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Lexapro and morning anxiety

Posted , 66 users are following.

alex10154
alex10154

Hi does anyone find their anxiety is significantly higher in the mornings? Have been on Lexapro for 2 weeks now (1 week @5mg then 1 week @10mg.)

I find the morning anxiety awful upon waking, with racing thoughts and every problem even small ones seem overwhelming to the point of feeling nauseous. Will this subside? Dr has given me Diazepam which I find I'm taking every morning. Im new to Lexapro after previously being on Prozac and Mirtazapine (which I hated and asked Dr to change) although I still take 7.5mg at.night for sleep. Just want to feel normal again and wake up looking forward to the day and feeling positive about things rather than the dread I have now sad

2 likes, 180 replies

180 Replies

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  • chivonne66778
    chivonne66778 alex10154

    Posted

    Hi everyone. I am on week 8 of lexapro 10 mgs. Since i saw my doctor about 3 weeks ago i came off the diazapam completely and have been on 0.5 mgs of rivotril in the mornings. I take it the same time as the lexapro. For most days i feel better than before. I finally thought the lexapro was fully kicked in howeever i got up this morning feeling very anxious and funny its a saturday and i dont have to go to work. Usually i feel much better on the weekends. I really am worried if something else os wrong with me. I have also been having some chest pains and pain in my left elbow. I did an ECG and it came back clear. Any suggestions? Should i go to a cardio doctor or do you think all of this os associated anxiety still?
    • shane05974
      shane05974 chivonne66778

      Posted

      I am on 10mg lex and have been experiencing the morning anxiety terribly as well. I'm on day 7. The morning anxiety can kick in any time from 4.30am onwards and I have pubs and needles all over with cold sweats. I'm dreading going to sleep at night but from what I've read I just have to stick it out and hope it gets better. I have diazapem which I am trying to take sparingly. I don't want to get addicted but sometimes it gets so bad I need it. I have also experienced chest pain and not only had ECG but also ECHO test and a stress test and they all came back normal. So I'm going with its possibly just the anxiety combined with the lex. So I'm just going to hang in there and wish you the best as well. Just thought I'd let you know my experience so far.

    • jellybean39542
      jellybean39542 shane05974

      Posted

      Shane you are fine, take it from me.  I STAYED in the emergency room, every test that they administered came back with a GREAT!  NOTHING WRONG WITH MY HEART AT ALL, it is all ANXIETY.... it will make you feel like you are losing it, your heart will feel like its coming out of your chest, and my scalp and the back of my neck would burn like it was on FIRE!!!!! I have lived through it, now that I have been on the meds for years I recognize the signs and try not to feed into them, although it is easier said than done, I just talk to the anxiety and tell it YOU WILL NOT CONTROL MY LIFE AND MY THOUGHTS, IM STRONG AND NORMAL AND I CAN DO THIS!!!!   whatever you have to do to coach yourself......hang in there Im on Lexapro 10 mg and Im doing well.... I take my pill every night at 10pm not a minute later  just to give my body a rhythm. try breathing and walking sleep in different places of your home, move around shift the atmosphere to see if anything helps.  I pray your feel better. I know you will.
  • Nickie54
    Nickie54 alex10154

    Posted

    Sounds like Lexapro is making its self known.....just give it time it will subside if it’s the medicine for u.. if it doesn’t get better then change is in your future... I’ve been on Lex sense Dec2017 and still have not found right mg. Good Luck
    • jellybean39542
      jellybean39542 Nickie54

      Posted

      Hi Guys, I've been on Lexapro since the summer of 2013 It has worked wonders, It gave me back myself! I was really at a low hard place in life and started to feel nervous, anxious and was unable to function normally.. long story short I was diagnosed with Depression and Anxiety.... I started off taking 5mg for the first week and then 10 mg as time progressed, IT WAS A PROCESS!!!! it took me on a MIND TRIP and I felt worse than I was already feeling.  I'm here to tell you it will get better in time, you have to stick with the medicine for it to work.  There are no INSTANT results...... if this medicine is the one for you have faith, take it hang in there pray, and give time, time.  I took it from 2013 to last August 2017, I weaned myself off of it finally in January 2018.  I felt fine for about three months but the Anxiety reared its UGLY head and I did not want to go back to that place where I was before so I started taking it again.... Yes I had to start all over again... UGHHHH, it has been no FUN, thus im getting better each week.  I TRULY UNDERSTAND and CAN SO RELATE TO EVERYONE.  I pray we all find a comfort and peace of restoration as close to normal as possible(whatever normal is).  Hang in there.  

    • Nickie54
      Nickie54 jellybean39542

      Posted

      I’m hoping it gets better for me but idk if Lex is for me.. I have bumped down to 5 mg. As of today.. hoping things get better..Yes I agree it takes time ...
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 jellybean39542

      Posted

      Jellybean< I am on day 20 of 10mgs of Escitalopram. I am starting to have times every other day where the anxiety is less. How long did it take to kick in and start to feel very discouraged. I was on Prozac for 8 weeks and it didn’t work

    • sherri45888
      sherri45888 Nickie54

      Posted

      I’ve been on 10mg for 3 weeks and sense starting it has increased anxiety & fear & panic bad. I too decreased to .5 3 days ago. Has it helped or did you change to something different & what if you did?

      Thanks

      Sherri

    • Nickie54
      Nickie54 sherri45888

      Posted

      This is day 26 and yes I do feel better.. I take 2.5 mg. of am and 2.5 mg. PM... it’s not for everyone but it’s for me.. when I was on 10-12.5- and 15mg. It was just way to much and the aniexty was there...with the way I have chose to take it now....it seems to be working better for me...Lexapro is a very potent little pill and for some as it is for me.. what they call a therapeutic dose is over the top for some...it’s different for everyone.. you must just find a good middle ground as far as Mg. goes.. it’s different for everyone...Praying all goes well for u..😊

  • ashley98521
    ashley98521 alex10154

    Posted

    Hi! I’m so thankful that I’ve found someone else going through this. I am terrified to wake up tomorrow morning because I know I’m gonna feel that terrible butterfly feeling in my stomach that keeps me glued to my bed till around 6pm. I’ve been on lexapro for about 4 weeks now 2 weeks 5mg then 2 weeks 10mg. I don’t know how much longer I can take this morning anxiety... 

    • shane05974
      shane05974 ashley98521

      Posted

      I'm on day 15 now. The panic attacks subsided around day 10. However saying that i had two bad nightmares in a row on day 13 which triggered a panic attack and so had to take a diazapam to calm back down again. (I stopped taking the dizapam after day 10 when the initial attacks subsided. Didn't want to be addicted.) But went to bed last night and woke up this morning ok again. I felt a bit nervous but after I found the motivation to get up and move around that went as well. I have also been using an oxytocin spray which a naturapath gave me and that helps boost me a little as well. I still get tired if I push myself to much and have to rest for a bit but I don't let myself go back to bed. I sit on couch or something like that. I think it helps... well it does for me. If it's 4 weeks and still happening I'd go back and chat with your doc or whoever is managing your condition. Maybe it's not the right med for you. I was even questioning that myself yesterday. Anyway good luck. Hope it all works out for you.

    • sarah2714829
      sarah2714829 ashley98521

      Posted

      I’ve been watching this thread , I’m now week 5 , two horrendous weeks on 5 mgrms , then went up to 10 , now third week on 10 and I’m only starting to get better , I was going to quit last Thursday , I couldn’t take it anymore . But I felt like I should push through , seen how bad the first two weeks were ! . I never want to feel that way again . 

      So finally some relief , I’m having mild anxiety in the morning , instead of that extreme feeling , today is better than yesterday and yesterday was better than the day before . Finally seeing some hope . 

      I hope it continues . 

      Good luck 

    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 ashley98521

      Posted

      Hi Ashley, I am 12 days on 10mgs. I have horrible anxiety and take a .25 Klonopin in the morning or a non-addictive vistaril. I am also taking a real low dose of Trazadone to help me sleep. I had no side effects the 1st week but this week of stomachaches and no appetite. Last night around 8:00 I felt like myself, I felt so hungry. I hope this is a sign it might start working. I was on Prozac for 8 weeks which did nothing. I am right where you are
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 sarah2714829

      Posted

      Hi Sarah, I am now on day 20 at 10mgs. Some days seem a little better like every other day. Are you seeing real progress now into week four?
  • jones44
    jones44 alex10154

    Posted

    hi everyone having a read around, it says venlafaxine can be good for people who experience morning anxiety, so that's a med to consider if you do not have success with your current med you are taking

    also, pregabalin can be helpful for morning anxiety, if taken just before bed and at the right dose for you, there is a good chance you would not wake with morning anxiety

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