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Lexapro - still waiting

Posted , 2 users are following.

lisa61053
lisa61053

Hi all

I TOOK 5mg for 10 days then 10mg for 10 days, then 15mg for 2.5 weeks and now 20mg for 1 week. I feel I have been constantly going through side effects for over a month. Mostly increased anxiety and shaking and weird daydream feeling. Its been such a struggle and I wonder if anyone can give me some indication when I will get some reprieve.

Im a 44 yr old mature student at uni and mid semester so cant even take time off. Ive had to,get through some lectures with diazepam.

Hope someone can help.

Lisa

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • matts4912
    matts4912 lisa61053

    Edited

    Hi Lisa.

    This is a simple one in that every time you change a dose, you reset the clock for getting the blood levels right in your system. That is all that this is. Unless there was good reason for you needing to go onto 20mg (highest dose), you would get as far as 10mg and wait around 6-8 weeks on this dose to see how you feel before going any further.

    Therefore, if you have been taking 20mg for one week, you can expect side effects to continue for at least another month, if not more. When it is said that these drugs take 6-8 weeks to release the side effects and to start working, this means on the same dose. If you chop and change, you start that timer all over again.

    If you find that after a 4-6 weeks on 20mg that your anxiety is still there, then I would suggest you have opted for a dose that is too high for you. Most doses for anxiety are around the 10mg mark - the higher doses are usually reserved for depression.

    Hope that helps and the best of luck with your studies as I too am a mature student...

    Matt

    • lisa61053
      lisa61053 matts4912

      Posted

      Thanks Matt,

      Although your answer makes sense, it certainly doesn't help my feeling of hopelessness! I was told once the therapeutic dose was in your blood stream is when the clock starts ticking, so if that for me is 10mg then that's when I count from?

      Also, I took Lexapro around 3 years ago and stayed on 10mg for 6 weeks with still quite a bit of anxiety so 20mg worked well. Therefore it was assumed that I will need 20mg again. Not something I want to change right now.

      I'm hoping I don't feel this anxious for another 6 weeks? I know it wont disappear but I would appreciate some relief in the coming weeks.

      Thanks for your response.

      Lisa

    • matts4912
      matts4912 lisa61053

      Edited

      Everyone's gray matter is different, but as a rule, changing doses will take longer than most GP's think they will. If 20mg worked well for you in the past then that might be a way to go, but brains are changing every second of the day, and what worked well 3 years ago often has a moderate probability to what will work today. Never assume that it will be the go-to protocol for reinstating stability. Furthermore, your severity and tolerance will be different that it was before and therefore easing the dose is the way to go.

      For sure it doesn't help with the hopelessness - I hear you loud and clear on that one. I am two years into my current relapse and so bloody tired of it.

      Matt

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