Is Lexapro at 7.5mg effective and should I wait 3 weeks?
Question posted by LexaHelp on 14 Aug 2014
Last updated on 27 June 2019 by stanislavski66
I am on 7.5mg Lexapro for 6 days now, could this be effective should I not wait and just goto 10mg? Positive responses please. I started Lexapro about 20 days ago at 5mg. After about 2 weeks, pdoctor increased it to 7.5mg due to my sensitivity to Zoloft that I was on (weaning off currently and down to 12.5mg). I lived a very happy and anxiety free life with only 50mg Zoloft and 0.5mg Klonopin for 12 years. I have been on 7.5mg for 6 days now, 20 days on 5mg, and I feel a bit better, but now sure how much better I feel. I still have worries about getting back to my life and work (I look off of work since my anxiety got pretty bad and it has been 3 months now). Anyone experienced positive results with less than 10mg? How long before I would know? And also, how do I know I am better? Worries about going back to work after 3-4 months are somewhat normal, but should I be worry free in order to know I am good and at the right dose?
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3 Answers
ST
stanislavski66
27 June 2019
I was on 5mg Lex for 8 years (2006 - 2014) It worked great. It pooped out in May 2014 and since then, I've been getting progressively more miserable. All the other SSRI's I've tried gave me bad side-effects and didn't work. I decided to go back on Lex since it's been five years now and my body will likely perceive it as a "new" drug. 10mg was too much (anxiety through the roof), I scaled back to 5, which helps but leaves some residual depression and anxiety. I'm trying 7.5 now (only my second day) There's no reason to believe it won't be effective. What the manufacturer recommends (20mg) as a therapeutic dose would be WAY too high for me. Good luck (although I'm replying to an old post :-) )
Votes: +0
JU
julian07
15 Aug 2014
I am going through the same thing like you I switched form 50 mg Zoloft to 5mg lexapro for 3 days now I feel like taking 10 mg sometimes thinking it's gonna work faster I been feeling a little weird. I'm off work to now going on two months. I'm also scared on when will I feel better. Or if I'm already feeling it.
Votes: +0
LE
LexaHelp
15 Aug 2014
Listen to your doctor BUT wait and see how you feel yourself as well. Most pdocs want to increase Lexapro to 10mg after 5 days. That is what the manuf. recommends but I have seen posts where people are on 5 and 7.5mg and is working well for them. My pdoc ask me to stay at 5 with my insistence and then after 2 weeks, increased it to 7.5mg because reducing Zoloft was giving me anxiety. I have only been on 7.5mg for 8 days, so I am still not sure how I am suppose to feel. Obviously after taking an extended time off of work, there is a lot on my mind, so I am not sure if I should be as relaxed as I was 4 months ago. These things easily take 3-4 weeks to fully get into the system and work. Knowing that I am only on 6mg of Zoloft still, I have to stay that Lexapro must have started to do something to some extent. I also just started taking it at night before bed (was taking it at 3:00pm before) since my morning anxiety is worst than evenings.
I was on 50mg Zoloft for 12 years with no issues. My anxiety got really bad when the doctor asked me to increase it to 150mg. Zoloft just does not work well on some people at higher dosages and I think after 12 years, it was causing me more anxiety than calm. Also, meditation and therapy are very important. Research has shown than meditation, 20-30 minutes a day can be as effective as medication. It actually increases serotonin levels in the brain. I think of it as if I am taking a higher dose of Lexapro by meditating, except the results are suppose to be long lasting. Hope this helps Hope we all feel better very soon. In fact, I know we will
BA
balbanese
14 Aug 2014
I was on this maintenance dose and it did work for me. My personal rule of thumb is 2-3 weeks before making any decisions on meds like these.
Votes: +0
LE
LexaHelp
14 Aug 2014
Balbanese,
When you say it worked, how did you know it is working. I have been outside of normal element, staying a different state for family support and on leave from work, so I am not sure how much worrying is normal and how much of it is due to anxiety. How did you feel? Also, how long did you stay on Lexapro? Was it the generic?
