[andallwaswell_again]

when i first started i felt the same way i wanted to feel great the second it went in my mouth but u have to give it a little time to start working. I've been on lexapro for a little over a year and it has really helped me. If you feel that something else would be better for you you might want to talk to yor doctor... what exactly is the reason ur taking it??? like depression or what?

[pfd572]

I used Lexapro for about 3 years and only problem I had was weight gain, lots of cravings, but helped pretty well. Recently, my neurologist put me on Cymbalta for depression, neuropathy, fibromyalgia. Now that is a HORRIBLE drug. After about 3 weeks I started have major wishes to die, non-stop crying, lethargic, stomach pain, leg cramps, nausea-major, to name a few side effects. So I would suggest trying the Lexapro and stay away from Cymbalta should your doc suggest. Good Luck. Everyone reacts differently.

[shotty1]

I just took it for the first time last night.. it made my stress enduced anxiety worse.. I could not sleep at all. Should I continue to take it? Any advice out there?

[clarkrrt]

Can anyone share their experiences with starting these meds?
I started 0.5mg Klonopin on Tuesday to "get my nerve up" enough to try the Lexapro. Years ago, I tried Effexor/Prozac which both were activating to me.
It made me panic after the first dose. The klonopin is relaxing but not helping with my social abilities if you will. I've never taken anymore than advil and I'll admit, I am scared enough taking klonopin much less adding another med.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[clarkrrt]

Originally Posted by shotty1

I just took it for the first time last night.. it made my stress enduced anxiety worse.. I could not sleep at all. Should I continue to take it? Any advice out there?

My doc advised that it would cause increased anxiety for two to three days. She started me on 5mg initially. Please let the group know how you are doing.

[catie25]

I started taking lexapro about 5 weeks ago. After a few days I had a bad reaction of feeling very panicky (and have not felt like that before at all) even at a low dose (2.5mg). But I didn't want to give up on the drug so my doctor had a good suggestion: break your daily dose in half and take one morning and one night (both times with food). You are still taking in same mg/day but just breaking it in to 2 doses. Doing that really seemed to help. Insomnia was also worsened at first but I am now sleeping much better for the most part. I know lots of people have had a hard time tolerating lexapro but I have to say it has really helped me so far. I have increased the dose to 7.5mg/day (5mg morning/2.5 night) and I am doing great....keep me posted! I like to hear others experiences with lexapro.

[Veronica001]

Hi, My name is Veronica (23 yrs. old) and about a week after New Years this year I had my first panic attack. My son and I (3 yrs old) were sitting in our apartment watching Chicken Little (a common thing for us to do on the weekends), and all of a sudden my heart started racing, I had cold sweats, and my mind was racing and I felt like I was going crazy. I felt like if I didn't get out of my apartment at that second that I would lose it. I called my parents who live about 30 miles away and asked if they would pick us up. My mom said my gma had panic attacks when she was younger and this may be what I was having. I refused to go to the hospital for what seemed like a 'mental problem' so I had her drive us to their house. This is already a long story so to make it short I ended up basically living at their house for almost 2 mos. I was scared to come to my apt. thinking that this might happen again. (While I was staying with my parents I still had a few milder panic attacks.) After a couple 'pointless' counseling sessions, I met with my doctor and she had me start on Lexapro for GAD and panic attacks. This was early February. I was also one of those people that was TERRIFIED of having to be on medication especially for a mental health problem but if you've had a few panic attacks you know that after a while you're almost desperate to do anything to feel like yourself again. I'm taking 10mg/day and have been for about 2 mos. now and I'm sooo happy I finally went to a doctor and got treatment for this. At first I had a little bit of drymouth but nothing a little water couldn't take care of. And at first I had a little trouble sleeping but I think that was just because I was so scared in general of having to take meds for a mental health problem that I couldn't stop thinking about it. All in all I think Lexapro was the best thing that's happened to me since I started having these attacks and maybe it's not for everyone but if you're as desperate for relief as I was it's worth a shot. In no way do I feel like a 'zombie' or not myself, I feel like for the first time since January I DO feel like myself, and the last month or so I haven't had any symptoms whatsoever. If anyone reading this has anymore questions for me about Lexapro or wants to talk about anxiety/panic attacks PLEASE feel free to ask or email me. I know I was embarassed to even read about my disorder let alone talk about it but trust me I know what it's like but it's better in the long run!
Take care,
Veronica

[clarkrrt]

Veronica,

Thanks for sharing your message. It helps alot. Did you start at 10mg or titrate your dose up? My doc gave me a script for 10mg but advised me to break them in half to start. I was even thinking of starting at 2.5mg if I can figure out how to get that accurate of a dose from a 10mg tablet. Best of luck and thanks for the advice.

[grasshoppersusan]

Originally Posted by clarkrrt

Veronica,

Thanks for sharing your message. It helps alot. Did you start at 10mg or titrate your dose up? My doc gave me a script for 10mg but advised me to break them in half to start. I was even thinking of starting at 2.5mg if I can figure out how to get that accurate of a dose from a 10mg tablet. Best of luck and thanks for the advice.

Hi. I started on 10mg and stayed on it until the last week or 2 of tapering. I have known people to take 5mg though but most psych people say 10mg is the lowest therapeutic dose.

[dehemmin]

With a long history of depression, I've been on virtually every SSRI and a couple of different MAOIs at one time or another. Lexapro has been the only medication that has really helped me.

I took 70mgs a day for over a year and am currently taking 80mgs a day. Initially I had a few side effects, but they wore off after a few weeks.

The important thing with ANY anti-depressant is to give it a few weeks at least before you give up on it. Often you feel the side effects before you feel the benefits. In the long run the side effects go away but the benefits stay.

[bking126]

I understand that a lot of people have had rough withdrawals and vent about it here, so I just wanted to pitch in my two cents to those of you who are just starting on it. Don't panic. (There, that'll be two pennies!)

I took Lexapro for about a year, under supervision of my family doctor and my therapist. COMMUNICATION with your primary care person is really important, and I recommend keeping notes if you can on how you're feeling -- it will help you AND your doctor know whether the medication seems to be working for you. We did it as simply as rating my depression on a scale of 1=10, and me giving her a list of any new side effects each week.

I didn't have any major side effects during "ramp up" other than jaw pain (muscle tension) and dizziness. While taking it I had some weight gain but for me that was just much less important than the fact that I was now able to get out of bed in the morning and get through my day, actually interact with other people... care about my life.

But anyway, I want to bring some balance to this thread. I read the lexapro withdrawal threads, and scared the ******************** out of myself, but in actuality... not so bad. No worse than banishing any other steady-dose chemical from one's system. I weaned very carefully and slowly because I was terrified. The dizziness and the jaw pain came back a little bit... I had a couple of days where I felt more irritable or moody than "usual.." and since then I have really been okay. My libido, well, I guess that's not as vital to me as it is to some (and that's fair!), it has taken some time to 'recover,' but the affection and the happiness are there and I'm finally in an emotionally healthy relationship again so really, that's more of a priority for me. With exercise and paying attention to what I'm eating the weight has come back off and I'm feeling FINE.

So. Again, to sum up: Don't panic.

...breathe...