on personal experience.
>
Posted by Kathryn Lex on September 22, 2011, at 22:40:42
In reply to Re: Taper schedule for Remeron and Lexapro, posted by maggiemae on September 18, 2011, at 12:49:16
Hi Maggie,
If you're still following this post I strongly suggest that you start tapering AFTER the holidays. But that's me: I always get horribly stressed around Thanksgiving and Christmas. If the holidays are a breeze for you then any time would probably work well. I just had to chime in on this post because I tried to taper of Lexapro last December and it was a nightmare.
Best of luck!
K.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.