Posted , 6 users are following.
It seems from various posts etc that escitalopram causes a lot of anxiety at start up. Has this been worse than other meds iin people's experience? It is one I have thought about trying but have severe anxiety so am getting a bit scared. Also have a dodgy stomach can it affect that too?
0 likes, 9 replies
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don45258 stephen85422
Posted
I've been on escitalapram for 2 1/2 weeks now and Ivan say the starting period is no way near as bad as some of the other ad's I've had but everyone's different it trail and error with all ad's
Good luck 😃
janny30255 stephen85422
Posted
everyone is different but I did have some added agitation when starting. Doctor prescribed low dose Ativan/Lorazepam which helped enourmously. For the most part, it was a very easy start up period and totally worth whatever discomfort I felt at first. Re the stomach, the first itme I took it I had an upset stomach and decided to take mine at night before bed with some yogurt so that I'd sleep through andy stomach upset. Worked like a charm and I'm still on that routine long after the stomach upset has resolved. When I did get the odd stomach upset, I had accupunture which got rid of it in mintues. Seriously.
Don't let the fear of start up side effects dissuade you from trying something that could be just what you need. There are loads of positive experiences wiht escitalopram out there. It's been a Godsend for me!
don45258 janny30255
Posted
How long was it before you felt the full effect ?
Did it help with your intrusive thoughts ? (If you had them ) 😃
susan69457 stephen85422
Posted
sparrow01 stephen85422
Posted
hello stephen, start up anxiety seems to be very common yes, i had it, and a friend i have who started taking it also has the startup anxiety. i take mine in the morning, and my friend takes hers at night before bed. the anxiety for us is worse on waking up, and gets better as the day goes on.
my startup anxiety lasted a month (same as my friend), but it doesnt mean everyone will have it. another good alternative to escitalopram is sertraline, so that's another one to try if you dont get on with escitalopram.
start slow on escitalopram. i started on 10mg, and my friend started on 5mg. you can increase the dose if necessary every week or two (you should increase the dose (if necessary), when the side effects have eased from your current dose you are taking.
as of 2 days ago, i have increased to 30mg. (i have been on escitalopram for about 4 months now). 20mg for me was good, but i still had some negative thinking going on. i'm doing very well on 30mg so far. no worries at all for the last couple of days. it's really good when a thought comes in my mind which would have bothered me before, but now, i just think to myself.. "who gives a sh*t". and smile. i have absolutely zero anxiety now, no depression, and feel strong, and normal again.
escitalopram can be a slow road for many, but you will get used to taking it. dont start on a high dose so as to make the journey to feeling normal again a smoother ride.
keep going ok, i feel ace now and so will you. escitalopram will destroy that thing inside you which stops you feeling normal and making life impossible, but it can take time. it might take months, or it might take weeks. it doesnt matter, just keep going until it works ok. you'll be fine once you have given it enough time to work (which varies person to person), and you are taking a dose suitable for you (which varies person to person).
looloo43 sparrow01
Posted
Hi sparrow. I must warn you the MAX daily dose of escitalopram is 20mg. I am worried for you that you have gone upto 30mg - did your doctor tell you to? I think you should see your doc urgently & take the patient info leaflet with you - it says the max daily dose if 20mg, & my own doc has told me that before too. I would hate to see you overdose on them causing other serious problems. xx
sparrow01 looloo43
Posted
hi, thanks very much for your concern but i did my own research before deciding to go above 20mg. there are various trials (official clinical trials) of trying higher doses on patients who do not respond to 20mg, and it was found that a number of people who did not respond to 20mg, DID get results going to 30mg or 40mg instead. it's not an uncommon thing to do.
i must say i have absolutely zero side effects now on 30mg. im sleeping very well, and not tired at all in the daytime. no weird or abnormal dreams. no changes to diet, no upset stomach, no headaches, no sweating, no anxiety, no dizziness, and not even any sexual side effects (i did get some of these side effects for the first few months of taking escitalopram though, but they have passed now). i feel ok. i dont think i would go above 30mg though, although to be honest im thinking i probably would be ok on 40mg if i wanted.
i will see my doctor in a couple of weeks (i will certainly tell him about my higher dose.. he wont have a problem with it though, as i remember in the past he's already said he would allow me to go a bit higher than 20mg if necessary).
to summarise, in my opinion some people may need a little more of a type of medication than other people. eg. people who have depression which is perhaps slightly resistant to medication (and of course you find people at the other end, who are very sensitive to medication, so they need less of a dose than others). i think it is all about finding the right balance for each individual
looloo43 sparrow01
Posted
Sparrow you sound very sensible & intelligent. Please do talk to your doc about it when you go next though. perhaps get your pulse & bp checked too. I would hate to see you have adverse effects like a seizure or heart problem or fainting. All my best intentions with this post, & I do understand what you say. Take care. xxx
sparrow01 looloo43
Posted
ok thanks and hope you are well