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Posted 4/19/2015 12:39 PM (GMT 0)
My daughter attends a therapy program.

The psychiatrist, who she just saw for the first time, is changing her meds from Lexapro (no longer working) to prozac for the OCD.

I think the reduction was too fast for the lexapro, he wants her to go from 30mg to 10mg while taking 5mg of prozac for a week. Next week he wants her to stop lexapro and up prozac to 10mg.

On day 3 she is having so much anxiety and panic attacks. I asked her to call pharmacy and the pharmacist said the taper should be done kinder, reduce from 30 to 20 of the lexapro. So she took 20 lexapro last night and I am waiting to hear if she is a little better today. I don't know how long this will take to help her a little?

I think this was way too much of a med change! I haven't heard her like this before.

I'm not sure a out this center she goes to for therapy. Anyone heard of Insight in Chicago?

Post Edited (beckysmom) : 4/19/2015 8:44:55 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/19/2015 7:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

How long was she on the Lexapro for?

When weaning off any antidepressant it is best to do it slowly over a couple of weeks or in some cases months to reduce the withdrawal effects.

Unfortunately when changing medications it is normal to get worse before you get better again so it's important to use any self help techniques she has to help bring down the anxiety. Look into Mindfulness Meditation there are a lot of videos on youtube.

I have OCD and take 60mg Prozac and have found it to be a great medication in fact one of the best AD I have been on.

Hibee
Posted 4/19/2015 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
Becky all i know is Prozac is a good med, the wife took it for over 20 years. Peace

Larry ***
Posted 4/19/2015 8:19 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Hibee. My daughter Has been on a low dose of lexapro, 5-10mg for 8 years. In the past year, the psychiatrist at college increased her Lexapro from 10 to 30, so she has been on 30 for about 4 months.

The new dr. at Insight dropped her from 30 to 10 on the lexpro in 1 day! After 1 day on 10 of lexapro and 5 of her new med, prozac, she felt awful and sounded bad on the phone. On the 3rd day I asked to call the dr, she said she didn't have a number, he works through the program. So she called the pharmacy and that's when she found out it was too much of a reduction.

She sounded better this .morning.

She is going to speak with the people at the program tomorrow when she goes about this Lexapro reduction and increase of prozac.

She is not pleased with much about this program and neither am I.

Thank you for answering me!
Posted 4/19/2015 10:09 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Larry. I hope it is good for her, I want her to feel better.
Posted 4/19/2015 10:14 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like to quick of a taper for sure-maybe a new doctor is in order
It must be hard to see your daughter suffer like that-it would make me have my own anxiety attack..
wishing you both all the best
Posted 4/20/2015 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
Hello and welcome,

I am sorry your daughter is having a rough time currently.:(

Since she was dropped from 30mg to 10...but then given 5mg of another SSRI (the Prozac), she is essentially reduced her meds by half (30-20=10,+5mg=15mg total SSRI in her system) and that seems abrupt.

I am glad that you called her pharmacist, and hopefully she can let her prescribing doctor know that the quick weaning schedule was to abrupt...and it can be adjusted.

Best wishes to you both, and let us know if we can be of any more support for you.:)

Scaredy Cat
Posted 4/21/2015 8:52 AM (GMT 0)
Hi

Yes dropping from 30mg to 10mg is to much of a drop in one go I would of thought a better reduction plan would be to drop to 25mg for a week then 20mg for a week then 15mg for a week then 10mg for a week and at which point I would add the Prozac at a low dose then drop to 5mg after a week then stop after an other week. Remember I am not a doctor so she needs to talk things through with her pdoc.

Hibee
Posted 4/21/2015 10:43 AM (GMT 0)
So the dr finally called last night, with his kid yelling in the background, and he said it wasn't too much of a reduction and she must be sensitive to the 5mg of prozac. He told her to drop the prozac 5mg and stay on 20mg Lexapro(she went up to 20 after speaking w pharmacist) and to come in on Wednesday so he can add to the Lexapro, but not prozac????

That place sucks, the program and Dr. My daughter has put 6 weeks into it and hopefully will be finished soon.

Can anyone recommend a dr in Chicago for meds?
Posted 4/21/2015 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Beckysmom,

I am sorry that you are not having the experience you would hope for with your daughter's current doctor.:(

I am not familiar with your area, so I can't be of help in that regard...

...but am wondering if you can get a good referral from your daughter's (or your) GP? Perhaps even that pharmacist who helped you? Professionals network, so you may be able to get some recommendations this way.


Best of luck!

S.C.
Posted 4/21/2015 8:07 PM (GMT 0)
We are not from that area. We live in NJ. She is at school. Do you have a name of someone?
Posted 4/21/2015 8:48 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry I miss read your post. Thanks.
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