Increasing dose from 15 mg to 20 mg

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hi,

16 days ago my doctor increased my dosage from 15mg to 20mg because the 15 wasn't really helping me anymore with my anxiety and depression. For 10 days I had side effects (decreased appetite and feeling really tired) these have decreased thankfully and I guess I may feel slight improvement- how long should I give the new dosage to fully work? My doc told me to give it for 4 weeks and if I dont see much improvement he will switch to another ssri. 

Thanks for the replies

Jordan

1 like, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    Jordan... I'm not a pro at this medication but I am a pro so da speak on aniexty and depression... I feel like it really has a lot to do with how long u have suffered with the issues and how your body adjusts to the medication..I started about 6 weeks ago on Lexapro but had to start slow and my doses are spaced out 6 hours apart right now 9am.. 3pm.. And 9pm... @2.5 mg. per dose.. So when u r talking about a much higher dose I'm not to sure as to how long .. But with me as soon as I started the Lexapro is started helping with my panic & aniexty but the depression issue took several weeks like just a few days ago I started feeling better as far as depression and that flat feeling... Just give your self some time and stay in contact with your Dr. About your concerns... And keep on posting.. Take Care and God Bless..😊

    • Posted

      Hi Nickie,

      Thanks for replying. I'm going to give the new dose 4 weeks and see how i feel- hopefully a lot better! Hope you continue to feel better.

      Best wishes

      Jordan

  • Posted

    Hi Jordan,

    I’m a professional on all of the SSRI drugs. You will need to give the 20mg dose 6-8 wks to see the full effect. I take 17.5mg of Lexapro currently & am working my way up to 20mg. In the past I’ve been on Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, & Paxil at different times. My friend is a psychiatrist and he said that most patients get the best relief from anxiety/depression in 20mgs. Best of luck to you! Hang in there!

    • Posted

      Thanks for your reply Deanna!

      I will give it a few more weeks then! I'm worried they wont work and I have to switch. How did you do on the other meds? Why have you eventually had to switch?

      Best wishes

      Jordan

  • Posted

    I started on Zoloft when I’m 1st came out 16 years ago. Had increased anxiety bad so they switched me to Celexa. Was on that for years & it worked great! Lexapro eventually came out & I was having breakthrough anxiety in the Celexa after years of being on it so they switched me to Lex. Years later I had more breakthrough on Lex so they put me on Paxil. I did excellent on Paxil for years but had to get off of it to get pregnant. So here I am on Lex again which is prego safe. Lex is one of the safest, with the least amt of side effects according to my psychiatrist friend. I’ve been on these drugs for 17 years! Let me know if you have any other questions.

  • Posted

    I hope someone can answer my question and concern I have been for 10 days now increasing my Lexapro, 15 mg to 20 mg. I truly think that the 20 is way too high for me but the 15 wasn’t doing it much tried several other meds but got bad reactions to them. Also, I want to go back to my 15 mg the 20 definitely is too strong for me being that. I am shaking and wake up dizzy every day today is the worst I don’t even wanna take the 20 mg tomorrow I wanna go back to the 15. I see my neurologist and check but I don’t think I can wait that long.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.