How can you wean yourself off Lexapro?

Weaning yourself off any anti-depressant without the direction of your doctor can be a horrible experience.
My doctor advised me to stay on the drug for 9 months, but the weight gain was fast and steady.
I weaned myself off Lexapro under his supervision by cutting my 10 mg tablets in half, and took 5 mg's a day for 2 weeks. I have been doing very well with this. I cried for a couple days while my emotions came back. What I mean there is anti-depressants can put a person in a monotone state as I was in. Not happy, not sad, and I was definitely numb.
Answer

Don't EVER wean off this drug or any such drug on your own!!!!! See your family doctor and they will go throught the process with you. It's usually a very few mgs. less every two weeks. Again, I can't stress you are playing a very dangerous game if you decide to do this on your own. Lexapro alters the brain chemistry and if you wean too fast you sure won't like it!

Good luck Marcy

There are no hard and fast rules about "never" doing something such as weaning yourself off a med. It depends on the person and how informed he or she is about the medication. This first response above told me that this person has good information that works for this particular individual. Someone else may not feel comfortable doing this on one's own, so the second approach, proposed by Marcy, is called for in such a case. And, Marcy: Don't think that a doctor is the best informed person in every case--I could cite for you cases on all my fingers and toes (plus more) where the doctor gave advice that was ill conceived, but was followed simply because the advice came from a doctor. A well-researched plan by a well informed person, whether the information comes from a doctor or not, is really what we all want in such a situation. I am a person who prides myself on being self-educated on a variety of subjects, not just what I studied in school. My self-education made me realize that edcation is a lifelong process--not a degree and a diploma. There are many doctors who consider the practice of medicine to also be a lifelong pursuit, and they stay abreast of the latest information. But with so much information "out there" now, no one can keep up on everything. Ther more I learn, the more I realize that I do not know. Specialists today are becoming "microspecialists" due to the plethora and depth of information and study which allows a woman or man of science to focus on one particular area of expertise.