Escitalopram 10mg.

hello simon, it's very hard to predict exactly what happens when someone takes antidepressants; some people might get certain side effects, while others dont. and some people respond better to one type of antidepressant but don't do so well on another; and then you also have to get the dosage right (so it is not too low, or too high). on top of all of that, you have to have time (weeks, into months) to adapt to them, and many people might feel worse at first when starting on antidepressants before feeling better, because your body needs to adapt to them, and so will often at first not feel good (eg. side effects) while changes inside you occur.

I have taken several of the different antidepressants in the past, at different doses, and personally speaking (keep in mind though that everyone is different), i found that escitalopram and sertraline are the 2 which agree with me the most.

it's really up to you if you want to give it a go.  i think for a lot of people, if they really hit rock bottom, they try antidepressants, because at that point you feel awful anyway (kind of a 'things can't get any worse' situation, or 'ok i need to try anything and everything to get well again'

perhaps a good idea is to try lifestyle and diet changes first, and if nothing seems to help, perhaps try antidepressants? give it some thought, and of course keep in mind, if you start antidepressants and change your mind, you can always just come off them (it's just a case of tapering off them slowly, so it is a smooth transition).

Hi Simon. i have been on escitalopram for over 4yrs at 15mg daily taken in the morning. they work well for me - keeping my anxiety & depression at bay & keeping me as the real me. i am 45 & have had prolonged bouts of anxiety/depression since aged 19. most ad's will give you initial side effects for 2-4wks which are helped/minimised if you start on the lowest dose. these include tiredness (a feeling of sedation), small pupils, increased anxiety particularly in the morning, feeling of worsening depression, dry mouth. all of these disappear within 2-4wks normally. this may also happen each time you increase the dose. you WILL know when you have reached the right dose as you will feel more like yourself. with each dose you need to give it about 4-6wks before increasing to the next notch in dose to be able to get to the optimum dose for YOU, & give it a chance. obviously you dont want to take more than YOU need & everyone is different - some people need more, some less. I would give it a go, what you could do is split a 10mg & take half for the first week then go upto 10mg for 4-6wks & see how you feel at the end of that period. if you dont find it enough, then you can talk to your doc about increasing to 15mg. Of course if you have any terrible thoughts when starting this med you must immediately see your doc, but this is very unlikely to happen. Take care , & let us know how you get on. x