Hello all. I am a happily married 29 year old female with generalized anxiety disorder. I have taken meds in the past (Paxil CR) that really helped but made getting off them a real night mare. I recently started taking Lexapro 5mg in the day time. Now, its working all the way up until about 10 pm and thats when the racing heart and thoughts start happening thus leading to me taking Ativan to sleep. Can someone please tell me some good news about these side effects ceasing after a few weeks? I don't want to be bounced from drug to drug. The drug does its job and then just stops. I talked to my doc and she told me to take the full 10 mg dose in the morning, which I did yesterday... same thing BAM!) 10 pm rolled around and it felt like I just got done running. Help me please! Give me some hope that this will stop shortly!!! thank you
Do lexapro side effects wear off eventually? I.E Heart racing, insomnia?
Question posted by scarjo on 20 March 2011
Last updated on 20 March 2011 by Reenah
Answers
I am sorry to hear about your anxiety... I am dealing with this myself and have on and off for years and I know how frustrating it can be.
Ive noticed that my anxiety gets worse at night when im laying in bed trying to sleep. my thoughts start racing and i wonder if i have accomplished everything that needed to get done, and also have thoughts like, did i lock the door? is the stove off? are the windows locked? this is common with anxiety disorders so in my opinion, its not side effects from the meds. also, if your doc is telling you to take 10 mg, i would split them up and try 5mg in the morning and 5mg at dinner time... that might just be your answer :)
Hey scarjo,
If you are taking the Lexapro in the am and are fine during the day until around 10 pm, my hunch is that it is not the Lexapro. If it was the Lexapro, you would experience the side effects during the day also. Do you have issues around sleeping at night?
If it is the Lexapro, then these side effects will most likely subside after you have been taking it for a few weeks. If the evening anxiety continues or becomes intolerable, please consult your doctor. Is the Ativan helping with the evening anxiety?
I wish you the very best and keep posting,
Laurie
Hey Laurie,
I have never had a hard time with sleep, in fact I am usually so exhausted from my days spent being on edge that I fall asleep around 9 every night (well, prior to the lexapro that is). The Ativan is not subsiding the symtoms, just knocking me out. I am wondering if I need a CR type med to keep me going through the night. I never had problems like this when on the Paxil CR but AM NEVER going back on that. Getting off that was like being ejected from a moving car! So, do you think I should give the Lexapro some more time then? I really appreciate your help. I feel so lost :-( I hate having to depend on any substance to make things better. Its so weird too cause my life in general is fabulous so its super frustrating to be dealing with something so debilitating.
I would stay on the Lexapro until your next appointment with the doctor, then you can have the doctor evaluate the anxiety. I really don't think it is the Lexapro since you only have symptoms at night, but I ain't no doc.
You might need a dosage adjustment on the Lexapro. How long have you been on it? It will take several weeks to a month to get the full effects. So hang in there. When do you go back to the doc?
I have only been on it since Wednesday the March 15th. I wont see my doc again until April 12th, but she is in contact with me. I am supposed to call her if the insomnia persists after a week or so has passed. What I am going to try is taking 5 mg in the morning and the other half around 2 pm to see if that works. If I still have issues after that I will make an appointment to go see her. I really want to stick it out cause as stated before I dont want to bounce from med to med. I really appreciate you replying to me and helping me! It makes me feel better :-)
you are very welcome an dI am here anytime you need to talk or ask a question. I think your plan is reasonable. Do not hesitate to call the doctor if the evening anxiety persists. The doctor needs to know anyway. I wish you the best of luck andd will friend you if you want to talk to me ever in private message.
Related topics
lexapro, paxil, paxil cr, anxiety, insomnia, generalized anxiety disorder, side effect
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