Can 5mg Escitalopram work?
Posted , 2 users are following.
hi all, i was taking regular citalopram for a few months (20mg) and found that although i felt improvement in depression, i was way too sleepy feeling on it, and needing to sleep in the daytime too often.
i switched to escitalopram 10mg (been about 5 weeks on that), and noticed although i am not as tired with that med (but still a little tired), i get the common side effect of vivid/too many dreams/over-dreaming, and then waking up with morning anxiety. i probably could live with the increased dreams if it wasn't for that horrible morning anxiety feeling i get, along with difficulty wanting to get out of bed.
i'm thinking now the only way i am going to reduce the vivid dreams/morning anxiety is to go even lower than 10mg of escitalopram, so am thinking of going to 5mg, but do u guys think it is worth it, i'm just wondering if taking 5mg won't be much better than taking nothing at all.
0 likes, 4 replies
susan69457 sun47
Posted
Hi Sun, sorry to hear you are having trouble settling on escitalopram!
I too was on citalopram but it just didn't work effectively! I started on 5 then 10 and am now on 15mg o escitalopram which is the best dose and the longest I've been settled (since last August) and I still have dreams but they are not so vivid and distressing! I find 15 is the most effective dose for my anxiety and I am much more relaxed and myself on this dose. I do get a little tired during the day (not every day) but I find it a small price to pay!
Hope this helps, Sue 😊
sun47 susan69457
Posted
a shame as apart from the side effects i imagine escitalopram would be very good otherwise
susan69457 sun47
Posted
Hi Sun,
I see you have been on the 10mg for 5 weeks, it may be that you need to give it a little more time? You should ask your dr as sometimes upping the med rather than going back down can work and settle you! It always took me about 6 weeks on every dose change to settle until I reached the 15mg and then everything was loads better! Don't get me wrong I still have weird dreams but whereas before I would get anxious about them I now know it's just a side effect of the med and when your mind can accept that, you won't feel so anxious and get other symptoms! I got everything from feeling nauseous on waking and shaking, jelly legs, neck and head pain, loss of appetite and now I don't!
Perhaps see your Dr before reducing as I know how you feel but to settle you might need to up it, it may be better than going back to square one!
Keep in touch, Sue 😊
sun47 susan69457
Posted
Hi again, actually i did an experiment last night, i had some trazodone left from the past and so i took half of a 150mg trazodone pill before bed (i take the escitalopram on waking up).
the trazodone stops the morning anxiety for me, so that's good! the downside, i was sleepy all day and slept for some hours today
so, i think i will take less than half of the trazodone pill tonight to see if that helps, and continue to stick with 10mg of escitalopram for now.
i did have the funny dreams last night again but as you said, because the anxiety was reduced by the trazodone, i'm not really as bothered about them (i probably shouldn't complain really because they are not nightmares or bad dreams).
so for now i will continue with 10mg escitalopram each morning, and around 50mg trazodone at bedtime.. and hope for ongoing progress and recovery, as well as settling down of the side effects, over the coming weeks and months.
Onwards and upwards for us both then Sue.