Switching SSRI's? and Lexapro Insomnia!

[AngelicLady]

I started back on Lexapro about a week and a half ago after having terrible withdrawals trying to come off of it. Overall I feel MUCH better and most of the withdrawal symptoms are gone, but, so far, I'm having a terrible time sleeping. I started taking Advil PM, but that seems to be working backwards now. Yesterday, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. Today, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. Without the Advil, I wake up around 2:00 or 3:00 and I'm wide awake with racing thoughts and anxiety. I'm hoping that this goes away soon. I need sleep because I'm a mother and a student with difficult courses. I have to be able to function. Anyone else having problems with this? How are you coping? If you did have problems with this, how long did it take before it stopped? I will not take a prescription sleep aid of any sort. I'm already addicted to Lexapro. I refuse to get addicted to another prescription chemical.

Also, if this insomnia doesn't go away within a month or so, I was thinking of switching to a different SSRI. Does anyone know if you have to be tapered off of one and then slowly tapered onto the other? I know they do the same thing, but they are different chemicals. The only SSRI I've ever taken is Lexapro, and I'm nervous about the side effects another one might cause. My mother had success with Prozac, but I know that everyone is different.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Also, thanks for just reading this. I think it helps with issues like this sometimes to just write it out.

[Rollercoaster]

I started back on Lexapro about a week and a half ago after having terrible withdrawals trying to come off of it. Overall I feel MUCH better and most of the withdrawal symptoms are gone, but, so far, I'm having a terrible time sleeping. I started taking Advil PM, but that seems to be working backwards now. Yesterday, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. Today, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. Without the Advil, I wake up around 2:00 or 3:00 and I'm wide awake with racing thoughts and anxiety. I'm hoping that this goes away soon. I need sleep because I'm a mother and a student with difficult courses. I have to be able to function. Anyone else having problems with this? How are you coping? If you did have problems with this, how long did it take before it stopped? I will not take a prescription sleep aid of any sort. I'm already addicted to Lexapro. I refuse to get addicted to another prescription chemical.

Also, if this insomnia doesn't go away within a month or so, I was thinking of switching to a different SSRI. Does anyone know if you have to be tapered off of one and then slowly tapered onto the other? I know they do the same thing, but they are different chemicals. The only SSRI I've ever taken is Lexapro, and I'm nervous about the side effects another one might cause. My mother had success with Prozac, but I know that everyone is different.

Any help is greatly appreciated! Also, thanks for just reading this. I think it helps with issues like this sometimes to just write it out.

Hello, I know what you mean about writing stuff out I take a herbal sleep remedy called Melatonin (3mg). Its not perfect and I think it gets more effective over time. But I am now successfully getting 6 hours sleep a night, up from 4.

[Jasminepetra]

I have tried to stop taking Lexapro because I get manic when I'm on it too long. When I get manic I can't sleep. I feel like I'm on speed. But then I try to quit taking Lexapro and feel like I am getting a deadly flu virus or like I'm dying. I start getting too depressed and feeling too angry. I have the opposite problem also. When I am withdrawing from Lexapro the inability to sleep good at all is gone. I actually sleep better when I am taking it. Sometimes I take 300 or 600 mcg. of Melatonin with my trazodone. That helps me sleep good sometimes. I was prescribed trazodone for insominia and anxiety. Hope you will be getting some good sleep soon!