Nervous about the side effects

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I have suffered with anxiety my whole life . I was on ciprlex for 6 years along with xanax .05mg to take as needed and to help me sleep. For the past two years I came off of ciprlex and I was feeling great . Fast forward to around June I noticed my anxiety was coming back so my doctor suggested I take escitalopram same as cipralex just generic. I moved to a bigger city and I work as a retail manager. I also have 2 daughters who moved away just before I came to the big city. I think with all the stress of my job and my girls becoming adults and starting there own life caused alot of stress and anxiety . I took the estilaphram the other night and had the worse panic attack off my life. I woke up with the shakes could not stand the smell of food I would gag . Very dry mouth and my heart was beating out of my chest . This is third attempt I made to take this medication and the feeling was just so horrible. Is this normal to feel this was . It worked amazing before I was kinda shocked at how bad I felt this time . I'm actually scared to take it , but at the same time I want my anxiety to be gone . I don't even like moving out the door now without getting the shakes. Not to mention it feels like my head is in a fog . Any advice for me would greatly be appreciated.

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    I am so sorry to hear that you are having such a terrible time, there is nothing worse than a panic attack! (In mu opinion) I am curious what dose you are starting on.
    • Posted

      They have me on 20mg but the pharmacy told me to break it in half for 10 mg and I still had horrible side effects .
  • Posted

    Hi,

    What’s the dose? Consider breaking it in half for a couple weeks, it sounds like it is too strong for you.

    • Posted

      When I started 4 months ago, my side effects were similar to yours; dry mouth, foggy head and sleepy. They did dissipate over a week or so.
    • Posted

      They have me on 20mg but the pharmacy told me to break it in half for 10 mg
    • Posted

      Maybe if I stick with it the side effects will go away instead of trying it for a night and not taking again because of the way I felt . It's just scary.

    • Posted

      I actually stated really slow, 2.5 mg, then 5 mg, then 7.5, then 10 mg, then my current dose of 15mg.  My side effects were very mild. 
  • Posted

    20 mg is really high to start on (too high, IMO). I'm actually surprised your doctor started you on that high of a dose; it's very uncommon. Even 10 mg sounds like it is too high for you.

    ?I started off at 5 mg, then a bit over 5, then 7.5 ish, now 10. I did have some side effects, but they were minimal for the most part.

    ?

    • Posted

      Maybe i will break it into 4 pieces so that way I can build up a tolerance to it .
    • Posted

      That’s what I would do. The side effects can be roUgh at that high of a dose. 
    • Posted

      Colleen..I agree with all of the other messages... and the one u just posted..I’m very sensitive to all meds... I feel like u may not need 15-20 mg. Lexapro is very potent..not to take away from your posting but I to have suffered all my life with aniexty andnpanic.. I started on 2.5 mg. On Dec. 30, 2017... went from 2.5 to 5.0 to 7.5 back down to 5.0 then back up to 7.5 then to 10.0 then to 15mg. Only because my dr kept saying the symptoms were from my breakthrough aniexty... but now I’m on 2.5 mg. Twice a day and doing better but I’m still having some menopausal symptoms but I can handle it... with that said some patients can not take what others do.. we r all different... do I would work up to 5mg. Over a 3 week period and stay at 5mg. For 6 -8 weeks and see how u feel.. to much of what we think is a good thing really may not b good for our system... but like I say everyone is different.. u may need less sense more has not proven to b a good thing for u... I know for me less is better... Good slick and God Bless..😊

    • Posted

      Thank you so much . I was kinda shocked the doctor put me on 20 mg also . He did know I was on it 2 years ago and it was 20 mg and I had no side effects what so ever, but I was on it for like 10 years . I even talked to the pharmacist and she told me just to break it in half . So I broke it in half It did not bother me till the next day I took it at night . When I woke up that's when the nausea and everything else kicked in . I am going to try the 5mg see how that goes for a few weeks. I have a feeling I will have better results with the 5mg . I am waiting a few days though . My doctor is on vacation so I can't get a lower dose . I asked the pharmacist and she just told me it was my anxiety that made me feel so anxious and to stick with it . I can handle the upset stomach its the anxiety that I can't handle .

  • Posted

    Escitalopram is incredibly, I agree with that comment above. Way too high at 20mg, it is not even indicated for anxiety at that dose, 10mg. Studies showed that 20mg was no more effective for depression and/or anxiety (sorry, I sold against Lexapro with Zoloft for years).

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