Hai,

thanks for writing in.

Nexito-forte belongs to a category of drugs called as SSRI's which are given for patients with sleep disorders, anxiety, depression etc., Usually SSRI drugs can cause withdrawal symptoms which you are experiencing now.

It is not advisable to stop the drug immediately. But the dosage can be gradually reduced. It might take weeks or months to stop the drug. Even then during the final stage of Nexito-forte withdrawal, you might need to be on some other long acting SSRI's (like fluoxetine) for weeks to prevent any untoward withdrawal symptoms. Discuss with your doctor and follow his advice.

Get well soon,
Regards.
Dr.P.Sathyadharan

Hi and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your question...

Nexito Forte is actually a combination medication - containing Escitalopram 10mg (an anti-depressant) and Clonazepam 0.5mg (a sedative). Anti-depressant medication do not have an addictive potential, but when stopped suddenly can result in withdrawal symptoms. Sedative medication, on the other hand, can have an addictive potential and withdrawal symptoms, which is why they are prescribed only for short periods of time and are tapered down and stopped thereafter. Your current symptoms seem to be most likely due to sedative dependence.

I am not sure whether you had suffered from any depressive symptoms (like low mood, lack of interest, decreased energy, easy fatiguability, negative thoughts, etc.) in addition to the sleep problems, which might have be a reason why your doctor felt the need to start you on an antidepressant at that time.

I am also not sure why you had to be on this medication (including the sedative) continuously for 2 years if you were doing well. By protocol, we usually advice periodic reviews to monitor improvement and if the patient is symptom-free and doing well after about 6 months to 1 year on regular medication, we then consider the option of tapering the medication (unless the initial depressive symptoms had been severe or there were recurrent depressive episodes)

My advise would be to taper down the medication gradually, as sudden stopping can not only lead to withdrawal symptoms but sometimes, can cause a relapse of depressive symptoms as well. Your doctor will be able to give you a tapering schedule and it may extend up to a few months, but it it safer that way. During this time is important to practise proper 'Sleep Hygiene' in order to get your biological rythms back in place. Exercise regularly, eat healthy and try to avoid stress. Also, keep a watch for any relapse of depressive symptoms, if any.

All the best.

- Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist

HI, WELCOME TO HEALTHCARE MAGIC. FROM YOUR QUIRY I CAN'T GET YOUR AGE, SEX, ABOT YOUR JOB TYPE. IT WILL BE BETTER THAT CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR REGULARLY, HE MAY ADVISED YOU TO TAKE NEXITO 20MG, THEN 10 MG, THEN 05 MG, THEN REMOVE IT OR CONT. ACCORDING HIS ADVICE, OK.