Hi , I took 5 mg lexapro for 4 weeks then 10 mg for 8 weeks and 15mg for for 4 weeks , I'm now on week 4 of 20mg and while I'm starting to feel a bit better I'm still not feeling great , I'm getting very worried that lexapro is not going to work for me as I feel I have worked my way up through the doses without any success yet . How long more should I wait for it to work ? Any insight would be much appreciated.
How long does it take for lexapro to start working after increasing the dose?
Question posted by Samijoe on 12 Nov 2012
Last updated on 29 December 2017
Answers
Hello Samijoe. I understand. The lexapro is working, though not at the level you might want it to. I'd not give it to much longer. Its been over 4 months. You might ask your doctor to either prescribe you another drug, add another drug along with it, or increase the dose. Regards pledge
Thanks for your prompt reply pledge, . Does it take approx 4-6 weeks for each dose increase to reach therapeutic level, which would mean I would be best waiting another 2 weeks to see if the 20 mg kicks in (6 weeks in total ), I would appreciate any thoughts you might have on this .
Dosage increases don't usually take as long to be effective as initial therapy on an antidepressant. You might consider adding Wellbutrin or Abilify to your regimen.
No Samijoe. The drug is in your system and does not require another say, 4 weeks period of time to reach the theraputic level. My own opinion, I would ask for another antidepressant. Down side would be side effects to taking a new drug and the taper that will likely be used to ween off from the Lexapro.
Thanks for all your comments, ill make an appointment with my doctor tomorrow,
Thanks again guys it was great to get someone else's opinion as I dont speak to my friends or family about my depression, no one knows I have this illness except my husband .
You are most welcome samijoe. I certainly hope you do get to feeling better soon. Have a great week.
Hi Samijoe,
It's been over a year since you posted this. I'm going thought the same things and looking for encouragement. If you're still receiving these, how did you end up? Did the Lexapro ever work or did you have to switch? If so, what did you switch to and how is it working? Thanks
Thank you so much for responding to me. I really needed some input. I suspect you of all people know how desperate this can feel. Can you please answer a few more questions for me?
Is the Lexapro working well for you now?
How long did it take to take effect after your last dosage increase?
What dosage did you end up on?
How much xanax did you take everyday and how long did you have to do that?
Do you think I could give the lexapro more time? Tomorrow marks my fourth week at 20 milligrams after six week at 10 milligrams. I was going to call my doctor appt for a change tomorrow. But maybe it would be better for me to wait a while longer.
Thank you so much again in advance for answer my questions. I'm really not feeling too well. I could use your kind input.
Hi j470. I can totally understand how you are feeling this depression business is really awful . You just have to hang in there, and be assured it will get better . Lexapro is a great med it can just take a long time to work .When I was taking 10mg lexapro I was constantly tired and slept around the clock .. I was just not functioning at all . I decided to go back to 5mg on my doctors advice and after about 3/4 weeks i felt my first improvement in months . I was able to get up , get back exercising etc . It was like taking the lower dose gave me the therapeutic effects but none of the side effects . It took 6 months for this improvement to happen . I took 0.25 Xanax when my anxiety was bad .. I would often only take half a Xanax . This I believe is a very low dose ... ( many people would say this would be so little it would have no effect but for me it worked ) perhaps it's because I'm a very petite person .
When I was very bad with lexapro startups I often took 2 Xanax a day . I still carry them around with me . I like to know I have my crutch if I need it , however this rarely if ever happens now .
You will get through this it just takes time ... Just go with each day and be good to yourself ... You will soon feel better
Hi j470 how are you feeling today ?
Not too well. Thanks for asking. My pharmacist convinced me to take my extended release Xanax last night and every night for a while. I'm feeling exhausted and very down. It's hard to make it through meetings at work. I get so confused. I don't if I should be toughing it out or asking for a change. I can't stand the thought of starting over again so I hope this starts working soon. I can't stand the thought of continuing like this either.
Thank you for checking on me. Again, very kind.
How are you feeling?
It must be so tough getting through the meetings at work... Could you sign off sick for a while ? It was all I could do to get my kids out to school and do their homework and get their dinner in the evening . My concentration was so bad and my brain felt foggy I couldn't even read a newspaper . But I came out the other end and you will too. .. The Xanax is a great idea .. It really helped me to to cope when I was feeling really bad . ... I kept the dose low and had no problem at all when I stopped taking it ( I took it a couple of times a week for 6 months ) Is their any chance you could take some time off work I really think it would take the pressure of you . You could then just concentrate on getting yourself better . Lexapro is working fine for me now. It took months but the important thing is my concentration and cognitive functions are all pretty good again and I'm feeling good ... You will be too ... I gave up on lexapro many times before as I felt it wasn't working but I'm so glad I stuck it out this time ..
I was taking 20mg of lexapro for a few years and my doc increased me to 30mg with Xanax 0.5 twice a day, I feel awful, I started the increase a week ago..I hate feeling like this as if nothing is going to get better and there is something wrong with me, I feel lost and left out, in a fog..how long will it take for the increase to help me?
The increases are always hard alright and I can relate so well to the feeling of being In a fog ... Your doing good if you have a week done .. When I increased my dose recently the start ups subsided in the second week ..
Hi Samijoe do you feel better now on Lexapro? I increased my dose to 15mg nine days ago I don't think it's made any difference so far. Do u think it's still early days?
I have increased my dose to 15mg a weak ago but not feeling great. but your discussion encourages me to stick with it. Thanks guys. I am hopefull now
Hello Faizan... how are you doing? How has the increased worked for you? Were you on a lower dose prior and wasn't effective?
My biggest mistake was changing lexapro after the 10mg lost its efficacy after 5 years. My dosage was increased to 15mg and I got worse. Instead of my doc telling me it's normal, he changed my med And haven't had any success with Paxil or Zoloft
Conkaia any updates?
I was on Lexapro 10mg for 2 month it was not working so to weeks ago my doctor told me to take 20 but I’m still having anxiety
I was on Lexapro 10mg for 2 month it was not working so to weeks ago my doctor told me to take 20 but I’m still having anxiety
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Further information
- Lexapro uses and safety info
- Lexapro prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Lexapro (detailed)
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