3 weeks on escitalopram,

hi sue what dose are you taking ? im on day 17

hi ' 'stewart' . It's so nice to 'meet' someone. I am now on day 23. New Years Eve. Ha! What a mess I am. Horribly emotional. New Years doesn't matter to me, but I did a lot of spontaneous crying today and I am not even sure why. But, I am going to keep on going through because the hope and promise is that it gets better. I will even call my doctor and ask if I can increase to 20 mg as I seem to have a high tolerance to medication and people on this forum say 10 mg is low.

I listened to one of my favourite musician/singers for a couple of hours tonight and it helped me while I puttered and did little things around the house.

How are you doing on day 18? How has your hop on the ride been so far?

From reading, it sounds like everyone struggles. Thank goodness I began it when I was sure I would have people around me. How about you?

Take care. I look forward to hearing from you...or ANYFRIGGINONE!! 😄

Sue

hi i just want to say how how happy i am that you beat cancer 沈 i know i hate that word too. To answer your question, from my experience from these types of medication is yes they do work, it can be quite up and down though.

even after months on it, you can really feel good and another back to how you was.

ive seen some people say it took them a full year for them to properly feel good everyday.

also i did a mistake on these because i was told by my doctor i would need therapy with these as theyre not miracle workers l. i didnt take his advice back then, but now a year on i realize i need to go back on them but try a different medication and im going to take therapy with them too. its all just a journey and we are all different.

i wish you good health and good luck in your conquest, i really hope things get better and things start looking up 😃

Hi Tom. That is good of you to write to me. I was just thinking that it must be 2.5 years since all the chemo and stuff and other recovery meds and they all list depression as one of the side effects. I occasionally feel a bit guilty and some shame about not just shaking it all off and being better. It is a very slow process and I am very tired of it. It feels like a slow crawl but it seems to be improving. I thought I would be back and applying for work and working and yet I can't imagine being that functional yet.

The Dr has put me on referral to a psychiatrist which will be a first for me. I have done Cognitive Behavioural Therapy before Covid and cancer just to deal with mounting grief, but my amazing therapist has retired since then which is ...depressing.

I am a faith based person and believe in the practical application of faith, trust, hope and, purpose, and life beyond this mortal world which helps, sometimes, to maintain and eternal perspective, but I also believe in medical and therapeutic assists.

I'm all for anything good, that helps.

Do you plan to go back on this medication, or another one? Did you stop it on purpose?

Let me know how your progress in your journey as I am available to 'listen' to what you type and will cheer you on.

Sue in Canada

hi sue, it sounds like its been very tough for you in recent years and i couldnt imagine what you have had to fight with but im glad your healthy now?

have you ever been on medication before this? i have 3 times and the last time i went cold turkey where i just quit the medication all together which is not ideal. but yeah im going through a therapy based which starts next week i believe to have a chat with them, but ive been told to maybe go on escitalopram which is better for anxiety apparently.

but yeah it is a slow process, i remember going on citalopram first time and didnt really feel they did anything up until a few months, i packed it in but a few years later i went back on them and felt like they helped quite a bit for the first couple of months and then it was all back down again. so it is a journey and i know they do help but im getting frustrated with the consistency. thats why im gonna mention to my dr about escitalopram as its supposed to be better and less side effects too. so maybe you just have to find the right one for you but its just gonna take a little bit of time tbh.

i felt shame when i first took them and i think i was early, mid 20's and im 29 now and dont get me wrong i dont like taking any pills but i look at it as my business and i dont share it with anyone else as long as the pills help me feel normal/happy again. thats a mistake i keep doing actually is when i do feel ok i feel like i dont have to take them, my dr says this is when the medication is working so please dont do what i did lol. even when you feel you're back to your normal self, you probably will feel like i did but please just stay consistent and keep taking them because if you dont then youll be back to sqaure one. thats just my freindly bit of advice 😃 anyway as ive written a long ass essay lol ill have to love ya and leave leave ya for now. take it easy Sue 😃

hi sue, hope you see this message but thought id see how you're doing, as ive recently logged back in to my account i noticed its been 4 weeks since i messages you.

so yeah hope everything is working out and if the escitalopram is finally working?

all the best 

Yes, I started on 10mg. I had been on 80 mg of paxil for a couple of decades but the last two years were rough ans even the add on meds to help make paxil work better weren't working any longer. The Dr and I weaned me off all of it to start on this stuff so 10 mg would not be uncommon for my cast iron constitution to start on. I hope I can move on to 20 mg before the first 30 days is done. I am very impatient to NOT feel like this. Those moments of feeling good give up hope.

Are you taking it for depression or anxiety? Is it perscribed for anxiety or does it just crate it for the first few weeks?

I can see why they warn about watching for suicide in adolescents. The moods are tough.

I felt better the second week and rotten the third week.

Here comes week four.

What were you doing when you felt good the other evening?

Sue

hi i heard paxil was hard to come of , i was on fluoetine for over 10 years 2 other times but this time i tried it i had really bad side effects but carried on 12 weeks because it worked before but it didnt this time. Escitalopram hasnt been bad for side effects but i have had increase in feeling down and anxiety. hopefully will start seeing some light soon as you know its a bad situation to be in and ive been like this 5 months now which im usually better by 6 weeks.

It always starts with anxiety with me and health anxiety which gives me ocd and depression.

Is it anxiety and depression for yourself

The other evening actually enjoyed spending time with my son which when you feel anxious its hard to enjoy anything

I'm ok. Better today. This life is a challenge and I am sorry you are going through all of this. It is certainly a genetic thing and I can't imagine how people did it without the hope of medication actually working.

Actually falling asleep is a nightmare for me right now. That seems to throw me off the most. I'm pretty positive I ma the ADHD type though that wasn't a thing back then. I am not OCD in general though we all have our little special little moments. I HATE TYPOS, and stupid people. Mostly I am surviving severe and long lasting depression. Ir started with bullying at work in 2014, going to court against the union in 2015 while basically in breakdown mode so I settled for about 1/4 of the money I was entitled to. Mad that I did once I realized they would actually have to produce the proof of what the jerk tried to call me on, (He was escorted out 5 years later.) VINDICATION!!!

I went to truck driving school (the big rigs) while still in depression and passed with 90%. Got work but my Mom was too sick for me to be gone for more than a day. Two years later she passes and 2 of 3 sisters were absolute hellions which made me so much worse.

I start applying for work again, Covid hits, they tell me I have breast cancer (small and operable) so I spent Covid getting Chemo and feeling sick for 18 months. I had to put my old cats down, live isolated and yah, a rough year climbing out of the hole and looking for a med that works.

Other side effects I seem to have are itchy skin, diarrhea, my left arm and 3 fingers go numb at night. Numb should mean to hurt, right? Gosh awful discomfort that I spend 30 minutes trying to rid myself of. Wake up dreaming of calling for an ambulance. Hip and leg pain at times.

Nightmares. MANY people in my dreams, many dead, some still alive. Interesting that I can discern if they would wish me well, or cause me harm in real life.

The good ones must be the angels, and our ancestors cheering us on.

I DID get outside with my ex and we walked two of the grandkids along a local stream. I don't find any joy in that alone anymore, but interacting with people helped. Interacting with you helps.

I hope you day was better.

Are you currently working? Would you qualify for temporary financial assistance? I certainly halve not connected the right dots over that here. I need FREAKING therapy, but don't we all at some point. I hope you can access that.

Hope you can see this one.

Later...

Sue

hi sue

it sounds like you have been through alot and i hope this medication helps. Im only on two weeks 6 days and only 6 days on 10 mg which im still anxious and feeling more down. obviously this is how it goes with these tablets but hoping for some positive moments soon

I think I am seeing a bit of a breakthrough. Today I was home alone, which has been my current state of affairs for the past couple of years (which doesn't help) and I felt BETTER. I did things. I put Christmas stuff away, I listened to music, I spoke to a friend on the phone. I am at 28 days now, I think and you are only a week behind me. Hang in there and go through. Let me know how today and tomorrow are. Are you working these days? Do you have to go out to do it? If so, is it a negative work environment?

How old is your son?

What did you dream about last night? 😃

Sue

Is there anyone else following along with escapitalpram (sp?)

issues?

hi sue

glad your getting some relief thats a good sign, for me because i started on 10 mg only 7 days so probably a bit longer than a week but you never know. I havent been working for 5 months since i had a break down, i was working for myself as a general builder so has been tough with no money. I have 3 children 2 boys one girl 18 / 16 then 16 months so a big gab.

Im feeling more down still but just got to keep going for the family.

yes i have good dreams on this lol and i hope your good days have continued

I think I have some good news, if not good hope. At the dentist ($$$) today I was speaking with the assistant about meds. She asked which one and she was SO excited when she realized I was starting on the same one she is on. She told me that it WORKS! She also said that the first few weeks were BRUTAL for her too but just keep going.

I mentioned not sleeping and told her I take 20 mg lorazapam to sleep at night. She said that Lorazapam was not strong enough for her. Her physician prescribed a stronger sleep aid but for only 10 days as they are addictive. I would suggest calling your doctor and asking him for a sleep aid as the insomnia is really tough.

She also said for a couple of weeks she was "just about crawling out of her skin" . I interpret that to mean, agitated, anxiety, depression, whatever it is we feel. Lots of crying one week. She worked while going through that and said she told her co workers that she was going through it and was very quiet during that initial period of adjustment.

I personally felt like my soul in screaming inside my chest praying for relief many times.

Though I didn't fall asleep well at all last night, I felt ok today

So, it sounds like this stuff may work and we just have to go through.

It is VERY difficult when you are this down AND self employed. Be kind to yourself and if there is a moment, talk about it with your kids. They probably know something is not right and are scared because they don't understand what.

I hope that reading this gives you hope that there IS hope on the other side of this four to six weeks.

Talk to your doctor about your sleep side effects. If you can get some sleep, you are half way there.

Look forward to hearing from you and how day number ____ treats you.

You are more than half way there. 😃

Sue

hi sue

thats good news i have seen alot of good stuff about the medication so fingers crossed.

I did have a prescription for lorezapam when i was struggling on the other medication and it really helped but the doctor wont give me any this time which is very frustrating because it would make things easier while going through this. I was tempted to get some online but i would be to scared to try it. I will keep you up to date on things. Try enjoy your day

Stewart

I also find that an allergy med pill works. Probably the same as over the counter sleep med but maybe worth a try. The one I occasionally use is 10 mg Ceritizine hydrochloride. I'd call and ask again and tell them that not sleeping is killing you. I actually sort of said that to the receptionist and got an immediate response as opposed to the "how about next week at 3 pm" that she first offered me.

Depends on how well the Dr knows you I guess. I have a new one as my old one retired. People get used to you and maybe don't respond to your desperation as they should.

Today was ok though I suddenly became very tired and sick feeling in the afternoon.

Hanging in there, I guess.

We keep waking up, don't we. 😃

Try to do three things each day, even if they are small things. Everything counts.

😄

hi sue

i tried 111 but no help really bad my anxiety is high and struggling. the doctor wont give me them he said to do breathing exercises i dont actually think they understand how bad anxiety can be. Was almost tempted to drink last night but i know it will raise my anxiety in the morning.

you ok sue i dont think the messages are going through

I'm still here. Are you? How have the past couple of days been for you? Improving I hope. I think we got in trouble. I hope they allow us to continue to compare notes on the antidepressant. I am about 30% better and will ask for an increase next week. How is your week 4 going?

Sue in Canada