What Causes Diarrhea Inspite Of Tapering Off Lexapro Slowly?

Posted on Sat, 24 May 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 24 May 2014 Answered on

Thu, 12 Jun 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Im begining to slowly lower the dosage of lexapro i went from 20 to 15mg for 1 week now im experiencing diarhea is this normal me and my wife eat the exact same thing nothing happen to her.

Answered by Dr. Manisha Gopal (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
yes, it will subside 10-14 days, eat well

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
yes , the diarrhoea can be related to lexapro withdrawal, espically when you are sure of not eating anything which could have triggered it.

This is not seem commonly but 15-20% patients do have it.
Best way is to reduce the dosage by 2.5mg only at one time. Usually this diarrhoea and other withdrawal symptom go away by 10-14 days by itself and nothing special is required to be done.
The withdrawal is usually harmless, though troublesome to the patient experiencing it.
You should try to maintain fluid intake and eat regularly.

Further reduction should be after a gap of 4-6 weeks, so that body is adjusted properly to this low dose.

I hope the reply is useful for you.

Feel free to ask more questions for clarification.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Psychiatry

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad