Posted , 3 users are following.
Hey,
I'm on day 5 on 10mg cipralex.
I was very scared to take the pill having read all the possible side effects. I seem to have light headeness and just a tiny bit of nausea. But the most scary thing is that I find that my phobias and anxiety are a bit increased. Will this go away ? Should I persist taking it? I feel worse than before. Or I think I feel worse.
0 likes, 15 replies
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sparrow01 irene_9
Posted
hello irene, try not to worry because you are now on the path to recovery but will find that; now your SSRI medication is currently working on your body and mind (to get you back on track to feeling better), your system needs to adjust to these changes, so it's a very common occurance to 'feel worse before you feel better'.
as odd as this might sound, personally if i have been off antidepressants for a long time and then start taking them again, i like that the fact i feel 'worse than before' for a while, because this is the sign for me to know that the meds are currently working away on me and changes are occuring inside me, which will lead to me feeling much better (once i have adjusted to the new medication).
on the other hand, if i took an antidepressant and for the first week or two and did not feel any different at all, that would actually bother me.. ie. 'um... nothings happening'?? (and this would lead to me increasing the dosage, to see if that is what is needed for the med to be able to 'get started' and begin effectively working away on me).
so dont worry, try to not dwell on things or worry about what is going on inside you. it wont be long before you are feeling better ok
irene_9 sparrow01
Posted
Thanks so much for the respond! It gives me some hope.
It's very scary and hard though...it seems my motivation is non existent at the moment.and I'm scared very much. I pray it will get better. Did it cause you dizziness too?
killdogroad irene_9
Posted
sparrow01 irene_9
Posted
same here, you wouldnt believe the dizziness (vertigo) i got. it was VERY intense (if i moved my head, the room would spin around and i felt sick - like car sickness or being on a roundabout)
i had this episode of vertigo for about 3 days or so during the course of getting used to escitalopram. i did go to my doctor about it, and he gave me something called cinnarizine to help with the vertigo, but i ended up not taking any of it as the vertigo cleared up by itself after 3 days or so (and hasnt come back again).
motivation was a problem for me also when getting used to escitalopram. i really couldnt be bothered to do anything and didnt really have any interest or 'love' for anything. like the vertigo though, the lack of motivation has also passed and i'm doing stuff again now without it feeling like it is a chore or a pain, and i'm enjoying things again.
so give it more time irene and hopefully your start up side effects will ease, and then pass. and if not, as killdogroad has mentioned, you can switch to another med to see if that suits you better.
killdogroad sparrow01
Posted
irene_9 sparrow01
Posted
Thanks so much sparrow for your response I'm starting to feel better and most side effects are gone now. Yay a!!
I haven't felt still 100% perfect but I feel it's starting to work as my mood is getting better. I'm on day 10 now. I'm hoping to see more results soon
Ps: a big thank you to all here that support us and give us hope
looloo43 irene_9
Posted
Hi Irene. Don't worry hun! Like sparrow says, its your body adjusting to the medication. I am on escitalopram 15mg daily which maintains me as the real me-not sedated or anything - just keeps my anxiety & depression at bay at a maintenance level. When you first start taking any ad, you will experience some side effects as your body gets used to it. some people get more tired, more anxious, or depression may feel a bit worse. this can happen for 2-4wks roughly. it's best to start on the lowest dose like you are, try it for 6-8wks, then if you feel its not on top of the anxiety & depression, in consult with your doc go upto to the next level which would be 10mg(then try that for 6-8wks & so on). you WILL know in yourself when you have reached the right dose to be on top of your anxiety & depression. Don't give up too early unless you feel dramatically worse or have bad thoughts(then talk to your doc immediately). any ad needs a chance to see if its right for you in the long term or you could end up switching to another med before the first one has been given a chance to work. I am 45, & have had long bouts of anxiety/depression since my 20's. I have probably been on ad's more often than not. I have currently been on escitalopram for over 4yrs & it really does maintain me well without side effects. The long term aim is to keep you stable so you can get on with your life. Take care hun, hope this helps. many helpful people on this forum if you need advice,info or just to talk about it. xxx
irene_9 looloo43
Posted
Thanks so much Sue. I know I haven't responded earlier but your message really helped me to hang on. I'm on day 10 of 10mg and more side effects are over. Mild anxiety in the morning but it passes quickly. Im starting to feel more positive . I can't say I can see a dramatic difference as there are still things that I can't do or am scared to do but I guess it's a bit early. Nevertheless my mood is getting better definitely. I hope it gets even better by time!
looloo43 irene_9
Posted
Hi Irene, my name is looloo (not Sue), no problem!!! I a glad you are starting to see improvement. Stick with it & be kind to yourself. xxx
irene_9 looloo43
Posted
My apologies for the wrong name,I got confused probably
in any case thanks again for your support. Another thing I wanted to ask is, should I take the pill always at the same time ? The exact time I mean. Usually I take it around 12 but sometimes it can be 12:30
Does it make any difference ?
looloo43 irene_9
Posted
Hi Irene, no problem. my doc said to take it in the morning with brekkie - I have always done this. I think its because it sets you up for the day when most anxiety likely to occur, & you get better sleep if taken in morning. I wake at varying times due to other illness & whether I have taken painkillers the night before, & it doesn't seem to make any difference to me as long as I take it shortly after waking. xxx
looloo43 irene_9
Posted
sparrow01 looloo43
Posted
hi all, if anyone is wondering why one of my posts above was deleted, it was because i tried to recommend some depression/anxiety videos to watch on, lets call it 'the most popular video site on the internet' ..
ok anyway, i take my pill every day around the same time, but it doesnt have to be exact so dont worry (eg. sometimes i take it at 9am, sometimes 11am..)
i take mine with a regular or small sized banana. it's good to try to eat at least one banana a day, even if you dont feel like eating one or dont like them much. they do you so much good, including giving you good energy (without feeling hyper), and another thing they do is produce a natural anti-anxiety calming effect (but u dont feel tired or sleepy).
have a read on the internet about all the positive things bananas do for u folks
irene_9 sparrow01
Posted
I love bananas sparrow and usually I eat one a day! So I'm ok with that I suppose haha
Another thing is that for some reason since I started the med I stopped coffee or any form of caffeine thinking it would make me feel more anxious. Is that silly ? I think it's just me being over cautious or paranoid since I was scared of meds. I do like coffee and I was wondering if you have any insights to that matter as well, oh wise one
Be well xx
sparrow01 irene_9
Posted
hey, i dont drink coffee myself here, but like to drink tea. i dont like strong tea though so i only leave the teabag in for a few seconds
if you like to drink a lot of coffee, maybe you could try decaff coffee as that does still have some caffeine in it (about 9 times less than regular coffee i think)
but even so, i wouldnt have thought regular coffee should cause problems really. i imagine coffee might make you feel a bit edgy if you drunk loads of it, but a few cups a day isnt going to do any harm. i suppose like a lot of things though it's just a case of not overdoing it (eg. a big jug of coffee before bed haha)
personally im much more cautious with sugar than with caffeine, as i dont like the 'groggy' feeling you can get after too much sugar (eg. one of those big dairy milk chocolate bars