Hi, I'm Yuliawithhope

April 13, 2026

My name is Yulia and I am 43 years old. In 2021 I was given high dosage of Nexium 40 mg in the morning and 40 mg in the evening for mild stomach pain after which I got anxiety and insomnia (never had that before). I stopped the med and then horrible heartburn came which I couldn't stop. Then again PPI and on top I was prescribed Cipralex (Lexarpo in US). I took it first time for 8 months , quick taper, after 3-4 months all symptoms came back but stronger plus the new symptoms added. I couldn't bare and went back on it. The dosage was raised to 15mg. Stayed on it for again 8 months and started tapering. Initially to 10mg and then at 10%. In Nov 2023 I was at 2,5 mg and (stupid of me) was not taking the dosage every day and , of course, withdrawal came. I got afraid and went back to 5 mg and it took me 4 months to stabilize. Now I think it was a mistake and I should have stayed at 2,5 mg and waited to stabilize. Anyway in Sept 2024 I continued tapering from 5mg and it I realized that 10% is too fast for me and I slowed down to 0.1 mg. And it went pretty well. No major symptoms except for fatigue. I came down to 2,2 mg in Jan 2026. And here I am. In withdrawal for 2 months. Here I wanted to get support.

Lexapro — 2,2 mg — 5 — holding | without clinician

5 Replies

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BasedStaffApr 13

Community AnchorEffexor

Hey Yuliawithhope, glad you made it here. Well be here to help you however we can. Dont be hard on yourself for prior slip ups, its human to do things the way you did. Its great youd recognized that 10% is too fast for you, thats half the battle! Now that you know your speed all you need to do is implement a plan! Try tracking your taper progress in the My Taper tab. Looking forward to supporting you.

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

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CatinaApr 13

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi @Yuliawithhope....a very warm welcome to you. Sometimes it can be hard to find our own rhythm when it comes to tapering. I've tapered too fast before myself, and it's not a fun experience. It's good you're taking things more slowly now, and holding when necessary. Listening to our body is so important. What symptoms are you currently dealing with? We're here to support you during your taper, so you're never alone in this. Catina ❤️

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.28 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Synthroid - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

JulesStaffApr 13

Community Anchor

"Now I think it was a mistake and I should have stayed at 2,5 mg and waited to stabilize. Anyway in Sept 2024 I continued tapering from 5mg and it I realized that 10% is too fast for me and I slowed down to 0.1 mg. And" — @Yuliawithhope

Hi Yuliawithhope, welcome to the community. We're happy to have you here. Don't think of your past tapering as mistakes. Think of them as practice runs, and practice makes perfect. Let us know how we can help 🙂

YuliawithhopeApr 14

NavigatorLexapro · holding

Thank you guys for such a warm welcome. The symptoms I am dealing with now are - insomnia ( i wake y up every night at 3 am and then cannot fall back to sleep), muscle spasm, lump in the throat, loss of appetite (forcing myself to eat), there were episodes of depression or anhedonia , fatigue, anxiety, pain in the stomach from right side (I don't know if I should visit a doctor to check this), recently burning in the throat (again i dont know whether it is reflux related or not and whether I should do anything with it). I cannot cry. I get easily stressed. I don't see any improvements at the moment and I am two months in. Is that normal when you taper properly at slow pace and does it mean that every other decrease will create this withdrawal?

Lexapro — 2,2 mg — 5 — holding | without clinician

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SteveStaffApr 14

Community AnchorEffexor · active

Hello and a warm welcome from me too 🤗 The symptoms you describe sadly are common and sometimes hard to deal with. As i see you are in low dosage range now, the med is finally starting to release from the receptors and this gives an extra pressure. It might need longer now between tapers. The symptoms might indeed reoccur in different intensities with the next tapers, but stay strong as you already made 2 months. For me the improvement comes relative quickly at some point, even though i often had times when i was just hopeless in the days and weeks (even months) prior. I tend to also have gut and acid problems with tapers. I used Talcid to calm it. Anyways, if the pain stays it‘s better to appoint with a doctor. Sadly, for me, many symptoms occuring while tapering are hard to distuinguish from serious problems in that moment (esp if you have prehistorys). But for me they all resolved again. I also wasn‘t able to cry for years, but it came back in lower dosages (sometimes more than i wanted) and then stabilized again. It‘s a rollercoaster. I‘m rooting for your soon improvement 💪👍

off Stimulants (2000-2013)
off Fluoxetine (2010-2013)
off Lamotrigine (2013-2016)
off Quetiapain (2016-2020)

currently Effexor — 33mg — 13 years (from 300mg) — actively tapering | with clinician

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