Lexapro and morning anxiety

Hello. Has anyone passed the crazy morning anxiety ? I am on exactly week 4 now , started on lex now on paroxetine because I could not tolerate this any longer, but it does not seem much easier with paroxetine either. At least not at this point. I plan to wait another 2 weeks if I possibly can to see if this morning anxiety or headaches subside. I am very lost. Please someone if you have any words of encourgement.

HEY HONEY, it will be ok. i had horrid side effects for five weeks on Lexapro 2.5 mg . have been on it now I little over six weeks and I am starting to feel better . my anxiety was awful on it when I first went out at especially in the morning and I had to take .5 of Ativan with it . now I take it about 11 or 12 in the day and take a quarter of an Ativan with it it’s probably not doing that much, but in my mind I feel like it helps . I know you switch antidepressants off of Lexapro so I can only tell you about the Lexapro . like I said the side effects were horrid, the anxiety, and not being able to sleep, general feeling of just feeling bad, and just not feeling like myself . sometimes for the first few weeks after I took it I would literally have to lay on the couch and just close my eyes until the symptoms passed . now I take it and don’t really think about it I just try to stay busy after I’ve taken it . my anxiety has decreased immensely and I am now able to go into stores without being anxious and trying to rush out . still don’t feel 100% but Dr. wants to increase me to 5 mg after one more week on 2.5. I am very sensitive to medications and their dosages . do try and take your new medication at least seven weeks and try to push through the side effects which believe me I know it’s easier said than done. Do you have something you can take along with your antidepressant to help with the anxiety? it’s a tough go but so many people are in this together .... remember that you are never alone . hang in there and I talk to God a lot . Reading scripture or recording it on my phone and listening to it throughout the day really helps me to stay focused . it’ll be OK I promise

hi leigh,

thank you so much for your reply and such a positive comment. I really needed this. my dr now said dont change lexapro and keep taking it. ( the anxiety on paroxetine was even worse)i am on it for just over 4 weeks now. does it really take so long to kick in? in the past it used to work for me within 2-3 weeks i started to feel much better but this time around it feels as i am getting worse. specially the last 3 days have been insane. i have xanax but my dr wants me on respiridone 0.5 mg so to remove the xanax which i am sceptic it will do something! i hope so and i really hope this state i am in starts to lift eventually as i am losing hope. all i do is wake up try to eat something and it feels like a rock and wait for anxiety to pass while laying in bed. its so insane and such a horrible feeling. i am also having it difficulty sleeping at night without xanax , let alone during the day. its driving me nuts not being able to go to work or anything. i pray and hope so much i start to feel better soon. best

The first time I took it it helped quicker also then I went off of it for about five or six years the second time it has taken longer . I don’t know if the various generics have more fillers in them or not. also I am still just on 2.5 so it may be taking longer for me to build up a therapeutic level . what ever you do do not stay in the bed ! get up and do something even if it’s just walking outside . what that does is just make your world smaller and put your focus just on you and your side effects . I bought books on tape from Audible and listen to them on my phone . make it a point to stay out of your room . go to another room and listen to books on tape or listen to a TV program . I don’t know about you but for several weeks it was hard for me to focus on reading . if you have an iPhone you can also do video memos to yourself. I recorded encouraging scripture and I recorded encouraging stories and words that I had read at a from a wonderful book called Jesus calling morning and evening by Sarah Young . here is an example " my presence is always with you, but I am very present in times of distress. As you look back over the years of your own life, you will see many instances of my meeting your needs in hard times. Since I am a well proven helper you can trust me to help you now !" " keep your eyes on me I am with you taking care of you in the best possible way don’t let your past or present suffering contaminate your view on the future. I am the Lord of your future I have a good things in store for you ."

make yourself eat make yourself get out of your bed and out of your room make yourself go take walks you need to look at other environments beside your room that will just pull you deeper in the pit go outside and walk and notice the trees flowers butterflies anything that’ll pull your thoughts away from yourself I’m here if you need to talk more

also ask your doctor about vistaril for sleep. i am on 15 mg at bedtime and i sleep all night. I wake up briefly to go to the restroom or drink some water but I go right back to sleep. Some people take up to 100 mg at night but 15 does great for me I told my doctor that was the greatest thing she did for me . I am no longer waking up every few hours drenched in sweat it helps so much to have plenty of sleep to fight this evil thing of anxiety

I'm in week 3 and the anxiety is horrible. weeks 1 was bad then lifted now worse then ever helps to know am not alone sorry you're struggling night time is the worst for me the panic thoughts set in and from there I am helpless to do anything I do pray and meditate or try to meditate my heart just won't settle down skipped beats thudding heart rate super hot burning skin stomach is weird on flip side feel so much lighter and happier so go figure

I am so sorry you were going through all this but I completely understand . my doctor started me on 2.5 then after seven weeks put me on 5 mg which I have been on now for almost 10 weeks . even with the starring on such a low dose I felt like I was losing my mind on 2.5 mg. terrible anxiety not being able to sleep feeling like my mind and heart were racing . please talk to your doctor about putting you on Vistaril for sleep . dose an be as high as 50 to 100 mg per night but I take 15 mg a 10 mg and a half of another tablet and sleep the entire night. The good thing about Vistaril t is non-habit-forming. It is also one of those off the label drugs that they use for anxiety. I don’t use it for anxiety I just use it for sleep. I do use .5 mg of Ativan early in the morning once in the middle of the day to help with anxiety . I am not worried about addictive properties at this time as I have been on Ativan for years 1 ng at bedtime for sleep before I started taking the vistaril. it took me a long time for Lexapro to work probably because my dose was so small. I too had anxiety but not a lot of nausea and sometimes it was the Lexapro that made my heart feel like it’s beating fast. Ativan does not usually do that and when I worked as a CCU nurse a lot of times we gave Ativan to help slow the heart rate down. It may be the anxiety it may be the anxiety anticipation when you take the Ativan because you don’t feel confident with it that’s making your heart rate go up . I too like you wasn’t doing a whole lot but now I am driving going to the store by myself and don’t have anxiety during the day time. Nobody understands what you’re going through except for those of us who have been through it. But I promise this path you’re on will end soon. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Have a good support system. I have four friends who i group text every time I started having a lot of anxiety nd they would stop immediately and pray for me pray me through it . I call them my stretcher bearers . yes there is a story in the Bible of very sick man was brought to JESUS to be healed but the line was so long his four friends who were carrying his stretcher he was lying on went, up on the roof cut a hole in the roof and lowered the stretcher down right in front of Jesus . and Jesus healed him . so my four stretcher bearers are there for me whenever I send them an emergency text . I promise you you will be better one day. Don’t look into the future or into tomorrow and wonder how you’ll be just focus on getting through the day remembering that this medicine will eventually help you and give you your life back . I promise you it will get better to not listen to the voices in your head that are telling you you will not get better you I promise you it will get better DO Not listen to the voices in your head that are telling you you will not get better you will. The blessing to remember is you do not have a terminal or debilitating disease but a mind thing that they do not even classify as a mental disorder you w ill get through it! believe in yourself because you’re a lot stronger than you realize ! blessings to you !

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond really soothes me. 3 1/2 weeks now just had a big attack not sure if is panic or afib going to new cardiologist on Friday. Probably anxiety I just can't tell w heartbeat so irregular jumping super fast then skipping beats started feeling nauseous and like was going to faint couple min before it hit Lexapro I think cut it off but now feel like am hit by a truck still breathing super fast whaling headache is so weird you feel like your heart is racing then take pulse feels slow to normal but definitely have that impending doom and like nothing is real don't know where I am I read that is more anxiety than afib. Anyway this is prob the strongest attack have had since starting 10 mg. I reluctantly take 1/2 Xanax and it helps but feel scared to take it even though nurse and doctor both say take it don't suffer by myself but I feel scared I'll get addicted I never take pain meds or mood alterers. So I'm praying alot part of me does trust of course that panic "this may be the one" sense comes over me it is ever so slightly less. Just really feel worn out like wrung out dish rag after episode. Sat will be one month on 10 mg have to see with doctor are you supposed to have any attacks? a couple? I don't know I know everyone is different but how does one know that uping the dose is the right thing to do? Anyway thank you again for your time and care. It's sad to say but feel relieved to know am not alone there are so many people on this message board who are struggling. I hope you are great 😃