Lexapro/cipralex....not sure what to do
Posted , 7 users are following.
I was on 20mg lexapro for major depression and weaned off in September 2017. November end, two months after being off, onset of anxiety and minor depression hit literally overnight which apparently is hormonal so i jumped back on 10mg lexapro for a little over 6 weeks now mostly And 4 days at 12.5mg. I am super sensitive to meds and jumping on 10mg was so brutal at times. now I feel flat most of the day. Not really depressed but just unmotivated, scared, no joy, no excitement. I typically feel better in the evening. I wanted to keep the dosage low because it wasn’t as severe as my last episode and they also gave me hrt to add this time. I am at 6 weeks and still not back to normal and wonder if maybe lexapro isn’t working this time. Is 6 weeks too soon? I will see doc soon but wondering what people with experience would do. I hate this flat feeling and want to be happy again. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!
1 like, 73 replies
Nickie54 Erin_from_Calif
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Erin from Calif... idk your age but I'm 63 and I've dealt with this GAD and Panic for 50 years and I have found that it has gotten a little worse since I hit my 60s .. I'm active and in pretty good shape .. so when I get a good combo of Lexapro I'm sticky with it and a little over the Conter hormone cream.. I'm done with this panic and aniexty at my age.. it's been a long hard road but even at 63 u change your mind on medicine.. I always thought I could manage but I was managing but that's all I was doing.. I was home bound because of the GAD and Panic.. that's not living that's existing.. no more for me.. If it's not Lexapro I'll find one that will work..Take Care and stay with us thru your journey..😊
Erin_from_Calif Nickie54
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Nickie54 Erin_from_Calif
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Erin from Calif.. yes I just started Lexapro 18 days ago .. I started out at 2.5 for 1 week .. then up it to 5.0 .. then this week I keep BD of wanted to up it to 7.5 but idk if I'm ready for more changes.. they say each time u bump it up u have more chsnges .. so I may r may not bump up tonight.. I take 2.5 of the am and 2.5 pm.. so if I bump up it has to b either the pm r am.. the reason for that is b cause I'm Soo sensitive to meds and my Dr let me decide when and how to bump up .. she wanted me to do 5mg at pm and 5 mg at am but I wasn't going to do that .. she don't live in my sky n .. I do and I have to go thrus the changes..,not her.. so I'm going real slow for that reason.. if I do bump up to 5.0 mg tonight and it makes me feel weird and I'm not able to handle it right now .. I'll go back down to 2.5 until I feel better about it..I know that sounds weird to some people but I want to feel better but I know it will take time either way u go fast r slow.. Hope u stay in the conversation... it helps to have someone to express how I r feeling and hear how someone else is doing on the same meds... Take Care and keep posting.. Hugs 😊
Nickie54
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Erin .. the 1st week was 2.5 .. 2nd week 5.0... then this week I wanted to go to 7.5 but I don't know if I'm ready ... that's what the first few sentences should have said in my post... this crazy phone sometimes changes my words... lol😊
Erin_from_Calif Nickie54
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Yes, slow is better! I started at 10mg this time and it was torture but I wanted to get better faster! The first time I went on Lex I started at 5 which was much more bearable. I am soooo sensitize to meds which makes it a slow process but worth it in the end. It's nice knowing we are not alone in this journey so let's definitely stay in touch.
Nickie54 Erin_from_Calif
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Erin... yes I will try to message daily.. u try also.. it makes it bearable to know that someone really understands..Have A Pleasant Evening.. it's really cold here in Texas today.. going to b 5 degrees b4 morning..Brrrrrrr...😖
david44767 Erin_from_Calif
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This probably won't help you much since it's just my experience so far with Lexapro. We're all different but here goes...
In 2007 I was having constant major panic attacks. Severe anxiety which lasted for days! I had to do something. Called an online nurse and she urged me to get to my doctor. I saw him the next day. He got me started on Lexapro 10mg but had to talk me into it because I, too, am very sensitive to these types of meds and have some horrific experiences with them.
Well, the Lexapro worked very well. Within 2 weeks severe anxiety was a thing of the past. After about 3 years on this drug, however, I started feeling like I wanted to hit someone. The doc reduced my dosage to 5 mg. Those feelings went away and that dosage is what I've been taking ever since.
I also feel at times like my emotions are flat but that is much preferred to the awful attacks I was having. I can laugh and cry at appropriate times but not as easily as if I wasn't taking this drug. I was almost embarrassed that I was not able to shed a tear at my mother's funeral in 2010.
The point of my reply is that maybe you need to be on a smaller dose rather than a larger one. Did you have normal emotions on 20mg? That amount every day would put me over the edge but my sister takes that amount. I'm puzzled by the 12.5mg dosage that you mentioned in your post since escitalopram (Lexapro) only comes in 5, 10 and 20 mg dosages. Are you sure it wasn't something else you were taking that might have messed up your emotions?
Erin_from_Calif david44767
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david44767 Erin_from_Calif
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It's difficult to say what might help you besides giving it time to do its work. I have never attempted to get off Lexapro (I'm scared to!) so, after 10+ years, I've pretty much forgotten what it's like to not be on something.
Wishing you luck!
Erin_from_Calif david44767
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You are very lucky that 5mg works for you. And I don't blame you for not wanting to stop. It is a frightening feeling. We are lucky that we have medicine to help us these days, I just wish they were do a lot more research to find better alternatives for mental health. Have a great day
Nickie54 david44767
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David... This is Nickie.. I started Lexapro19 days ago.. I started taking 2.5 of the evening after 1st week I added 2.5 of the am.. I am super sensitive to meds also .. but after my OBGYN did a saliva test and it said Lexapro was a good drug for my DNA.. I decided to go with it..after 19 days of being on Lexapro.. 7 days at 2.5 and 12 days at 5.0.. I'm doing well.. I'm still having some side effects but r tapering off.. with that said I really wanted to give Lexapro about 4-6 weeks at 5mg. To see if maybe that would b all I need.. it seems to work best for me if I take it at night and then of the am.. Hoping 5mg. Is my lucky #...Thanks for posting.. Take Care..😊
Erin_from_Calif Nickie54
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I would love to get that test! I have heard about it but by OB/GYN said it wouldn't be beneficial which I thought was odd. Does a doctor have to order it?
Nickie54 Erin_from_Calif
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Erin.. maybe your OBGYN was not clear on the test .. but yes it's very useful.. it shows the meds that u should not take and the ones that r right for your DNA.. with less side effects.. That's one of the reasons I have suffered sooo ling with this GAD and Panic and Phobia stuff is because the medicines the Drs. Would put me on would make me crazy ..it was just horrible .. so I just gave up and dealt with the issues which has been hard but I'm one tough lady..so u might want to ask your Dr. Again ... r go online and search.. I have seen it on TV but it was another company.. I will look when I get home and find the name of it and the location of the company and u may can call company and get test packet.. u just swab each side of your teeth .. top and bottom and get all your DNA back in about a week..it was life changing for me.. I never understood why I could not take cough syrup and cold products over the counter.. now I know.. I have bad reactions from them.. my Drs. Thought it was just from my GAD and a panic Disorder and my Phobias but guess what .. it wasn't .. it was my body and DNA that would not break the medicines down correctly.. so I would have Hortible side effects from the most simple counter drugs...Aspirins put me to sleep..so I'm so glad I had test ran.. I'll message u when I get home after 5pm...
david44767 Nickie54
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The saliva/DNA test is very interesting. Did it cost a lot? I wish someone had done that for me because I have only been able to do trial-and-error on many different anti-depressants and there are some HORRIBLE ones out there. It's why I was resistant to Lexapro at first but it turned out to be a life-saver for me.
Thanks for mentioning it!
Nickie54 david44767
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David..the cost was less than 300.00 but that could b different in different states.. My health insurance would not cover it.. but yours may.. u would just need to check.. it's a game changer to have access to all that info..when I get home after 5 .. I will post the name of the company and u can check it out.. I'm going to stick on 5mg. Of Lexspro for a few more days r weeks and just see if I can make it on 5mg. We will see..😊
Nickie54
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Nickie54
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