Going from 10 to 20mg today.
Posted , 7 users are following.
hi all,
bit of background: i started on sertreline back in august and had horrible side effects even just on 50mg. i slogged it out for 12 or 13 weeks as it was helping my anxiety but one day i woke up and felt it was all back (the anxiety). i couldnt even think about a dose increase with side effects so bad so i switched to escit about 5 weeks ago maybe 6. no side effects on this and its helping a lot. unfortunately following the switch period and my anxiety coming back my relationship finally fell apart so im now dealing with all that too. im waiting for CBT and doing all i can in terms of self care but felt this week that i need to increase dose to 20mg - my anxiety is creeping in and i feel quite low, very low at times. now scared that ill get side effects!! anyone upped dose and felt ok?! i mean the start of this was fine so im really hoping. getting all the side effects again will suck so so bad! i guess im just looking for reassurance. i know nobody has the answer.
0 likes, 28 replies
andrea08357 Theanxious1
Posted
Hi there sorry to hear your having trouble.
I was on escitalopram for 7 weeks and had to get off as it did not help me though i know plenty of people that are doing well on it.
What dose are you currently on? Are you going up
of your own advice or did your Dr suggest it?
Just curious because sometimes these meds take time. I am currently on week 9 but switched back to my citalopram just last week.
Going up you should ask your dr. If you havent had any major side effects you should be ok but you just never know on these meds.
Best of luck to you!!
Theanxious1 andrea08357
Posted
hey thanks for the reply. the doc suggested it.. i was on 10mg for about 5 weeks and just today went to 20mg. i feel terrible ive spent the day in bed feeling so low. not like me. the lower dose helped me a lot but i seemed to plateau. with everything going its not surprising i suppose so maybe the increase was not the right call.. i can always go back to a lower dose if this is too high but guess ill stick it out a couple of weeks and see. i had no side effects on 10mg. never ending battle it feels like sometimes.
andrea08357 Theanxious1
Posted
yea it sucks that in order to get better we must go through the side effects of feeling so much worse. Be prepared that you may feel even worse but kt should pass. I am still in the side effect stage unfortunately. Some days are way worse then others and for some the side effects go away faster then others so don't get nervous or caught up in the instances where some of us have been waiting a long time. That might not happen with you!! Especially of you fared well with the first round!
We just have to believe eventually we will get better!
Unfortunately these meds take so very long to work. STAY STRONG!!!
There are a lot of great members on here if ya need to reach out to anyone.
Theanxious1 andrea08357
Posted
thank you!as per my reply below there to Pam, i am just so sleepy! cant go on like this but well see after a few days i suppose! argh
pam30642 Theanxious1
Posted
HI Theanxious1 , I also went from 10mg to 20mg and I experinced no side effects so hope fully you will be ok. I have been on 20mg for 5months now and it has helped with the anxiety. I also talk with a therapist every other week and I take a meditation class which has helped greatly. These meds take a long time to work but they do help. My psych doctor also wants me to take a small amount of klonopin . I take .25mg at bedtime and .125mg in the morning which helps until the lexapro levels are working. I hope this has helped a little. Keep me posted and God Bless.
Theanxious1 pam30642
Posted
hey thanks it does help. i think perhaps this dose is too much for me. i am so tired i didnt leave bed yesterday and slept through from 8pm until 7am this morning and i still feel exhausted. its like ive taken a sleeping tablet. going to try get out now and do some exercise and see if it wakes me up. will take another dose later. i think maybe 10mg is better for me i jumped the gun with an increase 😕 i dont have anxious thoughts but anxious symptoms - tight head etc. writing this is such an effort i am so sleepy. ill check back in again after second dose..!
andrea08357 Theanxious1
Posted
lethargy is a side effect. I have been exhausted since being on the meds. I take extra vitamins as recommended by my Dr but nothing helps.
It is supposed to subside but has not yet for me.
Theanxious1 andrea08357
Posted
this was my biggest issue with sertreline and i just couldnt accept it - being exhausted all the time is a bad as the depression/anxiety almost! . i had no tiredness with the escit. on the lower dose which was so amazing. so we shall see... just took my second dose of 20mg...
Theanxious1
Posted
have taken 3 doses of the 20mg now and i feel good 😃 no drowsiness since the first dose and feeling more positive about things. please let it continue
Lolita40 Theanxious1
Posted
Hi Theanxious!
I also have been back on lexapro since 6 weeks almost 7. Started at 10 and Im not at 12,5mg since 11 days and Im suppose to go at 15mg.
Been changed a LOT with meds in the past 2 years. Doctor tried to stopped meds in october and it was the first time without an antidepressant since 12 years. Huge mistake! I went downhill into big depression and pancs. And lots of anxious symptoms.
So they put me back on lexapro since I use to take it in the past and it worked at 15. Doctor said its suppose to work again.
But I think med changes did some havoc and just make my brain and body more long to recover. After 4 or 5 weeks, I started to feel better with depression and anxiety. Still have anxiety but not like I had when I was without med.
Just really feel always soooo tired and a bit spacey sometimes. The constant fatigue is the worse.
I take my med in morning between 7 and 9h.
Hope going to 15 will not make me worse and help with this fatigue.
I heard when we change dosage, it also can take 4 to 8 weeks before we feel the benefit?!
Good luck
Theanxious1 Lolita40
Posted
hey, sounds like youre having a really tough time. 😦( why did your doctor take you off meds was it bacause you were doing well? how long were you off them? i know they say coming off them is awful as you get withdrawal like your initial symptoms.. must be total nightmare. i really hope the lexapro does work for you. the tiredness i had with sertraline definitely improved over time but never quite disappeared but i was only on it for a short time. id say you should hang on in there with lexapro to avoid having to change again. you need to get stable - not that i know but it sounds that way! yes i think with a dose increase if you have initial sode effects youll get them again but i dont think theyll last that long. ive been lucky with side effects on this and was feeling better today but now down again but ive a lot of stuff going on and this isnt a magic pill. i wish it was!
Theanxious1
Posted
oh and i dont think it should take so long after dose in rease to feel a benefit but maybe im wrong. im on day 3 of dose increase and i really did feel better today. the sadness im feeling ja mainly break up blues. good luck 😃
Lolita40 Theanxious1
Posted
That is a good thing that you start feeling better with that increased dose.
The doctor stopped my med cause Im med sensitive and she wanted to see how I would do without. It was terrible.
I have been on med for 12 years and the last one before lexapro was zoloft that I took from july to end of september.
In the last 2 years, it feels like I have tiredness a lot on every med. Even during my withdrawal.
So getting stable and keep going with lexapro might just be the way to go to settle and give my nervous system a break and time to fully recover I guess.
Theanxious1 Lolita40
Posted
yeah thats what i would do if were you. your body must be worn out. these meds are tough going but so is depression and anxiety. i hope this one works out for you!
cory65493 Theanxious1
Posted
The tiredness should pass eventually. Im in the same boat. Ive been on Cipralex (same as Lexapro) for 4 years at 15mg and after some medical concerns brought some anxious tendancies back ive increased to 20mg. Im super tired but starting to have good days. Increase dosage for me has brought back side effects but will continue on because like the first time its worth it.
Lolita40 cory65493
Posted
Hi Cory!
just a question..
how long did the extreme fatigue last for you? Im in the same boat as Theanxious. Im making my 7 weeks. 4 and a half at 20mg and 13 days at 12,5mg and today I started 15mg.
I also notice internal vibrations or shakes. Not externaly but just feeling it inside. Its really unpleasant. And the fogginess and fatigue. My anxiety ramped up a bit since I increased my dose.
thanks
cory65493 Lolita40
Posted
Totally normal. Everytime you increase you will most likely get side effects. Yes, shakes, trembling, fatigue increased anxiety is all part of it. It's a process but no need to worry (hard I know). I'm only on 2 weeks of increase and I'm tired still but that generally starts to get better. If you have any concerns you could call your pharmacist. They sometimes know more than docs when it comes to side effects
Lolita40 cory65493
Posted
Thanks for the reply.... It gives hope!
Im so tired of being tired all the time. At 4 or 5 weeks in 10mg I had 3 days where my fatigue lifted a little. But then I increased at 12,5 and now 15 mg. Still have that fatigue. Might be the side effects of increasing like you say.
my wish is for the anxiety, shakiness and tiredness to lift soon.
cory65493 Lolita40
Posted
Oh it will. These side effects are quite normal. I think of as if aide effects are there it means the meds are working hard to improve you. It's tough but anxiety never lasts and these meds help pull you out faster. We just need to be patient and ride the waves...