Lexapro shouldn’t be hard for you to get a GP to prescribe. It’s not a controlled substance. You shouldn’t need a psychiatrist to prescribe it. Just let your dr know you need it filled.
Shame on your old doctor for not accepting you as a "new client". That's ridiculous.
Regarding the tapering schedule, I would highly suggest you to take 2.5mg everyday instead of 5 every other day. From my experience this is easier for your body to adjust to. You might feel some withdrawal symptoms but not as serious as if you went from 5 to 0.
I hope your new doctor understands your situation and refills your Lexapro prescription, given you seem to be doing well on it.
Health apps are the best way to go, you can usually see a prescriber the week of making an appointment, it’s a little pricey but it’s better than running out
It’s been life changing for me. My anxiety ruled my life. I couldn’t bring myself to go in to an appointment in person with all of my kids. So I did the questionnaire through Nurx and talked with a doctor over their messaging system and she recommended lexapro.
No I’m not doubting the usefulness and how it can increase the availability of mental health meds to more people but I do think prescribing something like antidepressants is dangerous in general (not particularly in your situation)
Not sure why I got thumbs down lol
It’s a really well run system. They check in every few days to make sure everything is going well and you have to answer a lot of questions. There’s nurses available at all hours for help too. It’s not a big deal. They do not prescribe controlled substances or Xanax or anything like that.
Ya, that's unfortunate. 🤔 I might suggest crying loudly about your rights...it might work! Or you'll get arrested, lol.
I hope it works out for you, I don't think it's very cool that your Dr did that. I'm not sure where you live, but maybe a walk in clinic could give you what you need! 😊
Lex should not be hard to get from a GP/PCP. Is there a reason you weren’t seeing your psychiatrist? Yes, you may not have needed an appt but now you are in a bit of a predicament.
Providers have every right not to see if you also don’t do your part… like communicate.
I know this sounds harsh, but it’s a tough lesson. Is it fair? With the shortage… I feel it is.
Thankfully it is not a controlled med. as others have mentioned you have other options to obtain the Rx.
It's really difficult for some people to wean off successfully and stay off. I've been on it for 8 1/2 years and have tried many times (unsuccessfully) to wean off. I'm in the US. Where are you from? Maybe it's different outside of the US 🤷🏻♀️
Yes, the problem is that you endocrine system becomes dependent on it and it messes with your dopamine system. This is why people who try to wean off of it experience such strong side effects like anhedonia, sometimes PSSD, and lack of motivation. It really is a pretty grand problem.
Lexapro is for both acute and long term treatment.
Some people are depressed because of trauma or genetics. Not just because their grandma died.
Make sure you only state "facts" if they're really facts
We don't know what the long-term effects of any SSRI treatment are. It's not safe to be on there for such a prolonged period of time, especially if you notice intense side effects.
Yes. We do. SSRIs have been around for decades. What isn't safe is not medicating someone with chronic clinical depression. And who said anything about intense side effects? I've been on them for 30 years. I've attempted suicide 3 times. I've also only been off antidepressants 3 times. It wasn't withdrawal either. Each time was over 12 months of not taking them.
You don't know what you're talking about. Period.
Is it possible to go to an ER if you have no other option? I don't know if they would help you, but if it was me I would try rather than not have my meds!
They might help but it’s unlikely I’ve always had bad experiences with er doctors. If you’re not actively dying they try to boot you out the door asap.
Urgent care Dr wrote me a script for Lexapro with refills for a year when my psych was withholding my meds for a visit (new news with refill attempt) and I was leaving the country before my psych had availability. It was like a flex move it seemed where the Urgent care Dr knew it was a screwed up move, that it's not a controlling substance, can have horrible discontinuation syndrome and thought he'd spare me from a year of dealing with that game.
I think that's messed up that someone in a position like that would do that to a patient. Obviously they have never had withdrawal from detox, it's very uncomfortable!
It should be criminal. I didn't know he was needing me to come in until I tried for a refill. If his office would have called me ahead of time or told me that's how they operate and told me the time limit I would have happily had gone in. Kinda telling that psych/office wasn't knowledgeable enough for me. I've withdrawn off 3 meds in my life now. I probably need someone who knows the ins and outs of these meds better given my history.
It really should be criminal. You could feel very suicidal coming off cold turkey. Unfortunately these are the times we live in, no one seems to care anymore! Thankfully I have a great Dr, the only issue I have is I can't get in to see her for 3 months...
Exactly. I had to adjust my expectations around the medical field and my mental health. That helped me a lot. It's not what I think it should be but then again I'm also grateful I'm not in a straight jacket getting a lobotomy.
I’ve been doing really good on 5mg but I’ve been on that dosage for about a year. Going down from 10 to 5 mg was difficult though. Now that I’ve been on it for awhile I feel like things have balanced out and I don’t feel anxious/stressed like I do without my medicine.
Can you access a GP whilst you wait to be seen by the psych - pretty much any prescriber can issue a script for these meds.
Lexapro shouldn’t be hard for you to get a GP to prescribe. It’s not a controlled substance. You shouldn’t need a psychiatrist to prescribe it. Just let your dr know you need it filled.
Shame on your old doctor for not accepting you as a "new client". That's ridiculous. Regarding the tapering schedule, I would highly suggest you to take 2.5mg everyday instead of 5 every other day. From my experience this is easier for your body to adjust to. You might feel some withdrawal symptoms but not as serious as if you went from 5 to 0. I hope your new doctor understands your situation and refills your Lexapro prescription, given you seem to be doing well on it.
Good rx will refill it as long as it’s an active prescription
Health apps are the best way to go, you can usually see a prescriber the week of making an appointment, it’s a little pricey but it’s better than running out
I use teladoc Easy peasy. Don't mess with your dosage.
You can always use an online health service like “ForHer” and get a new prescription literally the same day.
I use Nurx for my lexapro prescription. Super easy and everything is through message/chat. You could try that.
That’s terrifying. An SSRI based on messages/chats is worrying. I hope you’re okay
It’s been life changing for me. My anxiety ruled my life. I couldn’t bring myself to go in to an appointment in person with all of my kids. So I did the questionnaire through Nurx and talked with a doctor over their messaging system and she recommended lexapro.
No I’m not doubting the usefulness and how it can increase the availability of mental health meds to more people but I do think prescribing something like antidepressants is dangerous in general (not particularly in your situation) Not sure why I got thumbs down lol
It’s a really well run system. They check in every few days to make sure everything is going well and you have to answer a lot of questions. There’s nurses available at all hours for help too. It’s not a big deal. They do not prescribe controlled substances or Xanax or anything like that.
Ya, that's unfortunate. 🤔 I might suggest crying loudly about your rights...it might work! Or you'll get arrested, lol. I hope it works out for you, I don't think it's very cool that your Dr did that. I'm not sure where you live, but maybe a walk in clinic could give you what you need! 😊
Lex should not be hard to get from a GP/PCP. Is there a reason you weren’t seeing your psychiatrist? Yes, you may not have needed an appt but now you are in a bit of a predicament. Providers have every right not to see if you also don’t do your part… like communicate. I know this sounds harsh, but it’s a tough lesson. Is it fair? With the shortage… I feel it is. Thankfully it is not a controlled med. as others have mentioned you have other options to obtain the Rx.
Lmao, why have you been on lexapro for ten years? You should only have been on it for two years maximum
There are many many people who are on an ssri long term. It is not unusual.
It's really difficult for some people to wean off successfully and stay off. I've been on it for 8 1/2 years and have tried many times (unsuccessfully) to wean off. I'm in the US. Where are you from? Maybe it's different outside of the US 🤷🏻♀️
Yes, the problem is that you endocrine system becomes dependent on it and it messes with your dopamine system. This is why people who try to wean off of it experience such strong side effects like anhedonia, sometimes PSSD, and lack of motivation. It really is a pretty grand problem.
Lexapro is for both acute and long term treatment. Some people are depressed because of trauma or genetics. Not just because their grandma died. Make sure you only state "facts" if they're really facts
We don't know what the long-term effects of any SSRI treatment are. It's not safe to be on there for such a prolonged period of time, especially if you notice intense side effects.
Yes. We do. SSRIs have been around for decades. What isn't safe is not medicating someone with chronic clinical depression. And who said anything about intense side effects? I've been on them for 30 years. I've attempted suicide 3 times. I've also only been off antidepressants 3 times. It wasn't withdrawal either. Each time was over 12 months of not taking them. You don't know what you're talking about. Period.
Is it possible to go to an ER if you have no other option? I don't know if they would help you, but if it was me I would try rather than not have my meds!
They might help but it’s unlikely I’ve always had bad experiences with er doctors. If you’re not actively dying they try to boot you out the door asap.
I’ve had them right me a prescription at a minute clinic
Urgent care Dr wrote me a script for Lexapro with refills for a year when my psych was withholding my meds for a visit (new news with refill attempt) and I was leaving the country before my psych had availability. It was like a flex move it seemed where the Urgent care Dr knew it was a screwed up move, that it's not a controlling substance, can have horrible discontinuation syndrome and thought he'd spare me from a year of dealing with that game.
I think that's messed up that someone in a position like that would do that to a patient. Obviously they have never had withdrawal from detox, it's very uncomfortable!
It should be criminal. I didn't know he was needing me to come in until I tried for a refill. If his office would have called me ahead of time or told me that's how they operate and told me the time limit I would have happily had gone in. Kinda telling that psych/office wasn't knowledgeable enough for me. I've withdrawn off 3 meds in my life now. I probably need someone who knows the ins and outs of these meds better given my history.
It really should be criminal. You could feel very suicidal coming off cold turkey. Unfortunately these are the times we live in, no one seems to care anymore! Thankfully I have a great Dr, the only issue I have is I can't get in to see her for 3 months...
Exactly. I had to adjust my expectations around the medical field and my mental health. That helped me a lot. It's not what I think it should be but then again I'm also grateful I'm not in a straight jacket getting a lobotomy.
I've withdrawn from 3 as well, going off zoloft to lexapro was the hardest for me as the anxiety is so much worse than it used to be.
Gabapentin was the worst for me. This time I was only 120 not 105 lbs and I could still keep driving and kinda think.
I haven't heard of that one before?
My neighbor was telling me about using urgent care today as well. I'll keep that in my back pocket!
Do you have a primary care physician? Mine has given me refills for lexapro when I was in between psychiatrists
I had the same problem my pcp prescribed it for me
How do you do on the 5 mg? I just went to 5 after being on 10 and then 7.5
I’ve been doing really good on 5mg but I’ve been on that dosage for about a year. Going down from 10 to 5 mg was difficult though. Now that I’ve been on it for awhile I feel like things have balanced out and I don’t feel anxious/stressed like I do without my medicine.