First day on Escitalopram?

Sorry about the late reply! If you're talking about Ativa, I started tapering off 3 days ago. Have a good day :-)

Hi Darla, I'm doing fine thank you for asking - still taking 10 mg a day. Have a great Wednesday! 

Yep, you'll feel less of the side effects as the days go by, just stick with it. As for me I'm doing fine thank you! Good luck.

Hi Hana

just checking in to see how you are doing.

I am on week two of escitalopram after swapping from 3.5 weeks of citalopram with only getting worse.

Now trying to stick it out with the escitalopram and taking ativan to help with the severe anxiety.

Especially in the mornings.

hope your still well.

andrea .

You are going to be fine! This is a good medicine; your well-being is more important than any job. I’m surprised you started out with the highest dose (20 mg) normally the recommended starting dose of Lexapro is 10 mg once daily. If the dose is increased to 20 mg, this should occur after a minimum of one week.

My doctor had me on 5 mg for 5 days then I went up to 10 mg a day & have been ever since, you will feel some side effects the first 3 weeks, but most will diminish after if not all, also your doctor should’ve prescribed about 1mg a day of Xanax or Ativan for one month to help with the Anxiety side effect, I had Ativan to get me through. I did experience most of the side effects you’re having now at first.

My advice is to take the med in the morning if possible

Drink plenty of water

Ask your doctor to lower the dose to 10 mg for at least 2 weeks

Xanax or Ativan for one month. 1 mg a day (½ in the morning, ½ in the evening)

This medicine will work but it takes 6 to 8 weeks to be 100% and you have to believe it will for you.

Best of luck to you. Always think positive! Your life is full of happy things.

thank you much. my doc gave me .5 kolonopin (spelling?) to help me but tells me to take it at bed time to help me sleep. i cant seem to shake the headache ive had all day & i am so nervous for work tomorrow..

tomorrow actually marks one week since my anxiety has been out of my control, i have always had it, but it got so bad last week and this is where I AM.

hoping all stays well with you and thanks for the reply.. ❤ i need the reassurance that this is onoy helping me. i just cant believe its making me feel this bad lol

Yes antidepressants have bad side effects, j would lower your dose, cut your tablet in half, that's what I would do, see how you cope, I had bad sweating on escitalopram that was only 5 mg, now on Citalopram not so much sweating week 3, 10mg but it's not helping my anxiety at all, but that may be that I am menopausel,

after reading kate cogs i am determained to give this one 12 weeks. instead of changingvevey 4 to 6 weeks. on pristiq now 50mgs for 3 weeks. horrible morning anxiety.

Has anyone had the side effect of no emotions and hopelessness.

No matter how hard I try to stay positive I just cant seem to do so and have feelings of dread like I am going to die from this.

Its been 4 long weeks.

just wondering if anyone else is suffering from the same thing.

also I am currently on 20 mg of escitalopram after being back of citalopram for 3.5 weeks and side effects getting extremely severe to the point of mental breakdowns.

i had no side effects on them but they didn't help me might not have given them enough time. i am on PRISTIQ 3 weeks yesterday. THEY TAKE A LONG TIME TO WORK FOR MOST PEOPLE

yes these meds take a long time to work. but they do work. i have been on a few different ssris in my life for anxiety. i have always started feeling better around 4 months and recovered around 6 months . and you always have to go through side effects at first. if you change you med you will go through side effects, if you change you dose you will go through side effects. so hang in there as long as you can with one med and one dose. it takes time for you body to adjust to it. read some of katecogs post on fluxotine or cit. she also has a blog. great stuff!!! she is great ! i was on 40 mg prozac for about 8 months and now i have currently been trying 30 mg prozac fluxotine for 6 months . it helps with anxiety and that is getting better, but has hurt my stomach - heartburn and such and that side effect is bringing on anxiety. the other ssris i have taken is paxil and zoloft/sert and they didnt hurt stomach like this prozac has. i beleive ive given prozac plenty of time. so im thinking of taking lexapro or zoloft / sert. l know everyone is different with these meds.

positive suggestions only please!

thanks

why do they always say it should be working much quicker. zoloft was good for me for a long time. i always feel more anxiety when i first wake up. took a genesite test and pristiq was reccommanded for me but who knows its an snri. i have to take a benzo in the am cause of the anxiety. i tried prozac for 8 weeks maybe i gave up too fast.

i dont know why the drs say that . but for me and most people on these forums (prozac) it takes months . i m fortunate that i found this web site forum because you learn from people that are really going through this. maybe drs are trying to be optimistic i dont know? but people that have gone through it really know! but remember everybody is different on their time to recovery.

its so hard to be patient when you are having anxiety and then the side effects give you more anxiety!! i also feel better in evnings and afternoons . as time goes on you will get better mornings will become calmer. you will forget about the benzo. just keep taking med. same time everyday. keep going. read katecogs anxiety blog!!

hang in there!!!

how do you see her blog

I just swapped to Venaflaxine ER 35 mg (generic for effexor) yesterday from being on citalproam for 3.5 weeks and Escitalopram for 4 days but suffering severe anxiety which Escitalopram is supposed to help with.

Dr said she wanted to swap me because she felt it would work better for the panic and anxiety.

After reading Katecogs I am wondering if i should just stick it out with the citalopram and take the Hydroxyzine for the anxiety since I was 3.5 weeks in.

The main thing it says is to accept the feelings as they will pass and stop questioning.

THATS EXTREMELY HARD your brain just does it. But i have to try. I am four weeks back into this and feel no different at all but apparently that can be normal for even weeks more.

Anyone ever try EFFEXOR?

so it really took you 3 or 4 months to get better. Last night i felt good and today its back headachy tired and frustrated. i will keep on there is no choice

so you had side effects for a while its hard to tell if it is the drug or anxiety.

i took zoloft for 20 years at 50mgs worked great for 20 years than stopped so i have been trying others. lexapro did not work for me.

go to web and search katecogs blog anxiety cycle

i cant type address here or they will moderate this post. i can message it to you if you want?

yes

what you are experiencing is normal. these meds have side effects that usually go away in time. they dont work like tylenol for a headache. your body has to get use to it. i have went up real slow before and it helped with side effects. like 5 mg for two weeks then 7.5mg, then 10 mg etc. every one is different. if i take the full dose at first it will throw my body all out of wack! if you are taking it for anxiety its best to go slow

the side effects dont just stop at a certain time they just gardually go away.

the same with recovery you dont just wake up recovered you gradually get better every month every week and every day little by little. they say weeks but count it as months dont give up unless you just cant stand it. all these have side effects so if you change to another then you will go through side effects again . you will think its you and you will never recover but try and be patient stay busy. i struggling still some but im better! i go to dr next week! praying we make rt decision

havent tried it personally but its in same family ssri and snri

the way i understand it they all work about the same

and it depends on what side effects you can stand. i do know people that take effexor for anxiety.

i have gone a place for good info to emedexperts to compare these meds. check it out!

andrea

stick it out if you can. youve got to try and go for a few months. i had a side effect being sleepy and non energetic off and on up until around 4 months. if you start another you will most likely go through it again. i can only tell you my experience

hang in there!!

thank you brian. you give me hope:

why did you go off sertraline?

i hurt my back 18 years ago new 15 ounce premature baby girl . stress etc . had lots of anxiety . dr put me on paxil . worked great 13 years . but i started feel tired and not wantingvto do anything anymore so i decided to come off the paxil and started feeling better but the old anxiety came back. started zoloft . i had been taking 75 mg sertraline for about 5 months feeling good. and we went through a tornado and i started getting very emotional after i took it in the morning. now somewhere in there dr moved me to 100 mg. so i dont know if being emotional was caused by stress or dosage change. looking back now i think it was dosage change.

anyway i decided to try and come off of it. i came down very slow and around 37 mg anxiety started coming back so i started back up to 75 mg and of course what happened side effects anxiety and anxiety. i went to dr and he changed me to cymbalta because it may work better with back pain which i have. and i abandoned that med after a few months.

i didnt give sert long enough second time. i have learned so much from all of this . with the paxil and first time on sert i gave them plenty of time and they worked. we have to give these meds time to work. if we go to dr and complain they will do what they know to do adjust or change you med. and everytime you do you will go through side effects! i used to deny that i had this . it helps that i accepted it and im learning all i can about the anxiety and the meds.

im learning to be more patient. the prozac has been working except for stomach problems side effect. so you see im taking prozac for anxiety its hurt stomach which is giving me more anxiety just a cycle. ive given it a year or so and thsts the only bad side effect that didnt go away. dont know what drs gonna say this week . but we can come down on dose , change to zoloft or change to lexapro ?

sorry for long story!

lynn

these meds work for anxiety and depression we know this. you took it before so you know it will work again. recovery takes time.

brian

I just pray my emotions return soon and that these obsessive thoughts of death go away.

If I could at least get some of the emotion back and find interest in doing anything I once loved that would be a great help and distraction while I recover.

#prayingforallofus

andrea

anxiety causes us to think negatively . stay busy hang with friends and family and excercise. sleep good 8 hours and eat right. its so hard i know . ive got to plan something to do for saturday and sunday or ill be sitting around worrying and obsessing. you will get through you will start seeing improvement little by little.

did you check out katecogs blog ?

brian

Thank you Brian

I am trying to stay positive and stay busy. My son just got home and my cousin just got in town.

I am two days on the new med and at this moment I feel great. I know this will pass as I always wake up so so so bad with the anxiety no matter how much i try to prepare the night before.

I did check out out Katecogs blog and love it. Thank you for sharing! I have already read so many of the threads.

SO SO helpful!!

is your anxiety worse in the morning?

the pharmacist just said my antideressant should kick in fully at six weeks i'mscared

lynn it is worse in morning

much better in afternoon

lynn yes it may take that long to kick in. you still have to recover . everyone is different . it has always taken me around 6 months to get back to myself. what ive read is if you are treating anxiety it takes longer to recover.

the pharmacist just told me i should feel all better in 6 weeks now i'm scared nothing will work

yes mornings are the worst its 3 weeks 5 days now