How to cope with startup on escitalopram

hi, everything your saying is exactly how i felt 😦 only difference is i had it all my life 😕 anyway like yourself i searched everywhere for hope when starting escitolpram so i like to give hope to others of i can 😃 ive been on them for 6 months now and like you they made me worse at the begining but its worth it in the end, so hold on in there i no its hard it should settle down after the 1st couple of weeks then slowly start working by 6-8 weeks you should be feeling alot better 😃 bear in mind when you have an increase the side effects do come back but not as harsh as when 1st starting.

i hope this helps and gives you some hope 😃

good luck leah x

I am right there with you. I am on day 13 of 10mg after being on 5 mg for 7.

This startup has been really rough for me with lots of extra anxiety and depression. So, you arent alone in this right now, I am going through the same stuff.

i am on 20 mg and started at 10mg and jumped to 20mg .. hell i even forgot and took 40mg and felt great. it was rough in the beginning. i am on other meds and i think they helped me get to the good stage.. hang in there you are not alone!!

HI Alyssa, I also started on lexapro 10 MG and after 4 weeks increased to 15 mg and after a few weeks increased to 20MG.I have been on it for 11 weeks now and I feel so much better.It is hard starting and improves each week. The side effects are difficult to deal with but my psych.doctor put me on a small amount of klonopin until the lexapro leveled off. I have also been seeing a therapist and he has helped alot. You may also try guided meditation which also helps me. Good luck to you ,keep me posted and GOD bless.

Alyssa15. Hang in there..everyone is different, so keep in contact with your doctor. I started day one on 20mg per day, but also had 1mg Xanax to take every day as well. The first 3 days were hell, but that subsided quickly for me, thankfully. The Xanax just brought everything down to a space so much better than where i had been until the Lexapro built up. I took Xanax every day for 30 days along with the Lexapro. Over the next 10 days i took half the Xanax dosage (so .5mg) and then stopped the Xanax completely. That was May /June and on 20mg of Lexapro i feel even, and normal. Good luck, ask questions here, and keep talking to your doctor. Best regards.

Hi everyone,

what about sleep? does that eventually come back ? I take my pill at night, fall asleep fine sometimes but then wake up in a couple hours and cant get back to sleep

HI Alyssa, I take my med in the morning at 8am.I take 0.25MG of klonopin at bedtime and it helps me sleep well.I also take klonopin .125mg in the late morning around 11am, I use to take another .125mg in the afternoon but I weaned off of that dose.All these doses of klonopin are very small amounts but does help me. Good Luck,keep me posted and God BLESS.

Hi Allyssa. I take Lexapro at roughly 7:30-8:00 at night. I take 9mg of Melatonin (over the counter) and a couple Avil PM about 30 minutes before bed. I do Advil because it work well with arthritis. TylenolPM would be equivalent. That works for me. Now being a few months into it, the lexapro helps with sleep. At times i can even have strong yawning during the day.

jim P

Hi Alyssa,

I aggree with the other guys, that we have to take within Lexapro a small amount of benzo for at least one month...you feel the serenity you search for until lexapro kick in. Do not afraid at all of get used the benzo.it will be just a little of it and its not a big deal just for a month. You should discuss it with your doctor and there is not a reason at all to have the side effects of the beginning stage of lexapro.

We all know how difficult this stage is. For the sleep you also discuss with your doctor about Remeron. I saved my sleep with this pill. It is also a antidipressant but specialised for sleep and now I have replaced lexapro with half of it (15mg) every night.

I wish you good luck...and all the stressfull days to be a past within the next period.

how are yiu doin? my doc started me on lexapro 20mg last night and ive had a pounding headache since 2 hours after taking my first pill. im nervous and just want to be back to normal. anxiety is terrible!